Squeee!

So Gala Darling has just announced the 2nd annual iCiNG Transformation Challenge, and this seems a good time to really focus on getting some things done from my list.  I've been having a bit of a think and have come up with five goals for February...

1) No smoking! I have actually only smoked one cigarette since Saturday night, and that was some time round Sunday lunchtime, so I'm already doing pretty well :) Let's keep this up!

2) No drinking alcohol. This is going to be hard, but... it will help with my no smoking and, also, I've noticed that I do nothing useful or productive at the weekend, mainly because I just lie on the couch feeling ill and tired.  No fun at all.  Hopefully, this should stop my mid-week funk as well, I'm always so grumpy come Wednesday / Thursday.

3) Spend less time on the internet and more time reading.  I'd like to get through at least three books on my shelf that have just been gathering dust until this point.  And I find it so easy to just be on the internet reading random crap until I fall asleep on the keyboard at about 2 in the morning, and this is not doing anything for me being able to get up in the morning.

4) Work out what exactly I'm craving when I want dairy, and find vegan alternatives to stop me scoffing cheese every couple of weeks.  I need to start listening to my body!

5) Keep up with running three times a week and sit ups every day. I will have a flat tummy!

There we go, not too hard, not too easy.  Should provide some food for thought, and hopefully will inspire me to do even more cool stuff :) Yay!

My one sentence of 20/01/09

Today, many things have made me happy and excited.

Fruity Highs!

So for a good couple of weeks I've been feeling really icky and sluggish.  It's been a real effort to get up in the mornings, and once I'm up all I want to do is bum around watching TV, playing on the internet etc. None of this is conducive to me getting through my 101 things.  Also, pretty much all I've been eating is toast, and the occasional bowl of pasta.  I have a feeling the two may be related and today I decided enough was enough; I moseyed on down to Asda, bought myself an amazing amount of fruit and set about making some delicious energy boosting smoothies.

Mannn, it was good.  I whacked in a stick of celery, some pear, some peaches and a massive load of blueberries.  I drank about a pint of it in a couple of minutes.  I feel awesome!  Off to have a run now, and really looking forward to it, I feel all tingly and energetic :D

Kidzzz, get your 5-a-day, it makes you feel amazing.

Update!

I ran about six miles! (Well, with a little bit of walking...) I think I discovered the miracle smoothie.

My one (belated) sentence of 17/01/09

I should learn when to keep my mouth shut...

My one sentence of 16/01/09

I don't know whether to laugh or cry... I might do both.

My one sentence of 15/01/09

I feel nervous about the near future... maybe in a good way.

Oooh TiLT it baby...

It's Thursday! So what am I loving? Go here to find out more :)

Harry Potter

This is always a given, but I am totally absorbed in it this week.  Knitting for the House Cup, Deathly Hallows on my MP3 player, fanfic... All I'm thinking about! Neville Longbottom is my hero <3

Knitting

I have so many projects I want to start! Need to make some awesome gifts for the free rangers to say thank you for all my beautiful presents. And this week, I will face my fear of cables.

My knitting bus friend

There's a lady who's at least in her 60s who I started talking to on the bus ages ago because she liked something I was knitting.  She does 1940s reenactments, she's awesome.

Tilly and The Wall

Best. Band. Ever.

Doing 101 things in 1001 days!

It's inspiring :)

Wearing legwarmers and ballet shoes round the house

And performing arabesques in the mirror... dancing fun!

Awesome friends

I love having people around who just make me smile! The free rangers - "welcome to camp rape!" - mannn I love them.

Being vegan.

Yay! 'Nuff said.

My one sentence of 14/01/09

Today has been a day where potential possibilities have been apparent.

I hope they don't all sound that cryptic...

And whoo, I have washed up, taken off my make-up and drank two cups of green tea! I forgot to compliment anyone, maybe I'll go leave someone a nice comment on Facebook...

Getting Started...

So today, I start my 101 things in 1001 days challenge.  You can read more about this here at Day Zero.

And without further ado, here is my amazing 101 challenges.  I'm really looking forward to this!

Being A Grown Up...

Do the dishes every day

Pay off credit card

Make a plan to get rid of student debt

Not my actual student loan... just the debt I built up as a consequence of going to university in a city that also had a Harvey Nichols...

Clear out my wardrobe every three months. Get rid of things I don't wear and donate to charity. [0/11]

Do my laundry twice a week

Go three months without phoning in sick to work [0/3]

Keep track of the news at least 3 times a week

I have lost track completely of what's going on in the world!

This is proving hard as my TV has gone broken again... but I bought a paper, whoo!

Get up when my alarm goes off three times a week for 12 weeks [0/36]

Go out sober once a month [0/33]

Clean my make-up off every night

Only high-powered, hard working executives should be allowed to fall asleep fully dressed on top of their laptop.  I am not one of these, I should be able to undress and remove my make up before hitting the hay.

Doing Things For The World

No new stuff challenge

Buy nothing new (except necessities) until the end of March.  Should you really really need something (a jumper, shoes, etc) then either buy second hand or make it yourself. Fight the capitalist system, baby!

Give blood

Do Race for Life again... and run it!

No plastic carrier bags

Research ethical shopping / banking and stick to it

Creative

Write 40,000 words of my book [0/40,000]

Join in NaNoWriMo

Write a song

Complete a 26 things challenge

Play my piano at least once a week [1/143]

Write a Harry Potter fanfic

Yep, I'm a nerd...

Wreck This Journal

Create a 'zine.  Maybe, even, give it to people...

Making and Doing

Learn to make my own clothes and make a dress

Learn to knit socks

Learn three knitting techniques I've never used before [0/3]

Amigurumi 4 Girs [0/4]

One for me, Loz, Carley and Kay

Get a sewing machine, by any means necessary

Complete at least 3 assignments in the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup each month

3 done for January, I am toying with the idea of more :)

Make a collection of embroideries with random happy sayings on them

I always see these in galleries and think 'I could do that easy', but I never do

Make myself something from Clothkits

I remember my mum making my beautiful stuff from here when I was tiny.  They've just opened up again and have some awesome patterns!

Food Food Food

Learn to make 2 raw meals [0/2]

The idea of going raw is so fascinating to me, I want to see what it's actually like.

Bake 5 different varieties of bread [0/5]

Make 5 different types of soup [2/5]

1) Mmm, I made tasty watercress soup today... yum!

2) I made carrot and butterbean soup today (26/01/09). It was bland.  I added garlic, cumin and chilli powder.  It was good.  I ate it straight out the pan with homemade bread. Mmmmm.

Find and visit 4 different vegan restaurants round the country [0/4]

Make my own vegan cheese

Get a local, organic fruit and veg box delivered.  Eat everything in it.

Grow three types of tasty herbs and cook with them. [0/3]

Learn to make chutney or jam

Make vegan cakes / baked goods once a month [0/33]

Self-Development

Write one sentence in my journal every night to sum up my day

Go to church at least once a month [0/33]

Participate in TiLT weekly [2/143]

Learn to drive

Start french conversation class

Make sure I actually go to university

Do my youth work qualification

Complete Alpha course

Spend one morning a month in a coffee shop reading / writing / thinking [0/33]

Listen to something interesting on Radio 4 each week [0/143]

Read a Harry Potter book in French

Learn to play Moonlight Sonata all the way through

Take time every Sunday to breathe and do EFT [0/143]

Seeing Places

Go back to Paris alone

I did this once, loved it, and really want to do it again

Visit a European city I've never been to before

Stop saying I'm too old and go to another festival

NB The folk festival does not count, this is full of old people...

Take a random trip to the seaside by myself

Have a day out to a safari park

Visit the Cerne Giant

Culture

Watch all the Studio Ghibli films

Have a media free day once a week [1/143]

Turn off the TV and the internet!

Read 10 non-fiction books [0/10]

Listen to my whole iTunes library

Read Walden by Thoreau

Read all the books I own that I have never started / finished

I might actually catalogue all these on here to keep check...

Actually read the Lord of the Rings trilogy [0/3]

See at least 5 bands I really love play live [0/5]

Read an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel

Go see a play or ballet somewhere impressive

Health

Stay vegan

Having been reading many of these 101 blogs, it amazes me how many people want to try being vegetarian or vegan... I feel quite proud!

No fast food for a month

5-a-day at least 3 times a week

Lose 5 pounds and keep it off

Go snowboarding

Start ballet again

Run at least twice a week

100 sit ups a day

Floss every day

Give up smoking

I'll see this as done when I've not smoked for 6 months

Go 2 months without drinking coke [0/2]

Drink 2 cups of green tea a day for a month 

Family / Relationships

Research family tree

Call Grandma once a fortnight [0/72]

Visit all my maternal family

Remember everyone's birthday

Say yes to invitations that frighten me

Send someone a 'just because' postcard every month [0/33]

Complement someone every day

When introduced to a person, try not to assume that they're not clever and that I won't like them

I know that it's terrible, but I actually do this. I need to stop!

Just Because...

One bubble bath a week [2/143]

Get an external hard drive and clear up my Macbook

My Mac is full of photos, films and books. I have actually no room left.

Go airsofting

Save up for a pair of Uggs!

Make a Suicide Girls' photoset

I have ALWAYS wanted to do this

Treat myself to 5 items from my Amazon wishlist [0/5]

Surf standing up

Have champagne afternoon tea at Harriet's

Get rid of two boxes' worth of stuff that I never use, but have kept 'just in case'

The Challenge

Blog all of this

Photograph as many achievements as possible

Review my 101 things every three months and modify as necessary

And off we go...