This task was a relatively minor one, but one that makes me insanely happy to have complete. Since we moved in, we haven't really made good use of our giant front hall closet. We've stashed wedding and shower gifts in there, a coat or two, had shoes strewn across the floor, to the point where I have no idea what shoes I have actually moved into our house, and a bunch of other random items that have just been tossed in there in a mad dash to clean up the house as someone was walking up the driveway, stopping by unexpectedly.
But when M's parents called to let us know they were planning a visit and that M's sister and her two kids would be joining us, we figured it was time to make that closet functional.
Pulled everything out of it, swept the floor and washed it, and then organized and put back the stuff that belonged (shoes, coats, mittens, gloves, hats, scarves) and put the stuff that didn't belong away where it did (wedding and shower gifts, a bottle of booze). There is actually room now to fit the vaccuum and the dog's food storage container in there now.
I know this may seem like an insane thing to be this excited about, but if you're an obsessive compulsive neat freak like I am, you'd understand.
#49 - Done! Now to just keep it organized...maybe that should also be part of the goal.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
19/1001: #22 - Buy a car
This is a task that I'm surprised I crossed off the list so soon. But with M's job moving him to the next city over, sharing our one car wasn't really feasible anymore. So I started looking into purchasing a car through a private sale, something affordable and something that would get me through a few years. Essentially, I was looking for a clunker.
My dad was watching his internal internet board and saw a few cars that looked like they might work. After doing some research and investigation, I settled on a white pontiac sedan. A friend of the family is a mechanic, so we had him look the car over, and we felt satisfied that it was a good purchase.
On Friday, I had a hectic day of arranging insurance, license and the cash to pay for it. Picked it up Friday night and made arrangements to have the car go in to a shop to be safety tested (law here says a car of a certain age must pass a safety test before it's licensed fully). I drove the car short distances over the weekend, as I have a temporary permit on it while we're waiting for it to go in for the safety. My dad volunteered to take the car over today for the test, as he had also offered to pay the $75 for the safety. An hour goes by, and I don't hear from him. As the safety test should have only taken an hour, that stresses me out a bit. So I texted him. He texts me right back, 'Call please.' Uh oh. 'Call please' is my dad's code for 'Bad shit is going down.'
I called him, and yup, sure enough...the car isn't going to pass safety. There is trouble with the brake lines and they're leaking fluid. They need to be replaced in order to pass the safety test...and it's going to cost me nearly $1000. Ouch.
The car itself only cost me $1500.
So...I guess I'm paying an extra $1000 to get the car on the road. All in all, this car will get me 5 years of use...so I keep telling myself that $2500 for that is a good deal.
So goal number 22, done.
My dad was watching his internal internet board and saw a few cars that looked like they might work. After doing some research and investigation, I settled on a white pontiac sedan. A friend of the family is a mechanic, so we had him look the car over, and we felt satisfied that it was a good purchase.
On Friday, I had a hectic day of arranging insurance, license and the cash to pay for it. Picked it up Friday night and made arrangements to have the car go in to a shop to be safety tested (law here says a car of a certain age must pass a safety test before it's licensed fully). I drove the car short distances over the weekend, as I have a temporary permit on it while we're waiting for it to go in for the safety. My dad volunteered to take the car over today for the test, as he had also offered to pay the $75 for the safety. An hour goes by, and I don't hear from him. As the safety test should have only taken an hour, that stresses me out a bit. So I texted him. He texts me right back, 'Call please.' Uh oh. 'Call please' is my dad's code for 'Bad shit is going down.'
I called him, and yup, sure enough...the car isn't going to pass safety. There is trouble with the brake lines and they're leaking fluid. They need to be replaced in order to pass the safety test...and it's going to cost me nearly $1000. Ouch.
The car itself only cost me $1500.
So...I guess I'm paying an extra $1000 to get the car on the road. All in all, this car will get me 5 years of use...so I keep telling myself that $2500 for that is a good deal.
So goal number 22, done.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
3/1001: 50 Questions to Free Your Mind
So one of my goals was to answer the 50 Questions that will free you mind, and actually take time and think about my answers. It took me two days to properly work through them.
Without further ado...
Here they are:
1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? How could I count something? I think I'd be 20-something forever.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying? Never trying, hands down.
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? You have to prioritize in life, and sometimes that means having to do a lot of stuff you hate, so you can get to doing that one thing you love.
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? I think I will have said more than I've done. But I'm going to make a concious effort to say less and do more.
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? The urge to make systemic changes so that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We need more balance, more 'middle' class.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? Creative work.
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? It depends on the day, (whether or not it's a work day). On work days, I tend to settle for what I'm doing. In my free time, I try hard to do what I believe in.
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? I probably would rush more.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? Probably less than I think I have.
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Are they not one in the same? It depends on perspective. I like to do 'the right thing' right.
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do? I stick up for my friend.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Listen to the 'Wear Sunscreen' song and take that guy's advice.
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one? Within reason.
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? All. The. TIME.
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? Play piano. I have a unique way of playing it. And I'm told so frequently.
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? Because everyone is different, everyone has lived different paths.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back? I really want to go back to school. Practicality and finances are holding me back.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Yes, I tend to do that. I’m working on letting go more.
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? That’s a tough one. If I absolutely had to? I’d like to say somewhere like Scotland or England, because it wouldn’t be too far away from my family. But I think I’d probably like to move to Perth, in Australia. I did like living there. And I think I would like living there more if I lived there with someone I loved instead of someone I felt indifferent to. Plus, I wouldn’t have to deal with that person’s family anymore, either. A big plus.
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? I try not to. Because I know it’s probably only slowing things down.
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? …Joyful simpleton? I wish that could be my answer. But that’s not me. I’d rather be a worried genius.
22. Why are you, you? Because I am me. I’m me because of the family I was born into, the experiences I’ve had and the people that have come through my life. So I’m me, because I am.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? Not lately. I’ve been a pretty horrible friend. Something else I need to work on. I should never be too busy for my friends.
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you? Loosing touch with a good friend who lives near you. If a friend moves away, you can still be friends. You can visit, you can connect in other ways. But loosing touch with someone nearby…that’s totally within your control to prevent.
25. What are you most grateful for? All the wonderful people in my life; starting with my husband, my family, my friends, my bandmates. They are such a fabulous, supportive bunch and they’ve always been there for me, as I try to always be there for them.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? Oh, this is tough. Neither. I guess…loose all of my old memories? Really hard decision to make. I’ve got some great old memories. But there is also a lot to come, so I’m looking forward to making new ones, too.
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first? No, I don’t think so.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true? No, and I’m lucky for it.
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now? Not in the slightest.
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special? I don’t really remember a lot about my childhood. Is that bad? I remember playing basketball with my brothers and dad in the driveway.
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? Last weekend. All just felt right with the world.
32. If not now, then when? Good point.
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? It depends on the achievement. Sometimes you really have to put yourself out there and that’s scary.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? Yes.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? I think there are two reasons, that are so complicated, but I’ll try to keep it concise; I think that it’s because people are passionate in what they believe in. The other reason is that sometimes people manipulate and use situations to further their own agendas and I don’t think religion is immune to that.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? No, those kinds of things aren’t always black and white.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? If I loved what I was doing and felt I was making a difference, no. If I hated my job…Yes.
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? More work that I actually enjoy doing.
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? No, not this particular day.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? That’s a horrible thought. I’d visit them all.
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? Nope.
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living? It’s the difference between living to work and working to live.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? My mum says when it’s when you turn 40.
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? Because we’re afraid to fail, and many equate making mistakes with failing.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? Be more open about what I do with my spare time, talk more about my band.
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing? The last time I was sick.
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love? I love music, I love being a part of my band. I’ve spent the summer playing in band. Every. Single. Week. By choice.
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that? Probably not the menial day to day stuff. The big things, I’ll remember.
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? It’s a little of both. Sometimes decisions are made for you that you have no control over. Those things, you just have to roll with. But otherwise, it’s good to take ownership of what you do and how you live.
Without further ado...
Here they are:
1.How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? How could I count something? I think I'd be 20-something forever.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying? Never trying, hands down.
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? You have to prioritize in life, and sometimes that means having to do a lot of stuff you hate, so you can get to doing that one thing you love.
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? I think I will have said more than I've done. But I'm going to make a concious effort to say less and do more.
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? The urge to make systemic changes so that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We need more balance, more 'middle' class.
6.If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? Creative work.
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? It depends on the day, (whether or not it's a work day). On work days, I tend to settle for what I'm doing. In my free time, I try hard to do what I believe in.
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? I probably would rush more.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? Probably less than I think I have.
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Are they not one in the same? It depends on perspective. I like to do 'the right thing' right.
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do? I stick up for my friend.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Listen to the 'Wear Sunscreen' song and take that guy's advice.
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one? Within reason.
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? All. The. TIME.
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? Play piano. I have a unique way of playing it. And I'm told so frequently.
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? Because everyone is different, everyone has lived different paths.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back? I really want to go back to school. Practicality and finances are holding me back.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Yes, I tend to do that. I’m working on letting go more.
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? That’s a tough one. If I absolutely had to? I’d like to say somewhere like Scotland or England, because it wouldn’t be too far away from my family. But I think I’d probably like to move to Perth, in Australia. I did like living there. And I think I would like living there more if I lived there with someone I loved instead of someone I felt indifferent to. Plus, I wouldn’t have to deal with that person’s family anymore, either. A big plus.
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? I try not to. Because I know it’s probably only slowing things down.
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? …Joyful simpleton? I wish that could be my answer. But that’s not me. I’d rather be a worried genius.
22. Why are you, you? Because I am me. I’m me because of the family I was born into, the experiences I’ve had and the people that have come through my life. So I’m me, because I am.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? Not lately. I’ve been a pretty horrible friend. Something else I need to work on. I should never be too busy for my friends.
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you? Loosing touch with a good friend who lives near you. If a friend moves away, you can still be friends. You can visit, you can connect in other ways. But loosing touch with someone nearby…that’s totally within your control to prevent.
25. What are you most grateful for? All the wonderful people in my life; starting with my husband, my family, my friends, my bandmates. They are such a fabulous, supportive bunch and they’ve always been there for me, as I try to always be there for them.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? Oh, this is tough. Neither. I guess…loose all of my old memories? Really hard decision to make. I’ve got some great old memories. But there is also a lot to come, so I’m looking forward to making new ones, too.
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first? No, I don’t think so.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true? No, and I’m lucky for it.
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now? Not in the slightest.
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special? I don’t really remember a lot about my childhood. Is that bad? I remember playing basketball with my brothers and dad in the driveway.
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? Last weekend. All just felt right with the world.
32. If not now, then when? Good point.
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? It depends on the achievement. Sometimes you really have to put yourself out there and that’s scary.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? Yes.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? I think there are two reasons, that are so complicated, but I’ll try to keep it concise; I think that it’s because people are passionate in what they believe in. The other reason is that sometimes people manipulate and use situations to further their own agendas and I don’t think religion is immune to that.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? No, those kinds of things aren’t always black and white.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? If I loved what I was doing and felt I was making a difference, no. If I hated my job…Yes.
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? More work that I actually enjoy doing.
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? No, not this particular day.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? That’s a horrible thought. I’d visit them all.
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? Nope.
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living? It’s the difference between living to work and working to live.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? My mum says when it’s when you turn 40.
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? Because we’re afraid to fail, and many equate making mistakes with failing.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? Be more open about what I do with my spare time, talk more about my band.
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing? The last time I was sick.
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love? I love music, I love being a part of my band. I’ve spent the summer playing in band. Every. Single. Week. By choice.
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that? Probably not the menial day to day stuff. The big things, I’ll remember.
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? It’s a little of both. Sometimes decisions are made for you that you have no control over. Those things, you just have to roll with. But otherwise, it’s good to take ownership of what you do and how you live.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
0001/1001: The beginning
I stumbled upon this project completely by accident. I read about it on a forum I belong to and thought it was a cool idea. Then I got distracted by something else and forgot about it. About a week ago, I saw the thread on the forum about it again, so I went to the Day Zero Project website to read more about it. As I was reading through the details of the project, setting 101 measurable goals to be completed in 1001 days, I read about how 1001 days works out to be about 2.75 years. Just about how much time until my 30th birthday. I started thinking about this project more and thought that it would be a great way to mark my 30th birthday. So here I am, starting on my 1001 day journey. To quote Reggie Evans, let’s get it.
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