Sunday, December 18, 2005

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.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

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...