Another Year Gone

Here I come and sign into my blog for the first time in...a while... and lo, and behold, it's almost exactly one year later. I'm not so good at keeping up on blogging.

The good news is, I can check off a couple of items, although not as many as I should be able to after another full year. Don't worry, it's always on my mind even if it's not always on my priority list. So here's what I've done:

#6, 7, 14, 15, 32, 33, 34, 47!

Right, it's been a while.

So the final result of my first attempt at the 101/1001 challenge was semi-success, although the blog was a pretty substantial fail. Here's the final tally for List One:

Completed: 55/101

1. Walk on the Sydney Harbour Bridge Oct. 13, 2006
2. Hold a koala Oct. 18, 2006
3. Feed a kangaroo Oct. 18, 2006
4. Go sailing in the Whitsunday Islands Nov. 22, 2006
5. Tour the XXXX brewery Nov. 8, 2006
6. Read 10 more of the 1001 must read books
7. Get an A- or better in 5 classes Dec. 2007
8. Listen to every song in my iTunes & get rid of the ones I don't like
9. Try Thai food Dec. 10, 2006
10. Eat a Moreton Bay Bug Nov. 18, 2006
11. Stand up on a surfboard
12. Visit Nicola and Lynsey in England July 23, 2007
13. Send out Christmas cards Dec. 2006
14. Run a 5k Sept. 22, 2007
15. Picnic in Central Park
16. See IMDB's Top 100 movies (done: 57)
17. Come up with 101 things
18. Own Lonely Planet’s Blue List Dec. 25, 2006
19. Really learn how to drive a manual car Jan, 2007
20. Sell something on eBay Jan. 6, 2007
21. Visit 2 new countries: New Zealand Nov. 23, 2006, Scotland July 25, 2007
22. Get a professional facial Jan. 9, 2008
23. Visit 4 new states June 8, 2008
24. Tour a winery
25. Have another OTC solo Feb. 21, 2007
26. Have a drink in NYC with Mom
27. Go on a college tour with Leslie
28. Go to Boston July 2007
29. Attend Christmas Eve church services Dec. 24, 2006
30. Go to a major league baseball game
31. Take a photography class May, 2007
32. Take a drawing class Jan-May, 2008
33. Go to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival
34. Learn to juggle
35. Put the Rolling Stone’s top 100 rock songs of all time into my iTunes
36. Have a book of my photos printed
37. Go to Mardi Gras Feb. 14-18, 2006
38. See Something Corporate or Jack’s Mannequin in concert June 19, 2009
39. 365 Day Portrait Challenge
40. See Ground Zero Aug. 22, 2007
41. Get a tattoo Dec. 23, 2006
42. See IMDB's 101-250 top movies
43. See AFI's 100 Years...100 Films
44. Donate hair (at least 10") Sept. 2007
45. Recruit another person to do this list Jan. 24, 2008
46. Own a digital SLR camera Dec. 25, 2007
47. Go on a cruise March 8-15, 2008
48. Write my Australia diary
49. Run an 8 or 10k
50. Plant and harvest a vegetable plant
51. Do a photographic portrait study of someone
52. Raise/donate $1000 for various charities (so far: $285)
53. Take a yoga class
54. Collect my tips from the coffee shop for one month and donate to a local charity (TBD)
55. Own a Bible March 4, 2008
56. Read Bible
57. Run a marathon
58. Graduate cum laude May 11, 2008
59. Host a champagne brunch at my apartment May 10, 2008
60. Run a 5k under 25 minutes
61. Eat vegetarian for one week
62. Plant and grow a bonsai tree from seed
63. Try every tea in the coffee shop where I work May, 2008
64. Make a mini-list of recommendations of goals
65. Vote in the US Presidential election
66. Cook a romantic dinner for two
67. Refrain from gossip for one week
68. Learn the Thriller dance
69. Be able to play 5 songs on the guitar that I really like.
70. Apply for and receive BUNAC visa
71. Pay off my credit card before moving to London
72. Find an apartment in London
73. Find a job in London
74. Shadow a professional photographer
75. Sell a piece of glass art
76. See the AFI's 10 Top 10
77. Really, truly clean out my room
78. Save all important emails from my Richmond account
79. Learn how to make sushi
80. Have a photo shoot with my puppy
81. Visit Africa
82. Make a photo display in my room
83. Make a "Where I've Been" map to hang in my room
84. Knit a blanket
85. Download VH1's Top 100 Songs of the 80s
86. Download VH1's Top 100 Songs of the 90s
87. Run a half marathon
88. Start on nursing degree August, 2009
89. Write a great resume
90. Make the perfect 20-song running list
91. Paint the shelves in my room white June, 2009
92. Bridesmaid in Kerry's wedding May 30, 2009
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101. For every item not done, donate $10 to charity.

# 65 Vote in the US Presidential Election

# 30 Go to a Major League Baseball game

Carolyn invited me to go with her to a Yankees game. They lost to the Cincinnati Reds, it was kind of a boring game but a fun time with Carolyn. Also, I paid $12 for one beer and one hot dog, but considering it was one of the last games ever played at old Yankee Stadium, I'm pretty glad I got to go.

One Year Left...

A year sounds like a lot of time, but in the past 636 days I've only managed to check 35 items off my list, and I still have 20 blank spaces on my list where I haven't even thought of a goal. I have a lot of work to do.

On the other hand, several of my goals are "in progress". Here's where we stand:
#6 - I think I'm about half done.
#8 is happening a little bit at a time.
#s 16, 42, 43, and 76 are also all happening a bit at a time. I might resort to NetFlix.
#17 is 79/101 done.
#50 is in progress- I have a tomato plant in a pot in my front yard. It's growing fast, but won't produce tomatos for a few more weeks.
#34 my Dad offered to teach me- he's pretty good at juggling.

Etc., etc.

I'm also re-starting the 365 Day Portrait Challenge today. I got about three days into it the first time, but now that I only have 365 days left, it's time to get serious.

Crunch time!

#23 Visit Four New States

Completed June 4, 2008

My friend Samantha asked me to come along with her when she moved out to Wyoming to live with her boyfriend. We roadtripped out, starting in Jersey, and going through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan by accident, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming, and I flew back from the Denver airport, so that was one more state. All together, I visited eight new states on this trip alone, as well has having visited California and Louisianna earlier for my first two.

#58 Graduate Cum Laude

Completed May 11, 2008

Cum laude means 'with honors'. My GPA was .01 away from doing this as of this semester, so it was in the back of my mind to bring my grades up just that little bit. I pulled it off- I graduated with exactly a 3.4