101 in 1001

101 in 1001

These are not bucket list items.  These are meant to be everyday things that expand and enrich my life.  I give myself 1001 days to complete the 101 items.  So, they should be done by June 16, 2016

1.  Create the list  (September 2013)

2.  Finish my wall of art 

3.  Set up a schedule for posting on the blog

4.  Start taking "outfit of the day" shots to create a section on the blog

5.  Wardrobe overhaul

6.  Invest in a classic handbag

7.  Drink 8 glasses of water (or 1 gallon) every day for one week

8.  See all the Harry Potter movies

9.  Send fifty handwritten notes (6/50)

10. Visit a city I've never been to before

11. Revisit Boston

12. Catch up on all the magazines I have

13. Throw out or donate twenty things and do not replace them

14. Create an official address book with friends' and family's information

15. Send out Christmas Cards

16. Spend a day with siblings doing whatever they want, all paid for by me

17. Wear makeup for every day for twenty-one days

18. Make ten recipes off of Pinterest

19. Send my mom and stepmom flowers out of the blue

20. Learn calligraphy 

21. Read 100 new books

22. Get a facial

23. Get my nails done for Orchid Ball

24. Get new glasses (October 2013)

25. Go camping

26. Revitalize five pieces of furniture 4/5 (Nightstand x2, Desk, Makeup container  - October 2013)

27. Go to the top of the Empire State Building

28. Go zip lining

29. Have a friend take a portrait for my blog

30. See ten "classic" films

31. Get a DSLR camera

32. Find out my blood type

33. Go skydiving

34. Finish my Renaissance Faire costume

35. Volunteer at a soup kitchen

36. Donate old clothes 

37. Surprise the boy with something special

38. Donate money to a friend's charitable cause (September 2013)

39. Clean out kitchen

40. Run a 10k

41. Develop an exercise regimen and stick to it for 21 days

42. Take a yoga class

43. Visit five new states

44. Learn how to shoot a gun

45. Learn to snowboard

46. Write a short story

47. Have boudoir pictures taken

48. Give twenty "just because" gifts

49. Achieve target weight

50. Research Dad's side of the family back to immigration to USA

51. See one of the wonders of the world

52. Visit ten new museums

53. Work with an interior designer (or design-minded friend) for one room in my apartment

54.  Work on Inbox Zero

55. Get personalized stationary 

56. Buy a Hermés scarf

57. Join the local public library (October 2013)

58. Floss everyday for one month

59. Purchase and learn photo editing software

60. Go tubing on a river

61. Go apple picking (October 2013)

62. Make my college t-shirt quilt

63. Pay off credit card debt

64. Put together a master birthday calendar and send birthday cards

65. Get up without pressing snooze for one week

66. Avoid eating out for one month

67. Participate in 31 days

68. Build a wardrobe look-book

69. Make 20 things off of Pinterest (not food)

70. Learn to throw a football

71. Discover 30 new restaurants

72. Complete a blog challenge (like A-Z, Something from here, etc)

73. Buy myself flowers every week for a month

74. Spend a week Facebook free

75. Figure out a way to showcase my jewelry

76. Go paintballing

77. See the northern lights

78. See a movie in the theatre by myself

79. Go Geocaching

80. Complete 30 miles in 30 days challenge

81. Leave 100% tip

82. Have my palms read

83. Design the blog to reflect my personal style/content

84. Unsubscribe from as many email services as possible

85. Subscribe to one more style magazine

86. Subscribe to one good home DIY magazine

87. Subscribe to one good cooking magazine

88. Take a free online class

89. Start donating monthly to the Phi Rho Foundation

90. Attend a meetup.com group

91. Dye my hair

92. Finish writing the book

93. Watch 10 different TED talks and review/talk about them on the blog (1/10)

94. Micro-finance 10 female-owned businesses via Kiva

95. 200 Sit Ups challenge

96. 200 squats challenge

97. Write a letter to myself to open on my 30th birthday

98. Buy something from Tiffany's

99. Find an updo and make it my go-to

100. Take one class a season

101. Save $20 for each goal accomplished

Today is about balance

Learning to balance this illness with what I want to do is difficult.  If I do too much, I'm out of the game the next day and possibly the day after as well.  If I don't do enough, I feel as though I'm giving in to the pain.

I also need to balance life and work.  This is something I have always struggled with.  For me, it seems like it's an either-or proposition.  Either I work OR I have a life.  And, unfortunately, work has always been the priority.  I believe it's the need to be successful in tangible ways that drives me.  As though my status in life is a contest with my peers.

I also have a tendency to downplay accomplishments that I consider to have been "easy".  It usually isn't until someone points out how it wasn't as simple or easy as I had been telling myself - that truly, it was something to be proud of - that I begin to see it as an accomplishment.  I suppose i have different ways of viewing things than everyone else.  There are things that need to be done, so you buckle down and make sure they get done - regardless of their difficulty.

I need to get out of the house for more than just work.  So yesterday I went to a live podcast recording of Sex Nerd Sandra at Tabu in Philly.  It was wonderful.  Less educational and more laughter and being open about sex and boundaries and what makes people uncomfortable.  Also a big discussion as to whether pouring H2O2 into your vagina while on your period would be a good idea.  And what H2O2 actually does to blood.  I laughed and really enjoyed myself.

I also discovered my new go-to drink when I'm in a gin kind of mood - a pink elephant.  I believe it's made of grenadine and gin - delicious.  Perhaps a bit of lime.

What I wore last night:

JCrew Factory Popover (only I wore it in red... can't find that on the site)

And jeans with my new Toms shoes.  I brought a jean jacket with me as it was a bit chilly.  Also, this is officially my new favorite shirt.  It's so beyond comfortable, and I don't look like a complete slob (always a good thing).  This is an adventure in dressing for me - not worrying about what other people might think about what I'm wearing, whether it makes me look "fat", but whether I like wearing it.  I want to be comfortable and confident in the clothes I'm wearing.  It seems like a no-brainer, but I've evolved so much that I'm not sure where my tastes lay right now.  So I'll experiment.  

Right now I'm leaning towards a preppy-eqsue look.  I'm loving monograms and really want something to wear my sorority letters on.  Seeing the letters the college girls around my town wear makes me miss wearing my own.  I doubt I'll wear t-shirts and hoodies like in college, but I'd go for subtle things - a lavalier or polos or something.  I haven't decided.  Plus, anything I get has to be custom because most places don't carry my sorority.  Alas.  

-Gingko

Today I'm thinking about Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is not about pain.  Well, it is, considering it is characterized by pain, but there's more to it than just pain.  There's the feeling of helplessness - anything you do causes pain.  And if it doesn't cause pain today, it may very well do so tomorrow.  There's the depression that comes with being so overwhelmed by every single activity and responsibility.  Checking email becomes an impossible task.  Responding to text messages is anxiety ridden and requires several drafts before the final can be sent if I respond at all.  I've also lost all athletic ability that I had.  Stairs are the enemy.  Driving is the enemy.  I'm exhausted for the rest of the day from simply going to get the mail.  It's frustrating and, in my opinion, absolutely ridiculous.

But I cannot allow it to rule my life.  I cannot pause my life until I have this under control.  I have to live mindfully.  I cannot pass up an opportunity that will enrich my soul due to fear of pain.  I cannot give up something today in fear of missing something tomorrow.  Every day is a way for me to get stronger, both in body and mind.  I need to be aware of my needs, and be able to express them to those around me.

Perhaps this is the Universe telling me that I need to learn to ask for help.

Just a thought.

Be well,
Gingko

This is a test

Of the mobile blogging app. Enjoy the pictures of the cats!

Thoughts on Pets

Someone (who has children) once said that my advice on cats was as good as gold - as my cats are akin to my children.

It is an interesting thought.

They are the ones I come home to - I have joked frequently that if I didn't talk to my cats, I wouldn't speak on weekends... They are my family - I know their voices and what kind of food they like to eat.  I know where to find them if they are hiding and am acutely aware of changes in behavior.

I get panicky at the vet - worried that something may be wrong.

I search immediately for the source of a sneeze, or unusual noise.  I unconsciously do a head count every once in a while.  I know when the full moon is because they lose their minds during that period.

I know each of their personalities - the way Lady sleeps against the PS3, Sheila curled up in my lap, and Oliver on my feet.  Oliver likes belly rubs, Sheila just wants to snuggle and have a pat on the head, and Lady wants her face/head scrubbed.  Sheila doesn't like to play - but Oliver and Lady romp about all the time.

They are my family.  My source of comfort.  The reminder that I am not alone.  Their safety and health is my priority.  So I guess, yes, they are my children.

Life As A Creek

I am currently sitting on the couch in front of the gas fire, listening to Oliver's happy kitty noises (he has installed himself in the prime location right in front), with Numb3rs on in the background.  My family is arriving tomorrow between 11 and 11:30 for Thanksgiving, at least according to the Thanksgiving Plan Email that has been circling for the last few days.  And, looking around, I have a TON of cleaning to do before they arrive.  Sure, it's only the three of them, but it still looks like boxes exploded all over the place.  It's not a ton to do, but somehow I find it massively overwhelming.  Time to look to one of my favorite websites ever for inspiration:

UnFuck Your Habitat

It's absolutely wonderful - it's for people.  Just like that - for people.  Whether you're a lazy college kid, or someone with chronic pain, or a chronic illness or anything, there are tips and tricks for you here.  It has completely changed how I clean - not that I ever knew how to clean.  I was not one of those people born with the ability to clean things.  Now, I use a LOT of white vinegar.  When it doubt - white vinegar.  It's fantastic - who knew!?  No wonder it comes in such large quantities as compared to the other types of vinegar.

But there are more things on my mind than just cleaning:

With the end of the year fast approaching, it has come to my attention that I need to start planning my races for 2013 and begin training.  I'll keep you posted with the races that catch my eye and things I actually register for.  Going to be an expensive race season, I fear - as I already know I need a new bicycle helmet.  And one doesn't skimp on an important safety device.

Anyway - it must be 2030 - Oliver is telling me he is hungry.

Goodnight, and Good Luck,

-Gingko

Going Out Your Door

Clearly this whole blogging thing hasn't been working the way I thought it would. My world and my career path accelerated much much faster than I was prepared to handle in a very short amount of time, and I suddenly found myself pushing against the walls of the life I had created for myself. Wanderlust combined with stagnation and a mild case of depression, and I left where I was for someplace bigger, more complicated. Where I had been was perfect for right out of school - it was relatively simple, and mostly self-guided and unmonitored. I flitted about solidifying myself as someone "In The Real World", and once the responsibilities had (mostly) become routine, I found that my life required more than what the place (and people) around me could offer.

 Now, it wasn't a drastic "leave everything behind and start afresh like a newborn babe" sort of move, - more like a tributary joining a creek sort of move. I'm still me, but I'm me as a part of a bigger environment. Now I have to figure out how life works here. I've updated the sidebars with things I have accomplished, and new things I wish to accomplish. I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotations of all time:

 “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” -J.R.R. Tolkein, The Lord Of The Rings

 -Gingko