final tally: 81/101 completed!

this project started as a catalyst for keeping myself busier than i had been... and it exploded. i can't remember the last time i had a day or night free to myself and without any obligations. i mostly like it that way.

so, the project definitely worked.

a couple months ago i realized i wasn't going to complete everything on the list. so a new goal of mine was to take it easy on myself and not really care that it's not going to get finished in time. (this includes removing my "punishment" of donating $25 for every unmet goal. i'm too broke for that, and have already made three kiva donations in the last six months. good enough for now).

the point was to explore. learn new things. grow. and i did all those to the max.

so, in summation, here is my final post with an update on the last few goals i accomplished this summer.

no pics here - ain't nobody got time for that. some are on facebook anyway. i'm not even proofreading this post - that's how busy/carefree i've become!

there will be more lists. they will be shorter in length but longer in timeline. onward!

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#4 (get a tattoo) is on its way. my good friend and wonderful artist vanessa is designing it. it will most likely happen in 2012, and it will be beautiful.

#6 (read all the books i've bought) this one mostly happened. i at least started all the books that had been purchased when this project began. so i'm gonna count it good.

 #14 (ride a rollercoaster) so, i didn't get this one done. but i've been on a kajillion rollercoasters in my lifetime anyway. so when the opportunity arose to do a similarly exhilarating (but totally new) thing this summer, i took it. my parents took me to the gun range up north. scary at first, fun by the end. and it turns out i'm kind of a natural. on my third round i hit our paper plate target eight out of ten shots from about fifty feet. i'm still totes anti-guns, though...

#15 (go skydiving) ...IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IN FIVE MINUTES! in life, really. just amazing. probably my favorite accomplishment.

#18 (go water skiing) YES THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED! at my parents' home in upper michigan. and i got up on two legs for a record 4 seconds or so. success! (loosely defined!)

#29 (group scavenger hunt) the groupon has been purchased! and brian and i are planning on using it in the next month(ish). so, y'know, almost there.

#31 (go to a drive-in) technically, i went to a drive-in two years ago. and discovered that my AM radio don't work. and we have plans to go soon. so, i'm crossing this off. :P

#33 (watch 20 oscar winners) this ended up being kind of a silly goal, because it's so difficult to keep track. in the end i'm sure i watched 20, but who knows really? i'll leave it uncrossed. ditto for #34.

#53 (get some DNA art). guys... DNA art is EXPENSIVE. so i changed this to just "buy some more art." and i did! come over if you want to see.

#47 was "take a metalworking class," which is something that, mark my words, i will do one day. just, not anytime soon, because it's muy expensivo. so, it's been replaced by something that was on my expanded 150+ list (the one that got trimmed down to this 101 list). host pub trivia! i'll get pictures of this one soon (hopefully) but friends who have been attending regularly know that i'm doing it, and i'm kicking ass at it.

#69 was "go snowmobiling" BUT the stuipd place wouldn't validate my stupid groupon before the stupid season has passed... but i did something similarly adventurous (and something i never, ever would've done a few years ago)... indoor rock climbing!

#88 (tobacco free for 1001 days) I DID IT!!! i went from about a pack a day to zero ciggies and managed to maintain that for nearly three years. here's to the next three.

#93 (throw a surprise party for someone) ok ok, i didn't plan the party. i mean, not most of it. but i planned the surprise! we all waited in the living room, i was the lookout, and i timed the "happy birthday!" ambush perfectly. maggie was terrified.

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day eight hundred and fifty-five

major update: i went to mexico, and it was spectacular (#68).

i haven't updated this blog in nearly two months, which one would think warrants a nice, long post about all the progress i've made. and i have made progress. mexico definitely deserves its own entry. but i've gotten some other smaller goals accomplished as well. while i in mexico we got up extra early to watch the sun rise over the coast (#80). upon my return i gave up beer for a month (#82). i joined two book clubs (really, they're more like weekly gatherings of amazing women who are reading about how to be even more amazing) that employ regular meditation and focused breathing as guiding principles (#83). and i sent valentine's day cards to my best out-of-town friends (#98, from saipan to honolulu to chicago to texas) and surprised my dorm-dwelling sister with a valentine's themed care package (#99).

all that said, i really just want to get this damn thing posted so i can get maddox off my back and get some sleep. so, here are some quick observations and stories about mexico. it should be noted that there will not be proper accents and tildes in this post because i can't seem to figure that out right now and am feeling very motivated to just get this done.

fun fact about mexico: the plumbing is so old that you can't flush toilet paper. like, no matter what your personal circumstances... so in every public bathroom stall there are signs telling you to please not do this. no one mentions this you before you go -- it's like this big secret people like to spring on the visitors to gauge their reactions and relative go-with-the-flow-ness (so to speak). i'll admit that at first i was kinda grossed out, but by the time i was back in the states i was so used to it that i tossed the t.p. into the trash can at the dallas airport without thinking twice.

example one

two

and my personal favorite, three

we took a day trip out to chichen itza. this was a good idea. our tour guide referred to it as "chicken pizza" on the bus ride out there, and i was the only one on board who laughed. and i did it really loudly. so, wow, that place is incredible. magical. my facebook profile is rife with photos and videos, so i won't re-post here for now. but this was hands down my favorite day in mexico.

when it comes to speaking spanish, if i'm talking with a local (and i've had a few beers) i start to sound like puss n' boots. which is to say that i sound like the nasonex bee. which is to say that i sound like antonio banderas.

perhaps my proudest moment there was haggling (in spanish) with a vendor outside of chichen itza to get a better price on a couple of gifts i was purchasing.

while drinking on the beach with our server raul (he joined us under an umbrella for a long while one rainy afternoon when all the other beachgoers wussed out), we got into a conversation about what it is that lida and i do back home. i was having a hell of a time explaining my policy gig to raul, so he dragged me inside the nearest hotel to a computer where we used google translate to continue our conversation. i typed in "reproductive healthcare research," which drew some sheepish looks from raul and his buddy who had now joined us. raul leaned in and asked, "con la esperma?" "NO NO NO!" i said through hysterical laughter, "como derechos de las mujeres!" we eventually got it all sorted out, but that was probably my favorite language-barrier-inspired moment.

the stars that shine in the yucatan jungle are the brightest i've ever seen.

so in brief summation (man, this post is really poorly written...) it's safe to say that i've been bitten by the language immersion bug, and i absolutely cannot wait for my next adventure. thank you to diane, samuel, esteban, raul, and juan for the unmatched hospitality, free shots of "mexican moonshine," snorkel recommendations, unforgettable conversation, and history lessons.

day eight hundred and three

i'll be in mexico in a mere forty-eight hours (#68!!!) and thinking about everything i want to do on that trip made me realize that i've neglected the blog for a bit. so, quick update before i have to go get mis patos en una fila.

i put up a wee tree for christmas early december (#43). thanks to mom for sending that one my way! i only have a few ornaments, so it worked out nicely.

i also volunteered another shift with my seattleworks group, this time at the low-income housing institute (#91). we sorted through linen donations for the residents, and yeah, it's about as gross as it sounds. incredible how many people donate what should just be thrown away; i'd guess we could only keep about fifty percent of the pillowcases because the rest were too soiled or torn. on the other hand, most of the keepers were in better condition than my own sheets. whoops.

...anyway

...TO THE YUCATAN!!!