101 in 1001

I was going to make a list of 10 green things I wanted to accomplish in 2010. Instead, I am going to do a 101 in 1001 list. Yes, I am going to try to accomplish 101 different new things in 1001 days. I am going to start 1/1/2010 and my 1001 days will end 9/27/2012 (yes that does include the leap year in 2012). Wow, now that the dates are written out that is a long time.

So here it goes:

The mission: Complete 101 preset tasks on 1001 days.

The criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Items that have been completed will be strikedthrough.
Items that I am currently working on will be green.
GOING GREEN
1. This is the biggest one...Get the Hubs on board with the "green" lifestyle
2. Convert all cleaning products to eco-friendly ones, preferably homemade
3. Convert all beauty products to eco-friendly ones
4. Get educated with books and documentaries
5. Reduce the use of paper towels
6. Shop locally and at farmer's markets
7. Start composting (5/11)
8. Use recycled toilet paper
9. Reduce water usage10. Figure out a way to reduce junk mail

TRAVEL
11. Visit friends in NC (2/2010)
12. Visit a US city I have never been to (7/2011)
13. Travel outside of the country
14. Visit friends that are moving to Omaha
15. Go to Vegas (7/9-7/16/2010)
16. Go see a Broadway show
17. Visit 5 attractions in the tri-state area that I have never been to or don't remember
18. Go to a vineyard (7/12/10)
19. Actually take pictures during my travels
20. Visit a National Park

CREATE
21. Track my 101 in 1001 experience in my blog
22. Make 10 new recipes (10/10) +3
23. Take an activity class just for fun and not related to Grad School (3/11/11)
24. Start making my own hair and beauty products
25. Give homemade products as gifts (and for feedback)

EXPAND KNOWLEDGE
26. Finish Grad School(12/7/10)
27. Read 50 books that are not crime related (17/50)
28. Read 100 books not including 50 above (19/100)
29. Re-read "To Kill a Mockingbird" and remember why I love the book so much
30. Watch 5 documentaries on eco-friendly living (5/5)
31. Go to 10 new restaurants (10/10) +1 last updated 8/16/11

32. Go to an opera (5/16/11)
33. Learn to correctly tie a bow tie
34. Learn a new language
35. Be able to accurately label a US map
36. Be able to accurately label a map of Africa
37. Be able to identify 5 constellations
38. Learn about a current political issue and be able to speak on it intelligibly
39. Learn how to change the oil in my car

ORGANIZE
40. Finally change my name on all documents
41. Organize and clean my entire home
42. Paint the guest room
43. Donate clothes and shoes that the Hubs and I no longer wear
44. Make the bed every day for 1001 days
45. Make sure the kitchen is clean every day before I go to work for 1001 days

RE-CONNECT
46. Send Christmas cards (12/2010)
47. Meet 3 online friends in real life (7/3/2010)
48. Have a GTG with people I have not seen since high school
49. Restart "Girls Night Out"
50. Go out to lunch with my mom and mother-in-law (5/8/2010)
51. Spend the day doing whatever the Hubs wants to do
52. Join an organization that will help my career goals

GIVE BACK
53. Donate to Sankofa International
54. Pay for the meal of someone behind me
55. Volunteer at a food bank or shelter
56. Donate to charities through CFC every year (2/3)
57. Put money in someones expired meter
58. Go to church more regularly

FINANCIAL/LEGAL
59. Get term-life insurance for the Hubs and I
60. Get a living will and trust for the Hubs and I
61. Reach our goal for our E-fund (2012)
62. Open ROTH IRA's for the Hubs and I
63. Become debt free except for the mortgage
64. Update my resume and have it reviewed by others
65. Make an actual effort to find my dream job
66. Research a stock and invest in it
67. Put $5 in savings for each task completed

HEALTH
68. Run 3 miles in 30 minutes
69. Run in an organized 5K
70. Train for a 10K
71. Swim 50 hours (1/50)
72. Eat vegan for a day
73. Eat raw for a day
74. Attend a spinning class once a week for a month
75. Go on a run with the Hubs
76. Get to my goal weight the healthy way
77. Go to a naturopath doctor (1/24/11)
78. Go to the doc and have the TTC discussion (OMG!) (2/11/10)

GOOD FOR THE SOUL
79. Spend an entire day with my goddaughter (just us and maybe the Hubs)
80. Get dressed up for a night on the town with the Hubs
81. Convince someone else to start 101 in 1001 (1/1/10)
82. Write down 10 reasons why I love the Hubs and give it to him (6/13/10)
83. Surprise the Hubs with a romantic evening
84. Embrace my inner beauty, Diva, bombshell, sexpot for a night
85. Watch a sunrise
86. Watch a sunset (3/18/10)
87. Kiss the Hubs in the rain

JUST FOR FUN
88. Buy a pair of shoes I want no matter the price (12/7/10)
89. Go to a professional tennis match(8/2-8/3/10)
90. Do B-pics as a gift for the Hubs
91. Go see "Sex and the City 2" with the girls(5/28/10)
92. Do Karaoke (12/25/10)
93. Play in the rain (6/11)
94. Get the Hubs to act like a kid as much as I do for an activity (12/31/11)
95. Buy a gift for the Hubs that will really surprise him and not worry about the price
96. Stay in a fancy room in a hotel for one night (maybe the penthouse!)
97. Go see Cirque du Soleil (7/13/10)
98. Take a dance class
99. Grow my hair for 1001 days only getting trims
100. Play Trivial Pursuit and learn some things (3/19/10)
101. Do something rewarding at the end on my 1001 days!!

Holidays

I know I have been MIA for a while. It is due to the holidays. I find them physically and mentally exhausting. I love my family and despite what they think I love being around them; it just drains me. I have had the energy for this in the past because I normally take 2-3 weeks off of work during this season. That gives me the time I need to recuperate. I did not do that this year because I am trying to replenish the leave I used for the wedding and the Hubs injury. I honestly did not even realize that I "needed" that time off until I did not take it this year.

It is not just the family I find draining. It is all the Christmas music, shopping, twenty-four seveness of it that drains me. And since I did not, I have been drained and now I am sick. I have not updated my blog, cooked, really cleaned (hanging my head in shame), or anything for weeks. I think since Thanksgiving. I am surprised the Hubs is still here now that I think about it.

In coming to this realization, I realize that I am an introvert. An introvert is defined as "
(psychology) a person who tends to shrink from social contacts and to become preoccupied with their own thoughts". Those who know me may say DUH, but I did not see myself this way. I do love going out, having fun, etc. etc., but I become drained from those outings and need my time alone to recover. Nothing wrong with that (in my opinion anyway). And now that I understand my psychoses I can handle them in a positive way. I will definitely take time off around the holidays in the future. I know I need it for my mental and physical health.

Oh yeah, and since I love to read (probably a quality of an introvert) "The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World" is added to my reading list. Yes, I am branching out from my crime, serial killer reading.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Kwanzaa Everyone!!