Monday, January 4, 2010

28 in 28? (oops! I meant to post this slightly closer to 1/1/10)

For the end of the year I thought instead of just catching up on the Christmas rundown (lots of kids, too many dogs, too much food), I would take some inspiration from some awesome ladies and make a different kind of To-Do list. I will be 28 this year and I don't want to use my birthday as a deadline so I just decided these are some things (silly and otherwise) I am going to try and accomplish in 2010.

1. Take a photography class. I tried one place in town that wasn't bad but it looks like there is a better place I can go with more serious classes.
2. Get one of those free makeovers at the makeup counter. Learn how to do a smoky eye and lips that won't smear and go away in 5 minutes. And all that porcelain skin BS.
3. Watch the Godfather movies. Preferably while eating Italian food. Also Jaws and E.T. The big iconic movies that make people say in shock, "You haven't seen ___?" Ideally with themed food involved in most cases.
4. Find a name for my new band and get us some gigs. Weddings or anything would be fine, just to get the ball rolling.
5. Attend the taping of a live TV show. A cousin used to work at 30 Rock and we may head out there for his wedding later this year so who knows. Of course, the one I really want to go to tapes in L.A. Figures.
6. Attend a roller derby bout. There are two leagues in Reno now, one flat-track and one banked-track. I practiced a little bit with them when there was only one. That did not work out. And I still haven't seen a bout.
7. Go boating with my in-laws. It's a long story. It would make them happy.
8. Attend the SF Opera. I have always wanted to and it's not that long of a drive...
9. Find a skincare routine that works. I'm in the process but it's tough between the allergies and the dry air and blah blah blah.
10. Re-try 5 foods I've always believed I disliked. Gotta think of some first. I am getting better at onions but still avoid shallots. Also salmon eggs. Eew. And possibly kiwi.
11. Attend a cultural celebration. Reno has lots of these. And I still haven't hit any. There is a huge Basque population here so I may try for what is commonly known as the Basco Fiasco. Also there is a Celtic/Highland games and I would go to that if they didn't cancel the heavy athletics (a la this past year). If I am paying to get in there better be big hairy guys in kilts competitively throwing telephone poles.
12. Remember birthdays. Half of my family is awesome at this and the other half is terrible. I want to be in the awesome half.
13. Get a bra fitting. TMI? Sorry.
14. Take a mat pilates class. Kim let me do one class with the machine and it creeped me out. I like being in control of the situation too much to deal with that whole setup. We're talking bars and chains and all sorts of crazy stuff. The thing is called The Reformer, for god's sake. Mat pilates seems reasonable in comparison.
15. Make some damn curtains. There is clearly no store out there for whom I am the target curtain shopper. Fabric, however, is not so hard to find. So buy some and end the fruitless searching.
16. Take a road trip across the U.S. Not necessarily the whole U.S. But at least bits I haven't seen. Zion. Or Yellowstone. Or someplace cool like that.
17. Make a cake from scratch. I like cooking, but this is one thing I've never done.
18. Plant a fruit tree. I even have a spot all picked out for it.
19. Finish the master bedroom and the master bath. The master bedroom just needs something to tie it together, maybe different bedding, I have no idea. Pictures and requests for advice may ensue. The master bath just needs some new bath mats and a TP holder of some sort. Probably no pictures coming there. Also, stop fantasizing about this for my side of the bed.
20. Get a quote on fixing the kitchen. It's not broken, but it could sure use some help. I like retro as much as the next guy, but this is ridiculous.
21. Go to a Broadway show. Hopefully this can coincide with that East Coast wedding later this year.
22. Send a Christmas card with a cheesy photo of Matt and me together. Possibly involving a sunset.
23. Go to a drive-in movie. There's even one in town. This shouldn't be that hard.
24. Clean out my closet. And then make it awesome. Fill it with colorful clothing and nice wood hangers (also possibly paint in there, who knows). But seriously. Organized, filled with useful stuff and not having so many weird gaps when I need to go somewhere dressed up or something.
25. Finish painting the living room and find a decent light fixture and chair to put in the entryway. Some sort of side table or bench with built-in shoe storage would be ideal.
26. Review my magazine subscriptions. Everyday with Rachel Ray I never read, I got it from some kid going door to door (I am a sucker). Sunset is a gift subscription so that is not going away. But whenever I go somewhere on a plane, I buy either a. something cheesy like Lucky or InStyle, or b. some random home design magazine because I have no idea which ones are any good anymore. So I figure since I am dumping one subscription, I should be able to justify a new one since it will save me from buying them off of the newsstands. But what should I choose? The last one I had was Domino, which was kind of twee for my taste but had lots of good ideas. Any suggestions?
27. Do some more sewing. This relates directly to #15 above. Also my need for capacious fabric hippie purses that don't involve embroidery, tassels or mirrors. I am getting really picky about my hippie bags in my old age. And my love of fabric. I could so easily start a hoard like my mom but she has the space for it and the time to use it. So I need to put a dent in my tiny stash and start getting better at this stuff!
28. Start another language class. Spanish would be practical but French would be fun! And Italian would be a good review. So basically, pick one.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, Anne, thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Watching the Godfather movies is on my list too(!) I mean, how could I have not seen them already? Oh and for the bra fitting - go to Nordstrom. They set me straight. :)

Anne At Large said...

Hi Ally, thanks for stopping by! What else is on your list? And there is no Nordstrom here but it is on my list of places to go next time I visit my family (I never realized how spoiled I was as a kid by having one close by).