Update 1 on 101 list

3. Try a new restaurant once a month
So far we have tried Kabul Kabob House and Minh's. At Kabul Kabob we had vegetarian sambusas, qabli palaw (lamb with rice carrots and raisins) and the sultani kabob platter with lamb and chicken kabobs with rice. Yum! At Minh's, a Vietnamese restaurant, we had the assorted appetizer, all of it delicious, and I had caramelized fish bowl but I don't remember what Wyatt had! Anyway, so far so good! I'm hoping we can go to Eamonn's in Alexandria soon - it's an Irish chipper! Yuuuum.

4. Try a new recipe once a month
Moroccan Spiced Chicken was the first recipe. I really liked it, very spicy.

6. Apply to CET, ACC, and scholarships
Done, wait-listed to ACC and accepted to CET!

16. Wear a dress for 33 days (3/33) I bought a new dress from Ross for $8 that I love - I can't wait until it's warmer so I can wear it more.

38. Freeze a meal a weekend
Going pretty well, I think we missed one weekend. So far it's just been pot pies and chili frozen, I haven't come up with other things we like that are good to freeze. Suggestions?

56. Remove make up with cold cream and wash face every night for a month
Done!

62. Go to the career counselor
Done but totally unhelpful.

70. Learn to knit and knit something to completion
As of today, learning via knittinghelp.com and I WILL knit something. I was using pencils and they weren't so easy to work with so I think I need to get some real needles.

78. Make 2 new “everyday” dresses
First one is in progress! The first one is from this pattern:



"Very easy" just as it says. I made a really simple mockup without the lining in less than an hour. The fabric for the final product is waiting to be cut now, it's kind of a peachy-orange color, appropriate because it is peach skin.

Making a list

Inspired by the Day Zero Project and a friend of mine, a month ago I made a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. So here we go:
Start: Feb 15, 2009
End: November 13, 2011

completed in progress failed

Experience

1. Write 101 list
2. Document 101 list online
3. Try a new restaurant once a month: Kabul Kabob House, Himalayan Heritage, Akasaka, Lalibela, Sichuan Pavilion, Minh's, Eamonn's
4. Try a new recipe once a month
5. Visit a museum 20 times: Freer Gallery, Sackler Gallery
6. Apply to CET, ACC, and scholarships
7. Go to China
8. Write at least 5 sentences about the day for each day in China
9. Go see a movie once every two months: Avatar, Nine, District Nine, Ponyo
10. Go to Lake Powell
11. Write 5 things that made me happy that day every day for 30 days
12. Listen to all iTunes songs and get rid of what I don’t like
13. Travel to a state I’ve never been to before: Nevada
14. Adopt a pet
15. Add 20 new recipes to the cookbook
16. Wear a dress for 33 days
17. Sign up for postcrossing.com
18. Send 5 postcards
19. Go to a ball and wear my pink dress
20. Go to an aquarium
21. Have photos taken
22. Go camping
23. Buy fancy handmade soap off Etsy and try it Bought at Crafty Bastards from 8th Street Soap Kitchen and will be buying more!
24. Go swing dancing
25. Go on a paddle boat
26. Buy 15 new pairs of earrings: 2 pairs in China
27. Make the fancy chocolate chip cookies
28. Go to the opera
29. Go horseback riding
30. Go kayaking Went right before China and got the worst sunburn on my ear I've ever had.
31. Read all the books I own that haven’t read/finished yet, except those bought for school
32. Go to a water park
33. Find the perfect trench coat
34. Go to DC game night
35. Visit DC threads
36. Go on a picnic

Responsibility

37. Clean a part of the house every other week (dust, vacuum, clean bathroom and kitchen – pick one, and do it, then do the next the next week)
38. Freeze a meal a weekend
39. Pack my bag for school and pack lunch the night before every night for 30 days
40. Go to the gym/hike/bike/swim/kayak/etc. 3 times a week for a month
41. Spend 15 minutes a day cleaning up the apartment for a month
42. Put laundry away immediately after finishing three times in a row
43. Oops! Write a new one here, I duplicated one!
44. Eliminate use of plastic bags while shopping
45. Organize photos on computer, order prints of those I like
46. Back up photo onto hard drive
47. Back up music onto hard drive
48. Get angry – stop and say “I am angry because…” 5 times and calm down!
49. Send out thank you cards for every gift I receive
50. Write down important things to know in case of emergency (phone numbers, passwords, etc.)
51. Floss every day for a month
52. Do 5 push ups
53. Donate to This American Life
54. Get direct deposit into new account and close old account
55. Buy noise canceling headphones for metro rides A gift from my Dad for Christmas!
56. Remove make up with cold cream and wash face every night for a month
57. Get bike fixed Bike broken beyond repair while I was in China... so maybe buy a new bike later...

Educate

58. Finish Heisig’s Hanzi 1 (0/1500)
59. Decide topic of thesis
60. Do a directed reading/write a thesis
61. Graduate with honors
62. Go to the career counselor
63. Decide whether to take GRE
64. Determine 5 viable career paths
65. Find a real job
66. Read an article in a foreign language once a month that’s not assigned
67. Find out where and how to take HSK and if possible take it Test date is on my graduation day, so no.

Create

68. Make something for 2 hours every week
69. Have sewing machine professionally serviced
70. Learn to knit and knit something to completion
71. Learn to crochet again and do the same
72. Screenprint
73. Blockprint
74. Foam print
75. Learn how to use camera
76. Take a picture a day for a month
77. Make a letterpress
78. Make 2 new “everyday” dresses
79. Make a new skirt
80. Make a new shirt
81. Make a new bag
82. Make pillows for living room
83. Sign up for Wardrobe Refashion
84. Handmake gifts for the holidays Dishcloths and gloves.
85. Learn to play a song on guitar
86. Practice violin for an hour or more for three days in a row
87. Recreate the terrariums but with moss
88. Grow basil again

Relationships

89. Post on friend-journal once a week
90. Send out holiday cards
91. Go to the ocean with Wyatt Went to Rehoboth Beach and got out butts kicked by big waves!
92. Reunite with the Force Five for a weekend together
93. Go to NY with Wyatt
94. Call a friend for at least 20 minutes once a month

Future

95. Create 3 new goals in 2010 and 3 new goals in 2011
96. 2010
97. 2010
98. 2010
99. 2011
100. 2011
101. 2011

I've written a few times already about how everything is going, so I will try repost them over here.

Alternative to the Plates

From Nea.

Miniatures

Cool photos from erin tyner photography.

Decorating the walls

The moment I saw this, I fell in love (and though I know I have seen it several times since, I have not been able to find any of the sources!)
So, this past week I found the perfect thing to begin my own set of plates while at my favorite store back home, essentials:

Actually, I wanted this whole set of Thomas Paul Sea Life plates as well as the shell coasters and giant tortoise serving tray, but who can justify all that melamine? Anyway, I just got the one goldfish. And I love it.
Then today, I go to read The Pioneer Woman and she had posted about this wonderful decoupage tray by John Derian she impulse-bought years ago. Sounds like my kind of thing, obviously. Except for the price tag. But hey, maybe someday I can afford a $48 5 3/4" plate to hang on my wall and stare at. Or maybe it will just serve as more inspiration for the rest of my plates...



And a bell jar, for good measure.

Fantasy

Fun photographs from Yeondoo Jung via How About Orange.

If I Had a Million Dollars

Top: Naumkeag Gardens, Cake via Martha Stewart Weddings, Bouquet from ?, Bella Figura "Garland" Invitation, Vera Wang Collection
Middle: Boutonniere via The Knot, The London Collection Knightsbridge by Wedgewood, Centerpiece by ?
Bottom: Manolo Blahnik shoes, Smitherman and Barnwell flower girl dress, emunique white peacock earrings, emunique fresh water pearl cuff, 4th Avenue Soap Co. pear vanilla oatmeal soap