Summer Days

This outfit is back from a couple of weeks ago...it now seems unimaginable that we'd been having weather down in the 60's, given last week's Northeast heat wave.  Makes me warm just looking at this outfit.  Jeans and a blazer?  Granted, this would still be absolutely appropriately-warm clothing for inside my lab.  That's the challenge I have every summer...how to make it out of the house to the T to the Lab without overheating while still being able to be warm all day at the Lab.  Sweaters help some, but what do I do with my legs?  Bare legs and sandals are necessary during a week like last week, but not comfortable for long stretches of time in frigid air conditioning.  Maybe I need to bring a pair of leggings to put on once I get in.  Anybody have tips on how to handle major differences between outdoor heat and indoor cold?

So I've been fairly busy, mostly with my General Exams for my Ph.D. program...a combination of a 3-hour oral exam on my planned dissertation area and three fields relevant to it that I'd chosen and studied (which I took and passed two weeks ago), two 24-hour written exam papers (which I took last week), and one journal-level article (have most of a draft done, planning to finish over the next week).  Other than that, I've been trying to spend more time cleaning the apartment, definitely inspired by reading old entries in UFYH -- take a look, if you like being pushed to clean things and don't mind some bad language and sparkly GIFs.

I've also been crossing some things off the 101 in 1001 list, including a trip to a Cirque du Soleil show yesterday (amazing!) and trying a bunch of different variations on green smoothies (now that my community farm share has started for the summer).  Banana and apple and romaine lettuce is actually pretty good:

Not so good?  The one I tried with grapefruit, lime, kale, and cilantro.  I'll take my smoothies with less bitterness and my cilantro at times other than breakfast...

101 in 1001

Source: Uploaded by user via Karen on Pinterest

I've been seeing a lot of bloggers creating lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days, and finally started a list for myself after reading Katy's list. The original challenge was inspired by the Day Zero website.

One thing I hadn't anticipated was that the list was really hard for me to make! It's been sitting in a Google Doc for the last two months, gradually getting added to. I chose to have my start date as 4/05/2012, which takes me to an end date of 1/01/2015. I'm very excited about the idea of a list at this timescale. I'd made a 26 Before 26 list last year, but found the six-ish months I gave myself not really long enough for accomplishing a bunch of interesting things. On the other hand, it's thrilling to pick a few of my life-list goals (like visiting the Edinburgh theater festival) and saying, "Fine! I'll find a way to do that in the next two and a half years!"

Something else I really enjoyed about making this list was searching through other bloggers' lists for ideas (both on Day Zero and through Google)! It's always fun to see what sorts of things people are imagining to do and making a priority in their lives, especially people at various different stages in their lives...lots of amazing goals that people are setting!

Without further ado, my 101 in 1001. I'll try to blog about some of these things and keep the list somewhat up to date...maybe I'll make a static page on my blog with this.  Italics indicate completed items.

Work/Studies

1. Complete my General Exams
2. Write my dissertation proposal and pass my defense
3. Write my Ph.D. dissertation and pass my dissertation defense
4. Graduate with my Ph.D.!
5. Get my post-grad-school work started
6. Publish at least three conference or journal papers
7. Have a project featured on the MAKE blog
8. Redesign my professional website
9. Direct another show
10. Costume design another show
11. Work through The Artist’s Way
12. Spend a month choreographing something every day

Travel

13. Visit at least 4 countries
14. Attend the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
15. Visit Washington DC
16. Spend a day in Providence
17. Go to Cape Cod
18. Spend a day at the beach near Boston (Crane Beach, 5/26/12)
19. Go to my college reunion in 2013
20. Visit the Boston Harbor Islands
21. See the Northern Lights
22. Go on a road trip with K.

Experiences/Education

23. See the glass flowers exhibit at the Harvard Natural History Museum
24. Attend at least 75 theater/dance/music performances, which seems like a lot, but averages to only 2 or 3 per month...So far:Yesterday Happened, Sleep No More
25. See 5 movies in theaters
26. Finish watching all the episodes of Star Trek Voyager
27. Watch a Woody Allen movie
28. Eat at 20 new-to-me restaurants in Boston/Cambridge
29. Read at least 10 fiction books (So far: The Help, Call of the Go-Away Bird, Catching Fire, Mockingjay)
30. Read at least 10 non-fiction books (not for work...)
31. Read a book a week for a year (can be fiction, non-fiction, work-related, plays, random...)
32. Go to 5 different museums (So far: Harvard Natural History Museum)
33. Learn to ski again
34. Learn at least one new programming language
35. Take a class in something I’ve never done
36. Go to a contact improv jam
37. Learn a new song on the piano
38. Go whale watching again
39. Send a postcard to PostSecret
40. See a show on Broadway again
41. Go ice skating again
42. Go fruit picking again
43. Go to the ballet in Boston
44. See a Cirque du Soleil show
45. Do something big spontaneously
46. Go to a festival of some kind
47. Watch two TED talks every month
48. See another meteor shower

Creativity

49. Write pages at 750 Words everyday for a month
50. Do a NaBloPoMo again
51. Participate in the 48 Hour Film Festival again
52. Create something every day for a month
53. Sew a dress from a 1950’s pattern
54. Make at least 10 garments from scratch
55. Cut my refashioning pile down by at least half
56. Actually put some things in my Etsy shop
57. Sell my jewelry/sewing work at a craft fair
58. Redesign my blog

Fashion/Style

59. Complete at least one me-made challenge (So Zo blog) (May 2012)
60. Wear every item in my closet/drawers (or donate those that just won’t get worn).  Possible exception: formal dresses.  
61. Learn how to wear bright lipstick, and then do so at least once in public
62. Get a noticeable haircut (5/28/2012)
63. Cut down to <50 pairs of shoes (this number still seems quite high...)
64. Get and wear a nice bikini
65. Use up or get rid of all scented body lotions
66. Wear makeup every day for a week

Others

67. Have a weekly “date” with K. for a year
68. Donate at least 1001 items to charity (current total: 27, 79, 117)
69. Complement 10 strangers
70. Buy at least 5 things from Etsy vendors
71. Send letters/emails to 5 people I’ve fallen out of touch with
72. Donate to 3 Kickstarter campaigns
73. Buy something from kids selling things at a stand
74. Donate to my alma mater each year
75. Send birthday cards to 10 friends
76. Send 10 cards to people just for fun/thinking of them
77. Comment on blogs every day for a month

Life/Health

78. Get a car
79. Head towards a more minimal lifestyle- get rid of more things I don’t need!
80. Get rid of A Thing A Day for a month
81. Spend a full day without using the internet
82. Make the bed every day for a month
83. Have a clean kitchen sink at the end of every day for a month
84. Start taking vitamins again - at least one month taking vitamins every day
85. Go to at least 10 exercise classes (any type) (0/10)
86. Get back to regular workout schedule of at least 3 times/week.  Maintain for a year (0/52)
87. Return to (and maintain) my comfortable weight range
88. Go 10 days without spending any money
89. Research and start a retirement account

Food

90. Try green smoothies
91. Spend at least one week without eating sugar
92. Try 50 new recipes (So far: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/ 5/27/12, http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-thai-chicken-thighs-106499 5/27/12, http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tex-mex-burger-with-cajun-mayo/detail.aspx 6/01/12)
93. Make the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls (5/27/12)
94. Learn to make cheesecake
95. Try Ethiopian food
96. Try Afghan food
97. Get bagels in Brookline
98. Take lunch into work for a month
99. Try 3 new fruits or vegetables
100. Learn to make gnocchi

Finally...

101. Finish another 101 in 1001 list

Things I'm aware I didn't focus on as much here as I'd like to, probably partly because I'm making this public - improving my relationships with family and K., and getting specific on more future-work-related goals. I also have attempted to avoid the feeling of a "stuff that has to be done" list in favor of "awesome/self-improving stuff I'd really like to do." Have you ever made a list like this? Would you? And what do you think about these sorts of timed goal lists? Motivating, or just a fad? I think I'm pretty pleased with the list, and looking forward to diving into more of these experiences! Will keep you all posted...