101 in 1001

Well, this post is going to take a while to type. I'm totally stealing this idea from Fug Girl Heather's personal blog, Dancing Brave, because it seems like such a good way to be sure that I actually accomplish things that I talk about doing all the time, and also because when I complete one I can post about it and, hopefully, be less boring than I have been of late. The problem will likely be coming up with 101 things, because much like Christmas and birthday lists, I am suddenly at kind of a loss. Thus, I will be posting in bits and pieces as I think of stuff. So, without further ado, the start of a 1001 day long to-do list, which will take me to June 22, 2013 (I think. That was sorta hard to add up. It's 2 years, one a leap year, plus 270 days):

1. Run a half marathon - this should be fairly simple. Not the running 13 miles part, but the making myself do it part, since I've already signed up for one. November 6, here I come.

2. Run a whole marathon - why not?

3. Go scuba diving - I'm sort of scared of coral. Also open water. I feel like an intruder, and am convinced that something will come out and bite me. At least with scuba, you have the protection of a wetsuit rather than just my bikini-exposed skin.

4. Take a real vacation, just me and the boyfriend - we have never, in over 7 years, been on a real vacation just the two of us. It seems like something we should have done by now.

5. Hike Old Rag in VA - I was going to go this weekend, but my friend and I decided we were feeling too lazy yesterday to drive two hours each way.

6. Find and purchase a cute pair of glasses - do I need glasses? No. Is that the point? No. I just want them, and so I shall have them.

7. Get a job. A real job - star light, star bright, this is what I wish for every night.

8. Successfully execute the Smith Island Cake - 12 layers = impressive and pretty.

9. Furnish my apartment so that it finally looks the way I want it to - you would think that this would be easy, but I've never managed to actually decorate a place so that I really, really liked it. I think I have a chance with the new place, since it has three usable bedrooms plus a basement and attic, thus less clutter.

10. Get a dog - I've wanted a dog for years now, and the new place actually allows them, with no silly weight restrictions.

11. Finish reading Lolita - I have started this book approximately 12 times. I have never finished it.

12. Learn to sew enough that I can actually make myself things - right now I can pretty much just take in simple things, like turning regular jeans into skinny jeans.

13. Master a good vegetarian lasagna - I cannot for the life of me seem to make a good veggie lasagna. It is always watery. Always.

14. Relearn Spanish - I say relearn because I took it for seven years. The fact that I just let it go is rather shameful. Plus, I was told yesterday it would practically guarantee me a job at the office I'm interested in.

15. Learn to ride a motorcycle - my sister says she'll go with me. This way, we will both be badasses.

16. Talk the boyfriend out of buying a 73" TV - because, really, why do you need that much screen?

17. Buy my own grill - after my first grilling experience last summer I am now fully obsessed.

18. Attend an NFL game - I've never been to more than a college game, and while those have their place, it's not the same.

19. Finally get the abs I want - that is to say, firm and flat and defined but not all scary and cracked out looking like Madonna's arms.

20. Bake a souffle: I'm a good cook, but I feel like this is one of those things that really marks you as a good cook, because it's all fluffy and complicated. Plus, I have a recipe for a leek and cheese souffle that sounds delectable.