The List

To add to the collection of awesome moments of pausing the TV, I submit this photo.

I've come to learn that I organize my life best in lists.  There's the list of things that aren't allowed (dying being the top priority), the list of movies I need to see, songs to buy, the ever-changing to do list, and my TV watch list.

It's the TV list I've been working on today.  The TV Watch list is huge.  It includes the things I watch now, the shows I love that got cancelled, mini series, and the massive amount of shows I still need to watch (and they all keep growing!).  Today I put together a virtual version of the TV Watch list.  Granted, I haven't finished it yet, some things are still in the works, but if anyone is interested in seeing what I watch now (or rather in this past season as most shows are ending this week if they haven't already), then check it out here.  The list can also be found as a tab along the header of my blog anytime.

Sometimes I Don't Know What I'm Doing with My Life

I seem to be in a blogging rut.  I spent most of the past four days lollygagging around on the internet, and this list is pretty much what I have to show for it.  Not bad though, check it out:

I've recently discovered the blog The Write Practice which is giving me all sorts of great ideas about my writing.

While I'm not really a hiker, these hiking exercises are still pretty awesome.

27 Ways to Live Intuitively.  Awesome.

This could be useful --> How to Support Friends Who Are Trying to Lose Weight.

Stop Apologizing.  Seriously.

On keeping in touch with far flung friends.

Ideas for how to be productive.

This week: Tomorrow I have jury duty.  I was actually quite excited for jury duty until a friend of mine asked if I could help out on a production he's working on in LA.  Now I'm just hoping that this is a one day event so I can high tail it down to Los Angeles.  Either way I am working on developing a pilot script for this contest and hanging out with friends.

21 Before 21: Finish a Knitting Project

Wearing my new scarf.  Scraggly ends and all.

I've been taught how to knit before.  That's why I wanted to finally finish something, I think it was sad that I'd never finished a project.  In some ways I knew this would be an easier goal.  Not only was it fairly easy, but it was really, really fun!  Once I figured it out I could watch TV and knit at the same time which was great because I always feel a little lazy if I'm sitting just watching TV if I'm not super invested in the plot (which lets face it, is often, but not often enough).

One thing I was really surprised with was the conversations that took place while I was knitting.  For some reason a college kid pulling out a half-knit scarf really throws people and can easily wind up in a philosophical discussion about women's roles, religion, or Amish people.  Interesting.

21 Before 21: The List

This will be an everlaaaaaasting love.  Oh wait, no.  This will be the post where I finally say my list of 21 before 21.  Twenty-one things I want to do before I turn twenty-one.  I've sort of kidnapped this idea from Sarah Von of Yes and Yes, so I always feel like I should give credit whenever I talk about it.  Go check out her blog, it's kind of one of the reasons I started a real blog.

Anywho.  21 Before 21 is my way of doing New Years Resolutions.  Some are more resolute-y than others, but the general idea is to get a bunch of stuff done throughout the year.  Since I have a September birthday it's also a great way of setting goals for the school year.  Well then, without further ado:

1. Read the whole bible
2. Go to a clothing swap
3. Vote
4. Create a Cookbook of Rachel
5. Start and complete a knitting project
6. Do a lead climb
7. Go snowboarding with friends
8. Go scuba diving
9. Bake Bread
10. Have a real sit-down dinner party
11. Plant a mini herb garden
12. Learn how to apply make-up
13. 100 push-up challenge
14. Improve my typing speed (I'm at around 60 wpm, and I think it's be really cool to get up to 80 or so)
15. Dye my hair with Kool-Aid
16. Go paint balling
17. Get my fortune told
18. Go for a month without looking in the mirror
19. Skip class and go out to breakfast
20. Go camping
21. * <edit> Buy Christmas presents with money saved </edit>

The last one is an asterisk because I actually still don't know what it's going to be.  No clue, which is a little irritating to me.  Everything I think of is too simple or completely impossible.  Maybe it should be a reading one, but I wouldn't know what book (to be honest, the "grown-up" section of the library scares me a bit).**

So, there's the list.  I haven't really done anything yet other than start a bible reading plan that will get me through the whole thing (awesome).  I have some recipes collected, some people in mind for a dinner party, and a connection to go diving, but other than that... Let's do this.

<edited to add>I'm adding "Buy Christmas presents for immediate family with money saved" to the list.  In past years I've always gone to get Christmas presents for people with my parents and they they would pay for the gifts.  This year I'm going to buy gifts for immediate family and some friends with my own money.  I've already started looking, and it's turning out to be a little harder than I thought.  But no matter, I'm pretty determined about this one.</edit>

__ Before __

So, I'm not even sure when I started writing a list of __ before __.  Based on where it is in my book of lists (between a list of Nancy Drew Mystery games I've completed and a list of reasons to watch Doctor Who) it probably was around my birthday last year.  Which is logical, why didn't I think of that before?  I definitely made this list after having followed Sarah Von of Yes and Yes fame for a while.

Without further ado, my list of 20 Before 20:
1.  Have a fancy tea party.
2.  Try out a crown braid.
3.  Knit a hat.
4.  Bake a pie.
5.  Read the whole bible.
6.  Sew a pair of pants.
7.  Grow a herb garden.
8.  Go on a hike.
9.  Go to a real concert.
10.Learn to navigate by bike
11.Send a care package.
12.Organize a clothing swap.
13.Learn to apply make-up.
14.Be in a performance.
15.Go to a Critical Mass ride.
16.Teach myself to play a song on the piano.
17.Post poetry online.
18.Skip class and go out to breakfast.
19.Try yoga.
20.Go camping.

I'll admit that not everything is exactly new.  But there are some things on my list that I haven't done in a long time and really want to get back to.  Some are more long term goals that I made more of a conscious effort to reach over the year (my birthday is in September).  So, for the rest of the summer I will be occationally posting on the things from this list that I've done (and some that I haven't).  There is still half of the list to do and I'm running out of time, so I know that not everything will get done.  The things that I don't complete will be my basis for next years list.