Wednesday, December 30, 2009

101 Things in 1001 Days: End of Year Edition

I really wish that there was some way I was going to be able to finish this whole list by next summer...but I'm not. At least I'll have things to put on the next list...

1. Take boxes of books to Half Price (Done 10/19/07)
2. Donate hair to Locks of Love (Done 1/3/08)
3. Summer Break 2008- see 5 first run movies in theater (5/5)(Done 9/1/2008)
4. Build new house (Done 10/11/2008)
5. Get mutual funds transferred (Done 4/1/08)
6. Donate $1000 to Higher Ground (Done 12/8/07)
7. Watch Season 2 of 'Digging for the Truth' (Done 7/19/2008)
8. Choose 2 kids from church's Jesse Tree @ Christmas and buy them presents (Done 12/6/08)
9. Replant plant on towel shelf (Done 6/6/08)
10. Listen to Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
(Completely Done 3/20/08)
11. Edit a Wikipedia article (Done 9/4/2008: did the Winsted, Minnesota article)
12. Type out Goodwill donation tax slip (Done 3/4/08)
13. Get eyes checked (done 8/26/2008)
14. Make a 20 item anti-procrastination list (done 7/15/08)
15. Do all 20 anti-procrastination list items within the month (done 8/15/2008)
16. Do Advent readings and wreath (Completed: 1/7/09; Advent lasts through Epiphany)
17. Over Christmas Break 2007 see 5 first run movies in theater (5/5, done 1/7/08)
18. Clean up computer document files (Done: 12/30/08)
19. Read "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (done 8/19/2008)
20. Catalog 25 books on LibraryThing (done 7/14/08)
21. Walk to work 30 times (30/30: Done 9/12/2008)
22. Send my mother in law flowers just because (done 8/5/2008)
23. Read all the Josephine Tey books (Done 12/23/08)

24. Read entire Inspector Rebus series (3/18)
25. Graduate with MLIS degree (target date: May 2010)
26. Watch 101 movies in theater or at home (43/101)
27. Complete 23 More Things
28. Read 20 of 100 All Time Classics (Modern Library) that I haven't read already (4/20)
29. Visit 5 art galleries in Minnesota (3/5)
30. Watch 10 documentaries (6/10)
31. Upload all my CD's to my iTunes
32. Update FLYControl Journal (waiting for life insurance information)
33. Write 3 letters complimenting good service (2/3)
34. Write 3 letters pointing out bad service (2/3)
35. Complete a crossword puzzle book
36. Visit 10 other libraries in my system I haven't been to yet
37. Write wills
38. Have new family picture taken
39. Send Christmas Cards with family photograph
40. Design library webpage & link to system and city
41. Beat PSX2 game Galaga
42. Watch all the seasons of '24'
43. Go to a Latin Mass
44. Plant 5 trees in yard (2/5)
45. Clothing 1
46. Learn how to play Cribbage
47. Bike around the lake
48. Get important documents in fire proof box
49. Fly first class as a family
50. Go see 5 Minnesota Tourist attractions
51. Get new glasses (or contacts)
52. Host big family Christmas (Done 26 December 2010)
53. Frame tree picture
54. Watch a Cowboys/Vikings game in Dallas
55. Watch Cowboys/Vikings game in Minnesota
56. Read 5 Biographies
57. Frame black & white pictures of the ocean and hang up
58. Learn the Rosary prayers
59. Walk everyday for 30 minutes for 1 week.
60. Host a Summer Croquet tournament
61. Link library webpage to librarysites
62. Health 1
63. Health 2
64. Health 3
65. Health 4
66. Watch all Seasons of MI-5
67. Read Twilight Series (3/4)
68. Read 5 Non-fiction books (2/5)
69. Read Inspector Lynley Series
70. Pay off and close Chase Visa. (APR adjustment, indeed)
71. Draw a master landscaping plan for yard
72. Get a chair for my library
73. Donate 1,000,000 grains of rice on FreeRice (12,590/1,000,000)
74. Donate 5 trees from answer4earth (5/5) (Done 16 July 2009)
75. Up Emergency Fund to 3 months salary
76. Get rockers/outdoor furniture for front porch
77. Make a 10 item anti-procrastination list (Done 5/23/09)
78. Do all 10 anti-procrastination list items within the month
79. Read all books on saved page a day calendar pages for 2004 (0/5)
80. Read all books on saved page a day calendar pages for 2005 (0/4)
81. Read all books on saved page a day calendar pages for 2006 (3/15)
82. Read all books on saved page a day calendar pages for 2007 (1/13)
83. Read all books on saved page a day calendar pages for 2008 (0/14)
84. Read all books on saved page a day calendar pages for 2009 (3/22)
85. Get curtains hung in last 2 bedrooms
86. Get a new desk/shelving unit for home library
87. Finish Kid’s room
88. Hang up 5 pictures
89. Donate to the Food Shelf 7 times ($25 or equivalent) (1/7)
90. Do the Locks of Love one more time
91. Leave a 100% tip 3 times (2/3)
92. Donate 50 of my books to the library (without reading them 1st) (50/50) (done 15 August 2009)
93. Put a $50 bill in the second collection basket (Done 14 November 2009)
94. Read the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series by Lemony Snicket (4/13)
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101. Finish writing this list--Again

Friday, December 25, 2009

Winter Break 2009

I just had to overhaul my blog. Sometime between 18 November and the first part of December, something went all wonky with my layout and formatting. I'm guessing the Universe was just telling me it was time to change it up a bit. So I did.

I just got done with one of the worst school terms since I started school the Fall of 2003. Seriously. Maybe it was because I took 4 graduate level classes, or maybe it was the whole distance learning thing. Either way, I was constantly doing homework. Did I have a life outside of school? Yes, but it was hard to notice. Luckily for me, I decided to do a bigger version of my normal calendar:



This setup worked really well for keeping all my assignment due dates straight. Too bad I didn't think of it until this last term, because it sure would've come in handy for other semesters. The good news is that I only have a couple more classes left.

For JTerm (or Winter IM term, or whatever the heck UW-M calls it), I'm taking 2 classes: The History of African American Literature for Children, taught by the professor from whom I took Multicultural Literature Fall 2009; and something about Current Issues: Freedom of Speech. Each are for 1 month, and are worth 1 credit each. Apparently, according to some UW-M classmates, taking 2 JTerm classes is tantamount to signing up for a month of hell. Well, considering I just finished 4 months of hell, I'm pretty sure I'll do just fine. If not, well, I can take comfort in the fact that it'll be done by 25 January.

For Spring term, I'm taking another 1 credit class, GLBTQ Literature for YA from the same professor I had for YA Lit this Fall 2009 term. I'm also taking the last of the stupid UW-M core classes, the 511 one. The one where I got transfer credit for the 711 upper division class, but not the lower one (511) which is a prereq for the higher one. I know. Don't ask. It's very aggravating. The good (?) news is that UW-M put all St Kate's expats in the same class, and the professor will come meet with us, and then design a special class just for us. Yay. My first reaction was, "Well, that's just great. Now we won't have to cover the same stuff" but now I'm thinking that easy is sometimes good too.

Yes, I know. "But didn't you just have 2 more classes to take? Why in the world are you taking 4 then?" I really wanted to take the GLBTQ lit class, and thought the History of African American lit would be interesting--so I had to throw in that other 1 credit one to make up the difference. I could have taken geneaology, but I didn't.

I'm also taking the competency test this spring. Then I can graduate in May. Finally. I'm sort of grateful to have gotten to take interesting classes this year, but I'm more frustrated that I've had to take 3 out of 4 of the UW-M core classes too.

I just have to remember that it's almost over FOR REAL this time, and soon I will be free. (Free at last, free at last. Good God Almighty, free at last...)