chad(dq)

Sarah, Lluvy and I went camping this weekend and I made some progress on a number of the items on my 101 Things list (namely, I read a lot of Walking Dead). I also made some progress on some of the hiking/exercise/fitness/health goals I made. Because those goals are all fairly long-term, my progress is available on my Gyminee profile. If you want more detail (my weight? you really want to participate in my weekly weigh-ins?), join Gyminee and ask for my hand in friendship.

I’m once again using goodreads, this time to keep track of the books I’m reading for my 101/1,001 project. Here’s my profile. I suddenly find myself obsessed with Richard Ford and am juggling a novel and a story collection. I’ll likely read Richard Russo’s newer novel. If anyone from the ol’ ANTM clubhouse has book suggestions, pass them on please!

99. Attend an event at the Polaski Club

For daddy/babyboy date night, I took Max to a polka dance at the Pulaski Club — it’s the self-proclaimed largest and best Polish/American social club in the Central Phoenix area. I didn’t get many photos (damn iPhone has the crappiest camera), but Max had a great time dancing and being doted on by plump Polish grandmothers. He was given a free potato pancake covered in apple sauce and made everyone laugh when he tried to stand on his head.

My favorite part of the evening was the way Max reacted to the band. Every time a song would end, he’d whip around to look at the band and then clap as hard as he could. Adorable.

55. Visit the zoo

Max and I enjoyed a trip to the Phoenix Zoo today. They have a great water play area for kids, so next time we’ll bring bathing suits and towels.

My second attempt at completing 101 things in 1,001 days will begin today, on my 30th birthday, and end on Wednesday, February 23, 2011. I’ll keep a running tally on the sidebar of my blog, but here’s the master list:

Exercise

1. Run a 10K
2. Run a half marathon
3. Run a marathon
4. Buy an elliptical
5. Join an adult roller or ice hockey league
6. Join an adult soccer league
   

   Outdoors

7. Finish fifteen hikes in AZ (or a state that borders AZ)
8. Go backcountry camping
9. Hike the Grand Canyon
10. Hike part of either the Appalachian Trail or the West Coast Trail
11. Take Max camping
    

    Health

12. Drop a few pounds (180 lbs or less)
13. Count every calorie I consume for one full month
14. Get rid of the bad plastics in my house
15. Quit soda for six full months in a row
16. Quit fried foods for six full months in a row
17. Eat at home for one full month
    

    Food

18. Make at least twenty-five curries from Raghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking
19. Purchase an entire (slaughtered) pig or cow (it’s OK to go in with another family)
20. Sign up for a CSA in Phoenix or Tempe
21. Buy a pasta attachment for the Kitchenaid
22. Make stained glass pasta
23. Post a list of thirty staple dinners
24. Master BBQing ribs
25. Make sausage
26. Find a source for raw milk (or cheese made of raw milk)
27. Cook with ten ingredients I’ve never used before
28. Perfect my personal recipe for a Cuban sandwich
29. Collect my 100 favorite recipes
30. Buy a bushel of New Mexico green chile
31. Make sourdough starter
32. Recreate the salad dressing served at Outback Pizza in Taos
    

    Embrace my Midlife Crisis

33. Take a motorcycle safety course
34. Obtain a motorcycle endorsement for my license
35. Buy a motorcycle
36. Start a savings account for a jacuzzi
37. Start a savings account for a trip to the Greek Islands
38. Start a savings account for a trip to Japan
39. Buy every iPhone released (IF I think the new features make it worth the purchase)
40. Buy a turkey fryer
    

    Establish Traditions

41. Offer open invitations to Thanksgiving at my house every year
42. Teach Max how to make his Thanksgiving dish (potato rolls) and help him do it every year
43. Make Christmas Eve tamales every year
    

    Friendship

44. Go to comic con with NM friends
45. Make some friends in Phoenix
46. Find some play dates for Max
47. Send birthday cards to a few people (five to ten)
    

    House Stuff

48. Buy a new (used) house
49. Plan a dream kitchen remodel
50. Plant an organic vegetable garden
51. Plant an organic herb garden
52. Raise chickens
53. Build Max a giant, in-wall ant farm
54. Plant a fruit tree
    

    Phoenix Activiites

55. Visit the zoo
56. Visit the Phoenix Art Museum
57. Attend a Coyotes game
58. Visit the Boyce Thompson Arboretum
59. Eat at the Methode Bistro
60. Eat at T. Cook’s
61. Buy something from Simply Bread
62. Find a good chinese restaurant
63. Visit the Contemporary Art Museum (during a good exhibit)
64. Visit South Mountain Park
65. Become a regular somewhere (bring it on, Dirty Drummer!)
66. Try every pizza at Pizzeria Bianco
67. Take Max to Makutu’s Island
68. Take Max to Brooke’s Pumpkin Patch at Mother Nature’s Farm
69. Take Max to the Great Arizona Puppet Theater
    

    Travel

70. Visit Hawaii
71. Visit San Diego
72. Visit Mexico
73. Visit Michigan with Max and Sarah
74. Visit Las Vegas
75. Visit Yellowstone National Park
76. Visit Sequoia National Park
77. Visit Tucson
78. Visit Taos again (and eat Outback Pizza)
    

    Blogging

79. Cut down on the number of RSS feeds I scan each day (keep only the best of the best)
80. Comment regularly on the blogs I read and really appreciate
81. Build the readership of my blog
82. Write a few posts that I consider to be of publishable quality
83. Redesign my other site
84. Commit to participating in at least one online community (I’m leaning toward fluther)
85. Become a better @reply twitterer
86. Mark favorite tweets on a regular basis
    

    Reading and Writing

87. Try to publish from blog posts
88. Read at least fifty books
89. Keep track of the fifty books I read on GoodReads
90. Publish in a trade magazine
    

    Appropo of Nothing

91. Watch every Phoenix Coyote game played during an entire season
92. Go on a brother/brother trip with James
93. Learn more about how nonprofit organizations are established and operate
94. Buy sunglasses
95. Order NHL Center Ice for an entire NHL season
96. Ride my bike or take public transportation to work
97. Max out my yearly Roth IRA contributions
98. Teach Max to swim
99. Attend an event at the Polaski Club
100. Play paintball
101. Reach 3,000 XBox Live Achievement Points

Quite a while ago, I posted a list of 101 things to do in 1,001 days. I can no longer find the list, but I’ll bet I completed between 25 and 35 percent of the items. Not a great success rate, but it led to some accomplishments nevertheless. I now can grill shrimp perfectly and run more than a mile without fainting and falling onto the sidewalk.

I’m turning 30 in a week and a half, so I’m writing another list of 101 things. Part of me wants to take the next decade to complete these things, but I’ll follow the rules and try to finish in 1,001 days.

I’ll be writing the new list over the next few days and updating it to the sidebar once it’s finished. If you have any suggestions, let me know!