101 in 1001 - The 2013 Edition

I've come up with a new 101 list... my old 101 list can be found here. 

Start Date: Sunday, July 7, 2013
End Date: Sunday, April 3, 2016

1. Make my new 101 list (it's nice to have something to check off right away, isn't it?)
2. Find the perfect mojito recipe (preferably from Fish D'vine)
3. Use a "word of the day" in a sentence every day for two weeks (or longer)
4. Get my wedding ring re-sized (it was too small to begin with)
5. Buy a map and put pins in the locations where I've left a little of Dad
6. Use one week of our timeshare in a place other than the DR
7. Go camping
8. Go fishing
9. Go crabbing
10. Go horseback riding with Rancho Lorilar in the Dominican Republic
11. Attend one of the monthly USA Dance  events (or something comparable)
12. Go to a murder mystery dinner theatre
13. Raft a Class V river
14. Climb a rock wall
15. Go without eating out for two weeks
16. Have a yard sale
17. Have my aunt Mary over for dinner
18. Hike Old Rag
19. Complete the Couch 25K program
20. Sign up for a 5K race - then do it
21. Swim 1000 yards
22. PADI Open Water SCUBA diver certification
23. PADI Advanced Open Water SCUBA diver certification
24. Come up with a weekly housecleaning list
25. Make a filing system for all of my important documents
26. Figure out what I want to be when I grow up or figure out my degree path
27. Drink bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape from 2006 France trip (hope it's still good)
28. Make a photobook of Australia and New Zealand trip
29. Set up a computer with photo editing software
30. Frame and hang one or more of my own photos
31. Look into providing photos for Shutterstock
32. Select photos and apply to be a juried photographer at the Foundry
33. Fence in entire backyard
34. Can tomatoes from my own garden
35. Re-learn how to play Chess
36. Spend a weekend in NYC
37. See a Broadway show
38. Send Aunt Nancy thank you gift 
39. Send Chris and Sally thank you gift
40. Make gluten-free bread
41. Design egg carton to sell/giveaway eggs
42. Take an impromptu trip to the beach (for the day or weekend)
43. Make a batch of wine
44. Meet up with Nancy and Darryl in Germany or Austria
45. Visit Key West (maybe even for Fantasy Fest)
46. Meet up with my cousin Emily - either in Boise or elsewhere
47. Write a letter to the editor
48. Plan a visit to South America
49. Take a two-week vacation (or longer)
50. Write up TripAdvisor reviews for 5 places/things in OZ and/or NZ
51. Sign up to be a Foodie pen pal at least once
52. Write a magazine-worthy essay or short story
53. Send out Christmas cards (hopefully every year)
54. Find a cool glass bottle to display my Whitehaven Beach sand
55. Spread some of Dad at Martinak State Park
56. Buy a brick for the FACES building
57. Plan and organize a WCCC meeting
58. Go on a sailing adventure
59. Eat a rooster that wakes me up too early
60. Make Jay a new mug
61. Spend a day technology-free
62. Plant hardy perennials in front garden
63. Get rid of red couch and chair
64. 10,000 steps a day for two weeks straight
65. Do a liveaboard trip or cruise vacation
66. Use Chase Sapphire points for a vacation
67. Sell/giveaway laying hens
68. Sell eggs from our flock (hopefully enough to sustain price of feed)
69. Make brownies from scratch and share recipe on blog
70. Visit Nancy and Darryl in Australia again
71. Decide if finishing my degree in OZ is a viable option
72. Visit Kathy's store Bead Soup
73. Send Renee and Joanne souvenirs from vacation
74. Enter something in the county or state fair
75. Try out paddleboarding
76. Decide if buying a boat is right for us
77. Try out oil pulling for at least a month
78. Successfully grow a plant from seed
79. Research and buy a new car
80. Dive a wreck
81. Go to the Dry Tortugas
82. Have a fabulous time at Christina and Dan's wedding
83. Make lemonade from scratch
84. Stay at a bed and breakfast
85. Go to pony penning
86. Have a gait analysis done and buy proper running shoes
87. Watch a meteor shower
88. Send a message in a bottle
89. Harvest pecans from our tree
90. Finish painting privacy fence
91. Go on a last-minute vacation 
92. Bring in fresh flowers to work for a month
93. Give someone a gift for being awesome
94. Attend a literary supper
95. Attend Second Saturdays at the Foundry at least twice a year
96. Make Maryland Beaten Biscuits
97. Go vegetarian for a week
98. Perfectly cook salmon
99. Grow herbs inside
100. Put up blackout curtains in bedrooms
101. Spend an entire afternoon reading in the hammock

My Original 101 List

Life is what happens while we're making other plans.

Below is my original 101 list...

I will post my final updates to it as of July 1, 2013 - way after I was supposed to be finished. 

I'm coming up with a new 101 list and will post it in the coming days and weeks.

lauren's 101 list

Start date: May 16, 2007
End date: February 10, 2010

1. Apply for a scholarship to a 4 year institution

I never accomplished this, however I'm accepted to UMUC whenever I finally transfer my credits from AACC and register for classes.

2. Attend my 2nd cousins’ Christening & Emma’s birthday party in MA - COMPLETED 6/16/07

3. Audition for at least one show or film

I never accomplished this, although I don't think that I would have the time for it these days!

4. Back up my computer files - COMPLETED 8/14/2007

5. Beat Brian at a video game in an arcade - COMPLETED 10/15/2007

6. Buy a “word of the day” calendar, and use each word in a sentence each day for two weeks

Never accomplished this, but I like it. This may go on my new list.

7. Buy a birdfeeder (and utilize it)

Never did this and I'm not sure that I want to attract most of the birds that live in my neighborhood!

8. Buy a house

With as much money as we spent fixing up the one we have, we pretty much bought one. We do have a mortgage now, so I will count this as completed.

9. Buy an original piece of artwork

I've done this a few times

10. Buy another battery for my digital camera - COMPLETED 11/1/07

Of course now I have a DSLR, plus an extra battery and a growing collection of lenses. ;)

11. Change a diaper (sounds gross, but I’ve never done it!) - COMPLETED 6/16/07

12. Clean out Denton house

Completed, and I live there now!

13. Complete my AA degree

Completed in 2009.

14. Find the perfect margarita recipe

My girlfriends and I did this a while ago. Oddly enough, it contained beer!

15. Get a Bose sound dock station for my iPod - completed

16. Get a Brazilian wax - Completed 1/8/08 (not a true wax, but I'm getting a Brazilian laser treatment, close enough!)

17. Get a fish tank

Not sure if I really want to do this anymore.

18. Get a professional head shot done

If/when I complete #3, I'll do this.

19. Get an unplanned body treatment (facial, massage) while on vacation

I've done this a few times

20. Get my “dad” ring re-sized

I've never had it resized, but I've gained weight so now it fits. :-P I rarely wear it, sadly.

21. Get my arm tattoo removed - in process

That puppy is GONE! Most people can't tell it was ever there. Of course since then, I've gotten a new tattoo... however, I now know to think about what I'm putting on my body and to put it somewhere that it can be easily covered up.

22. Purchase new Phi Theta Kappa certificate

I have no idea how to do this. However, my AACC diploma has my Phi Theta Kappa seal and Magna Cum Laude designation.

23. Find new container for Dad

He's happy where he is, I think. However, I've made it my goal to spread a little of him whenever I go on vacation.

24. Go back to House Mountain Inn

There are more exciting places to go!

25. Go camping in Shenandoah

I think I've been camping there and other places since I came up with this.

26. Go fishing

I went fishing a few years ago... but it's going on my new list.

27. Go horseback riding - completed

Done this a few times as well... planning to go again later this year.

28. Go kayaking - Completed

29. Go on a Caribbean Cruise - Completed

I went on another cruise in February 2012.

30. Go out for karaoke with my coworkers

Did this at a sketchy bar in Federal Hill while I was still living there.

31. Go see a dermatologist

Never did this, although I don't think I have any suspicious moles.

32. Go see the Orioles play in another ballpark

Meh. I'll do it someday, but it's not that important.

33. Go swing dancing - completed

Jay and I took ballroom dancing classes

34. Go through old class books & notebooks (throw out or give away the ones I don’t need anymore) - completed

35. Go to a murder mystery dinner theatre

I still want to do this

36. Go to a play at my old high school - completed

37. Go to Little Havana for brunch with at least 10 friends - completed

38. Go white water rafting - COMPLETED 9/1/2007

39. Go without caffeine for a week

I've done this a few times

40. Go without eating out or getting take-out for a week

I'm pretty sure that I've done this as well

41. Go without eating sweets for an entire week (i.e. cake, cookies, candy bar)

I definitely did this when I was on Atkins

42. Go without using the internet for one week (modified from 2 weeks on 6/22/07)

I almost did this when I went to Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately there are just some things that you need the internet for, like checking bank balances while you're away and making sure bills get paid!

43. Hang out with my grandfather and talk about his life experiences (record them if possible)

Not sure if/when I'll do this. It's complicated.

44. Have a yard sale

I need to do this!

45. Have my aunt Mary over for dinner

I still want/need to do this!

46. Have my teeth professionally whitened

Any kind of whitener I've used has made my teeth hurt. I'll pass

47. Have the rough draft of a paper written two weeks before its due in class

No longer applicable!

48. Hike Old Rag

This is going on my new list

49. Host a game night

I've done this

50. Jog an entire mile without stopping to rest (sad as it is, I’ve never been able to do this) - completed

Did this when I was running regularly, but I'm going to do the Couch25k program.

51. Learn French (enough to be able to get through a day in Paris unassisted) - Completed 12/8/07

52. Take a flight lesson - completed

53. Learn to salsa - completed

54. Learn to ski - completed 1/26/08 (or thereabouts)

Yup, learned to ski and I hated it. Skiing is not for me.

55. Make a checklist, chart or flow chart of household chores to make life easier - COMPLETED 5/16/07

I need to get back into this so that we can keep the house clean.

56. Make a filing system for all of my important documents

Still need to do this

57. Make it to work on-time for an entire week – including having my make-up on when I arrive - completed for two weeks in a row, made it in early and the trend has continued! 2/2008

58. Meet with an advisor at AACC before 8/10/07 (to plan remaining schedule of classes) - COMPLETED 7/12/07

59. Open a brokerage account and start investing – including transferring my WTC stock - COMPLETED 11/12/07

Haha! This account now has $4 in it. Turns out I'm shitty at picking stocks. I'll stick with my 401k and leave the stock choosing to the professionals!

60. Open Champagne from France trip in 2006 - Completed 12/31/07

My new list will have open my chateauneuf du pape from my 2006 France trip on it.

61. Print out pictures from digital images and organize pictures into albums

My new goal is to make a photobook from my latest trip

62. Read “Driven to Distraction”

Apparently my ADD was too much to overcome, lol

63. Read my Aunt Dede’s book - completed 6/30/07

64. Re-learn how to play Chess

Still want to do this

65. Rent a Dragon boat and paddle around the harbor

Never did this

66. Ride a mechanical bull (I stole this idea from someone, but I wanna do it!)

Did this in my wedding dress on 12/11/10!

67. Ride the Ducks in a new city

I almost did this

68. See a drag show (where they use their real voices, not one of those fake ones)

Most drag shows are lip synched, it's hard to find one of these. However, I've been to a real drag show!

69. See Les Miserables on Broadway

Didn't get to this

70. See Phantom of the Opera on Broadway

Didn't get to this either

71. See the Redskins play the Cowboys both at home and away
I've become less of a football fan... I still enjoy watching it, but since I don't play fantasy anymore, it's lost some of the appeal

72. Sell Denton house

Well this never happened and I don't know if/when we'll ever sell it!

73. Send a letter or email to 3 people that I haven’t been in regular touch with - completed through facebook/myspace

74. Send a postcard to the owner of Le Voltaire Hotel in Arles

Yeah I never did this. Nancy went back and he didn't recognize her, so I won't even bother.

75. Send Rebecca a wedding present/card

Since she's had her first child and has been married for ~4 years, I would say that it's a little late for this.

76. Send Cheryl and Megan pictures from Amanda’s wedding

I don't even have their email addresses anymore.

77. Set work-out goals (i.e. 45 minutes of cardio 3x a week) and stick to them for at least one month - completed because of workout results during summer 2008, lost over 10 lbs

I've done well with this off and on over the years. 

78. Sing karaoke with a local celebrity

Done, kinda

79. Take a cooking class - completed, or close enough through ongoing fun in the kitchen

80. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park

Meh. Maybe one day

81. Take a yoga class

I used to go nearly every saturday morning at the Y. Need to get back into it.

82. Take an impromptu weekend trip (changed from an impromptu weekend trip to Europe on 9/26/08)

Changing this to impromptu beach weekend

83. Take Piper to get the rest of her shots in 2007 - COMPLETED - 8/27/2007

84. Take Stefani to Ruth’s Chris for dinner

Stef went vegetarian, met a guy, we had a falling out, etc, etc. Now I see her every once in a while. Maybe I can add this back on with a variation.

85. Sell MR2 - completed

86. Travel to Australia and visit Aunt Nancy

Well I just did this finally. :) Can't wait to go back!

87. Try electrolysis or laser hair removal - began treatments on ~1/8/08

Did laser hair removal. Should have spaced treatments out farther apart.

88. Try scrap booking (make at least one page) - Completed 7/11/07

Ugh, I am just not the scrapbooking type. Although I do like making photobooks. Anything that involves glue just seems too sticky.

89. Visit a winery in Maryland - completed

I'm not a big fan of Maryland wines. There. I said it.

90. Visit Disney World

My kids will be lucky if I ever take them.

91. Visit France again - Completed 12/8/07

I'm going to be changing this to visit Germany. I think that's next on our list.

92. Visit Key West again - completed

I need to get back there. This is going to get on my list

93. Visit Lake Tahoe again

Meh. Don't really care about Tahoe.

94. Visit my cousin Emily in Boise

I'd still like to do this, I just need to get my shit in order.

95. Visit Lehigh Valley, PA area to see if I might like to live there (changed from San Antonio, TX to Lehigh Valley, PA on 9/12/07) - COMPLETED 9/16/07 (SO GLAD THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!)

96. Visit Stonehenge - COMPLETED 5/28/07

97. Visit the Air & Space Museum in Dulles

I'd still like to do this

98. Visit the Baltimore Aquarium

Maybe

99. Walk or bike the B&A trail around BWI

I've walked some of it

100. Watch the sun rise and set in the same day over the ocean

I'm pretty sure I've done this once or twice, at least I did it on the Whitsunday Getaway... although that was the Tasman Sea. Hmm.

101. Write a letter to the editor

I'd still like to do this sometime.

Scratch that...

I'm now posting over here:  http://unfortunatehomeadventures.blogspot.com/

I want to come up with a new 101 list, but with more time to complete it.

Things have changed indeed

I forgot that I even had this blog. Only discovered it after posting on my cousin's blog earlier today... I'm starting on a new blog on Livejournal (shhhhh)...

That blog will be more for my recipes and other random house stuff though. I'm hoping to eventually update my 101 list and create an entirely new list.

We'll see, I suppose.

Changes

It's amazing how much your life can change in less than a year. As I look over my 101 list, I realize how many of these things I don't really care about doing anymore, and how many other things I would rather do instead. I'm tempted to start over again and do an entirely different list, but I don't think that would be fair either.

So here is my update:

6. Buy a “word of the day” calendar, and use each word in a sentence each day for two weeks

I finally bought the calendar, but keep forgetting to start using the word. Hopefully I can get this completed soon. It's just difficult when the calendar is at work.

12. Clean out Denton house

Thanks to Jay, I am finally making progress with this one. He has been such a great help motivating me that I almost value his motivational help over his physical and technical help. He has been a Godsend for so many reasons, and this is one of them.

13. Complete my AA degree
As long as I pass my statistics class, this will be a reality next month! :)

17. Get a fish tank
I don't really care about this one anymore... I think it will be a lot more trouble than it is worth.

21. Get my arm tattoo removed - in process
I've had 7 treatments and hopefully I just need one more. I was taking a little break from this one, been getting burned out (no pun intended) from these things.

22. Get my Phi Theta Kappa certificate framed
I have no idea where my certificate even is! So maybe I should change this to "order new certificate in a frame." :-P

23. Give some of Dad’s cremains to Chez Lafitte
I haven't talked to the owner of Chez Lafitte in a few years and it would just be weird to even bring it up to her now. I should change this to "find dad a new box/container."

24. Go back to House Mountain Inn
Too expensive... I've found equally fun places for a lot cheaper!

26. Go fishing
We had planned on doing this on our last trip to Key West, but didn't get a chance. Hopefully I can do this sometime over the summer in some capacity.

27. Go horseback riding
Jay and I did this at the beginning of February... I had the laziest horse ever!

31. Go see a dermatologist
Not even sure why I had this on here to begin with! My skincare regimen is pretty good now and I don't have as many problems with acne as I did a few years ago. I've accepted my skin for what it is and I don't really see a need to go see another doctor. I have to go enough between GYN, thyroid stuff and the allergist!

32. Go see the Orioles play in another ballpark
I may still do this... I think I'd like to see them play the Nationals.

33. Go swing dancing
I can check this off... Jay and I have taken lessons at Arthur Murray and have shown off our moves at a variety of different establishments.

34. Go through old class books & notebooks (throw out or give away the ones I don’t need anymore)
I did this when I moved, not sure why I didn't check it off then.

36. Go to a play at my old high school
Completed! I saw Les Miserables at NCHS during the last weekend of March... they did an awesome job.

37. Go to Little Havana for brunch with at least 10 friends
This is also completed, although I can't remember when. In attendance: Me (obviously), Jay, Shaggy, Sheehan, Jen S, Tim, Jen M, Drue, Niki, and Scott.

52. Learn to fly (complete a solo)
Definitely don't care about this one. I took one lesson, I think that's enough! I'm modifying it to "take a flight lesson" and checking it off.

53. Learn to salsa
Done, although not all that well. Took lessons at Arthur Murray and found a lot of dances that I like a lot more than salsa!

66. Ride a mechanical bull (I stole this idea from someone, but I wanna do it!)
I am cursed when it comes to this one... it seems like whenever I'm set up to do this, there's a mechanical malfunction or something crazy happens. Went twice in Key West to ride it and was unsuccessful. This makes me want to ride it even more!

71. See the Redskins play the Cowboys both at home and away
Don't care about this quite as much... there are more important things to spend money on these days.

72. Sell Denton house
Working on this with Jay's help!

73. Send a letter or email to 3 people that I haven’t been in regular touch with
With facebook and myspace I've been able to connect with a lot of people, so I'm just going to check this one off.

74. Send a postcard to the owner of Le Voltaire Hotel in Arles
Since the owner didn't remember my aunt, he sure as hell doesn't remember me! I've lost the address, not sure if I'll ever do this.

75. Send Anthony a wedding present/card
Lost Anthony's address and I'm well past the standard one year rule. Sorry buddy!

76. Send Cheryl and Megan pictures from Amanda’s wedding
Amanda got married 3 years ago... I doubt Cheryl and Megan even remember me and I've long since lost their email addresses. Amanda has plenty of pictures anyway.

77. Set work-out goals (i.e. 45 minutes of cardio 3x a week) and stick to them for at least one month
Last summer I was a machine when it came to exercising... I've found that it works a lot better if I don't concentrate on specific goals.

78. Sing karaoke with a local celebrity
I consider Niki a local celebrity and I still haven't sung karaoke with her. I'm sure it will happen sooner or later.

79. Take a cooking class
These seems unnecessary... Jay and I have a great time in the kitchen together and I've learned from him. I think that should count.

80. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park
This might happen... we'll see!

81. Take a yoga class
Had an opportunity to do that last week and didn't take Niki up on it. I'm sure I can fit this in somewhere!

82. Take an impromptu weekend trip (changed from an impromptu weekend trip to Europe on 9/26/08)
Meh. We'll see... I don't do many things spur of the moment.

84. Take Stefani to Ruth’s Chris for dinner
This is going to be really difficult to do since Stef is now a vegetarian!!!

85. Take the MR2 for a weekend at the beach
This will also be difficult to do since I sold the MR2 after moving into Baltimore City.

86. Travel to Australia and visit Aunt Nancy
I'm still hoping to do this, although it will probably be past the deadline. Jay and I are probably going to Australia for our honeymoon, so we will spend at least a few days with her.

89. Visit a winery in California
I visited one in Maryland. Screw it, I'm changing this and checking it off.

90. Visit Disney World
I hate crowds, why would I have ever wanted to visit Disney World?

92. Visit Key West again
Been three times now!

93. Visit Lake Tahoe again
Not sure why I really wanted to go back there... the first time wasn't great, so I think I'd rather choose somewhere else.

94. Visit my cousin Emily in Boise
I would still like to do this but I don't know if it will be possible.

97. Visit the Air & Space Museum in Dulles
I'd still like to do this

98. Visit the Baltimore Aquarium
This is in the works

99. Walk or bike the B&A trail around BWI
One of these days!

100. Watch the sun rise and set in the same day over the ocean
Very close to doing that in Key West. I will do it one of these days!

101. Write a letter to the editor
This isn't very difficult, I'll do this eventually.


So those are my updates! Yippee!

Finally some updates!

I'm just copying and pasting from this... wrote it earlier today, so the formatting might be a bit off. I still have to update the official 101 list after this post, but here it is... what you've been for for the past ??? months:

Finally some updates!

I know that it’s been forever since I posted. I have many updates as well as some changes I’d like to make to my list… I’m not necessarily cheating, but I decided to change some of my objectives and have since completed them. Here are the long overdue updates to my list:

1. Apply for a scholarship to a 4 year institution
Of course I need to be accepted to the institution first, but I believe that I have at least decided where I will be attending after I graduate from AACC. I’m planning to attend UMBC… either in the fall (2009) or perhaps next spring (2010) so that I can take a break and hopefully do a show or two.
6. Buy a “word of the day” calendar, and use each word in a sentence each day for two weeks
I just ordered my word of the day calendar and it should be arriving next week! Stay tuned on this one!
13. Complete my AA degree
I thought it would never happen, but I am just months away from finally completing my degree. There have been many hiccups along the way, but the end is within sight!
15. Get a Bose sound dock station for my iPod (4/19/08)
I got one of these for my birthday last year (yikes!), so this can be checked off.
19. Get an unplanned body treatment (facial, massage) while on vacation (3/2008)
I got a massage while on my Eastern Caribbean cruise over spring break last year, as well as some weird oil scalp treatment.
21. Get my arm tattoo removed - in process
This is still in process, although I was hoping that it would be done by now… I’ve now had 6 treatments and it is almost gone. I think that one or two more should do the trick.
22. Get my Phi Theta Kappa certificate framed
Honestly I have no idea where this thing disappeared!? I think I may end up changing this objective to “order new Phi Theta Kappa certificate.”
23. Give some of Dad’s cremains to Chez Lafitte
I haven’t spoken with the owner of Chez Lafitte for quite some time. I would still like to “share” him with the place that he used to perform, but I don’t know if too much time has passed. I’m going to try to stop by there one of these days (maybe after a day of cleaning in Denton) and talk to Elizabeth. If this doesn’t end up happening, I’m going to buy a decorative urn so that he’s not still hanging out in his cardboard box.
24. Go back to House Mountain Inn
I’m changing this to “Go to Fiddler’s Roost Cabins.” It’s a new place and I’d like to make new memories. HMI rooms cost 2 or 3 times as much as Fiddler’s Roost, and the cabins look adorable.
27. Go horseback riding
Planning on doing this at Fiddler’s Roost in Feb. 2009.
28. Go kayaking (3/2008)
I did an eco-tour in St. John during the Caribbean cruise in a sea kayak. It counts!
29. Go on a Caribbean Cruise (3/2008)
Did the Eastern Caribbean on Carnival Valor… visited Nassau (too hungover to get off the ship), St. John and St. Maarten. On the last night of the cruise, I performed as Madonna in front of a thousand people on their main stage. Yeah, I’m good.
30. Go out for karaoke with my coworkers
Well, only one of my coworkers was there… I’m going to try to do this one again, but if I can’t get more people out, I’m still going to check this one off.
33. Go swing dancing (1/2009)
I’m checking this one off – Jay bought me/us couples dance lessons for Christmas. On our first date he brought up wanting to learn Salsa and Swing. I suspected him of stalking me and finding my 101 list, but he still claims that he never knew of the list until I told him about it. Anyway, we’ve been taking lessons at Arthur Murray for a few weeks and are learning foxtrot, swing, salsa, merengue, rumba, club swing, cha cha and the waltz. (not necessarily in order of importance) Turns out we’re actually decent dancers… who woulda thunk a guy with size 14’s would be so good on his feet? He’s totally showing me up, I’ve gotta step up my game!
34. Go through old class books & notebooks (throw out or give away the ones I don’t need anymore) (8/2008)
I did this as I was packing to move to Federal Hill. It was both liberating and time-consuming going through all of that crap. Of course, I started reading all this material and remembering how interesting some of it was. So yes, I have quite a bit of that in storage now… but most of what I kept is psychology related, and I’ve decided that I’m going to go ahead and get my psych degree at UMBC.
37. Go to Little Havana for brunch with at least 10 friends (11/2008)
I can’t remember the weekend that we did this, but it was quite a crazy day. The night before, I stayed at Jay’s in DC and we were up until the wee hours of the night. Two of his roommates made the trip to Baltimore with us, so we got the whole ten needed. Those present were: me, Jay, Shaggy, Sheehan, Jen S., Tim, Mook, Drue, Niki, and Scott. Actually I have to thank Niki and Scott for coming especially, since they’d played a show in VA the night before and still managed to make it. That was very cool of them!
48. Hike Old Rag
Well, we planned for it. The whole month of October it had only rained one or two days, and of course it rained like crazy on the day we planned it. It will happen though!
50. Jog an entire mile without stopping to rest (sad as it is, I’ve never been able to do this) (8/2008)
Aided by NIN, All-American-Rejects, My Chemical Romance and Breaking Benjamin, I achieved this feat on a treadmill at my old apartment complex. Unfortunately after moving to Federal Hill, my running slacked off. The combination of uneven sidewalks, a new relationship and trying to pass my algebra class took over my will to keep up with running. When the weather warms up again, I intend to get back into it… I just can’t run outside if it’s below 50.
52. Learn to fly (complete a solo) (~6/2007)
I’m changing this to “take a flight lesson”, which I did at some point during the summer of 2007, can’t recall when. It’s too time and finance consuming right now, not to mention that I just really don’t care that much about it. It’s cool to say that I’ve flown a plane, but there are other hobbies that I would pursue before flying… I have a lot of interests that are more interesting and less expensive for me!

53. Learn to salsa (1/2009)
I’m learning most of the popular Latin dances at Arthur Murray – see # 33
75. Send Anthony a wedding present/card
I’m going to change this to either contact Anthony or change it to something completely different. Too much time has passed from when he got married and I don’t know if I have the correct address for him.
76. Send Cheryl and Megan pictures from Amanda’s wedding
Again, too much time has passed from Amanda’s wedding and I also lost the email addresses of those girls, so I might change this to upload pictures from various events and email the album links to the appropriate people.
84. Take Stefani to Ruth’s Chris for dinner
Well… Stef is now a vegetarian, so taking her to Ruth’s Chris probably would not be the greatest idea now. I’m going to have to find a new place to take her.
85. Take the MR2 for a weekend at the beach
After carefully reviewing my options, I decided that keeping the MR2 in the city is impractical and too expensive. So unfortunately, #85 is being changed from “take the MR2 for a weekend at the beach” to “Sell MR2”, which I did in November.
86. Travel to Australia and visit Aunt Nancy
This one may actually happen at the end of 2009 or maybe 2010. Flights aren’t as expensive as I thought, nor as long. I’ve decided that I’ll fly out to LAX, stay there for a few days and then fly to Australia. From the west coast, it’s only about 14 hours… that’s not too bad.

So that’s my update! I hope that I start getting better about updating it!

I'm updating, I swear

I have a lot of changes that I want to make to my 101 list... Brian and I are no longer together (been over four months now!), so I need to update some items on the list.

I'm going to update soon, I have some other things to check off. Am finally going to hike Old Rag next month, too! Jennifer and I tricked Toya into doing it with us. Nothing like omitting the length of a 9 mile hike. hehe. ;)

Holy crap

It's been forever since I've posted...

However, my 101 list hasn't been derailed, only my blog updates. I have at least 10 things to cross off my list... I just haven't had much of a chance to update. Lots of things going on in my life right now, one of them is going to mean changing a few of my items.

So... look for an update soon, I promise!

I need to make a new 101 goal

That would be to keep up with updating my blog! There are a bunch of things that I need to cross off and make a post about, but I guess it hasn't been high on my priority list. I can currently cross off about another 5 things from my list, and probably 5 more after next week (caribbean cruise, body treatment on vacation, watching sun rise & set {if not on cruise, then in key west for sure}, kayaking, etc.). I'll also be going back to Key West the 2nd weekend in April, where I will hopefully ride a mechanical bull, sing karaoke with a local celebrity, and see a drag show. I think there are a few more on there, but I can't recall what they are right now. I think I'm also going to start working on that goal of running a mile without stopping. One of my coworkers goes running a few times a week before lunch and has been trying to get me to go for a while now. Mostly I'm just too embarrassed for other people to see how out of shape I am! I'm by no means fat, I just can't run for some reason. I couldn't even run a mile when I was a kid - and I was SUPER active. I don't get it.

Anyway... I think I'll cross off some things that I've done, and I'll post about them later. Only problem is that I'm not sure of the dates. Hmm. Oh well!

Brief update

I haven't had much of a chance to update, but I just wanted to check in and say that I HAVE been making progress... I have at least three more items to check off... the laser hair removal (in progress - the list said 'try' and I'm scheduled for 5 more sessions), learn how to ski, and I'm also checking off the brazillian wax. Having "everything" lasered off qualifies enough for me. Chances are that I will also be checking off my make it to work on time item, as work is completely insane right now and I've been coming in around 7am most days. I would've made it a whole week last week, but I was in DC at 12:30 a.m. to pick up Brian last Thursday/Friday morning. So I blame him for ruining my streak.

Kayaking and the caribbean cruise is coming up next month, so I can check those off. I also told Stef that the next time she comes over here that I'm taking her to dinner at Ruth's Chris. Key West is in the works... it was supposed to happen before the cruise, but due to a scheduling SNAFU with Brian's vacation, I'm now going two weeks AFTER the cruise. But the cool thing is that it will be the last week that Niki plays, so that will be neat. :)

Anyway, that's my brief update... I'm hoping to do an official update this weekend.

Some pics of the tattoo removal

They ain't pretty!

BEFORE

MOST RECENT AFTER (40 Hours)

Copied & pasted from myspace... will do my regular update ASAP

Okay...
As most of you know, I have an armband tattoo on my arm which I've outgrown (sorry, Artie - wherever you are!!)... I didn't think about the placement, and the tattoo itself has no personal meaning to me other than being 18 and wanting to be cool and get a tattoo. I started thinking about having it removed probably 5 years ago or so. I alternated between having it touched up or added on to and having it totally taken off. Usually those 'adding on' thoughts happenned when I was drunk.
Well, it's been nearly ten years and today was the day that I began the process of having it removed. It was actually prompted by Angela, who has been having her underarms done and has raved about laser hair removal. So I was thinking.. hmm.. I hate shaving and I'm always getting ingrown hairs... what the hell. Let's find out the deal for both.
Probably a year ago, I contacted Monarch Medspa after hearing their commercials. They tried calling me, but I never called them back. I guess I wasn't ready. I began looking into it again after hearing another commercial that they were running specials... go to their website and they're offering 30% off tattoo removal packages and 30% off laser hair removal + 1/2 off an additional package. It isn't cheap, but it's come down in price more than 300% since I began considering it.
You see where this is going...... when I do things, I jump in with both feet. So I opted for the laser tattoo removal package, and both a bikini and underarm package, 6 sessions each. What the hell, ya know... I can knock them out all at once.
I took a half day vacation today... I was super anxious this morning... probably most anxious about the bikini part just because of the shyness/vulnerability factor. I didn't use a numbing cream, and according to the nurse who did the procedure, she didn't think that it helped all that much anyway. The underarms were quick and easy... it was a little painful at times, but nothing I couldn't handle. People have likened it to a rubber band snapping against the skin, but I think more of it as feeling like an either super-hot or super-cold blast of keyboard cleaner with each pulse- you know, that stuff where the can gets all cold and frosty after you use it? The bikini was more painful than the underarm, and surprisingly the parts I thought would hurt the most weren't as sensitive. The modesty factor goes away after the first pulse - all you think about at that point is the pain and ohgodwhenwillthisbeover?? Not to mention that the nurse says she does about 10 of those a day. That being said, I think that it's well worth it.
On to the laser tattoo removal... which I'm thinking is going to be cake. I saw it on Youtube and it looked fast and painless. HAHAHA!!! Was I mistaken! First they inject you with lidocaine - in my case it was a little more difficult, since she had to get all the way around my arm instead of a general area. After probably the 10th stick, I started feeling woozy. After a minute rest and some water, I laid down for the remaining injections, which seemed to take forever. It wasn't the pain or anything - I just hate needles.. it's more the thought of it.. plus, I could feel that the area was getting numb and it just made me feel weird. Next time I'll probably lay down for the whole thing and try not to think about it as much. After she was finally done with the lidocaine (or maybe it was some other numbing agent, I don't know), the laser started. The numb parts were fine, it felt like something snapping against my skin, but wasn't painful at all. However, the parts that weren't numb hurt!! It actually did feel like a laser at that point... it was a hot, stinging sensation... that's the best I can describe. Fortunately, that part didn't take long at all. It looks like the care is going to be the most problematic part.. I can't get the dressing wet for 3 days, so I guess I'll have to saran wrap my arm somehow. I have to change it regularly and make sure that it doesn't dry up... it looked pretty gross when she was done and it was bleeding. Ick.
Right now, my arm is extremely sore, but my underarm and bikini areas feel fine!
So anyway, that's my story... guess I'll post this as a bulletin and a blog. When I take the bandages off for the first time, I'll post some pictures. So remember, kids - tattoos are not fun to have removed, not to mention expensive - so think REALLY hard before you get one! I do have 3 characters on my back/shoulder, but I'm keeping those since I can a) cover them and b) they actually have a little meaning. Those are the tattoos that you want - those you can cover and those that have meaning.
Please think long and hard before inking yourself!

#60 Completed and a few updates

60. Open Champagne from France trip in 2006 - Completed 12/31/07

I figured what better time than New Year's Eve to open a bottle of champagne? I was hoping to open it for an engagement, upgrade, or buying a house, but I got too impatient!! It was good champagne, but unfortunately I put it in the freezer a little too long before opening it. Oops. C'est la vie!! However, I did purchase another bottle of champagne while we were in France last month... it's a bottle of Moet rose champagne... I've never had a rose champagne before and I'm looking forward to drinking it!

Other updates:

16. Get a Brazilian wax

See number 87!

21. Get my arm tattoo removed

Today I finally spoke with someone at Monarch Medspa... I contacted them probably 6 months ago or more, but never made much of an effort to inquire about their services. I knew that they were running a few specials and packages, one of them being 30% off tattoo removal. Knowing how long I've put this off and knowing that if I'd just started it a year ago, it would probably be gone by now, I wasted no time in making an appointment. It begins on Tuesday, 1/8/08. Wish me luck!!

29. Go on a Caribbean Cruise

Departing on March 23rd (not quite booked yet, but we've decided at least!) for 7 days... going to Nassau, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. Can't wait! :)

54. Learn to ski
I told Brian that if he wanted me to go on his friends' ski trip on the weekend of our 3rd anniversary, he has to teach me how to ski. He thinks that I'll get too frustrated my first time and it won't be as fun for me... so we're going earlier by ourselves! On MLK Day weekend, I will be falling on my ass repeatedly. Hopefully I won't break any bones and I'll be able to check this one off. Who knows, maybe I'll love it so much that I'll become a ski bunny and start jetting off to Colorado instead of Europe on the weekends. ;)

78. Sing karaoke with a local celebrity
Well, Niki Barr is going to be my local celebrity... I had a drunken conversation with her after a show one night and I think I told her that I wanted to sing karaoke with her. So, I guess that's a start...

87. Try electrolysis or laser hair removal
I figured that as long as I was doing laser tattoo removal, I should just kill two birds with one stone and try lasering some other parts of my body. Angela has raved about her laser hair removal and claims that it doesn't hurt too much, so I've been inspired by her. The special they had for hair removal was to buy one treatment & get the second half-off. Bikini and underarm. Yep. For bikini, they have "bikini" and "full." Bikini is just the basic bikini and full is everything else... yeah... brazillian. So, I'm not quite sure if I'm going to do the full brazillian or leave a little something there. I think the latter... Tiffany said she read that someone had buyer's remorse. We'll see, I guess.

92. Visit Key West again
The plan is to head down to Key West 3 days before our cruise in March... Niki is playing, so that will probably be my karaoke opportunity. Any requests?

Check another two off...

(FYI, I began this post on 12/10 but it's now 1/3, so I'm going to try to finish it up quickly and move on to some other updates)

91. Visit France (with Brian this time)

It may have only been for a weekend - 2 full days - but we walked our legs off and we got to see all of the sights in one day. At least the major ones, without actually going inside (i.e. Louvre, which would've taken a day just to experience!)... Sunday morning we got an early start, went to a cafe for breakfast (near our hotel in Montparnasse), then walked to La Tour Eiffel... the weather had been terrible, but it cleared up that morning, so we were able to get some blue sky shots of the Eiffel Tower. After that, we wandered down the L'Arc de Triomphe, then continued down Blvd du Champs Elysee, stopping in the Louis Vuitton store to drool. I was thinking that getting a good deal would be possible... HAHA!! I couldn't believe how much those things cost! We saw a suitcase in there that cost over 10,000 euro!! That would be over 15 grand!! Craziness. Anyhoo, we wandered down Champs Elysee to Jardins Tuileries, the gardens that lead to the Louvre.. in summertime it's gorgeous and full of people.. not as many people there, but we did pass some enjoying a picnic. Stopped at the Louvre for pictures, then continued on to Notre Dame... of course by then it had started raining, so we stopped into a cafe by Pont Neuf for a late lunch. The rain let up a little, and we trekked back to our hotel from there.. we were going to walk through Les Jardins Luxembourg, but we were exhausted from all the walking and just wanted to get back and take a nap!

51. Learn French (enough to be able to get through a day in Paris unassisted)

I'm checking this one off. Despite my frustrations with my french teacher, she did force me to learn the language... albeit in my own way and with minimal help from her!! I also earned an A in the class, but believe it or not, the weekend trip to Paris didn't help. However, back to my "enough to be able to make it through a day in Paris unassisted" - I certainly did that (in broken French, I'm sure). I purchased our Paris trip passes which was supposed to allow us to use all of the RATP in Paris, I got us from the airport to our hotel by using the RER and Metro, I ordered for myself and Brian in every restaurant we went to (we also had the best cup of coffee in either of our lives at Cafe Leffe in Montparnasse by our hotel), and on the last day while traveling back to the airport on the Metro, I got myself out of a messy situation when my Paris pass stopped working and I got stuck on the wrong side of a gate. :-P We also had a funny moment on Sunday when we went off on our own... a French woman stopped to ask me if I knew where a certain place was, and I said "Je suis Americain, je regrette, je ne sais pas!" (I'm American, I'm sorry, I don't know!" And she smiled at us and said "Ahhh, uhh... Happy Day!!" It was so funny and sweet! And people think that all French people are rude. ;)

So that's my story!! :)

I have more things to update... must post now.