33. Bring Krispy Kreme doughnuts for my staff on a busy day

33. Bring Krispy Kreme doughnuts for my staff on a busy day

Done, and done. I left home a bit early today to make a pilgrimage down to Krispy Kreme, and picked up 3 dozen doughnuts for my staff today. 2 dozen glazed, one dozen assorted. Unfortunately, my life wanted to try to unfold not unlike a sitcom today.

See, there was really only one doughnut out of all 36 that I really wanted. I'm all about that custard-filled, chocolate-coated one. Mmmmm, good. So when I got to work and offered up the doughnuts to my staff, it was with the one caveat that that doughnut was mine; all others were fair game. To mark this doughnut out, and to symbolize its importance, I even cut off a piece of my soda's straw and dramatically stuck this straw piece in the doughnut, so clearly people could not "accidentally" eat my doughnut. My doughnut!

It became something of a running joke, with my assistant manager attempting to bribe people to eat the doughnut in question. Threats of "oops I accidentally licked the frosting of your doughnut!" were met with nothing but a steely glare. My doughnut!

Alas, however, I had a staff member that started after all this drama. And as though all this doughnut-related melodrama was nothing but dramatic foreshadowing, when I sent her off the floor to take 5 minutes and enjoy a complimentary doughnut, she of course ate my doughnut. Go fig.

All I wanted was my doughnut. Is that really so much to ask in life? Ah well, at least I got to cross something off the list. But really, couldn't I have been able to cross it off the list and have my doughnut? Sigh.

1. Post this list publicly

1. Post this list publicly

Obviously, this is done. Basically, I thought this was important, because it creates in me some sense of accountability. If I'm the only one aware of my list, then it doesn't really matter if I drop it, does it? But if my friends, family, etc--if they know about it, and heck, are even encouraging and helping me work on it (I'm talkin' about you, #18), then I'm not going to quit. It becomes a stubborn sort of pride thing.

Honestly, I'm not sure I'm going to even be capable of finishing all of this, in the time limit. #5, 14, and 24 are some that really stand out as being daunting. Some of the items are a little silly and simple, but will just be fun to do (i.e., #13, Fly a paper airplane off a tall building). And if this isn't ultimately fun, what's the point?

The Mission (as seen on Triplux):
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

101 Things in 1001 Days

1. Post this list publicly
   
2. Rip my entire CD collection to mp3 format
   
3. Read the Silmarillion
   
4. Stay in a 5-star hotel
   
5. Buy a new car (new to me, in any event)
   
6. Vote
   
7. Hike to a waterfall
   
8. Drink 8 cups of water every day for a month
   
9. Learn to juggle
   
10. Serve breakfast in bed to a beautiful woman
    
11. Send 20 thank you notes (0/20)
    
12. Buy 10 Lottery tickets (0/10)
    
13. Fly a paper airplane off a tall building
    
14. Be debt free
    
15. Renew my library card
    
16. Go to the San Diego Comicon
    
17. Make it through my Netflix queue
    
18. Buy (or receive) a $100 bottle of Scotch
    
19. Buy an original piece of art
    
20. Make a list of my 101 favorite movies
    
21. Clean my apartment
    
22. Host Christmas morning
    
23. Donate 25% of my clothing to charity
    
24. NOT work retail for the holidays
    
25. Watch the Perseids out in the country
    
26. Donate blood
    
27. Go to three concerts (0/3)
    
28. Go all-in with a 7/2 off suit
    
29. Put up Christmas lights
    
30. Stop drinking caffeine for a month
    
31. Watch 5 sunrises (0/5)
    
32. Watch 5 sunsets (0/5)
    
33. Bring Krispy Kreme doughnuts for my staff on a busy day
    
34. Get rid of the mammoth computer desk
    
35. Buy a new bed
    
36. Watch every episode of ST:DS9, in order (yes, even the Ferengi episodes)
    
37. Update my address book with current phone/address. Backup on computer.
    
38. Lose 30 lbs
    
39. Lose 20 more lbs
    
40. Shave every day for a month
    
41. Send Christmas cards
    
42. Win a game of Monopoly
    
43. No TV for two weeks
    
44. Make a list of 101 things that make me happy
    
45. Have my fortune read
    
46. Catalog every expense (however small) for two weeks.
    
47. Go to a soccer/football match
    
48. Test drive an Audi TT
    
49. Learn 3 “named” chess strategies
    
50. Learn 3 card tricks
    
51. See the northern lights
    
52. Read three non-fiction books (0/3)
    
53. No fast food for one month
    
54. Maintain a chia pet for one month
    
55. Attempt to join MENSA
    
56. Go to a shooting range, shoot guns
    
57. Buy a PS3
    
58. Go spelunking
    
59. Donate $500 to charity (0/500)
    
60. Take a refresher First Aid course
    
61. Do 100 push ups in a row
    
62. Do 100 sit ups in a row
    
63. Make $1000 on eBay ($0/1000)
    
64. Upgrade my computer
    
65. Make every effort to track down Soren
    
66. Take a class (any topic)
    
67. Two words: Magic Mountain
    
68. Go to a film festival premiere
    
69. Practice Tai Chi every day for two weeks
    
70. Fly first class
    
71. Inventory my collectibles/toys
    
72. Sell half of that inventory
    
73. Buy a fish from the Pike Place Market
    
74. Go to an NHL game
    
75. Finish collecting all Akira Kurosawa films
    
76. Bring my lunch to work every day for a week
    
77. Go to a fancy fireworks show
    
78. Get a new watch I like
    
79. Throw a snowball
    
80. See a stage play
    
81. Play through the original Legend of Zelda in one sitting (no cheating!)
    
82. Make a doctor's appointment and have a thorough checkup
    
83. Visit 3 different countries (0/3)
    
84. Make a gingerbread house
    
85. Go geocaching
    
86. Inventory comic books, sell/donate 75%
    
87. Beat five new video games (0/5)
    
88. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast
    
89. Join a gym
    
90. Host a LOTR:EE movie marathon
    
91. Host a Star Wars movie marathon
    
92. Show three people the glory of NetHack (0/3)
    
93. Post a journal entry every day for a month
    
94. Move out of apartment dwellings and into a house
    
95. Take a road trip
    
96. See a stand-up comic live
    
97. Go camping
    
98. Drink green beer on St Patrick's Day
    
99. Volunteer for worthy causes for a net 24 hours (0/24)
    
100. Set aside $2 a day, for all 1001 days
     
101. Spend that $2002 on something frivolous, on the last day
     

Three years later...
Anyway, hi again. So I created this account a long time ago, ostensibly to play around with it and see if I liked blogger better than LiveJournal. Turns out I didn't really feel such a striking difference, that I was marginally inclined to change sites yet again. Obviously, I didn't. But lately a few friends had started up this "101 Things in 101 Days" dealies, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of setting up my own list of 101 things to do. I want some way to help myself stretch and grow, to do things that I either might not do of my own accord, or things I wouldn't get around to, without having some sort of goal or timetable.

And really, I like the fact that blogger is nice and customizable, as for the page layouts, creating the sidebars, and so forth. I'm sure I could do similar things on LiveJournal, though part of it may be associated with donating a certain amount of money to the administration of said organization. But I kind of wanted to create a site that, for the next 2.75 years (approximately), would be principally about my list of 101 things. Besides, it's not like I posted on LJ more than about once a month, anyway.

So without further ado...