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

Dumbarton Oaks, the Mall, and other touristy things

Mom and Dad came to DC this past weekend, and I could not have been happier! We found some great restaurants, and I even navigated the streets of DC in order to see some sights.

Dad really wanted to see the statue of Ulysses S. Grant that sits at the bottom of the Capitol building on the Mall.

We also went to the National Gallery of Art, and while I did not take any pictures there (I would think it's obvious not to take pictures of the artwork, but I saw a LOT of people doing just that...and then getting asked by the security guards to delete the photos, HA!), I definitely encourage everyone to go see the special exhibits.

There is a great exhibit of Paul Gauguin's work at the National Gallery (and it's free!), and it has become an even bigger event since some woman went a little nuts and tried to rip one of Gauguin's paintings off the wall. I'm not kidding, not even a little. Thankfully, his Two Tahitian Women was back on display when we were at the museum.

However, I did notice a marked increase in the security detail.

While I did enjoy the Gauguin exhibit, I was also very impressed with the Canaletto exhibit. Basically, young men in the eighteenth century would go on the "Great Tour" of Europe, and because they had yet to invent the polaroid, they commissioned art to depict places they had traveled. Thus, Canaletto became famous for his works that depicted scenes of Venice - even when he fudged details to make a prettier picture. Many of his contemporaries did the same.

In this painting by Gaspar Van Wittel, you can see three domes in the distance - except that technically only one dome should be visible from this viewpoint! The other two domes of the church should be hidden by the building in front. But that didn't stop Van Wittel (also known as Vanvitelli), because he wanted his painting to depict specific buildings and areas of Venice to be showcased by British travelers. Canaletto also famously shortened the campanile tower because it would not have fit into the painting.

Later in the day, we all went to Dumbarton Oaks, which was once a private residence that has since been converted into a museum and a park. The museum is free, but the gardens are not - probably because they're owned by Harvard...

Anyway, the museum houses one of the largest collections of Byzantine art, and a fantastic reading room with old and rare books related to gardening and architecture. Coincidentally I found a volume on Vanvitelli in the stacks! The gardens were gorgeous too, of course:

We also saw this motto all over the gardens:

which means: "You reap what you sow." Dad and I had a little Latin brain malfunction, but I googled it :)

Guaranteed to make you smile :)

Baby penguin being tickled. That is all.

This week in history...

...marks the anniversary of some very important events!

On Tuesday, April 12 we started off with the 150th Commemoration of the start of the Civil War, remembering the day that the first shots were fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Here in DC, the year is filled with events, including museum exhibitions and films. I've already seen Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray through the Washington DC JCC, and it was fantastic! After the film, there was a panel that included a self-professed "Civil War nut," a descendant of a Jewish Union soldier, the Director of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, and the Director of film programming at the DC JCC.

Later on this month, I plan to see the exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery that recounts the death of the first Union soldier killed in the Civil War, "The Death of Ellsworth."

Yesterday was also the 146th Anniversary of the day President Lincoln was shot. And a fact many may not be aware of - while Lincoln was shot on the 14th, he did not die until the morning of the 15th.

I also found a (weird) similarity in the history of the Titanic, which had its 99th Anniversary also yesterday, April 14th. It hit the infamous iceberg a little before midnight on the 14th, but did not sink into the Atlantic until 2:20 AM of the 15th.

Declaration 1776

Because history is cool, and marketing history is even better, these guys are now my heroes. They have combined the American Revolution and clothing to create Declaration 1776, a (men's) clothing line founded by two college roommates (they say they're from Boston - but not Harvard? We can only hope). My only hope is that someday they will create women's clothing, and then I will be in heaven.