Twenty-Five, Wales, Obama, and Vampires: 2008 in Review.

I rang in the New Year in Wales.  Ashley and I barely made it down from our castle adventure in North Wales in time to join his fam for a curry dinner, champagne and Auld Lang Syne at midnight, then about 20 minutes of Hootenanny before we fell asleep and became an official disgrace to our age range.

My pal Catherine and I celebrated our 25th Birthdays at the end of January.  February, March, and April went by without much fuss.  I joined Weight Watchers (lost 25 lbs by November!), started knitting hats like crazy, and continued to take Salsa lessons with my friends Ravi and Neil.

In May I did Bay to Breakers with Marissa, Tatiana, and Jenna.

In May I also discovered that I am not a fan of Las Vegas when I visited with Catherine and Neil.  On the bright side, I got to see a Cirque Du Soliel show.

Over the summer, things got a little nuts…

I moved out of my apartment...

and moved in with my mom.

I went to the Renegade Craft Fair in SF and met Rob from Threadbanger and Barbe St. John.

I attended BlogHer 08 in SF and was blown away by the community keynote speech.  I now follow these three bloggers because of it.  

I got to spend the Fourth of July weekend uninterrupted with one of my dearest (and busiest) friends in the whole world.  She moved to the East Coast in August.

I met someone who told me that rain would come, doors would open, and I would know “what to do.”  They came, and I did.

While my mom was driving my ill grandfather across the country to Minnesota so he could say good bye to his (dying) sister-in-law, and while she was driving my ailing grandfather and grieving grandmother back, I escaped from the stress and hurt by drinking red wine and reading all 2,560 pages of the twilight series as dusk fell and our solar lights lit up on the back porch.

Wales
I spent a glorious two months in my home away from home.  

I learned how to work from coffee shops.

I got caught in a rainstorm that took care of any bathing needs I might have had that day.

I saw my boyfriend’s band perform and met some very cool girls who were also “with the band.”

I went to I Knit London.

I hobbled out to the Mumbles and back, and proved that it was longer than a “one mile walk” with internet research the next day.

Enjoyed the convenience of 12,000 pubs, awesome Chinese takeaway, yummy curry ready made meals, and tea and chocolate a-plenty, but scowled at the fact that I had to take a 30 minute walk into town whenever I wanted REAL coffee.

Met a very nice computer repairman who I got to know very well as my laptop had mental breakdowns every ten minutes. 

Also met a taxi driver who told me I was a fool for being in love with my boyfriend and voting for Obama, and a waiter who told me that I shouldn’t vote in the presidential election because I wasn’t sure of the best way to get my country out of our economic problems.

Tried to convince people that when you have to carry around two cell phones, you are not on a two month long holiday.

I suffered weeks of election stress.  I voted proudly for Obama.  I took days for it to sink in when he actually won.

I fulfilled my New Years Resolution by opening my own Etsy Shop.

I made all my Christmas gifts.

I got to meet/interview some amazing people: Ali Edwards, Elsie Flannigan, Emily Giffin, Jodi Picoult, Cate Sevilla, Sam Williams, and Doug and Shane at NPI.

I loved listening to Kate Nash, Lily Allen, Regina Specktor, and Kerli.
I enjoyed watching Gavin and Stacy, Northern Exposure, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and True Blood.
The best (new) movie I saw was The Dark Knight.  The best (non-new-release) I saw was Pan’s Labrynth.  
I loved reading Lonely Werewolf Girl and the Shopaholic books.

I ate cheddar bunnies, vegetables from our garden, and cadbury’s chocolate.
I came to the conclusion that owning the entire series of Friends is probably the best financial investment I have ever made in my at home entertainment.
I got Netflix.

After all this reflection, I realized that though the end was a little rough, 2008 was actually full of lots of great things for me.  

How was 2008 for you?  What are you looking forward to in 2009?

New Years 2009 (101 Things)

Over the past few years I have made New Years resolutions and stuck with them.  

(I know, it’s supposed to be unheard of, right?)

But in the past few years my resolutions have always been things I wanted to do, not things I thought I should want to do.  Learn how to knit hats, open my Etsy shop: they were all things I was going to do anyway, but putting a time frame on them helped me focus my free time towards my goals.  This year, my resolution was going to be to knit a blanket.  I will knit a blanket this year (in fact, I have already started) but I am taking a different approach to the whole New Years resolution idea.

I found an online challenge called “101 Things to Do in 1001 Days.”  The idea is that you make a list of 101 things you want to do, then give yourself a little less than three years to accomplish those tasks.  I immediately liked the idea.  I started making my list and imagined how accomplished I would feel when I reported back with 101 blog posts and 101 fantastic pictures of my completed tasks.  I felt very sunny and happy about myself, life, my list, and all the productive-ness that would happen within the next 1001 days.

I listed about 50 things, then hit a wall when I realized that 1001 days is just shy of three years.  Three years is not long in the grand scheme of a lifetime, but when you are a few weeks shy of 26 and everything about your life changes every few months- from residence, to career aspirations, to whether or not you want to have children someday (and when that day might be)- it is a considerable amount of time.  I don’t even really know what I want to get out of today, how am I supposed to know what I will want to be doing in two years?

So I made my list with this quote (and my motto for 2009 and beyond) in mind:



Life changes.  What I want to do with my life changes.  While I want to use my 101 in 1001 list as a guide for the next “almost three years” of my life, I want to allow room for life to bring unexpected things to me.  I want to grant myself permission to twist and turn into new directions.  Heck, I don’t want to even have to “give myself permission” for adventures and surprises, I want to invite them!

But, I still like the idea of giving myself a wee bit of direction, so I finished my list.  Here it is.  Anyone want to embark on the adventure with me?  Grab your backpacks and boots, heels and clutches, sandals and towels, clogs and totes, and let’s go…

101 Things To Do in 1001 Days

I am taking the 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days Challenge.  Yippee!

More thoughts as I embark on the process are here.

In addition to completing this list, I promise to blog about each of these items as I complete them (and in the process of completeing them, in some cases).

Start Date: January 1, 2009.
End Date: September 29, 2011.

Crafty and Such
1.    Knit a blanket.
2.    Learn to crochet.
3.    Finish knitting purple socks.
4.    Start and keep current an “Ashley and Me” album.
5.    Publish a knitting pattern.
6.    Complete at least two embroidery projects.
7.    Learn jewelry making skills (make three pieces of jewelry as proof). (1, 2, 3).
8.    Get all scrapbooks up to date.  Use Ali Edward’s Life Artist Philosophies to keep it fun, effective, and simple.  (More details on all the tasks that this project entails will come).
9.    Complete an online photography challenge.
10.    Make three mixed CDs.  One themed, two autobiographical. (1, 2, 3)
11.    Become friends with my Nikon.  Or get a new, fancy camera.
12.    Investigate joining or starting an art group.
13.    Keep an art journal.
14.    Burn Christmas in Wales DVD.
15.    Go to three craft fairs. (1, 2, 3).
16.    Do three fun photo shoots with friends. (1, 2, 3).
17.    Make a cover for my iphone.
18.    Make a cover for my camera.
19.    Knit a sweater or shirt-like garment and wear it.
20.    Take three truly beautiful photos that I am proud of.  (1, 2, 3).
21.    Alter a t-shirt.
22.    Learn at least 4 new Photoshop skills. (1, 2, 3, 4).
23.    Have pea-cost lined with a fun fabric, and attach new buttons.
24.    Find/make/buy the perfect handbag.

Home
1.    Move out.
2.    Live in a loft/granny unit/studio type place.
3.    Decorate it with goods that I/others have handmade.
4.    Hang a gold frame over the peep-hole (a la Friends).
5.    Organize and back up all digital photos.
6.    Locate, organize, and protect all tangible memorabilia (photos, journals, etc.).  Make them accessible (in case I am inspired to scrapbook them).
7.    Make prints of Stacey’s wedding pictures.  Give back her negatives.
8.    Use only environmentally friendly cleaning products (when I have my own place again).
9.    Adorn my bed with new and handmade bedding.
10.    Attach a wall decal to a colorfully painted wall.
11.    Purge many of my books.
12.    Organize closet, dresser, jewelry, and accessories for convenience and beauty.
13.    Back up all music and other important documents on computer.

Travel/Experience
1.    Go back to the UK (again).
2.    Visit Nicolette on the East Coast (In the fall).
3.    See/play in snow.
4.    Experience Christmas in Wales with Mom and Ashley’s family.
5.    Go to/host an elaborate costume/Halloween party.
6.    Visit 4 different places of worship for their particular weekly services. (1,2,3,4)
7.    Stay up all night.  Watch the sunrise.  Maybe drive out to the beach to do so (With Ashley).
8.    Visit the South. 
9.    Go on a hike in a new place.
10.    Make plans for all New Years, Halloween, and 4th of July’s within the 1001 days parameter.
11.    Get over my issues and play Monopoly.  Enjoy it, whether I win or not!
12.    Visit Scotland.
13.    Go to the beach.
14.    Ride a motorcycle (as a passenger).
15.    Build a fort out of pillows/blankets, etc.  Spend a day in it reading, watching movies, playing, etc.  Sleep in it.  Involve Ashley, or Nicolette in the adventure.


Love/Family/People
1.    Have Ashley’s family meet mine.
2.    Collect (and properly archive/organize) family stories from Dad.
3.    Collect (and properly archive/organize) family stories from Mom.
4.    Collect (and properly archive/organize) family stories from Stacey.
5.    Collect (and properly archive/organize) family stories from Grandma M.
6.    Collect (and properly archive/organize) family stories from Grandpa M.
7.    Collect (and properly archive/organize) family stories from Grandma G.
8.    Collect (and properly archive/organize) family stories from Grandpa G.
9.    See my Seattle cousins (namely M, C, B, and D) once a year.
10.    Make 2 new (good) friends.
11.    Give a friend a unique, and true compliment.
12.    Go out with my friends 3 times even when I don’t feel like it. (1, 2, 3)
13.    Stand up for myself.
14.    Stand up for someone else.
15.    Experience something magical with someone.
16.    Follow my heart instead of my head.  (Once, and in a big-ish way).
17.    Move forward with Ashley.
18.    Find, and re-connect with Hebe.

Work
1.    Participate in NaBloPoMo.
2.    Get a domain name.
3.    Make business cards.
4.    Make gifts for Etsy purchases.
5.    Complete all my current online presence goals (secret for now!).
6.    Make a list of my professional strengths.  Keep current.

Read/Watch/Listen
1.    Watch The Godfather Movies. (1, 2, 3)
2.    Read a Neil Gaiman Book.
3.    Complete the 2009 YA Fiction Reading Challenge. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
4.    Watch (several episodes) of a retro TV show that is important in understanding American culture.
5.    Watch (several episodes) of a British TV show that is important in understanding British culture.
6.    Watch a Bollywood movie (that I have not seen).
7.    Watch a French movie (that I have not seen).
8.    Watch a Spanish movie (that I have not seen).
9.    Watch a Scandinavian movie (that I have not seen).
10.    Watch an Italian movie (that I have not seen).
11.    Continue my vampire education by watching Dracula and Nosforatu.
12.    Read an Emily the Strange book.
13.    Familiarize myself with classical music by researching 5 different artists and listening to their 2-3 (ea.) major works. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Financial
1.    Get out of credit card debt.
2.    Stick to a budget (entire 1,001 days!)
3.    Build a $___+ savings account.  (Sorry, not gonna tell ya for privacy’s sake!)
4.    Go a whole day without buying anything three times (1, 2, 3).

Etc.
1.    Remain between 120-125 lbs.
2.    Get a henna tattoo.
3.    Keep a daily (and very brief) diary for 2009.  One sentence or a few bullet points for the day is all I need to do.  Use shiny pink diary the Evans gave me for Christmas. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 months)
4.    Write emails to 3 bloggers I admire.
5.    Make a list of 100 things that make me happy. (0/100)
6.    Do something crazy and fun to my hair.
7.    Write an intelligent, researched article or essay and post it on my blog.
8.    Give myself permission to alter a maximum of 5 of my 101 goals if life changes and the goals as stated are no longer relevant. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).  Substitute this goal with a new one if I don't need to use it.

Resolve For A Better Blog Tip #1

Is your New Years resolution to make your PNN space a better blog?  Then get ready for a steady stream of bloggy advice nuggets, coming your way all through January and beyond.

Tip #1 Proofread your posts before you publish them.  It will add credibility (and clarity, in many cases) to your work.