Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein
Originally uploaded by camkin.

57. scan and upload photos from previous trips (92, 98, 2000, 2002)

i finished scanning the photos from my trip to Europe in 1998.
check them out.
there are 3 different folders, one for each country.
now i can get started on my Mexico & Germany 92 pics.

#52 - completed

52. get a flat panel monitor - completed!



i got a 19" LCD monitor from Santa. yay!
i am in love with my new monitor.

Anniversary

it's been one whole year since i started my 101 list
therefore, it's time to take stock in what i have accomplished so far,
the status of the long-term tasks and what is ahead.

so far i have completed 21 tasks. yay, me!
17. attend a Redskins game (regular or pre-season)
19. get a real job
26. go to see the Cherry Blossoms downtown
28. reorganize my filing cabinet
39. go on a ghost tour
45. buy a new donut for my car
49. buy a laptop
54. go on a date
55. actually go to alissa’s book club meetings
58. create an emergency fund of at least $500
66. have a movie marathon day of The Godfather
69. go to see a movie at an IMAX theatre
71. visit the botanical gardens in DC
74. get the German Olympic hockey jersey
77. go to a shooting range
78. watch all seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on dvd
81. watch the sunrise at a beach
83. go to Chincoteague/Assateague
87. pay my library fines
90. get a fire proof box to store my most important documents
98. create an album for my postcard collection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
as for the long-term ongoing tasks, here's where i stand:

2. watch all of the movies on AFI’s top 100 list = i've seen 95 out of 100!
and 2 more are sitting on top of my tv waiting to be watched.

9. archive my live journal entries = i haven't spent a lot of time on this task in while.
but i have started working on it again.

31. finish the growing up scrapbooks = still working on this. it's a massive project.

37. read 30 books from the Online Computer Library Center 2005 Banned Book List = i've read 27 out of 30.
i have sort of taken a break from reading books for the book lists.

72. watch all of the movies on Entertainment Weekly’s greatest of all time list = i've watched 71 out of 100

73. finish taking down the wallpaper in dad’s kitchen = almost done with this

82. finish the dollhouse = i'm really close to completing this. i haven't worked on it recently, but the last major thing that needs to be done is to be wired. i asked Dad to help me with that.

94. read 25 books from The Modern Library 100 Best Novels = i've read 22 out of 25.
again, i've taken a break from reading books for the book lists
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
so, what's up next? well....

3. ride in a hot air balloon, 75. ride the Glacier Express, 76. visit the Czech Republic
i hope to accomplish these next year when i go to Germany

20. learn how to ice skate = taking classes in January

38. make a real budget and stick to it = i need to work on this immediately

57. scan and upload photos from previous trips (92, 98, 2000, 2002) = just started on this one. i hope to finish it within the next couple of months

96. upload old artwork to deviantart and categorize it = just started working on this one.
i need to take photos of my old artwork

oh and...52. get a flat panel monitor = getting one for Christmas. :D

98. create an album for my postcard collection

- completed!
well, actually it ended up being 2 albums.
one for my USA postcards, the other for everywhere else.
i'll continue to add to it off course, but i can consider this task complete.

39. - go on a ghost tour - completed

39. - go on a ghost tour - completed
Old Town Alexandria, VA
nikki, billy and i went on a ghost tour in Old Town.
a guide took us on a walking tour, told us ghost stories,
pointed out where certain things or hauntings took place and shared bits about the 18th & 19th centuries.
twas fun.


spooky night shot of the graveyard where we were "abandoned"
of course, it was right on a main street and well-lit, so it wasn't scary.
of course, me be the total dork that i am (with the over-active imagination) immediately think of zombies!!

more night shots of the graveyard



one of the church - where George Washington used to attend services


the most haunted house in Alexandria

too bad i didn't catch Laura on film :(

the window with the A/C unit is the room where Laura's wedding dress caught on fire on the day of her wedding.
(back in the 1800s)
she fell down the stairs and died and haunts the house (which is now a store) to this day.

#17 - attend a Redskins game (regular or pre-season) - accomplished!

#17 - attend a Redskins game (regular or pre-season) - accomplished!
i went to my first Redskins game today.
we had pretty good seats and it was free!
it was the perfect day for a game, too. (weather-wise)
it wasn't cold and it wasn't hot.
though we did get really warm when we were sitting in the sun.
too bad the 'skins lost.
and to one of the worst (if not the worst) teams in the league.
i still had a great time, though.

#78 - completed

78. watch all seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on dvd - completed!



i really enjoyed this series.
i knew that i would because i did watch it for a while during the 3rd and 4th seasons.
i must admit that last episode made me cry.
mostly because i'm a big ol' softie,
but also because i knew that was it.
no more buffy. i'm kinda sad that i'm done with this task.
and that the series is over.

the status of this project

it's 8 months into the project.
i have completed 17 tasks.

these tasks are currently in progress:

2. watch all of the movies on AFI’s top 100 list
i've seen 82 out 100.

31. finish the growing up scrapbooks
this is a massive project, but i've gotten quite a bit accomplished these last few weeks

37. read 30 books from the Online Computer Library Center 2005 Banned Book List
i've read 25 of the 30. i'm on the 26th book right now.

72. watch all of the movies on Entertainment Weekly’s greatest of all time list
i've seen 68 out of 100

78. watch all seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on dvd
just finished watching Season 6 yesterday. one more season to go.

94. read 25 books from The Modern Library 100 Best Novels
i've read 18 of 25. i'm on the 19th right now.

98. create an album for my postcard collection
i need more pages for the book, then i can finish this task.

#78 - in progress

#78 - watch all seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on dvd

i have now watched 3 seasons out of 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
and i have started on season 4.
maybe i can finish this particular task within the next few weeks.

#77 - go to a shooting range - accomplished

i held and fired my first firearm today.
i went to a range in frederick with steve and will.
i actually had fun, too!
i used 2 different rifles and a handgun.

so, now i just need to work on my aim.
actually, i didn't do too bad for a first timer.
i even hit the bullseye a couple of times!

steve and i are going to go to the range in upper marlboro.
you can rent guns at that range and it's much closer than frederick.
but we probably won't be doing that until after my trip.

#28 completed - finally!

#28 - reorganize my filing cabinet
started this nearly 2 months ago, but with the move and the national convention for my job, i just haven't had the time or energy to finish the task.
well, yesterday i finally had both the time and the energy, so i can now cross that off the list!
i threw away quite a few things i didn't even realize that i had.
(sometimes being a packrat is a bad thing!)

#55

actually go to alissa’s book club meetings

i attended my 4th book club metting today, so i can now cross this item off my list.
i still plan to read the books and attend the meetings.
i just wanted to give myself a set number of meetings to attend,
which was 4, so that i would know when i could consider this item completed.

#71

flowers (orchids?)
Originally uploaded by camkin.

visit the botanical gardens in DC - accomplished!

had a lovely time with alissa this afternoon visiting the botanical gardens downtown.
the weather was perfect and i was so glad i got out of the house and did something today.
the botanical garden is not very big, so it didn't take long to see everything.
didn't read all of the little plaques, but i do kinda remember one thing i read.
something about orchids being named that because they looked testicles! (or something like that. feel free to correct me, alissa)
saw lots of beautiful and interesting plants and flowers.
the main portion was a big jungle setup.
it was warm and humid and they constantly misted the plants.
i thought that was really cool.
outside on the other side of independence ave was the bartholdi garden.
so, we strolled around that for a few minutes.

#49 - buy a laptop - accomplished!

i officially own a laptop now.
it's used and i'm ok with that.
i saved a few hundred dollars buy getting a used one.
and since i only wanted one and didn't need one, i didn't need top of the line.

it has a wireless card and it plays dvds.
now all i have to do is load the sims 2 and the different expansion packs.
then i will be all set.

now onto completing another item.

making some progress!!

#58 - create an emergency fund of at least $500: accomplished!
i created my ING account which is designated as my emergency fund.
i actually created the account on friday, but the funds were verified today.
so, yay me!
in fact, there's actually $700 in the account.
i'm going to add my trip money to the account as well.

#28 - reorganize my filing cabinet: in progress
i ran out of the tabs for the hanging folders, so i need to get some more.
i'm pretty sure i can get that done within the next day or so.

#2 & #72 - the movie lists:
finished watching "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" tonight.
can't say that i was particularly impressed.
i had tried to watch it before. it bored me then and it bores me now.
i know that it's sacrilege or something to talk about kubrick's movie like that,
but that's just how i feel.
the last few movies that i've watched for the lists were disappointing.
i hope whatever i watch next is more entertaining, engaging, and capitvating.

book list & movie list update

finished reading "to kill a mockingbird"
so i can cross another book off the banned book list.
now i'm onto "beloved" which is not on the list,
but i want to read it anyway.
it's going to take a little longer to read, because it's slow reading.
i need to figure out what i'm going to read next.

last night i watched "the searchers" which is on both movie lists.
i don't like westerns and i really did not like this movie.
even though darling natalie wood was in it,
she was in it so briefly and her presence was not enough to make me enjoy it.
i found it boring and john wayne's character extremely annoying.

#66 and #98

on saturday i completed #66 on my 101 list.
i had my movie marathon day of the godfather movies.
i had already seen the first one, but i never saw the other 2 films.
and by having the marathon, i also crossed off "The Godfather II" from both movie lists.
yay!
so, yeah, the first 2 films are awesome. the 3rd one, not so awesome.


i also got started working on my postcard book.
i completed all of the postcards that i have for the US.
(at least the ones that i want to make sure to keep.)
and i got started on my non-US postcards.
worked on that some more last night.
i'll work on it again tonight until i run out of pages.
i'll try to get some more pages this weekend.

progress report

last night i watched "the third man" which is on both movie lists.
it was ok. i liked "a touch of evil" better.
my step-mother gave me "gone with the wind" on DVD a few weeks ago, because she had 2 copies.
but now i can't seem to find it and
i wanted to start watching it this evening.
oh well. it's around here somewhere.

the other day, i finished reading "the bluest eye" by toni morrison.
when i went to the library to get my other books,
i saw that one on display.
and since it's on the banned list, i grabbed it.
(it was a new copy and i was the 1st person to check it out.
only a dork like me would notice that)

yeah so, anyway...
that book was hard for me to get into at first. but i finally did.
can't say that i liked it all that much. i'm not really sure why.
i still plan on reading "beloved" though.
after i finish reading "to kill a mockingbird" for the book club.
(i'll probably watch the movie again after i'm done with this book)

speaking of the book club, i have now attended 2 meetings.
2 more meetings and i will be able to cross that item off my list.
i'm still going to keep attending the meetings, though.

i've still been going to the gym/exercising regularly.
except for last week. now i just need to start eating better.

worked on the growing up scrapbooks last weekend at the bowie crop.
i was on a roll, but i ran out of pictures to scrap!
i'm waiting on the ink for my photo printer, so i can print out more photos to scrap with.

i bought an album for my postcards.
i think i might starting working on that tomorrow.

#26

blossoms7
Originally uploaded by camkin.

Well, I accomplished #26 on March 26th and again on March 31st. The first time I went down to see the Cherry Blossoms, that had barely started to bloom. So, I went again after work on the 31st to take more pictures. I'm really glad I went the 2nd time, so I could really see what they look like in bloom. So, here are the pics from both sets.
Check out the Cherry Blossoms set to see my other photos.

progress report

i watched "the manchurian candidate" which was on both
the Entertainment Weekly’s greatest of all time list and
the AFI's top 100 List

my step-mother gave me a copy of "gone with the wind",
so i'm going to try to watch that sometime this weekend.
it's one of those "classics" that i've never seen.

i also finished reading "the catcher in the rye"
i have to admit that i was kinda disappointed with it.
i was expecting this awesome story because
so many people are in love with this book.
instead, i found myself a little bored and
annoyed with holden caufield.

not sure which book i'm going to tackle next
from the banned book list.

well, i did attend alissa's book club meeting this month
and i'm hosting next month's meeting at my place.
i think i can cross off that item on my list once i attend at least 4 meetings.

also i've been working out 3 days a week at the gym for last month.
i'm not sure how long i need to continue this
before i can say that i've accomplished this item.
not that it means that i'm going to stop going once i cross it off.
maybe for at least 3-4 months.

#19

JOBBY JOB!!
it's official.
i am now truly employed again.
i didn't want to say anything until i signed the offer letter.
and i did that today.
i can now cross off item #19.
even though it was listed at #19, it was the most important item on the list.
faxed in my paperwork for my health insurance.
and we talked about the position that they are going to move me to.
and it looks like it's going to happen a lot sooner than i expected.
i'm not going to be the receptionist. which is also some really good news to me.
so, yay!

101 list progress report

i gave steve some more money, so that's progress on #67
i started watching "the manchurian candidate" for both movie lists.
today i am going to alissa's book club meeting so that's a start on #55

also, last weekend i watched "mean streets" for the EW list.
found that kind of boring.

edited #26 - since i can't plant tulips to have them bloom this year,
i changed this entry to go see the cherry blossoms downtown.
(which i plan to accomplish next weekend)

edited #82 - i changed this entry from reading & doing the projects
in a book called "sew fast, so easy" to finishing my dollhouse.
i felt that this was something i needed to accomplish anyway and i'm more likely to do it.
plus, i already have a couple of other sewing related tasks on this list.

#45 and #90

on saturday i completed 2 more items on the list.

#45 buy a new donut
#90 get a fire-proof box to store my most important documents

got the tire from a junk yard for only $10
and the smallest fire-proof box for $20.

6 down, 95 to go.

#37 & #94

i finished reading "catch 22" today.
it's on both of my reading lists.
so i can cross that off.
now it's on to "1984"

#67

a step has been made on this item.
i won't say how much i owe him or how much i paid him,
but let's just note that a step was made in the direction to get out of debt with the people i know.

i just realized that i can't do #26.
it's too late to plant tulips for this spring.
i might have to look into planting already bloomed tulips or something.

working on #2 & #72

i finished watching "la dolce vita"
so i can cross that off the EW list.
and i watched "close encounters of the third kind"
and i can cross that off the AFI list.

#54

i went on a date last night.
i was supposed to go to dinner and then go bowling.
but the bowling didn't happen because of bowling leagues.
we just ended up hanging out at my place after dinner.
but it was still a date.