Happy New Year!

First off, I did a little housecleaning today. Going without a car in LA wasn't nearly as interesting as I'd hoped. (Took the bus. Went to get groceries. Took bus back. Wee.) I decided to scrap it.

Here's my new obsession:

101 Things TO DO in the Next 1,001 Days:

Completed items are crossed off

Learning
1. Speak French well enough to hold an extended conversation with a native speaker.
2. Learn basic Italian.
3. Learn to fire a gun.
4. Learn to drive a car with manual transmission.
5. Learn how to choose wine.
6. Learn how to mix cocktails.
7. Learn how to snowboard.
8. Take up piano again and re-learn to play "Clair De Lune" by memory.
9. Learn to knit.

Art
10. Take a life-drawing class at the Union.
11. Participate in a sketchcrawl.
12. Participate in a gallery show.
13. Take a plein air painting class.
14. Finish "Paper Dreams" and "The Illustion of Life" from cover to cover.
15. Attend the Ottawa animation festival.
16. Take a figure/portraiture painting class.
17. Finish a gouache painting and get it framed.
18. Go animal drawing at the LA Zoo once a week for a month.
19. Make and successfully sell pin-back button sets on EBay.
20. Make a dress for myself.

Travel
21. Drive the Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago.
22. Take the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Oakland.
23. Tour Europe.
24. Kayak in Belize.
25. Take boyfriend on a rafting trip down the Grand Canyon.
26. Backpack through southeast Asia.
27. Take another trip to Vegas with girlfriends!
28. Surprise boyfriend with a trip somewhere amazing.

Places to Go - Local
29. Have a drink at The Standard bar/pool.
30. Swim at a nude beach.
31. Visit Griffith Observatory.
32. Ride the subway in Los Angeles.
33. Take an LA Conservancy tour of downtown.
34. Visit the Getty Villa.
35. Take a tour of Castle Green in Pasadena.
36. Attend the Rose Parade.
37. See 'Wicked' and sing along to all the songs!
38. Attend the annual JPL open house in Pasadena.

Purchases
39. Purchase a good-sized non-stick skillet for all-purpose use in the kitchen.
40. Replace my computer with a laptop.
41. Purchase a new car--Toyota Matrix or Honda Fit.
42. Create a proper office area in the apartment with a light table and desk.
43. Purchase low-flow showerhead for bathroom.
44. Redecorate the bathroom.
45. Collect all of Douglas Adams' books. (Namely Salmon of Doubt, which was borrowed from me and never returned.)
46. Buy a sewing machine.
47. Buy an electric handheld mixer for the kitchen.
48. Replace Wacom tablet with a newer, pressure-sensitive model.
49. Obsolete, now that we have a new bed!
50. Acquire a full collection of Harry Potter books (missing #1-3).

Career/Financial
51. Accumulate $100,000 in a money market account.
52. Put together a new pitch packet.
53. Get an animated series picked up by a network.
54. Complete an indie animated short film.
55. Submit said film to festivals.
56. Put together a pitch or a children's book with M.

Health
57. Be able to practice yoga without having to use beginner variations.
58. Be able to think like an optimist.
59. Find an affordable, qualified therapist.
60. Get a professional massage.
61. Give up soda for a month.
62. Go on a fast (Nothing but water) for a full 24 hours.

Religion/Spiritual
63. Become familiar with the basic tenets of Hinduism and Buddhism.
64. Attend a Hindu or Buddhist religious service.
65. Take 5 minutes every day to meditate and be silent.

Volunteering
66. Volunteer with the Dems at election 2008.
67. Participate in a protest.
68. Volunteer at the Burbank ASPCA.
69. Participate in BookCrossing.

Organization
70. Clean out "office" area, and throw or give away everything that's gathering dust.
71. No longer applicable, as I now have hardwood floors. Yay!
72. Ditto, although my work area could stand to be cleaned.
73. Rip all of my CDs to Mp3 to store on an external hard drive.

Friends and Relationships
74. Hold a dinner party.
75. Find and move into a rent-controlled apartment with more space. (to share with my sweetie?)
76. Get engaged? ;)
77. Invite my sister to spend a weekend in LA.
78. Tour the inside of the Getty with Mom.
79. Find three good pictures of me and boyfriend, print them out and frame them for him.
80. Have a romantic sunset picnic with boyfriend on the beach.
81. Host a holiday dinner (potluck or otherwise) in my home.

Things to See and Read
82. FINALLY see LOTR: Return of the King, preferably on someone's big-screen.
83. Watch 4 of Audrey Hepburn's films that I haven't seen.(3/4 - Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Breakfast At Tiffany's)
84. Watch at least 4 Preston Sturges movies I haven't seen.(3/4 - The Miracle At Morgan's Creek, The Great McGinty, Hail the Conquering Hero)
85. Watch 4 of Alfred Hitchcock's films I haven't seen.(2/4 - Notorious, Shadow of a Doubt)
86. Re-read the Harry Potter series before "Deathly Hollows" is released.(6/6)
87. Read all of Edward Rutheford's books.
88. Read at least 3 books/essays (preferably from the 1970s) about feminism and its roots. (0/3)
89. Read 4 books by Phillip K. Dick that I haven't already read.(3/4 - The Man In The High Castle; Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said; Voices From the Street;)
90. Read 4 of the Dali Lama's books that I haven't yet read. (3/4 - The Way To Freedom; Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart; Live in a Better Way )
91. Watch Michael Paylin's "Himalaya."

Miscellany
92. Plant a successful garden.
93. Go ghost hunting.
94. Make a list and send out holiday cards.
95. Go rollerskating.
96. Bike or take public transit to work every day for a week.
97. Keep a daily/nightly dream journal for one month.
98. Complete a state quarter collection (with both Denver and Pennsylvania mints!)
99. Get a professional manicure and pedicure.
100. Research my family geneology.
101. Create a new list 1001 days from now, starting with items from this list that WEREN'T COMPLETED.





It's a given that I probably won't accomplish all of these. But there's something to be said for a little motivation.
I have until Sept 29, 2009.

Ready? GO!!