Start of Something (Kind of) New

Well, dear readers, 2011 came and went, made us laugh til whatever we were drinking came out of our noses, made us cry like babies, surprised the stew out of us, bored us to tears, made us angry, and brought us joy. And now we face a new year. (I’m really starting to sound like a Hallmark card.) Last year brought some pretty big accomplishments for me personally (Hello, Master’s degree!) along with some disappointments (Josh Groban still doesn’t know I exist). And I really slacked off on my annual to-do list. I think I may have accomplished 13 or 14 tasks out of 52.
For those of you who may be tuning in for the first time, a) welcome, b) you must be really bored, and c) for the past two years, I have tried to complete an annual 52-task to-do list within a year. If you do the math, you will realize that there is one task for each week of the year.

2010 was pretty successful (40-something tasks completed), but 2011 was not so victorious. I could and will blame certain life events (grad school, starting a job) for my less-than-favorable attempt at completing the list. Also, some of the tasks were not very reachable given the resources I had available. And maybe you’re shaking your head, muttering, “Excuses, excuses.” I am, too. I’m saddened by my overabundance of excuses and dearth of effort. Along with all those excuses, I have realized that I’ve begun to climb back into the box that I have tried so hard to get out of over the past few years. So this year, as I attempt to complete my to-do list, I plan to use the same motto as the newest season of The Biggest Loser: No excuses. And I have a favor to ask of you (yes, you). Hold me accountable for getting this list done. When I come to you with some pathetic excuse, such as “I broke my big toe” or “I have no money,” I give you full permission to pull a drill sergeant move and yell in the comments section. Will you please do that for me? Thanks.

So, without any further ado, I present my 2012 To-Do List.

1. Audition/try out for a game show.
2. Learn the “Thriller” dance.
3. Do something drastic to my hair.
4. Write and send a letter to each of my family members telling them what they mean to me.
5. Be a vegan for a day.
6. Go an entire day without complaining or saying something negative.
7. Try on a designer ballgown or evening dress.
8. Host a dinner party.
9. (Re)Memorize Romans 8.
10. Try rhubarb.
11. Go snowshoeing or boxing.
12. Do 40 push-ups in a row without stopping.
13. Try caviar.
14. Visit a state I have never been to before. (I can visit a state I have travelled through, but have not stayed at or toured for any length of time other than to simply get through it in order to get to another state.)
15. Carve a pumpkin.
16. Correctly and successfully poach an egg.
17. Swim a full lap (2 lengths of a 25 yard or 25 meter pool) in 35 seconds or less.
18. Cook a whole chicken.
19. Watch “The Wizard of Oz” to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album.
20. Get into a Ph.D. program. (I have a task for this to replace this if it does not happen, but I’ll cross that bridge only if I need to.)
21. Make panna cotta.
22. Drastically improve my British accent.
23. Learn conversational [insert a specific language here].
24. Eat tofu for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the same day.
25. Watch every episode currently in existence from “The Big Bang Theory.”
26. Make a homemade pizza from scratch.
27. Help somebody in need.
28. Finish my list of Top 100 Things I Want to Learn About that I began last year.
29. Learn about the first 50 things from the list mentioned in Task #29.
30. Plant a plant.
31. Take a dance class at a professional dance company’s studio.
32. Watch every John Hughes film.
33. Pick a country and cook a meal made up of dishes from that country.
34. Attempt a form of exercise that I have never tried before.
35. Do something unexpected.
36. Make a loaf of Challah bread (Third time’s the charm!).
37. Finish Special Topics in Calamity Physics and then convince someone else to read it.
38. Hold or pet a tarantula.
39. Make a traditional French dish.
40. Make something by myself (with guidance, if needed) that requires at least one of the following tools: hammer, screwdriver, wrench, and/or drill.
41. Drink the recommended 64 ounces of water per day for a full week.
42. Memorize a piano piece that is at least 2 pages long.
43. Get a spray tan.
44. Read the entire Bible from Genesis through Revelation.
45. Complete some sort of shame-attacking exercise, such as going out in public is incredibly mismatched clothing.
46. Spend a day without using my phone (except in an emergency), computer (except if necessary for work), TV, or radio.
47. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or other charity.
48. Learn how to do an ice skating trick.
49. Choreograph a dance piece to be performed in a setting other than a musical.
50. Bake a soufflé.
51. See a live platypus.
52. Learn where every country in the world is located on a map.

So, there it is. My third annual to do list. I'm already a week behind, since I've procrastinated posting it on this here blog. Yeehaw. That should make things more funner. Yes, more funner. Wish me luck!