I missed Day One Hundred ... oh well, there are nine more hundreds to go, so I'm not going to stress about it.
I was thinking today, as I often do on New Year's Eve, about the last year and all it has held, and hoping that I am ending the year with at least a little more wisdom and a few more accomplishments that I can be proud of.
One small and unexpected benefit from this project is directly connected to the nature of the list itself - many of the things on it are things I have never done before, and therefore are things which I do not already do well. This seems fairly obvious, but one of the most challenging things about making this list in the first place was fighting a long-established tendency to only do things that I do well. The flip side is that I rarely start things if I don't think I will excel at them, and quit them quickly if they don't come easily to me. (Which is why I don't play the violin, ice skate, dance, or any number of things which did NOT make this list.) Convincing myself to include a few items that would stretch me was an exercise in humility and hope.
So far, I've tried a few that "press on the understood boundaries of myself" (in the words of one of the authors I need to write a fan letter to, Item #45). I joked about understanding the International Date Line, but I nearly didn't include it on the list since I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to actually do it. I haven't talked much about this here, but Item #55 (go 30 days without alcohol, even Irish cream in my hot chocolate) took a little more application of willpower than I had anticipated - with the result that I've extended it to what is now 67 days, which probably has contributed to the progress on Item #56 (finish losing the 70 pounds I started losing last summer).
I have also discovered that I am not a very good knitter, but I genuinely enjoy it. I have discovered that I have absolutely no natural tendency for a good French accent. Looking at the rest of my list, I am gradually realizing that excellence at all of these pursuits isn't really an option, unless I also discover the Fountain of Youth and a time machine. I think that if I can learn to truly enjoy doing things for their own sake, even if I do them rather badly for a while, I will have gained something worth having. I'm getting better about not stressing out when things don't turn out perfectly, and I kind of like it.
Maybe for my next list of 101 things, I'll decide to learn to dance ...
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Day Ninety-Three
Another hat for the homeless. I am going to try REALLY hard to get this one to the drop-off point before I accidentally give it away to somebody again. I just like giving people things, though! I guess if you have to have a fault, that's not a bad one to have.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Day Ninety-Two
... 11 ...
... 24 ...
... 48,
49,
50!
(This is what it looks like when you do sit-ups in front of a Christmas Tree.)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Day Eighty-One
I am having some difficulty with Item #33 (knit or crochet 20 items for the homeless). Back on Day Thirteen I started a red fuzzy scarf to give away, and sort of forgot about it. I remembered it last week when I had a recording gig, and yes, those thoughts are much more connected than they seem like.
Rule #1 of Recording Sessions: Something will go wrong with the sound system. Doesn't matter who's doing it, how prepared they are, how expensive the equipment is, something will always go wrong and it will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours (perhaps more) to fix.
Musician's Response to Rule #1 of Recording Sessions: Bring something to do.
So, just in case, I brought my knitting along. And sure enough, the microphone wouldn't talk to the snorfle, and the snorfle was causing feedback to the globbenator, which was complicated by the inexplicable problems with the snarp. (I lost them somewhere around "microphone".) I got many, many rows done, and eventually we also got three unacceptable takes of the Ferdinand David Concertino for Trombone, which necessitated a second recording session.
Rule #2 of Recording Sessions: Rule #1 applies to the rescheduled session as well.
Musician's Response #2: Bring something to do, and maybe a snack.
I finished the final fringe on the scarf before we even got to the first take, and started a multi-colored hat, and that's where the problem began. I took the hat-in-progress with me when I went to visit my sister, and finished it while I was at her house. She took one look when I finished it and said, "Oh, that's adorable! I love it! Who's it for?" I said, "Um ... you!" Because, really, I can make another hat for the homeless, and she'd had a bad week, and she just needed that hat. And besides it looked super cute on her. So I gave it to her and started a new purple hat, which is about 60% done now.
I took the red scarf to church today to give to the lady who collects them. She wasn't there, so I gave it to her husband, a beloved family friend, and he promptly tried it on ... and proceeded to wear it for the rest of the morning. I laughed and said he was welcome to it.
I think I will hide the purple hat when I finish it, or the homeless aren't going to get a single thing from me.
Here is me in the red scarf before I delivered it. Due to some progress on Item #56 as a result of Day Forty-Three, there is actually a faint hint of cheekbones. Haven't seen those in a while ...
Rule #1 of Recording Sessions: Something will go wrong with the sound system. Doesn't matter who's doing it, how prepared they are, how expensive the equipment is, something will always go wrong and it will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours (perhaps more) to fix.
Musician's Response to Rule #1 of Recording Sessions: Bring something to do.
So, just in case, I brought my knitting along. And sure enough, the microphone wouldn't talk to the snorfle, and the snorfle was causing feedback to the globbenator, which was complicated by the inexplicable problems with the snarp. (I lost them somewhere around "microphone".) I got many, many rows done, and eventually we also got three unacceptable takes of the Ferdinand David Concertino for Trombone, which necessitated a second recording session.
Rule #2 of Recording Sessions: Rule #1 applies to the rescheduled session as well.
Musician's Response #2: Bring something to do, and maybe a snack.
I finished the final fringe on the scarf before we even got to the first take, and started a multi-colored hat, and that's where the problem began. I took the hat-in-progress with me when I went to visit my sister, and finished it while I was at her house. She took one look when I finished it and said, "Oh, that's adorable! I love it! Who's it for?" I said, "Um ... you!" Because, really, I can make another hat for the homeless, and she'd had a bad week, and she just needed that hat. And besides it looked super cute on her. So I gave it to her and started a new purple hat, which is about 60% done now.
I took the red scarf to church today to give to the lady who collects them. She wasn't there, so I gave it to her husband, a beloved family friend, and he promptly tried it on ... and proceeded to wear it for the rest of the morning. I laughed and said he was welcome to it.
I think I will hide the purple hat when I finish it, or the homeless aren't going to get a single thing from me.
Here is me in the red scarf before I delivered it. Due to some progress on Item #56 as a result of Day Forty-Three, there is actually a faint hint of cheekbones. Haven't seen those in a while ...
Monday, November 30, 2009
Day Seventy-Five
How hard should it be to make a decent batch of cookies from a new recipe? All I really wanted was something nice and chewy with walnuts and chocolate chips in it, as a special finish for an already heavy-laden Thanksgiving table. I looked around online and found one that was a surprisingly complex recipe - melted and cooled butter, very exact measurements, everything mixed in separate bowls and carefully blended. Fun!
They were chewy if you ate one right away.
Otherwise, they were chocolate-chip rocks.
FAIL.
They were chewy if you ate one right away.
Otherwise, they were chocolate-chip rocks.
FAIL.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Day Seventy-One
Happy Thanksgiving! (A day late, unless you're in whatever time zone is off the coast of Oregon a few hundred miles.) So many things to be thankful for, not the least of which is that I am healthy and live in a country where my 101 Things list is not:
1. Survive.
2. Find food.
3. Stay safe.
4. (Repeat 1-3 indefinitely.)
The freedom to be occasionally frivolous is (and yes, I know how odd this sounds) something I don't want to take lightly.
So, when I post this picture of me doing absolutely nothing useful today except for growing my hair another fraction of an inch, you will understand that it's with a deep sense of appreciation for everything else that is so, so good in life.
1. Survive.
2. Find food.
3. Stay safe.
4. (Repeat 1-3 indefinitely.)
The freedom to be occasionally frivolous is (and yes, I know how odd this sounds) something I don't want to take lightly.
So, when I post this picture of me doing absolutely nothing useful today except for growing my hair another fraction of an inch, you will understand that it's with a deep sense of appreciation for everything else that is so, so good in life.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Day Sixty-Seven
I'm not dead yet!
That was not a fun flu, but it's only responsible for a few days' worth of missed posts. The rest has to do with a) I kept meaning to upload pictures and forgetting, b) I did have a couple of legitimate small relapses, c) my music schedule is getting crazy, but mostly d) laziness.
So, let's see ... did I actually accomplish anything while I was neglecting my blog? I did indeed!
Item #6 - I read Dean Koontz's "Your Heart Belongs To Me", since I had never read one of his books. I was only somewhat impressed. He did some interesting things with the character development (you don't even really like the protagonist for a while), and he made you think about a few things as the book progressed. But he got a little silly with the supernaturalism, which irritated me. He got started on some good secondary characters, but then sort of dropped them, which also irritated me. However, the truly unforgivable error was his tendency to use words that were just a tiny bit too big for him. I had the distinct sense that he had just bought a copy of Eugene Ehrlich's "The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate" and was all excited to use some of his new words. I mean, if you know how to use the word "deliquesce", good for you - but does it really go in your pop fiction medical thriller (with ghosts)? And for crying out loud, don't use it twice.
Item #29 - I rode on a train! But I can't post about that until I upload the pictures.
Item #33 - I finished a scarf, but haven't taken a picture yet. (See d), laziness.)
Item #43 - I wrote a letter to my grandparents. That was nice. I will do it more often.
Item #44 - I sent my friend Brenda a postcard with a picture of an ice-skating cow. That is not a phrase I type every day, so I'll do it again: Ice-skating cow. Yep, still funny.
Item #62 - I flossed my teeth, but then I forgot again.
Item #73 - I did a little more paperwork, and it seems to be regenerating itself somewhat more slowly than usual. I may have interfered with its paperish reproductive process.
Item #78 - I actually finished a nightgown for my daughter. Yay!
Since it is 46° outside, I think I will put off #91 (spend a night outside under the stars) and go crawl in bed. Good night!
That was not a fun flu, but it's only responsible for a few days' worth of missed posts. The rest has to do with a) I kept meaning to upload pictures and forgetting, b) I did have a couple of legitimate small relapses, c) my music schedule is getting crazy, but mostly d) laziness.
So, let's see ... did I actually accomplish anything while I was neglecting my blog? I did indeed!
Item #6 - I read Dean Koontz's "Your Heart Belongs To Me", since I had never read one of his books. I was only somewhat impressed. He did some interesting things with the character development (you don't even really like the protagonist for a while), and he made you think about a few things as the book progressed. But he got a little silly with the supernaturalism, which irritated me. He got started on some good secondary characters, but then sort of dropped them, which also irritated me. However, the truly unforgivable error was his tendency to use words that were just a tiny bit too big for him. I had the distinct sense that he had just bought a copy of Eugene Ehrlich's "The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate" and was all excited to use some of his new words. I mean, if you know how to use the word "deliquesce", good for you - but does it really go in your pop fiction medical thriller (with ghosts)? And for crying out loud, don't use it twice.
Item #29 - I rode on a train! But I can't post about that until I upload the pictures.
Item #33 - I finished a scarf, but haven't taken a picture yet. (See d), laziness.)
Item #43 - I wrote a letter to my grandparents. That was nice. I will do it more often.
Item #44 - I sent my friend Brenda a postcard with a picture of an ice-skating cow. That is not a phrase I type every day, so I'll do it again: Ice-skating cow. Yep, still funny.
Item #62 - I flossed my teeth, but then I forgot again.
Item #73 - I did a little more paperwork, and it seems to be regenerating itself somewhat more slowly than usual. I may have interfered with its paperish reproductive process.
Item #78 - I actually finished a nightgown for my daughter. Yay!
Since it is 46° outside, I think I will put off #91 (spend a night outside under the stars) and go crawl in bed. Good night!
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