2009: A Listy Retrospective

As both people who read this blog probably remember, a bunch of months ago, I put up a list of 101 things I'd like to accomplish in the next 1001 days. Well, as 2009 comes to a close, and I search for ways to get through the last two hours of this fast, I think it's time to re-examine just how far I've come, and about what I no longer give a damn.

Dahlia's 101 Things in 1001 Days

1. Get a license
Shut up--this is just never happening.
2. Become an Assistant Editor in a publishing house
This was stupid, because I won't even be attempting to work in a publishing hour for at least another year and a half, and it takes about three years to get promoted after that, so I hereby change this to "Become an Editorial Assistant in a publishing house. Again."
3. Go to Russia
This one may actually happen! I spent this morning planning a ridiculous bar trip for me and Yoni which is so fabulous that it will get its own post, but, needless to say, Russia is the focal point.
4. Buy cobalt blue eye shadow
Done!
5. Go to the gym at least three times in one week
Nope, never happened.
6. Successfully make some sort of souffle
Why did I want to do this again? I don't know, but I no longer care. I guess I should still try, right? Why not?
7. Take a French class
This is the plan for the spring of 2011, so we shall see.
8. Go to Charleston and Savannah
Scheduled for August 2010!
9. Go kayaking
Sadly, didn't do this one, but hopefully next summer.
10. Become a starred commenter on Gawker
First one completed. I did lose it a couple of times but it never seems to take me more than a day to get it back.
11. Get something resembling a tan while wearing sunblock
Outer Banks, I love you. Done!
12. Get a 2-bedroom apartment
Scheduled for August 2011.
13. Take a ridiculous amount of pictures of my future niece/nephew
Eh, I got a decent number of pictures of Benjamin, but honestly, he's strangely unphotogenic. I'll keep at it.
14. Agree on a baby name (and maybe have a baby, we'll see)
Yeah, so I kinda did the math wrong on "1001 days" and I should probably point out that I have no desire to have a child within that time frame. We did, however, agree on baby names, so I can check this one off the list!
15. Successfully cook Indian food
I made chicken curry, but I feel like I can do better.
16. Watch How I Met Your Mother from start to finish
Haven't even started, but I am enjoying It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia!
17. Put all my CDs onto my iPod
Blah. I'm working on it, but this is going to take forever.
18. Finish off my Sweet Valley collection
Can't bring myself to spend money on this yet.
19. Read something by Edith Wharton
I tried. Honestly. I'm over it.
20. Go to Morocco
Yeah, this one isn't going to happen.
21. Get a literary agent
This one probably isn't going to happen either, but at least I can try.
22. Visit the Museum of Television and Radio
I'll get there.
23. Not go a month without writing a post on at least one of my blogs
So far, so good!
24. Rewatch The Godfather and then watch The Godfather: Part II
Eh, I'm sort of over this too, but I should still do it.
25. Go to a hockey game
Umm, not yet.
26. Get the stuff off my dead laptop
Again, things I don't feel like spending money on yet.
27. Visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Yes! Done!
28. Go to Gettysburg for Memorial Day
If this happens, it's going to be Memorial Day 2011. If it doesn't happen then, it ain't gonna happen.
29. Go on vacation with other people
This almost happened, then didn't. Totally open to anyone joining us in Charleston though!
30. Successfully set up a couple
Why do I even bother? I suck at this.
31. Commission a painting by Goldie Robinson
This will have to wait until we are not broke.
32. Win a caption contest on Gawker
To be fair, I totally won by popular vote once, but they kinda stopped doing this. Regardless, I'm going to take the Al Gore road and declare that I was successful enough. Done!
33. Win a Micro-Fiction contest on Wordsmoker that has more than ten entries
These stopped happening, so that was sort of out of my control. At least I won one, once.
34. Actually finish learning every single capital of every single country
I'm never really sure when I've done this. Guess it's back to Sporcle this week to check.
35. Read The Satanic Verses
Eventually.
36. Watch Mad Men from start to finish
Yes! Completed!
37. Take the train somewhere farther than Boston or DC
Planning on taking a train from Charleston to Savannah, but that's not quite what I meant. Well, we'll see.
38. Buy some item of Veronica Mars paraphernalia
Not even sure what I want, but I should still do this.
39. Get an article published
Yeah, this was dumb, because I don't like writing articles. Do blog posts for "Yeah, That's Kosher" count?
40. Learn the capital of every province in Canada
Dumb goal, and yet, still unfinished.
41. Stop in Amsterdam on the way to somewhere else
Would still love to do this, but probably isn't going to happen in this time frame.
42. Appear in the acknowledgments of another book
Ditto.
43. Try a fruit I've never had before
I think I did this on Sukkos, but I can't remember what it was called.
44. Make a yerushalmi kugel
Turns out, Yoni doesn't like these, so I think this one can get dropped from the list.
45. Buy Weezer's Red Album, The Decemberists "Picaresque," and Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic"
No longer need "Toys in the Attic" since that was concert-related, and I actually bought totally different albums from the other two. Interesting.
46. Go to a Phillies game
Yeah, yeah.
47. Convince a friend to start a blog that I actually want to read
Fail.
48. Have 3 people/couples at our Philly apartment who still haven't been
Totally done. Since June, we've had Boim, Ahron/Mike Akerman, Chaya, the Trachtman-Friedmans, and the Katzes, plus we have Dani and Paul scheduled for January and Phil scheduled for February. Jealous that you're missing out? Good--you should be.
49. Learn to write the Greek alphabet
Not yet.
50. Beat Aveyond 4
Aveyond 4 turned out to actually be Aveyond 3.2, and 3.3 is going to be released in January. So, really, I've done this, and also, I will further do it shortly.
51. Take the ferry from Philly to Camden
Thought I would do this for the Weezer concert, but then Yoni came and drove, so still not yet.
52. Go into the Empire State Building
Still no.
53. Buy the entire series of Beverly Hills, 90210 on DVD
Can't spend money on this yet.
54. Meet my coworker Liz from Chicago
Still waiting on this!
55. Travel somewhere on business that I've never been
This will never happen, but, to be fair, it already happened last October, so I feel like that should count.
56. Make a list of my 500 favorite songs of all time
This will probably happen this week when I'm exceedingly bored at work.
57. Finish my wedding scrapbook
This will take forever.
58. Make three actual physical photo albums containing pictures from junior year of college and beyond
I'm actually making headway on my first "Philly" album, so, that's something.
59. Make a donation in someone's honor or memory
Donated a machzor in memory of my wonderful uncle Benny. It's little, but I'm poor, so for now, that'll have to do.
60. Finish writing a book that's not part of a series
Chapter 9 and counting!
61. Try a Southeast Asian dish at a kosher restaurant
Hoping this will happen in the next month, thanks to Max & David's delicious-looking new menu.
62. Become a member of a Shul
Considering becoming members of the Center City shul...just checking to see if it'll continue to exist once its lease is up.
63. Organize meals for a friend post-baby
Eh, I suck at this. Maybe in NY.
64. Grow fresh herbs for cooking
I still want to do this, but I don't really like herbs.
65. Make a potluck theme meal
Thought I would do this for Purim Seudah, until I was informed that I won't be hosting my own Purim Seudah this year because we'll be expected at my grandmother-in-law's birthday party.
66. Take a cooking class
Still want to.
67. Take Yoni to Rita's Water Ice
Will do when it's warmer out.
68. Buy a pair of really comfortable pajamas
Haven't done this, but Yoni got me awesome slippers and a robe for Chanukah
69. Get a new coffee table
Will happen when we move.
70. Learn how to crochet
Eh.
71. Buy a piece of jewelry containing a sapphire
Too broke.
72. Go to a Decemberists show
NY?
73. Make an entire Moroccan meal
I suck at this.
74. Watch Veronica Mars from start to finish with someone who's never seen it
Still want to, but it's hard to find willing participants.
75. Become a bona fide fan of the Old 97s
I tried, but I just can't get as into them as I want to. I even followed them on Twitter, but to no avail.
76. Write a "Yeah, That's Kosher" blog post about Philly
Turns out, Stef's gonna do this, so I'm amending it to writing a blog post about Outer Banks, which I started but never finished. Sorry, Dani.
77. Take a duck tour
Will do this.
78. Add three new pictures to the Fisch Wall 'o Travel Photos
Got and framed the pictures; just need Yoni to hang 'em!
79. Get a poem published in a journal, online or otherwise
No. Do not want.
80. Travel to Iceland
Bar trip! Bar trip!
81. Spend a Shabbos in Washington DC
Simchas Torah 2009--done and done!
82. Get genetic screening
Blah. Who wants to do this? But I should.
83. Buy a true purple lipstick
Haven't managed to find either Illamasqua's Underworld or MAC's Violetta in person, so, sadly, not yet done.
84. Learn "Ekhad Mi Yode'ah" in French
Why again?
85. Get a photo published on a travel website other than "Yeah, That's Kosher"
This would still be cool. Maybe after the bar trip.
86. Buy ramekins, a tart pan, and a mandoline
Got ramekins from Dorit and a mandoline from my M-I-L, so it's down to a tart pan!
87. Make French toast
So fattening though!
88. Buy a pair of silver sandals
Yeah.
89. Get all my boots re-heeled
Actually did this!
90. See She's the Man
Will do!
91. Get three more people to post on The Lady Pool
Gave up.
92. Write three more posts for Jewediquette
Gave up on this too.
93. Learn some basic Spanish
Eh.
94. Try 20 new recipes
Making progress! I have made chicken soup, zucchini soup, lemon bars, blueberry cream pie, carrot cake with parve cream-cheese icing, chicken casablanca, chicken cacciatore, curry chicken, string beans with warm mustard vinaigrette, tomato-basil salad, chopped salad with honey-mustard dressing, oven-baked fried chicken, and probably some others. Still planning on making chicken and sausage cassoulet, peach pie, chicken paprikash, blondies, baked apples, and many, many other things.
95. Send a card to someone I haven't spoken to in years
Well, I sent a Christmas card to my original S&S boss, and I guess it's been years, so, done?
96. Send my grandmother flowers for no other reason than that it's Friday
Will do when less poor
97. Read Steven Tyler's autobiography
Too angry at him now. Plus, he should write a new one.
98. Vote for something in support of gay rights
Waiting impatiently for a vote to come to PA...
99. Learn how to play either Bridge, Canasta, or Mah-jongg
Why?
100. Go to Einstein for a Shabbos
Done! Thanks, Sugarmans!
101. Think up another 101 things, for 1002 days from now
Working on it!