101 in 1001

I saw this posted on a random blog a while ago and thought it was a really neat idea. I was sort of afraid to set that many goals for myself. It's kind of scary to commit yourself to accomplishing that many things in a set amount of time. However, I am feeling ambitious today (maybe because it's my day off and I've spent most of the day on the couch), so I think it's finally time. These things are in no particular order, just written down as I think of them. Hopefully somebody will be able to relate to some of this, and hopefully getting this out there will motivate me to get some of this stuff done. On a side note, I found this awesome website to calculate my goal day for this project. I wrote the list out on paper first and transcribed to the blog (editing once or twice in the process)

Yes, that's rainbow paper!

101 Things to accomplish in 1001 days (Monday, August 26, 2013):

Paint bedroom
Quit smoking
Move out (and stay out)
Backpack through Europe

Blog at least once per week- I had struck this one through and fell out of my groove on this for a month =/

Send out handmade Christmas cards
Try 1 new recipe per week
Graduate
Finish Celtic Studies Certificate
Buy a new laptop
Cook at least 50% of my food from scratch
Go vegetarian
Lose 60lb
Run a 5K
Start a jewelry business of my own
Sew more of my own clothing
Have a solo art show
Hold a job for 1 year
Drive less and walk/bike/bus more
Make my dwelling feel more like a home
Survive the end of the Mayan calendar and at least one other apocalypse
Visit New York
100 hours of volunteer work
Do something for someone else without any personal gain of my own
Use more organics
Have a garden full of produce

Buy a camera- Black Friday sale! 12 megapixels $60

Spend a day getting pampered at a spa
Visit Washington D.C.
Save 30% of what I earn
Have a decent credit score- Working with my credit union to build this within a year!
Host a dinner party
Fall in love
Buy a car
Drink at least eight 8oz glasses of water per day
Start a 401K
Find a way to make brussels sprouts delicious

Send more letters- Red because I'm working on it (joined Swap-bot), but not struck through because I haven't sent much yet

Get a passport
Start my lower leg sleeve
Eat enough fruits and vegetables daily
Get more jewelry-making tools
Pay back Derek
Talk more TO people than ABOUT them
Get a studio space
Be a more positive person
Get into shape to play rugby again
Attend Burning Man
File taxes independently

Touch up biker tattoo

Live on nothing
Go skydiving
Meet and converse with someone I look up to
Start a professional website
Buy a pair of awesome leather boots that will last me forever
Start an Etsy shop
Play my clarinet and trumpet more
Tutor ESL again
Eat at a swanky restaurant
Eat more fish
Buy a bass clarinet mouthpiece
Keep in touch with the people that really matter
Make delicious handmade candies
Initiate conversations with strangers
Change my own oil
Learn to drive stick
Check out the Vindolanda site
Visit the grandmas more often
Paint a piece of furniture and make it awesome
Make my own lamp
Brew my own beer
Buy a huge canvas and paint something awesome on it- Also a Black Friday deal (36x48 for $20!!)
Draw another pointillism piece (and rock it)
Build a piece of furniture all by myself
Steal a traffic sign
Take an epic road trip
Make an adorable scrapbook
Learn to follow a knitting pattern
Reduce my carbon footprint
Have more good days than bad days
Go fishing
Judge people less
Throw a surprise party
Read every book I own
Sing in a Celtic band
Bake my own bread
Finish "Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes"
Buy more local products
Cook a giant hunk of meat successfully
Finish "lists" project
Buy an original artwork
Finish a "To do" list
Organize craft materials and art supplies
Fill a sketchbook
See Cirque Du Soleil live
Knit socks
Make a stranger's day
Learn more about computers
Wear more jewelry I've made
Have a conversation in Irish
Give somebody a present just because

Alright, that's my list (if you actually read that whole list, kudos. I wouldn't want to read that whole thing myself). You should make a list of your own and keep me updated on your progress. It's like a life support group, haha.

Sleep is for the WEAK!

Hours of sleep in the past 3 days: 5
Hours of work in the past 2 days: 16
Hours of shopping in the past 2 days: unknown
Black Friday purchases before working at 8am: Giant down comforter, underwear, jeans, 12.1 megapixel camera, Christmas socks, tons of beads, and 36x48 canvas ($20- possibly the best deal of the day)

I will now be dead to the world until I work again tomorrow at 8am.

June Godamn Cleaver: Hear me roar!

So I tried to drive on my slightly suspect tire and promptly blew it out in the middle of Bluemound Road. As everyone so kindly reminded me, at least it wasn't on the freeway, below zero temperatures, on your way to work, didn't cause an accident etc etc. It still means I'm hopelessly stranded in Brookfield until I get a new tire and rim (found out today that I do, in fact, have to replace the rim... YAY!). I decided to make the best of my day trapped in the house (though I did walk my lazy bum the half mile to the nearest Starbucks when my caffeine headache became unbearable) by cleaning, cooking, blogging, and jamming to some awesome music. I officially feel like June Goddamn Cleaver! I started the day off with laundry (which I desperately needed- now I won't have to buy black socks for work tomorrow) and continued that on and off throughout the day. Then I wandered into the kitchen where this was staring me in the face:

Not pictured above is the recipe I had earlier printed out for sage butternut squash soup which also greeted me happily from the kitchen table. It seemed to be a rather delicious recipe, so I decided to tackle it with my lovely day in. This is the point where I would link the recipe, however I promptly forgot where I got it from. So, I peeled and cut up the squash, happily dirtied about a million dishes and soon ended up with this:

It looks rather nice... even though I discovered in the middle of the process that I did not, in fact, have any sage. 3 different containers of ginger, yes. 2 of allspice, yes. About a million other random spices that never get used, absolutely. Sage, nowhere to be found. Rosemary and thyme are acceptable replacements for sage, right? Apparently- it turned out delicious. Pictured above is also the point that I wished I had one of these. I'll have to put it on my Christmas list. Anyway, I let it cool and took my aforementioned jaunt to Starbucks. When I returned, I pureed it in batches in my blender and ended up with:

FRIGGIN' BEAUTIFUL, BABY! Though it is like 70 degrees outside and not nearly autumn-y enough to feel like squash soup season. Even June Cleaver can't control the weather. Then, being the good hausfrau that I am, I made dinner before 6:00. Note: this does not happen in my house very often, so mark the calendar! I attempted to make this. Problems: my edamame were not shelled, I ran out of garlic, my food processor is broken (though I just minced everything by hand- much more June Cleaver anyway), and my house is full of carnivores. I added chicken... I suck at cooking meat. Somebody needs to teach me just how to cook meat... ALL MEAT. It is the bane of my existence. Anyway, I finally ended up with this:

 Note: I was going to plate it out and make it all pretty, but I'm just too lazy... as you can tell by the fact that I'm not even rotating this picture. I hope it bothers all of you as much as it bothers me... but I'm TOTALLY not going to fix it. Now I'm going to tackle my giant pile of dishes, eat some pasta, and fold a TON of laundry. What a day!

Note to self: kill self.

I've been meaning to start a new blog (and apparently set up a new email address to do so) for a while. A couple days ago I planned to get this done today. That was before today turned out to be the worst day I've had in a rather long time. Today's bitching will officially get me off to a GREAT start back in the blogging world.

Anyway! Apparently the mass amount of money Milwaukee Public Works has been spending on terrifying amounts of road construction does NOT mean that I will not run into a goddamn crater in the middle of the road that will not only render my tire totally flat but also bend the RIM. Goodbye savings.

I was planning on making myself an adorable dress tonight with these instructions thanks to craftgawker, my latest obsession. However, I will instead be karaoke-ing and drinking away the (mental and physical) pain of a horrible day at work. I'll make a dress and post photos eventually.