Since 2009 has been all wrapped up and put away, I thought I'd do one final post about The 27 Things list. I regret to inform you that, despite the best laid plans, the list was not completed. So I've decided to cut myself a break (so nice of me to do that, right) and fudge things a little to help them crossed off. Here we go...
1. Visit a state I've never been to: In 2009 I logged in a total of 30 flights... however none turned out to be to a state I'd never been to. Not sure how that worked out? But I did go to a country I've never been to and went to Madrid in November. Counting it.
2. Watch five black & white films: I think I watched three. Counting It's a Wonderful Life which I've seen many times before. I did see practically every movie that came out last year and quite a few multiple times. Up in the Air + (500) Days of Summer remain two of my all-time faves.
3. Go to the ballet: had tickets to the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center but was not able to go. Will be seeing The Sleeping Beauty this month though... I love, love the music from that waltz.
4. Take a photography class: took my friend Candice's class through JessicaSprague.com and learned a lot.
5. Scan & print my grandmother's photos: was not able to complete this one. I brought back a little bit of her scrapbook from Christmas and will share soon.
6. Design my own website + portfolio: ummmm no.
7. Use my passport: used it twice and it's ready to go for many trips this year. Right now I've got London and a possible trip to Bangkok this spring. My roomates and I have decided this is the year we wear out our passports and have planned Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico as well. I love being with people who enjoy traveling.
8. Reach a happy weight: I am happy to admit I reached a happy weight. Then promptly went on vacation for eight weeks twice to Miami, London, Madrid, SLC, + Chicago times three... oh the delicious gluttony. Now that goal shall be repeated for The 28 Things.
9. Volunteer at a soup kitchen: sadly, no. But fortunately my roomate has signed us up to do this once a month and expanding to more volunteering beyond that is a really important goal for this year.
10. Understand where I work + the market: I used to have a small office job in finance. Then I left... and my desire to try and tackle the economy left as well.11. Read three classic Russian novels: I brought Anna Karenina on three trips with me. And never got very far. Why must Russian names be so close to each other and confuse me? And why must Russian novels be too heavy to carry around in my purse? They should be nice and light. Like an EW magazine.
12. Remember all of my BFF's birthdays: success!!! This was the year that I needed my BFFs the most and was thankful for all the phone hours we logged.
13. Take the behind-the-scenes tour at Wrigley Field: didn't make it... in fact I don't think I went to a Cubs game at all last year. I did get to go to a Yankees game and enjoyed it a lot. And since they won the World Series and the poor Cubbies got nowhere this year, I'm definitely thinking I came out on top.
14. Bake my own buttercream cupcakes: made them and they were delicious. Had a little trouble with the icing and could have frosted the whole island of Manhattan. But cross that one off the list!
15. Learn how to use chopsticks: booya! The Asian girl learned to use chopsticks! However, I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I get performance anxiety or am too impatient to just dig in so I still eat with my good ole fork. Or if I'm drinking wine at the meal. Take the chopsticks away from me for your own safety, please.
17. Do something that scares me: done done and done. And as much as I can say I did many things that scared me this year, there are quite a few things where I did not take the risks that perhaps I should of. Some regrets. And that is my new challenge this year. Do MORE that scares me.
18. Donate money every month: accomplished but could always be done more.
19. Make a move: moved from Chicago to my parents for a bit then to Brooklyn then to Manhattan... where I will stay for a quite a while, I think. I am in love with my little part of NYC.
20. Enjoy the tasting menu at Alinea: oh elusive Alinea. If you aren't familiar, Alinea is the number one resto in the country and they do a tour menu that can last for four hours or more. I want to go to there. I was actually invited to dine at Alinea in the fall but unfortunately things fell apart. This just might be my number one on the list for this year. I will conquer you Alinea, I will.
21. Take an architectural boat tour: this was one of my favorite things I did last year. I'd lived in Chicago for so long but never went and when I did it was amazing. You learn so much and the view is spectacular.
23. Visit Chelsea Piers: done when I went on a nightime sail around the island of Manhattan.
24. Go to four concerts: I went to quite a few random concerts this year, but my favorites were seeing Lenka in Chicago at Schuba's, Ingrid Michaelson in NYC and London, and Katie Herzig in a small bar in NYC. Love those girls.
25. Read two books a month: making a rough guestamite, I would say I read about 24 books last year. I just go on inconsistent reading binges. In the summer I would digest a book every two days. I'm calling this one a success. My favorite book... Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Amazing.
26. Go to the top of the Sears Tower: crossed off! I even killed two birds with one stone and stepped out onto the glass floor... which was scary and made my palms sweat but I'm no wimp!
27. Attend three charity events: not completely. Will have to step this one up.
And so ends The 27 Things and my year of high hopes and goals. It was a good year, but honestly could have been better. Like 2010 will be.
Did you make a list for last year or a new one for this year? If you'd like to share, I love to hear about it!
