Aimless Wanderer: October 2013

As I was updating this list I learned that many of the things on the list are still things I truly want to do. I really wish that I'd kept up with this project and referred to my list more often. I think it may have helped me to not get as "stuck" as I felt in like the last couple years. Luckily with all the changes in my life right now I am feeling far from stuck.

Below are my final updates to the original list as of October 26, 2013. Hopefully, in the next week or two my new 101 list will be ready. Expect to see many of the things listed below on it!

PS - I have got to change the background of this blog! It is annoying the crap out of me.

102 in 1002 (formerly known as 101 in 1001)

The idea is to make a list of 101 Things, be they minor or major, that you'd like to accomplish in 1001 Days (about 2.75 years).

Start Date: 01 June 2007
Finish Date: 27 Feb 2010

1. Go back to Europe

Didn’t do this. However, I did go to Colombia and China.

2. Visit Rohan in Australia

Also didn’t do this, but see #1.

3. Make a decision about grad school

Decided that I’m not going to SLP grad school, but want to go to grad school in the next year or two to get a teaching degree.

4. Create a business plan for consulting

I didn’t do this, but still want to because I think it’d be a fun and informative exercise.

~~5. Clean things out of my mom's attic~~ - complete 9/3/07

6. Clean things out of my mom's shed

Not completed. However, I’m living at home right now and have been thinking about this every time I look at the shed.

7. Put loose photos in albums

Not completed. All still in a box.

8. Print digital photos and put them in albums

Not completed. I have two albums I want to fill and would also like to make bound photo books of my International trips.

9. Become conversationally fluent in a foreign language

Not completed. Unfortunately, I didn’t even take one foreign language class.

10. Take a photography class

Not completed. Still want to do this because I’m hoping to get a DSLR soon.

11. Buy an SLR camera

Not completed. Asking for money for Christmas to subsidize a DSLR purchase this winter.

~~12. Go to an Ethiopian restaurant~~ - complete 11/17/07

~~13. Watch The Godfather Trilogy~~ - watched part 1, 7/8/07; watched part 2, 7/21/07; watched part 3, but have no idea when. Part One was the best.

~~14. –Goodfellas~~ – when I watched this I realized I’d already seen it!

15. -Taxi Driver

16. -Star Wars (original)

17. -American Gigolo - Not completed.

18. -American Graffiti - Not completed.

~~19. -The Graduate~~

20. -Deer Hunter – so part of me thinks I did watch this, but I really can’t remember.

~~21. -Scarface~~

~~22. Become more proficient in Excel~~ – I am much more proficient, but not an expert that’s for sure.

23. Finish reading The Pelican Brief – I’m starting to think I’m not going to finish this book. Maybe I should give up on the “reading” and listen to the audiobook. [In progress]

24. Go on vacation with my mom

Not completed. I’m trying to plan a vacation this winter for her 60^th birthday. It’s like pulling teeth to get her to go anywhere!

25. Go Tubing (water)

Not completed.

26. Visit Katie W in TX

Not completed. She’s been there over 10 years and I’ve yet to make it to Texas. I did get to see her in Oct 2010 to celebrate one of our bestie’s 30^th. Katie just had a baby so I really need to try harder to get there.

27. Read a book that intimidates me (e.g., Anna Karenina, Song of Solomon)

Not completed. Still intimidated, I guess.

28. Learn how to properly play Tennis

Not completed. Tried to get a friend to take lessons with me, but was unsuccessful. I guess I’ll have to do it solo.

~~29. Go on a Road Trip (6 hours or more)~~ – complete 3/17/08

30. Give up TV for a least a week, not while on vacation

Not completed. I will say that after I got rid of cable my TV watching decreased significantly on a day to day basis. I did have SEVERAL Netflix benders though.

31. Read a magazine from cover to cover

Not completed. I don’t think I’m cut out for this one. If I’m not interested, I won’t read an article.

32. Be a tourist in Baltimore - visit Blacks in Wax Museum - Not completed.

33. -Reginald F Lewis Museum - Not completed.

~~34. -Walters Art Museum~~ – I took my younger cousin here. We had a blast.

~~35. –AVAM~~ – I went here with Heather. Really enjoyed it.

36. See a show on Broadway

Not completed. I usually make it to New York once or twice a year so need to just plan it.

~~37. Take a dance class~~ – I took a tap dance class for 4 months and LOVED every second of it. Then I hurt my ankle playing volleyball and haven’t danced post-surgery.

~~38. Go to a Vietnamese restaurant~~ - complete 05/08 BTW, if you've never had Pho, you are SOOOOOOO missing out. It's awesome!

~~39. Take my vitamins for 30 days w/o skipping a day~~ - I didn’t complete with a multi-vitamin, but I did do it with Calcium, Vitamin D, and fiber. Thank you, gummy vitamins!

~~40. Complete a 5k...running~~ – I ran 3 5Ks last year and one this year! I participated in a Couch to 5K running program offered by the Baltimore Women’s Classic and really enjoyed it.

~~41. Get a professional massage~~ - complete 06/08

~~42. Get a professional bikini wax~~ - complete 08/07/08

~~43. Decrease debt by at least 40%~~ - I decreased my debt by more than 50%, minimally. Not sure of the exact percentage. I paid off one student loan and am close finishing the second. Woot! The end of my credit card debt is also in sight!

~~44. Host a games night~~ - complete 04/08

45. Go to a baseball game at Yankee or Shea Stadium

Not completed. Well the original Yankee Stadium closed, so I’ll guess I’ll have to go to the new one or Shea.

46. Go to a baseball game at Fenway

Not completed. Mostly because I haven’t made it to Boston.

47. Go to a Bowie Baysox game

Not completed. I still want to do this. Man I was a slacker.

48. Take a real estate course

Not completed. I still REALLY want to do this. I’m more intrigued by real estate now than I was 6 years ago.

~~49. Go to a bar by myself in Baltimore~~ - complete 3/24/08

50. Go on a camping trip

Not completed. Was supposed to go with some friends, but then they found out they were pregnant!

51. Learn how to rollerblade

Not completed. I really couldn’t care less about this anymore.

~~52. Track my spending for one month and create a proper budget using Quicken~~ - complete 10/08

~~53. Lose 20 lbs~~ – I lost 28lbs last year. I’ve put back on 10 in the last month thanks to illness and eating whatever the heck I want, but I’m marking this Complete anyway!

54. Go to VA beach

Not completed. Le sigh.

55. Dye my hair (professionally)

Not completed. I really have no desire to dye my hair anymore.

~~56. Spend a day with Kyle~~ - just the two of us – so Kyle and I lived together for a year and a half. I’m marking this complete!

57. Take the Cape May- Lewes Ferry

Not completed. Went to Lewes this fall and drove by the terminal. I thought, “Man! I can’t believe I still haven’t done this!”

~~58. Go on a date!~~ - complete 8/28/07

~~59. No computer at home for a week.~~ - This has probably happened, but only because I have an iPhone. We’ll mark it complete because I don’t actually care anymore.

60. Have lunch/brunch with Kiana

Not completed. I haven’t even crossed paths with Kiana in years. I will probably take this off the list.

~~61. Contact Marianne via email/phone at least once a month~~ – So this thing called Facebook came along and enabled very regular contact.

~~62. Contact someone from my dad's family at least once a month~~ – Ditto on the Facebook comment above. I feel like I know more about my cousins than I ever did before.

~~63. Join a BSSC team other than volleyball~~ - complete 6/12/07

64. Play drop-in at the Volleyball House

Not completed. This is probably because I’m chicken. I did go alone to a Womens Volleyball League in Parkville and got picked up by a team. I LOVED playing with those ladies.

~~65. Donate blood~~ - complete 12/30/08

66. Have my pearls restrung

Not completed. When I was packing up my house in July I came across them and brought them with me to take them to a jeweler in Easton. Have I gotten them strung? Nope! Le sigh.

67. Swim in the Gulf of Mexico

Not completed.

68. Go on a snorkeling trip
Not completed.

69. Complete my RHCP collection on CD or mp3

Not completed. Still wish to do this.

70. Go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Not completed. I had a date to go with a friend. She got sick the morning of our date so it was cancelled and I never attempted to go again.

~~71. Get lunch/coffee with Sarah Tuck~~ - complete 10/4/07

~~72. Have a chocolate stout float~~ - had a Guinness Stout float on 2/22/08

~~73. Take a cooking class~~ – I took a cooking class in May 2011 with two friends. It was fun, but I didn’t get as much knife work in as I wanted. I think I’m to make this “take a knife skills class.”

74. Go whitewater rafting
Not completed.

75. Organize recipes in a binder or box

Not completed. So I have my recipes shoved in a binder so they’re all in one place, but they are FAR from organized.

~~76. Pick up/put away my clothes every day for a month in an effort to make it habit~~ - So I started going to a Cognitive Behavior Therapist last fall and one of the things I ended up having to do was get a laundry sorter because I was having so much trouble keeping my room clean. It helped TREMENDOUSLY.

~~77. Wash my face every night for a month in an effort to make it habit~~ - complete 8/11/07

78. Floss everyday for a month in an effort to make it habit
Not completed. I’m still a horrible flosser. I’ve been working to increase it to at least few times a week.

79. Buy a shredder

Not completed. Every time I see shredders in Target I think I should get one. And, after purging 6 years worth of shredding at various community shreds when I was moving, I decided that when I find a new home buying a shredder HAS to be high on the priority list.

80. Organize magazine articles in a binder or file folders – Once again I have all the articles shoved into a binder, but they are FAR from organized. [In progress]

~~81. Go skinny dipping~~ – Oh boy, do I love Naked Pool Time.

82. Finish filing system for financial documents

Not completed. I bought a bigger filing box when I was moving. I continued with the filing system of “just put it in the Important Papers Box. Still not in any sort of order.

~~83. Look for better car insurance rates and change providers~~ - I just got cheaper insurance last week with a new company!

84. Host a quesadilla party

Not completed. I did host a Tapas party, but think a quesadilla party would be a blast.

~~85. Listen to the Harry Potter audiobook series (7/7)~~ – LOVED THEM!!!

~~86. Read 3 pieces of classic literature (3/3)~~ – I read The Great Gatsby, A Moveable Feast, and The Sun Also Rises. These were all modern classics, maybe I'll add less modern ones to my next list.

~~87. Empty out my old car~~ - my mom cleaned it out sometime last year ('08) when she sold it....

~~88. Research student loan consolidation at SECU~~ - 10/08

~~89. Open a Keep the Change acct at BOA~~ – I decided to open a standard savings account at BOA when I saving for my trip to China. Mostly because it was a fast way to transfer money out of my account so I wouldn’t spend it.

~~90. Go to “Bodies... The Exhibition” in DC~~ - complete 10/14/07

~~91. Go out in DC with Tyauna and Bonita~~ – I hung out with them in DC, but didn’t necessarily “go out.” Tyauna is often MIA and rarely responds to contacts to visit, so I’m marking this complete. Plus I see Bonita a few times a year now. OH! And, Bo and I went to an Inaugural “Ball” in January together. It was super fun!

92. Buy a proper desk

Not completed. I decided I thought that would help with paper/organization problem when I was packing to move. It’s now on the high priority list when I find a new home.

93. Finish my bedroom so it looks like I'm staying for a while – This was in progress because I’d ought curtains and a dresser and bookshelf. However, I moved from this house in July and NEVER finished it. Since I no longer live there, it no longer matters.

94. Make my bed everyday for a month in an effort to make it habit

Not completed. I’m going to add this to the new list, probably with a modification.

95. Learn how to do something new on my MacBook by taking a class at the Genius Bar.

Not completed. I don’t really care.

~~96. Go on vacation (or at least spend the weekend) with my college roomies~~. – OBX!!! I’ve gone on a beach vacation with at least 2-3 of my college friends for the last 5 years. Woot!

97. Go to Boston – visit Joe

Not completed. Still need to make it to Boston. I’m going to le sigh again.

~~98. Go to a wine tasting or an event at a winery~~ - complete 01/25/2009

99. Go to Tea with the important ladies in my life - Mom, Marianne & Aunt Dorie

Not completed. Mostly because of my laziness. I would still like to do this.

100. Go skiing again

Not completed. I’d like to do this. My friends went back to Copper a couple years ago, but I didn’t have the funds at the time.

101. Create and finish a project using GarageBand.

Not completed. Don’t really care.

102. Drive a John Deere!

Not completed. Mostly because I never got back to Savannah before shit hit the fan. I’m still going to leave this on the list because even if it’s a lawn mover, I’m going to drive a John Deere!

Okay, so maybe I'm not completely aimless but I am wandering that's for sure! So my friend, Lauren, told me she'd updated her blog and 101 list and suggested I do the same. I've thought about it and have been putting it off, but here I am. My goal is to document progress on my original 101 list by the end of next week and then work on an updated list.

Now, onto my wanderer status. For the last year or so I'd been itching for some change. I love Baltimore, but I was "over" Baltimore. Then, I was laid off from my job at the end of the school year. Hello, change! A month later, a friend asked me to house and cat sit in Easton for a few weeks in July/August. At which point I decided I should end my lease, put my things in storage, and move out of my house. Hello again, change!

After my time in Easton, I spent a week in North Carolina at the lovely Outer Banks and then the true wandering began. Now I spend my time either at my mom's place or on the couch/spare bed of a friend. Two months in, I'm ready for a home. I miss living in a smoke-free home (my step-dad smokes IN the house). I miss wandering the house in my undies. I miss being alone sometimes. I think I'm ready to say hello to change again very, very soon.

Come on, job interviews!!