These Are Days You'll Remember
It's been a while...
I created this list of goals almost three years ago for a project on Livejournal about completing 101 goals in 1001 days. In classic Katie fashion, I've completed 50.5 of them-exactly half. It's funny to think back, though, to where I was and what I was doing when I was 24. Now I'm 27, still living in Columbus, married to Jason (friggin' married! Me! And it's awesome!), with different goals and different philosophies. It's amazing how things can change in a few short years!
The one thing I really like about this list is how ambitious I was. I really thought I was going to write and record twelve songs (never having done even one in the past), become a whiz at the keyboard, a live musician, a rock star designer, and complete a painting once every three months or so.
I also thought Liz Phair might stay not-terrible enough to warrant seeing her in concert. Ah, naïvete!
I've done a few things outside of this list that more than make up for the 'missed' goals. I moved in with Jason, we worked (hard) through a few major struggles together, fell even more in love, got engaged, and got married this summer in front of all of our closest family and friends. We've never been closer. I've successfully drawn and posted nearly seventy-five (seriously!) comics to http://nextyearsgirl.com, pushed my drawing skills to a point where I can be happy with my progress, had a table at a real, honest-to-god comic convention, set myself up for a freelance business in photo retouching (http://katievaleska.com/retouching.html), got a freelance web design client who has trusted me with several projects and who pays me very well, found and then eventually escaped from what became a really terrible day job (into another, much better, day job), politely let go of a very toxic friendship, made some new, important friends, read probably a hundred books, and basically got my shit together. Mostly.
These days, I'm more often looking for things to cut from my to-do list, so I can just live in the moment and enjoy life as it comes. I might make another list, but it'll be shorter, less fluffy, and maybe a little more long-term. Take a look at what I've done:
January 6th, 2009 - October 4th, 2011
001. Create five minutes' worth of mash-ups á la Girl Talk
002. Go to a beach in the summer and swim
003. Develop my design skills to a point where College Me would be excited
004. Create at least ten paintings (3/10)
005. Host two dinner parties (2/2)
006. Play an open stage event
007. Write and record a full album's worth of songs
008. Create a studio space where I can make art and hang stuff on the walls
009. Organize my "office" (filing cabinet, important papers)
010. Join a bowling league
011. Budget my money for reals.
012. Re-design my portfolio website and post at least ten new projects (10/10)
013. Back up all of my computer files/music
014. Organize all my design files
015. Tough, superwoman arms and legs
016. Kiss in the rain
017. Go camping, as in out in the wilderness
018. Grow my own herbs for cooking
019. Publish five issues of a 'zine (0/5)
020. Volunteer for a children's art program
021. See Liz Phair live
022. See Regina Spektor live (on tour, not a festival)
023. Go ice/roller-skating enough to feel confident doing it
024. Buy a bicycle and a really cool helmet
025. Send a postcard to PostSecret
026. Give blood (this implies gaining ten pounds)
027. Clean out my closet and give at least half the castoffs to Goodwill
028. Obtain five pieces of art for my walls (8/5)
029. Do art trades with at least three friends (0/3)
030. Ride the scariest roller coaster at an amusement park
031. Read an entire novel while sitting on a blanket underneath a tree
032. Go to a day spa with one of my girl friends
033. Fill two sketchbooks. I've never, ever done this (2/2)
034. Learn to play five songs with both hands on my keyboard (0/5)
035. Go on a vacation with Jason
036. Go on vacation again with Bri
037. Visit New York again
038. Go to a shooting range and ask for empty brass bullet casings
039. See a performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show
040. Design a cast of characters for something
041. Learn to do my taxes on my own
042. Never owe more than I can pay back without touching my savings account
043. Keep up on world affairs and current events
044. Go to a movie by myself
045. Go to Mill Creek in Ann Arbor
046. Subscribe to BUST or Bitch magazine or Psychology Today
047. Auto-save 13% instead of 10% of my income (16%!!)
048. Visit a planetarium
049. Organize my digital photos
050. Organize and complete my second print photo album
051. Participate in a book club
052. Compile all the lists I've written that I still find mildly interesting
053. Learn the song my dad wrote (keyboard)
054. Listen to the last Liz Phair album all the way through in one sitting (disappointing, as expected :P )
055. Spend a work day listening to every Barenaked Ladies studio album in order (6:59:08)
056. Paint a portrait
057. Read an entire novel while sitting under a blanket and drinking tea
058. Listen to seven classical composers (7/7)
059. Try five recipes for low-sugar desserts (3/5)
060. Try five new vegetables (5/5)
061. Film a three-minute video and set it to music
062. Cross off the organizing goals on my to-do list
063. Go to the zoo (and the petting zoo!)
064. Pay off my car loan early
065. Go to COSI
066. Sing "One Week" at a karaoke night
067. Sing "We Didn't Start The Fire" at a karaoke night
068. Blog about each other completed goal (0/100)
069. Draw and post ten comics about my life (16/10)
070. Go to another burlesque show
071. Host a breakfast party
072. Watch at least three sunrises (0/3)
073. Write an article about DVT and submit it to teen magazines
074. Join a figure-drawing group
075. Send my grandma a card and a drawing for her 80th birthday
076. Buy loose tea from Stauf's and a tea infuser
077. Own and don't kill a low-maintenance fish for a reasonable amount of time
078. Complete ten assignments on Miranda July's website learningtoloveyoumore.com (2/10)
079. Watch at least the first season of "30 Rock"
080. Go see ten local bands (local to... wherever) (10/10)
081. Attend a swing dance night and see if I can still do it
082. Rewrite/redesign my resume
083. Send another mix CD with a cover out to my best friends
084. Go skinny-dipping
085. Ride my Razor scooter to Starbucks/the library
086. Change the address on my magazine subscriptions
087. Buy a stack of old postcards to use in my design work
088. Go stargazing with Jason
089. Get a weekly pill box and organize/take my vitamins
090. Buy and wear an apron when I cook
091. Take 'Before' photos so I'll work out and get buff
092. Get a new ribbon for my typewriter
093. Write five letters on my typewriter
094. Get a cute roommate who likes to cook
095. Write up a schedule of things to do every day (cleaning, exercise, etc)
096. Fly a kite on a truly windy day
097. Get coffee by myself and draw passersby
098. Sit in a conspicuous spot again at Easton and draw passersby
099. Start an inspiration journal wherein I keep pretty things
100. Accomplish some super-snazzy secret life goals (2/5)
101. Write a new list for when this one is complete
I created this list of goals almost three years ago for a project on Livejournal about completing 101 goals in 1001 days. In classic Katie fashion, I've completed 50.5 of them-exactly half. It's funny to think back, though, to where I was and what I was doing when I was 24. Now I'm 27, still living in Columbus, married to Jason (friggin' married! Me! And it's awesome!), with different goals and different philosophies. It's amazing how things can change in a few short years!
The one thing I really like about this list is how ambitious I was. I really thought I was going to write and record twelve songs (never having done even one in the past), become a whiz at the keyboard, a live musician, a rock star designer, and complete a painting once every three months or so.
I also thought Liz Phair might stay not-terrible enough to warrant seeing her in concert. Ah, naïvete!
I've done a few things outside of this list that more than make up for the 'missed' goals. I moved in with Jason, we worked (hard) through a few major struggles together, fell even more in love, got engaged, and got married this summer in front of all of our closest family and friends. We've never been closer. I've successfully drawn and posted nearly seventy-five (seriously!) comics to http://nextyearsgirl.com, pushed my drawing skills to a point where I can be happy with my progress, had a table at a real, honest-to-god comic convention, set myself up for a freelance business in photo retouching (http://katievaleska.com/retouching.html), got a freelance web design client who has trusted me with several projects and who pays me very well, found and then eventually escaped from what became a really terrible day job (into another, much better, day job), politely let go of a very toxic friendship, made some new, important friends, read probably a hundred books, and basically got my shit together. Mostly.
These days, I'm more often looking for things to cut from my to-do list, so I can just live in the moment and enjoy life as it comes. I might make another list, but it'll be shorter, less fluffy, and maybe a little more long-term. Take a look at what I've done:
January 6th, 2009 - October 4th, 2011
001. Create five minutes' worth of mash-ups á la Girl Talk
002. Go to a beach in the summer and swim
003. Develop my design skills to a point where College Me would be excited
004. Create at least ten paintings (3/10)
005. Host two dinner parties (2/2)
006. Play an open stage event
007. Write and record a full album's worth of songs
008. Create a studio space where I can make art and hang stuff on the walls
009. Organize my "office" (filing cabinet, important papers)
010. Join a bowling league
011. Budget my money for reals.
012. Re-design my portfolio website and post at least ten new projects (10/10)
013. Back up all of my computer files/music
014. Organize all my design files
015. Tough, superwoman arms and legs
016. Kiss in the rain
017. Go camping, as in out in the wilderness
018. Grow my own herbs for cooking
019. Publish five issues of a 'zine (0/5)
020. Volunteer for a children's art program
021. See Liz Phair live
022. See Regina Spektor live (on tour, not a festival)
023. Go ice/roller-skating enough to feel confident doing it
024. Buy a bicycle and a really cool helmet
025. Send a postcard to PostSecret
026. Give blood (this implies gaining ten pounds)
027. Clean out my closet and give at least half the castoffs to Goodwill
028. Obtain five pieces of art for my walls (8/5)
029. Do art trades with at least three friends (0/3)
030. Ride the scariest roller coaster at an amusement park
031. Read an entire novel while sitting on a blanket underneath a tree
032. Go to a day spa with one of my girl friends
033. Fill two sketchbooks. I've never, ever done this (2/2)
034. Learn to play five songs with both hands on my keyboard (0/5)
035. Go on a vacation with Jason
036. Go on vacation again with Bri
037. Visit New York again
038. Go to a shooting range and ask for empty brass bullet casings
039. See a performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show
040. Design a cast of characters for something
041. Learn to do my taxes on my own
042. Never owe more than I can pay back without touching my savings account
043. Keep up on world affairs and current events
044. Go to a movie by myself
045. Go to Mill Creek in Ann Arbor
046. Subscribe to BUST or Bitch magazine or Psychology Today
047. Auto-save 13% instead of 10% of my income (16%!!)
048. Visit a planetarium
049. Organize my digital photos
050. Organize and complete my second print photo album
051. Participate in a book club
052. Compile all the lists I've written that I still find mildly interesting
053. Learn the song my dad wrote (keyboard)
054. Listen to the last Liz Phair album all the way through in one sitting (disappointing, as expected :P )
055. Spend a work day listening to every Barenaked Ladies studio album in order (6:59:08)
056. Paint a portrait
057. Read an entire novel while sitting under a blanket and drinking tea
058. Listen to seven classical composers (7/7)
059. Try five recipes for low-sugar desserts (3/5)
060. Try five new vegetables (5/5)
061. Film a three-minute video and set it to music
062. Cross off the organizing goals on my to-do list
063. Go to the zoo (and the petting zoo!)
064. Pay off my car loan early
065. Go to COSI
066. Sing "One Week" at a karaoke night
067. Sing "We Didn't Start The Fire" at a karaoke night
068. Blog about each other completed goal (0/100)
069. Draw and post ten comics about my life (16/10)
070. Go to another burlesque show
071. Host a breakfast party
072. Watch at least three sunrises (0/3)
073. Write an article about DVT and submit it to teen magazines
074. Join a figure-drawing group
075. Send my grandma a card and a drawing for her 80th birthday
076. Buy loose tea from Stauf's and a tea infuser
077. Own and don't kill a low-maintenance fish for a reasonable amount of time
078. Complete ten assignments on Miranda July's website learningtoloveyoumore.com (2/10)
079. Watch at least the first season of "30 Rock"
080. Go see ten local bands (local to... wherever) (10/10)
081. Attend a swing dance night and see if I can still do it
082. Rewrite/redesign my resume
083. Send another mix CD with a cover out to my best friends
084. Go skinny-dipping
085. Ride my Razor scooter to Starbucks/the library
086. Change the address on my magazine subscriptions
087. Buy a stack of old postcards to use in my design work
088. Go stargazing with Jason
089. Get a weekly pill box and organize/take my vitamins
090. Buy and wear an apron when I cook
091. Take 'Before' photos so I'll work out and get buff
092. Get a new ribbon for my typewriter
093. Write five letters on my typewriter
094. Get a cute roommate who likes to cook
095. Write up a schedule of things to do every day (cleaning, exercise, etc)
096. Fly a kite on a truly windy day
097. Get coffee by myself and draw passersby
098. Sit in a conspicuous spot again at Easton and draw passersby
099. Start an inspiration journal wherein I keep pretty things
100. Accomplish some super-snazzy secret life goals (2/5)
101. Write a new list for when this one is complete