Angry Readhead

101 Things Update

How is everyone doing with their 101 things in 1001 days?  My list is coming along slowly but surely, and I confess to an amazing urge to rewrite it, using what I know from experience to be better, more specific terms.  This is followed by an inability to gauge how to define success with my list.  Is the attempt success?  Will it be success if I complete more than half of my list?  Will I have to complete the entire list in order to feel successful?  Or is training my brain to remember what I want to accomplish, and the excitement of crossing things off as they are completed, reward enough?  I'm not entirely sure.  And it does occur to me that restarting from scratch would be a way to avoid having to answer that question.  It also would make things much easier for attempt two, and I'm not overly fond of unmeasurable goals.  Their very unmeasurability makes them something other than goals to begin with.  So here is the list:

 

1. get a job in a field that I love.

2. make at least $50,000 a year.

3. be in charge of a bookstore, including everything, the buck will stop with me.

4. read 100 more books in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.(13/100)

5. move out of my parents house.

6. buy a house.

7. buy a dog, or two. The second one to keep the first one company while I'm at work.

8. learn Spanish.

9. learn photography, and how to develop my own photographs.

10. lose 10 more pounds.(5/10)

11. get into shape. The sort of shape where you can bounce a quarter off my abs.

12. exercise regularly. At least 5 days a week, for at least 30 minutes a day.(2)

13. go back to the martial arts.

14. get a tattoo of a phoenix on my upper back.

15. figure out my relationship with God (god?).

16. learn to meditate. Do it at least once a week.

17. have 10 months of emergency money saved up.

18. be totally credit card debt free.

19. buy a car that goes zoom.

20. have enough collateral to get a loan to open a bookstore.

21. invest in real estate.

22. cook an authentic dish from around the world at least once a week.(4)

23. learn how to pair beer with food.

24. learn how to pair wine with food.

25. take up some sort of holistic healing.

26. learn to truly listen.

27. blog at least twice a month.(2/33)

28. make peace with my mistakes.

29. learn to cook a vegetarian meal that is phenomenal.

30. try yoga.

31. figure out the difference between accept and except, so I don't have to avoid using them in type. Improve my English usage, and word choice overall.

32. learn to make furniture. Be able to make at least one usable piece.

33. learn how cars work, on a more intricate level than the gas pedal makes it go. Be able to do my own rudimentary maintenance and repair.

34. plant a vegetable and herb garden.

35. landscape a yard.

36. read at least 175 books. This includes those from number 4.(83/175)

37. have my own library. Have one room of my house devoted entirely to books.

38. start a cookbook collection. Have cookbooks from at least 30 countries.

39. learn how to make really good barbeque.

40. drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. I try, but I'm not consistent.

41. buy/make a bar. Learn how to make 10 decent drinks without using recipes.

42. become flexible enough to touch my toes.

43. learn to love my body.

44. give up TV for a week.

45. give up the computer for a week.

46. inspire at least two other people to make one of these lists.(1/2)

47. go to the doctor and have a physical.

48. eat vegetarian for a week.

49. buy really good tea. Stop drinking the crap that comes in bags.

50. find decent green tea. Drink one cup a day, from a pretty metal pot.

51. buy an iPod. Fill it with a wide variety of enriching music, including: rock, jazz, blues, r & b, rap, classical, world, and Johnny Cash.

52. bench press 100 pounds.

53. buy a share in a local farm.

54. watch a sunrise on purpose.

55. give blood.

56. read a great religious book from at least 4 religions.

57. donate to three different charities.

58. save at least $100 per month. Save at least $100 a week if living with parents. This will begin once number 1 has been realized.

59. start another retirement account.

60. go back to library. Visit it at least once per month (more often if I want to avoid late fees).  I have been going to the library in a regular basis since April, and don't intend to stop, so we might as well consider this complete

61. abstain from alcohol for 2 weeks.

62. fill a recipe book. Okay just make one, and compile at least 100 recipes.

63. drive to a state I've never been to. Vacation there for at least 4 days.

64. go to a foreign country. Stay for at least a week.

65. actually learn to speak French.

66. donate my hair to Locks of Love; again.

67. spend a day at a spa with a friend. Perhaps several friends.

68. read a Harry Potter book in French.

69. read a Harry Potter book in Spanish.

70. start learning Latin.

71. buy a kick ass mattress and new bedroom set.

72. buy 2 new pairs of Doc Martens, in a color other than black.

73. take a flying lesson.

74. go skydiving.

75. learn to go to sleep before 4 am, without sleeping pills.

76. try 10 new restaurants.(5/10)

77. see 15 movies in the theater.(4/15)

78. clean out car, and keep it clean.

79. rewrite business plan. This applies to end of project, as I want it to be current then.

80. go to another Red Sox game. July 30th Vs. the Tigers.  Heartbreaking loss after a nearly magical comeback.

81. go with my family to a Patriots game.

82. write a living will and discuss it with my loved ones.

83. cull my clothes, boots, old borders tee shirts, and give things I don't need to charity.

84. give 5 simple gifts to friends for no reason.

85. make one new close friend.

86. learn the 50 states.

87. learn rudimentary speed reading. Increase reading speed from 40 pages a minute to 60 pages a minute.

88. fly a kite on a breezy day.

89. take one college course.

90. volunteer at a charity for at least one full work day (8 hours for normal humans).

91. climb 3 mountains. Or climb the same mountain 3 times.(3/3)

92. buy a bike. Go on one 20 mile bike trip.

93. buy the Godfather trilogy on DVD. Watch it in one day while eating Italian food. Invite friends.

94. play in the rain on a summer day.

95. find three occasions to wear a dress.

96. donate my current car to charity.

97. go one month without purchasing any non-necessities.

98. read a book to a child.

99. go see an author speak. Purchase the book and have it signed.

100. buy a beautiful, handmade leather bag.

101. rewrite another list on the 1001st day, rolling over everything I could not finish.

 

Wow, I feel like I have done much less than I thought.  Goal day is still Thursday November 10th 2011.  That leaves 432 days.  Which means I'm over halfway there.  I should probably go do something now.

New Docs

So I ordered a new pair of boots from Vixens & Angels, the online presence of a physical store out of Denver.  I have used them before, and since Zappos sold out to Amazon, they have become one of my only outlets for my beloved Doc Martens.  They arrived today.  They also arrived with a ridiculous amount of swag. 

I only wish that I played the guitar in a punk band, then all of this swag would be usable.  When is the last time Amazon gave you swag?

The boots themselves are standard black, not unlike the first pair I bought about 8 years ago.  Here they are in action.  Or inaction.
Because of my obsession with branding, I tend to question my buying habits.  There have been several studies of Coke and Pepsi, that prove although consumers tend to prefer the taste of Pepsi, Coke clearly defeats it in overall sales by more than a slim margin every single year.  Why is that?  Because people have an emotional attachment to the Coke brand.  It reminds us of the Olympics, and holding hands in perfect harmony.

So I question my loyalty to the brands in my life, because you may buy something intellectually you know you don't prefer because of the emotional reaction your brain has to it.  So what are my Docs to me?  They are the spirit of unrest, anarchy, and the refusal to follow the status quo.  They are youth, and progress, and punk rock.  Perhaps I like them because they keep me young, or perhaps I like them because they make me feel like a badass.  It is nearly impossible to live a life uneffected by brands and marketing, but we should know why we make certain purchases, and be aware that we are allowing how we perceive ourselves to influence our buying habits.  So think about what you buy.  As for me, I have some new boots to break in.

What I Believe Part 2

Nobody said it better than Neil Gaiman in American Gods:

What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it's got a bookstore it knows it's not fooling a soul.

Vote for my bookstore here:

                    http://pep.si/9NQCda

What I Believe

I believe in the power of the written word to change lives.

That is why I want to open a bookstore through a grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project.

How can you help?  Vote for my project here, every day for the entire month of May:

http://pep.si/9NQCda

Post this link on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, Myspace, and email all of your friends.

Thank you for all of your help,

Vickie

And Now For Something Completly Different

A very good TED speech by Simon Sinek.  He also has a book, Start With Why, that is probably worth a read.  This has to be the best way to communicate your message.  Take 18 minutes and watch.  It's certainly worth it.

Apparently People Like Buttons Better Than Links

It would be greatly appreciated if you would vote for my bookstore in the Pepsi Refresh Project.  With your help, I can achieve something I've been dreaming about for over 10 years.  Without your help, it would be financially impossible.  All you have to do is click on the link below or the vote for this idea button to the right, register with the site, and vote for me once a day until the end of May.  Oh and tell everyone whom you've ever met to do the same.  Thanks!

http://pep.si/9NQCda

And The Beat Goes On

If you have not already, I strongly suggest you go here:

http://pep.si/9NQCda 

and vote for my bookstore in the Pepsi Refresh Project.  I need you to vote every day during the month of May.  I also strongly suggest, because you'd never respect me if I begged, that you tell everyone you know through any means necessary to do the same.  Or you could just send them a link.  How often in life do you have the opportunity to make someone's dream come true?  And all it takes is a few seconds a day. 

Do you have a dream?  Tell me about it in the comments.   Or your craziest way to market this project.  I just may do it.

Still Dreaming

Thanks to everyone who's been talking me up to their friends through email, facebook, myspace, twitter, or in person.  I really appreciate all the help.  Just in case you missed the link, vote for my independent bookstore here all through the month of May:

http://pep.si/9NQCda

and help me change the world for the better.

Why have I not noticed how neat the dashboard is yet?

Help Me Achieve My Dream

I applied for a $250,000 grant with the Pepsi Refresh Project to open a bookstore in my hometown of Dracut, MA.  Please vote for my project every day from May 1st to May 31st, here:

http://pep.si/9NQCda

Feel free to forward this link to everyone one you know.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks for helping me achieve my dream.

Vickie