101 Things in 1,001 Days

Inspired by my friend MBH, I have begun a project called "101 Things in 1,001 Days." The premise is to make a list of 101 things that stretch your boundaries - whether travelling somewhere special, doing something you always mean to do but never make the time for, or trying something completely out of your comfort zone. You push yourself to try new things, meet new people, have different experiences. And the time limit makes you really focus on doing the tasks.

Now, you may think that it would be simple to create a list of 101 items. And you'd be deluding yourself. It is one of the most agonizingly difficult things to do, because you want each one to be specific enough to be quantifiable (easy to prove that you have done it) and still attainable (going to the moon is not a viable option, especially since we're no longer sending any missions into space). Therefore, item 1 on my list: to create the list. And I'm still not done :(

But because I've made a pretty darn good list so far, I've decided to go ahead and publish what I have at the moment, and make additions as the ideas surface.

So here goes:

1. Create this list (it’s not as easy as you might think!) (Completed


2. Use my Groupon deals before they expire. Deals left: 4/5


3. Ask friends for 5 book recommendations, and then read them. Books left: 4/5


4. Send a secret to Post Secret


5. Make a budget (Completed 7/11/11)


6. Complete the 100 push-up challenge


7. Go to the Civitan garage sale (first Saturday of the month)


8. Map test: see if I can draw and label all 50 states correctly on a blank US map (http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf )


9. Make a list of movies I’ve wanted to see, then rent/watch them all




1. The King’s Speech


2. Inception


3. Blade Runner


4. Rebel Without A Cause


5. Schindler’s List


6. To Kill a Mockingbird


7. The Usual Suspects


8. Toy Story 3


9. Due Date


10. True Grit (original or remake)


11. Paul


12. The Adjustment Bureau


13. The Conspirator


14. Remember Me


15. Henry’s Crime


16. The Namesake


17. Flags of Our Fathers


18. Midnight in Paris


19. Twelfth Night


20. Jane Eyre


21. The Ritchie Boys


22. Wild Target


23. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (the original)


24. Life Is Beautiful


25. After the Banquet


26. Snatch


10. Do a blog post for each of the 101 Things I have to do


11. Go see the Meridian Hill Park Drum Circle (every Sunday between 3 and 9 pm)


12. Go see live music at the National Gallery of Art (every Sunday at 6:30 in the West Building)


13. Attend a free lecture at the National Gallery of Art (Sundays at 2)


14. Clean out my Gmail Inbox


15. Pay off student loans (consider extra monthly payments to the principal)


16. Learn to use the fancy coffee machine Jasmine gave you (Completed 7/23/2011)


17. Visit the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria (Completed 7/23/2011)


18. Convince/inspire someone to start their own “101 Things” list


19. Go visit Andrea in L.A.


20. Get a picture with Mickey Mouse in Disneyland


21. Get pictures with as many characters as possible in Disneyland


22. Start to learn Korean/Japanese/Chinese or Hindi (BONUS: learn a little of each!)


23. Go to Italy




1. Reenact a gladiator battle (and/or a scene from Gladiator!) at the Coliseum


2. Marvel at the Pantheon


3. Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain and make a wish


4. Put your hand into La Bocca della Verita (the “Mouth of Truth”)


24. Attend the 150th Celebration/Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg with Dad


25. Get a tan – the smart way - no burning.


26. Visit the Georgia Aquarium


27. Make a quotation book (from movies, life, history, and books, etc.) and add at least one quotation per week (Started July 2011)


28. Get clothes hemmed that need it


29. Find a dentist in Arlington/DC and make an appointment!


30. Take the Gargoyle Tour at the National Cathedral


31. Fly a kite (Bonus: do it at the Washington Monument)


32. Visit Grandpa Jack and Grandma Charlotte’s graves in Arlington National Cemetery


33. See (and test your knowledge!) the presidential portraits at the National Portrait Gallery (Completed 7/22/2011)


34. Visit the National Arboretum


35. Walk the entire grounds of Dumbarton Oaks


36. See the Russian Treasures collection at the Hillwood Museum (Bonus: go with family)


37. Discover Montrose Park (R St. NW, between 28th and 32nd Sts) and walk along Lovers’ Lane


38. Walk around the Tidal Basin during the Cherry Blossom Festival


39. Go to synagogue at least once a month


40. Pick a cookbook, and cook my way through it


41. Join the Lunch Club for a month (bring lunch, don’t pay to eat out)


42. Write a short story


43. Take a drawing class


44. Fix my bookshelves (glue backing)


45. Teach yourself Origami


46. Finish Alan Dershowitz’s book The Case for Israel (Completed 7/19/11)


47. Visit Joan and Jessica in Raleigh


48. Learn to play a song on the cello and/or guitar


49. Host a movie night at 2030 N Adams St.


50. Host a fireworks-watching party at 2030 N Adams (The Rooftop!)


51. Read Shakespeare’s plays (including, but not limited to, the following);




1. Twelfth Night


2. Othello


3. The Taming of the Shrew


4. Love’s Labours Lost


5. King Lear


52. Write a fan letter to an author you admire


53. Leave an inspirational note in a library book for someone to find (or incidentally, a receipt for checked-out books )


54. Buy a book of poetry. Read it outside in the sunshine. (Completed 7/9/11; 100 Best Loved Poems)


55. Answer the “50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind”


56. Go on a roadtrip


57. See 10 classic movies you’ve never seen




1. Guys and Dolls


2. Citizen Kane


3. Soylent Green


4. The Way We Were


5. A Star Is Born


6. 42nd Street


7. The English Patient


8. Funny Girl


9. To Sir With Love


10. It Happened One Night


58. Make a birthday cake for someone


59. Make a custom recipe book


60. Sing Karaoke at a bar


61. Go to an indie concert for a band I’ve never heard about


62. Spend a night/weekend at a B&B


63. Write a letter to someone, entirely in cursive


64. Have dinner on the rooftop of my building


65. Send someone a postcard, even if I’m not on vacation


66. Complete a NYTimes crossword puzzle


67. Visit Alison Deary in Williamsburg w/ Marianne Brennan (Aug. 19-21, 2011)


68. Take a walk down the C & O Canal in Georgetown


69. See a show at Ford’s Theatre


70. Paint a picture


71. Donate clothes that do not fit


72. Carve a pumpkin for Halloween


73. Read 10 Classics:




1. The Aeneid – Virgil


2. 1984 – George Orwell


3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams


4. Faust – Goethe


5. The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway


6. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee


7. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë


8. Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury


9. The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood


10. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller


74. Go on 3 Sunday drives, in which the direction to turn next is determined by the flip of a coin


75. Climb a tree


76. Swim in the ocean


77. Send REAL birthday cards to my friends


78. Learn to crochet. Make Alice a baby blanket.


79. Stop drinking soda for a month


80. Email pictures of my apartment to Jasmine. Brag.


81. Send 10 postcards through postcrossing.com (Sent: 9/10)


82. Take a drive along Sky Line Drive in the Shenandoah Valley (BONUS: go with someone, or do it to coincide it with #2)


83. Believe in 6 impossible things before breakfast


84. Go to the gym twice a week for a month


85. See a movie at the Arlington Drafthouse


86. See a musical (Complete: July 12, 2011 – “Rock of Ages” at the National Theatre)


87. Go camping/ spend a night under the stars


88. Make a wish on a shooting star


89. Go on a picnic


90. Read through 1000 Awesome Things; blog about the ones you agree with, or come up with your own!


91. Floss daily for a month


92. Water the Christmas cactus once every other week; fertilize every 3 weeks


93. Look for a job in YOUR FIELD!! (i.e. history, Jewish, writing, etc.)


94. Go to an outdoor film festival


95. Go berry picking


96. Visit Annapolis


97. Take a trip to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens to see the famous water lilies and lotus flowers


98. Grab some gelato at Dolcezza, a DC Gelato institution (Completed: July 4)


99. Attend a Twilight Polo match in The Plains, VA


100. Frame your college diploma already!


101. Get a puppy