101 in 1001 - 2015

(completed tasks will be in bold; items in process will be in italics)

66/ 16 / 19


Entertainment (26)
1.      Take an art/crafts class - completed January 22, 2017
  • I enjoy being creative, but I don’t do a good job of doing it without direction.  I guess I’m still trying to figure out what I’m good at.
2.      Write a haiku every day for a month
  • This is a humorous throwback to high school when we had to write a poem every day in my AP English class.  I chose to write a haiku every day to the consternation of my teacher… but it sure was fun!
3.      Read The Little Prince - completed November 21, 2016
  • This is one of those books I see referenced a lot in movies and other books, and I don’t even have any real idea what it is about.  Time to find out.
4.      Read Uncle Tom’s Cabin
  • I own this book and have fully intended to read it before now.  It was referenced in one of my favorite childhood books (Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace) and The King and I, and is a landmark historical novel.
5.      Read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - completed August 2, 2015
  •   After reading Frankenstein for my last list, it reminded me of my interest in Gothic novels.
6.      Read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - completed June 20, 2015
  • The movie made me laugh.  I want to see if the book is as good.
7.      Read A Brief History of Time
  • I tend more towards fiction, but this is another one of those books that gets referenced in other movies, books, and most of current theoretical physics (yes, I watch The Big Bang Theory!).
8.      Attend an Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performance
  •   I enjoy classical music, but I don’t attend as often as I should or would like to.
9.      Attend a Halloween event at Crown Hill
  • They advertise some awesome sounding events every year.  I don’t know why I have never gone!
10.  Attend four events at Clowes/Butler (not Broadway shows) (1/4)
  • I live less than two miles from campus, and I do not take advantage of all the amazing entertainment that goes on there – touring companies and student performances.
11.  Attend the whole Oscar movie event at AMC - completed February 27, 2016
  • This all started from my friend’s last 101 list to see all of best picture nominees for the Oscars one year.  I discovered that the theatre here shows all the nominees over two weekends.  I have been able to go to only one of the weekends for several years, but never both weekends, and I really want to go to both weekends!
12.  Attend a Butler basketball game at Hinkle
  • I am a Butler alumnae.  I live about a mile from the field house.  I enjoy basketball.  I have not been to a single game since I moved back to Indy.  This should be rectified.
13.  Attend at least one event during the Indy Fringe festival
  • I read about this every year, and it sounds a little offbeat but fun.  And many of the events are free.
14.  Attend at least one event during the Spirit & Place festival
  • Another event that I read about every year and see things that sound interesting, and yet I have never attended.
15.  Attend one MeetUp event
  • After finding out about MeetUp from a friend, I actually did join a group but have only been lurking for about two years now.  Extreme shyness has crept back from childhood and kept me from going to any events.
16.  Download and listen to ten podcasts - completed October, 2016
  • Last time around I focused on music.  This time I’d like to expand my horizons a little.
17.  Learn to identify ten constellations
  • I love looking at the stars, and yes, I can identify the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Orion.  I used to know a few others, and I’d like to remember what it is I’m looking at up there.
18.  Find and photograph all of the Super Bowl murals
  • When Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl in 2012, they had local artists paint murals all over the city.  I have found a few of them, but I think it would be kind of cool to see them all.
19.  Create art cards to send to family and friends
  • This is an indirect way of getting myself to draw.  I have a couple of books, but I haven’t been too good about really using them and practicing (see list item #1).
20.  Watch the sun rise on New Year’s Day
  • What a special way to welcome in the new year!
21.  Create a free photo book
  • I get offers for these all the time, but I have never use them.  Why not???
22.  Watch at least one full season of a TV show recommended by Mashelda
  • My best friend and I have pretty different taste in TV shows.  I kind of curious to see what she will pick for me!
23.  Make a playlist of 101 favorite songs
  • I discovered new music and organized it as part of my last list, but I think it would be fun to put together a list of my all-time favorites.
24.  Visit three museums in Indianapolis I haven’t been to before (1/3)
  • I always say that one of the reasons I like Indianapolis is because it is a very cultural city, and yet we have tons of museums here that I have never visited.
25.  Go to a drive-in movie
  • I grew up going to drive-in movies with my parents.  There aren’t many drive-ins left, but we actually have two around here.  Should be fun!
26.  Visit at least three city parks I haven’t been to before (2/3)
  • We have an amazing park system here, and again, I haven’t been to most of them even though I know they host a lot of events and some of them have historical significance.


Food (18)

27.  Go to a wine tasting
  • There is a local store that holds tastings all the time, and I haven’t educated myself much about wine since I was last in Napa Valley.
28.  Take a cooking class at Caplinger’s Fresh Catch - completed July 13, 2016
  • This is a newish fish market and restaurant that has also started offering cooking classes.  I am not very good at cooking fish, but I like eating fish and would like to start fixing it more often at home.  I’m hoping that a class will help in both areas.
29.  Keep a record (with notes) of all the wines I drink
  • I tend to forget which wines I’ve tried, which is pretty bad since I pretty much always buy them from Trader Joe’s and their selection, while good, is not infinite.
30.  Put all the recipes I’ve tried (and like!) into a cookbook
  • I started working on this last year, but then my computer died.  I need a push since I’ll pretty much be starting over from scratch.
31.  Bake bread from scratch
  • Who doesn’t love fresh bread?  I have never given myself enough credit for having the patience or skill for making it.
32.  Make pasta from scratch
  • This is one of the most difficult things I could imagine making, but then I watch these cooking shows and think maybe?
33.  Make homemade tomato sauce - completed October 18, 2015
  • I don’t love tomatoes, and I don’t always love tomato sauce, so I take this as a challenge to see if I could love a tomato sauce homemade by me!
34.  Find a great homemade macaroni and cheese recipe
  • Maybe I just ate too much Kraft mac’n’cheese as a child, but most macaroni and cheeses that I have tried at restaurants are disappointing and seem sadly lacking in flavor  Even the couple of times I have tried to make it at home have been a little lackluster.  So I am in search of a really good recipe.
35.  Make chocolates from scratch
  • I learned how to make chocolates from my grandmother, and I have also made them with my mother, but it has been years.  It’s a little tedious but a lot of fun, and how awesome is it eat candy that you made yourself!  And of course to share!
36.  Make a decorated cake for someone
  • For the last list I took cake decorating classes, and it was a lot of fun.  But I haven’t really had (or made) any opportunities to put those skills to use.  I’d like to see if I can still use what I learned and also do something special for someone.
37.  Learn how to make three cocktails
  • I mostly drink wine or just add a splash of liquor to Coke or 7-Up.  Time to learn how to make some grown-up drinks.
38.  Cook six recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
  • My mother gave me a beautiful copy of these cookbooks, and I think I’ve only looked at them once.  I adore Julia Child, but I think I am intimidated by those books!
39.  Try four new restaurants or food trucks - completed July 31, 2015
  • I did this just with restaurants on my last list, and it was fun finding some new favorites around town.  This time I decided to add food trucks, because I have been surprised at how many there are around here.  Having this on the list serves a reminder not to get stuck in a rut.
40.  Try absinthe - completed October 26, 2015
  • What can I say?  I want a visit from the green fairy!
41.  Try a new cuisine
  • There is an area of town nearby that is well known for a wide variety of uniquely cultural restaurants.  I am fascinated with trying some of these, but I have to admit that I’m nervous about trying something so out of my normal realm and of looking like an idiot while I’m there.  I just need to push myself a little.
42.  Keep a food log and symptoms for a month
  • I think that as I have gotten older, my body is reacting differently to some foods that have always been a regular part of my diet, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint the culprits.  I want to make a conscious effort to ferret out the negative triggers, so I can make healthier choices.
43.  Follow the DASH diet for a week
  • This is usually touted as one of the healthiest ways of eating, so I want to try it out.  To see if I can actually follow it, and to see if I can tell any difference in how it might make me feel.
44.  Eat according to the FDA Choose My Plate plan for one week
  • This is kind of the same thing as the DASH diet, except that it’s how the government thinks we should eat.

Home (20)

45.  Organize craft room in basement
  • Maybe I would actually do more crafting if I could get to my supplies!  I admit to drooling over the magazine pictures of beautiful crafting rooms with the desks and cubbies and cups of markers.  I have the perfect space; it just needs some shelving and some serious organization.
46.  Clean and organize garage
  • I don’t want one of those garages that look like you could eat off the floor, but I would like to be able to find my pruners when I’m looking for them.
47.  Decorate guest room
  • The room is functional and not a total disaster, but it needs some direction and probably a few good accessories.  I like my guests to feel comfortable when they are here, and this room is not quite there yet.
48.  Have upstairs side room painted
  • I painted my bedroom and bathroom myself, so I am treating myself to paying someone else to paint this bonus room (which also includes the stairwell to the main floor).  But I don’t want to keep putting it off.
49.  Hang pictures in every room
  • I have started this process, but it is time to get it finished.
50.  Paint master bedroom closet and install new shelves - completed February 8, 2016
  • The closet always seems to fall to the bottom of the to-do list, but I know that seeing it finished will make me very happy.
51.  Have a handrail installed for the stairs to the basement
  • These stairs have always felt a little precarious, and with my knee problems I would like to have a little extra stability.  But I keep putting it off, because it means finding someone to do the work, and that is something I hate doing because I’m always a little suspicious that they are going to rip me off or the work will be subpar.
52.  Have the green striped chairs reupholstered
  • There are a few reasons I haven’t had these chairs reupholstered yet:  I inherited them from my grandparents and part of me hates to change them; I wanted to make sure that I was really sure of how I am going to use them before I change the fabric because I think of the change as being fairly permanent; I will have to find someone to do the work (see #51 for how I feel about that process).
53.  Get curtains/blinds for the master bedroom - completed July 18, 2015
  • This will finish off the master bedroom decorating project.  I am so excited to get it finished!
54.  Sort and organize old photos
  • Looking at all my boxes mentally and physically exhausts me.  But they need to be pared down and sorted so I might actually look at them once in a while and actually be able to enjoy them.  They are important to me.
55.  Document belongings for homeowner’s insurance
  • This is something I really should have done a long time ago.  I own a house and a lot of nice things.  I need to make sure that they can be replaced or recovered in case anything should ever happen.
56.  Make silver cloth pouches for the buffet
  • Now that I know how to use my sewing machine, I can take the silver cloth that my mother bought for me several years ago and make some pouches so that I can store my grandmother’s silver in the buffet drawers instead of under the guest bed, with the goal of actually using it on a regular basis.  It’s beautiful, and it reminds me of my grandmother, and it should be used instead of being hidden away.
57.  Find a sound system for the living room/house
  • I really do love music, but my stereo is woefully outdated and I keep shying away from shopping for something new.  I admit to being picky about how my music sounds, but going to the store is always overwhelming and I can’t figure out exactly what features I want or need.  But the end result is not listening to music which is something that always makes me happy.  A few hours of unpleasantry for years of happiness… needs to be done.
58.  Create a disaster kit for the house
  • Maybe I’ve watched too much of The Walking Dead, but I do think it would be a good idea to be prepared in case something happens… even just in the case of an extended electrical outage (because I have had to live through one of those!).
59.  Create a disaster kit for the car
  • See above in case I happen to be at work or in transit when said disaster strikes!
60.  Build a fire in the fireplace
  • I have this beautiful fireplace that has been cleaned and inspected and declared to be in good condition, but no fires in the five years that I’ve been here.  Time to curl up in front of the fire with a good book on a cold day!
61.  Buy a fire extinguisher - completed February 18, 2016
  • I used to have one, but I recently realized that I have no idea what happened to it.  Not good.
62.  Refinance my house at a lower interest rate
  • Interest rates have dropped since I moved into the house, and my FICO score has improved dramatically… the perfect time to refinance and save some money.
63.  Hem a pair of pants
  • So I learned to use my sewing machine.  Time to put it to a practical use. 
64.  Put together an activity notebook for the guest room
  • Whenever I have guests, I make lists of shops, restaurants, and places to see.  It would be nice to have something a little permanent so I don’t have to make myself crazy trying to come up with a list every time and to have something that my guests could flip through themselves.  It seems like it would be a nice touch for guests.

Travel (4)

65.  Visit two new states
  • Want to make sure I keep moving toward my goal of visiting all fifty states.
66.  Take day trips to three Indiana towns I haven’t been to before - completed July 11, 2016
  • There are so many places I have never visited in my adopted home state, and I would like to check some of them out.  There are too many days and weekends that I hibernate in my house when I could be out having fun.
67.  Write a review on Trip Advisor for every hotel I stay in
  • I use Trip Advisor every time I book a hotel, and I have not been as diligent as I would like to be about paying that forward.
68.  Make my own list of Places to See Before I Die
  • Whenever I plan a trip I research the destination and make sure I schedule the trip to include all the places that I am most interested in visiting.  Well, I’m not getting any younger, and I want to make sure I have a list of all the places I want to see before I go.

Personal Wellbeing (23)

69.  No computer games for a month
  • I have a habit of getting overly involved in computer games, as in I can’t seem to put my Kindle down for hours at a time to the detriment of all other activities.  Time to put the games down and do something else.
70.  Move TV out of the living room
  • It has always been my goal to get the TV out of the living room and make my media room in the basement the main location for watching TV.  It’s part of a larger goal of making television less of a focus in my life.  Five years after moving into this house, the TV is still in the living room.
71.  Have a tech free weekend
  • After spending time with less TV during my last list, I have gotten a better appreciation for quiet time, but I have never had a time of absolutely no tech.  I will need to define what exactly constitutes tech before I do this, so it could get interesting.
72.  Take a free online class
  • I do think of myself as kind of a lifelong student, and I only recently discovered how many actual college classes are available online for free!  This is an opportunity to delve into something new and exciting.
73.  Wear a different pair of earrings every day for two weeks - completed July 6, 2015
  • I own some really beautiful earrings, many of which I have picked up as souvenirs during travel, but I have a small core set of earrings (many are pretty plain) that I wear most days.  This will be a fun way to pull out some of my less-often worn earrings and enjoy them instead of having them locked away in my jewelry box.
74.  Have my face lasered for the redness
  • In the last list I saw a dermatologist about the chronic redness in my face.  Turns out that it is due to chronically dilated blood vessels from 43 years of blushing and flushing too easily.  She told me about a lasering process that should take care of most of it in 2-3 treatments.  It won’t be cheap, but this is something that has bothered me all of my teen and adult life.  I’m a little scared about bad outcomes, but I think it is a safe option, and a good outcome would put me over the moon!
75.  Meditate daily for one month - completed May 8, 2015
  • I go through fits and starts with meditation.  I do believe it could help me a lot, so I hope by putting it on the list, I will make a better effort at making this a permanent activity.
76.  Volunteer at a one-time event - completed May 7, 2016
  • There are lots of festivals, races, and events around time that would be fun to be a part of.  I started volunteering with one organization regularly as part of my last list, and it always makes me feel good.  This would give me a chance to branch out a little.
77.  Talk to my mother and get her/my family history
  • My mother is the last living member of that side of my family, and it is important that I get all the stories before she is gone, too.  There is a lot I know, but I know that I get names and places mixed up, so I want to get it all right.
78.  Create my family tree as far back as possible
  • I remember doing a genealogy project back in elementary school, and I was able to trace part of my family back to a group who came to the New World with a land grant from the king.  But that project got trashed a long time ago, and I want to retrace it.  Maybe because my family now is so tiny, it is especially important to see where I came from.
79.  Make a list of my pet peeves (in the hopes that writing them down will help me let them go)
  • Every day I am bugged and irritated by a thousand little things (and some not so little ones!).  It would be interesting to put them all down on paper and see if I can work through some of them.
80.  Make a list of things I love / reasons for living
  • In writing down my pet peeves, I am hoping to take away some of their power, but by writing down the things I love, I am hoping to give them more power.  If I am more aware of these things, then maybe I will pay more attention to them or try to bring more of them into my daily life.
81.  Make a vision “board”
  • I think there is some truth to the laws of attraction, so it is time to put some serious thought and make some sort of concrete representation of what I really want in my life.
82.  Put together a collection of photos and quotations that I love
  • I do this already in a casual way, but I think I want to bring them all together in one place so I will always have something beautiful and inspirational that I can pick up and look at.
83.  Reinstate Osage membership
  • My Indian heritage has always been important to me, and I am fiercely proud of it.  But somehow (and I am not at all proud of this), I missed some important letter that required sending in paperwork to the main office and I am no longer an official member of the tribe.  I need to fix that, but I have put it off for some unknown reason.  I think I’m a little afraid there will be some problem and I won’t be able to be a member anymore.  Now I won’t be able to put it off.
84.  Walk the nature paths at Holliday Park
  • Holliday Park is a beautiful park that’s only a few miles from my house, and I recently found out that they have a bunch of walking paths and a nature center that I never knew existed.  So it will be fun to discover something new in a place that I already like.
85.  Go to a yoga class
  • It has probably been ten years since I last attended a live yoga class.  During the time I was going regularly, I was in much better shape because I was already working out consistently, but I always remember how yoga made me feel so much stronger and more confident about my self and my body.  I am not as physically strong as I was back then, and all the chronic knee pain has made me scared to go to classes again.  I have already researched studios around town and found one that I think has promise, but that was over a year ago, and I keep putting it off.  No more.
86.  Create a plan for using my rowing machine and follow it for one month
  • I bought this rowing machine, because when I was working out at a gym, it was always my favorite piece of equipment.  But I don’t use it at home.  So I am going to make a plan, and I am going to start using it.
87.  Walk a 5K
  • I’ve done it before.  I can do it again.
88.  Lose 30 pounds
  • Based on my current weight, if I lose 30 pounds (which is an important percentage, but I don’t really want to talk about the actual number), I will be at the lowest weight that I can remember.  I was slightly above that weight at a point when I lost some weight during college and I was slightly above that weight when I was actively losing weight about 12-15 years ago (and probably at my healthiest point in my adult life).  I don’t remember how much I weighed when I was in high school or most of college, so this would be a really important weight loss goal for me and for my health.
89.  Find a new perfume
  • For many, many, many years now I have alternated between two perfumes, but I am tired of one of them and want to find a new one.  I’m just really particular about fragrances and finding a new perfume can be as frustrating as finding a good pair of jeans!
90.  Do something special for my 45th birthday
  • Not as great as my 40th was (that amazing trip to the Oregon coast!) and not as great as my 50th will be (a trip through wine country in California and dinner at the French Laundry?), but it definitely needs to be more than dinner at home by myself.
91.  Open a Roth IRA account
  • I haven’t been able to contribute to a 401k for the last year, so I want to make sure I’m staying on track with retirement savings.  Once again, I am not getting any younger, and I do not want to be working when I am 75 years old!

Professional (1)

92.  Attend an Indiana Pharmacists Association meeting
  • I’ve belonged off and on over the years but haven’t attended a meeting since I was a student.  I’m not good at networking, so maybe this will be a step in the right direction.

Miscellaneous (9)

93.  Enter something in a State Fair competition - completed July 29, 2016
  • Why not?  I always look at all the foods and photographs and think, “I could do that”.
94.  Have a photo taken by a professional photographer
  • It’s been at least fifteen years since I’ve had a professional photo taken, and I know my family would appreciate it.  Maybe it will help me feel better about how I look.
95.  Finish Ted’s family tree
  • I started this as a lark a couple of years ago as I was looking into some local history.  He was interested in the results, and I would like to put it all together as a gift for him.
96.  Buy a Tiffany’s key necklace
  • I love these necklaces, and I had told myself I would buy one when I bought my house but I never I did.  Time to treat myself.
97.  Micro-finance a business via Kiva - completed September 22, 2016
  • This is a fascinating project.  It requires very little financial investment on my part, but it could make a major difference for someone else.  How perfect is that?
98.  Post a blog post at least once a month
  • I didn’t always do a great job of posting last time around, which wasn’t helpful to myself or anyone who was trying to follow the blog.  I want to do better.
99.  Write a letter to my grandparents every month (12/33)
  • I did this last time around, and they always seemed to appreciate it so much.  I’m ashamed to say that I stopped writing after the last list ended, so I want to start again.  I love my grandparents, and (not to seem morbid) after they are gone I don’t want to regret not doing a better job of staying in touch.
100.          Write an actual e-mail/full-length message to six old friends
  • I have lost touch with some wonderful people, mostly due to my own lack of communication.  I used to be so great at writing letters and staying in touch when I was younger… what happened?  I think it’s part of my selfishness.
101.          Design a tattoo
  • Getting a tattoo is one of the things on my “someday” list, but so far I haven’t ever come up with anything I would permanently want on my body without feeling like it just looks trite.  I want it to be meaningful and beautiful and interesting.  And I want a concrete idea.r

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