101 goals in 1001 days

In an effort to follow my friend, PR chum and blog hero Kristen's boss's GIT method (Get It Together), I'm shamelessly ripping off another PR chum's blog idea to accomplish 101 goals in 1001 days. (Ok, so I'm not sure Nicole's was exactly that, but there were goals, and there was a time limit.)

When I Googled a count of how far away 1001 days would be, I learned that this is not Nicole-specific. There's a movement out there that as far as I can tell stems from an organization called Day Zero, if you want to read about it for yourself. Kind of fun.

Since I want a day or so to mull over the hugeness of what I'm asking of myself and I'd like my end date to be on a Friday, the first day of my challenge won't be today, but tomorrow: October 17, 2008. The last day of the challenge will be July 15, 2011.

So here I go. Feel free to comment, inquire, slap my cyber wrist when I whine, and hold me to to these without mercy:

RJ's 101

Organize the (many) books I own and resell, donate, share and/or shelve them. Attractively.

Obtain a copy of and read the Johnson family history compiled by my Aunt Troy & Co. years ago.

Get settled into a church home in Baton Rouge.

Work on my APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) certification.

* Sing at least once a day (when I have a voice, that is, which I currently do not). This is something I love to do but often forget brings me big joy. Which is probably why my current voiceless state brought it to mind!

Organize, scan and share the (many) hard copies of photos I own.

Move all MySpace blogs over to Blogspot.

Find a worthy cause in the city I'm in and devote time and energy to it.

Make a living will.

Write letters to each of my parents' brothers and sisters thanking them for their contributions to my life and history. (Daddy has five brothers and five sisters. One of his brothers passed away last weekend, so I will write a letter to his children; Mother has three brothers.)

Send Christmas cards annually, and mail them by December 10.

*** Send at least one non-occasion-related card per month.

** Go to the gym (or participate in some form of exercise) at least 3 times a week.

Lose 10 pounds.

Keep it off for one month.

Jog a mile in Central Park without passing out.

*** Go to at least one professional association meeting per month.

Write an article and have it published.

Plant a small herb garden outside my townhouse (or indoors if necessary with weather), help those herbs live, then cook with them and/or share them.

Clean the boxes out of the garage by Thanksgiving 2008.

Take swimming lessons.

When friends say, "What? You never saw such-and-such movie?," make a note of the movie and see it within the month. Current movies to see are:
1. Sixteen Candles
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Fight Club

*** Read at least one non-fiction book per month. (Yep, I was an English major, but this is tough for me. I do love my chick lit...)

Visit the acclaimed St. Francisville, Louisiana, take the camera, and savor the day and the beauty.

Host a (small, rebekah-sized) gathering at my (small, rebekah-sized) townhouse.

Wear hats. In public. Even if I'm the only one doing it.

Take tennis lessons.

Get a makeover and practice new makeup tips on an ordinary day.

* Cut out carbs after 3pm at least 5 days a week for a month, starting -- yikes -- tomorrow. (I read in a magazine that this helped Jennifer Love Hewitt's weight loss measures by leaps and bounds.)

** Do not miss one kickboxing class (held weekly at my gym) for one month, starting the first Monday that I am able to breathe and move like a normal person.

Go to Highland Road's Observatory some night and watch the stars.

Give blood as often as permissible…after eating breakfast, of course. None of my nifty fainting tricks this time, no siree Bob.

Pick back up my old tradition of adopting an angel at Christmas.

Sort, purge and organize cassette tapes. (Yes, cassette tapes. I was born in ’76. Work with me.)

Write letters to three of my favorite college professors -- Dr. Joan Fitch, Dr. David Fitch, and Jeanne Ezell.

Sell, transfer to hard drive, share and/or organize CDs effectively and neatly.

Host a picnic for friends with food that I made, not food that I bought.

Take dance lessons for a month. Jitterbug, ballroom, salsa – the possibilities are endless!

Pay for the person behind me in line.

Stop gnawing at my nails. (Yes, they’re fake. I know. It’s bad.)

*** Finish a special project for a special someone. (The project and recipient will remain a secret until the gift is complete.) Give the gift for Christmas. This Christmas.

** Blog five things I am thankful for each week.

*** Visit at least one farmer's market a month, starting November 1, 2008.

** Take my lunch to work at least twice a week, starting next week. (Weeks containing lunch meetings can be exceptions.)

Be able to at least jog the entire weekly Happy's Run (on Tuesdays) within a year from today (by 10/17/09).

Write out, carefully review, and stick to a disciplined budget for 6 months. (I think I have this in my head, but I hear it's smart to do on paper.)

See all of Ronald Reagan's movies.

See all of Paul Newman's movies.

See all of Marilyn Monroe's movies.

Go to a drive-in movie.

Learn to make a really good gumbo by spring of 2009.

** Call at least one out-of-town friend each week. Return calls don’t count.

Appear as an extra in a film.

*** Save at least 20 un-earmarked dollars per month for six months.

Decide on a suitable name for my blog, and share it with friends and family.

Reward the idea-giver who helped most with picking this vital name, especially since it’s taken me forever to decide on one. :-)

Take a train ride to Kim's.

Purge my closet of items I don't feel attractive in. Recruit friends' opinions if necessary!

** Deliberately accessorize at least once a week.

*** Send at least one piece of mail per month to my nephew.

** Track caloric intake on MyDailyPlate.com at least 5 out of 7 days per week, starting next week.

Learn to make really good cornbread.

*** Participate in at least one kid-related event per month.

Make friends with an elderly person I'm not related to, and keep in touch with them.

Set dates to visit my sister at least twice a year, and stick to the plan.

Cook an entire meal for my parents at least once during each visit to their home. (Holidays could be exceptions, depending on timing and the amount of leftovers in the fridge.)

Paint something on canvas.

*** Handwrite in my journal at least once a month. (It's been years, thanks to electronic communication and blogging.)

Visit at least three states I've never been to. My current unvisited states are:
1. Washington
2. Oregon
3. Idaho
4. Montana
5. Wyoming
6. Utah
7. Arizona
8. New Mexico
9. Colorado
10. Nebraska
11. N. Dakota
12. S. Dakota
13. Kansas
14. Oklahoma
15. Minnesota
16. Iowa
17. Wisconsin
18. Michigan
19. Indiana
20. Ohio
21. W. Virginia
22. Connecticut
23. Rhode Island
24. Vermont.
What a long list! Longer than I thought. Kind of sad.

When time to buy new lightbulbs, switch to energy-saving ones.

*** Do one nice thing for someone who will never find out per month, starting this month.

Consciously work on becoming a better listener.

Develop a personal career goal outside of my job description and achieve it by November 2009.

** Drink hot tea instead of coffee at least two mornings per week.

Have myself painted (I'm thinking a portrait -- not myself -- by a street artist in New Orleans....so no worries. Not anything too off-the-wall.)

Treat myself to a weekend at a Bed & Breakfast with a favorite girl friend.

Water my office plant...before it starts looking puny.

** Free my spaces of clutter at least one a week.

Try Vietnamese food. (How did I grow up on the MS Gulf Coast and never try it? IDK. But I intend to correct that.)

Learn to make at least three amazing shrimp dishes.

Go through old childhood books and toys that are still at my parents' house and relieve my mother of what she doesn’t want to (or doesn’t have space to!) hang onto.

Watch The Godfather movie series with my daddy.

Watch the HBO John Adams series when it's out on DVD and share with my daddy.

Have someone take posed and candid photographs of my sister and me, when we're dressed for the occasion and feel great about how we look.

*** Read my Bible at least once a day for a month, starting this month.

Ask my parents about their favorite childhood dishes that they don’t have recipes for and attempt to recreate at least three of them.

* Work on praying throughout the day. (Celestial complaints do not count.)

* Unless allergy-ridden or planning to be around those who are allergy-ridden, wear perfume, not because of a special occasion, but just because it makes me happy.

Get CPR certified.

Learn the Heimlich maneuver.

Visit friends' churches, including those not in my chosen denomination.

Share digital photos from events with friends and family within two weeks of said event.

Save $10 for every completed item on this list, but…

Donate $10 for every item not completed at the end of the 1001 days.

Obtain an authentic piece of jewelry from Tiffany’s. (I don't have to buy said piece from the actual store -- eBay is ok -- but the accompanying blue box is essential.)

Read all published books by authors whom I know personally, and especially ones by those whom I’m related to!

* Don’t text and drive for a month, and try to make this a much-needed, very safe, super-conscientious but oh-so-hard part of my world.

Throw a party on the 1001st day, Friday July 15, 2011. Don’t tell anyone who doesn’t already know what the party is for.

* Daily
** Weekly
*** Monthly