101 things in 1001 days

Erm, yeah, I know, I've been missing. Where have you been, silly Kristina? Let me tell you, I've been writing this list.

When I had my first laptop, probably in ninth grade, I started making a 101 things in 1001 days list. Unfortunately, my first laptop totally crashed at the end of junior year, so I can't tell you any of the things on my list for sure, but from what I can remember, it contained "smile every day (0/1001)," "buy a solid white t-shirt," and "complete the 365 photo challenge (0/365)," and I never picked a start date or finished writing the list. Good one.

If you aren't familiar with the concept, here are the official guidelines from Day Zero Project

The Challenge: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part). Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

On June 10th, I decided I was going to embark on this journey again, but for real this time. So I called June 10th my official start date, made one of the tasks to complete the list, and got started. I have literally read at least 100 lists in the past two weeks trying to come up with goals for this list. If every other list didn't contain "make pasta from scratch" which I do anyway, it would have been way easier to make this list. Everyone uses the same goals, and a lot of them I don't want to do or already do so it wouldn't be exciting. There are a couple where I was probably pushing it with the ease of the goals, and some of them are way too ambitious (Tardis blanket, I'm looking at you). Here we go.

official start date: june 10th, 2013 | official end date: march 7, 2016

incomplete | complete

001. finish list of 101 things
002. drive on the highway
003. get my drivers license
004. complete my associates degree
005. invest in a watch
006. make a cookbook of my favorite recipes
007. relearn to use my dslr
008. go mini golfing
009. go apple picking
010. go to the drive in
011. buy personalized stationary
012. read 45 new books (0/45)
013. watch every movie on my movie list (3/45)
014. deactivate my facebook for a week
015. complete 5 pinterest diy ideas (1/5)
016. make an inspiration scrapbook
017. go to the zoo
018. make doughnuts from scratch
019. rewatch all of the ninth doctor
020. rewatch all of the tenth doctor
021. rewatch all of the eleventh doctor
022. get new glasses
023. cook dinner for someone
024. bake a loaf of bread from scratch
025. write a short novel
026. learn double knitting
027. watch an entire tv series i’ve never seen
028. blog daily for one month
029. stop biting my nails
030. donate 1 million grains of rice on freerice
031. read the bible
032. make a quilt
033. build a snowman
034. reread all seven harry potter books
035. wear nail polish for a full week
036. take one of the kids i babysit on an adventure
037. teach penny a trick
038. floss every day for a month
039. write a letter to myself for the end of 1001 days
040. make it to 3000 tweets
041. make at least 300 blog posts (1/300)
042. put together a 1000 piece puzzle
043. have my first legal drink
044. write a list of 101 things i’m grateful for
045. do bedtime yoga every night for two weeks straight
046. knit penny a sweater
047. take a picture every day for a month
048. color in a full coloring book
049. make soft pretzels from scratch
050. write a letter to my future husband
051. sew something
052. finish decorating my room
053. catch snowflakes on my tongue
054. crochet something
055. fill my bookshelf
056. start wearing my retainers daily
057. knit a pair of socks
058. make a list of 25 things i like about myself
059. rewatch all the harry potter movies
060. buy all the gossip girl dvds
061. …and rewatch all of gossip girl
062. own a rainbow of j.crew chino shorts
063. make flatbread from scratch
064. see every episode of adventure time
065. make gnocchi from scratch
066. knit dave’s hat
067. knit sudha’s sweater
068. make 10 playlists (0/10)
069. have a disney movie marathon
070. get my typing speed back up to 100 wpm
071. learn to do a proper push up
072. make a yarn scrap project
073. perfect a song on guitar
074. make a soufflé from scratch
075. listen to 20 new to me bands/artists (1/20)
076. play a board game
077. make a cream cheese coffee cake
078. try threading
079. send a birthday card
080. quit saying “um” for one week
081. post this list to my blog
082. post about at least 10 times about the tasks on this list (0/10)
083. be able to do sporcle “countries of europe”
084. and “countries of asia”
085. and “countries of africa”
086. and “countries of north america”
087. and “countries of south america”
088. and “countries of oceania”
089. and finally “countries of the world”
090. learn all the state capitals
091. go one week without getting in bed while not sleeping
092. buy a new backpack
093. knit the tardis blanket
094. make potstickers from scratch
095. make candy from scratch
096. make cannolis from scratch
097. make my own present bow and put it on a gift
098. send someone a surprise care package at college
099. revise my list in october 2014 (half way)
100. revise my list in june 2015 (three-quarters way)
101. set aside 10 dollars for every task completed (10/1010)

If you guys are doing the Day Zero Project as well, feel free to share a link to your list below! I'd love to read them (it'll be good to have inspiration for my two planned revisions).

xoxo, kristina

diy to do

If you know things about me, you might know I'm obsessed with lists. Like... nothing to do? Make a list. I have approximately 36 (I actually have no clue, that was a guess) to do lists going right now, and I just really like making lists. I love lists. There is nothing about lists I don't like.

If you don't like lists, I might not like you. I can try, but it'll take effort.

It's raining today, and I'm bored, and I've spent all day contemplating what to post about. I have come up short approximately 27 times (I actually still have no clue, that was also a guess). And suddenly, ideas. Ideas in the form of a list. 

I'm really into the crafty pursuits (what? who says that?), so here are some really cool DIY projects I'd love to do, and am hoping to get done this summer (some of which I've been hoping to do since last summer... and haven't... gotta love procrastination).

(text art via enjoy it)

(floral crown via burkatron)

(song lyric wall art via a beautiful mess)

(big script art via enjoy it)

(quilt (though not necessarily this specific one) via the joy cottage)

(codex bound book via how did you make this)

xoxo, kristina

i can't take it anymore

Let's talk online shopping bans. Why did I do this to myself? Why did I think this was something I could handle? I can't handle it. I am weak, and the pull of shopping online is strong. Especially when my butt hurts from sitting on the floor with my post-op puppy. And it feels like there is actually nothing left to do on this whole entire internet. 

Shopping somewhere you have a coupon code for doesn't count, right? And shopping Society6 for prints for my room doesn't really count either, right? There's only so much more Candy Crush Saga and Temple Run I can take before I actually legitimately go insane. 

I've resorted to stalking myself on social networking sites. That's how low it's gotten. Sitting on the floor next to a sleeping puppy, wearing leggings for the second day in a row (I'm sorry), stalking myself on social networks. Pathetic. 

I guess my point is, I have nothing to blog about. My butt hurts, and I have nothing to blog about. And nothing to do. And it's starting to look like this level of Candy Crush Saga is actually impossible. 

Mostly, I guess Penny's just lucky she's cute (by the way, she's wearing an inflatable collar in that picture to keep her from licking the incision. I don't just put my dog's head in a blue donut). 

xoxo, kristina

endings

I've been feeling weirdly nostalgic for high school lately. Maybe I'm just sentimental for a time when boys didn't ask me to hook them up with someone who could get them some Ritalin (by the way, I don't know anyone who can do that for you. Just to clear things up). 

It's really hard not to be nostalgic for this time. Like, look at me and some of my friends at one of our senior events. It's so cute (though I'm totally wearing my nostalgia glasses right now... I ate lettuce and carrots and water for dinner that night. Thanks, allergies). 

Maybe it's just because my best friend (shut up about your best friend, we get it, you have a best friend and she blogs too) is going through the best part of high school right now: the magical end. (I did a post about high school on her blog one time, and if you are still in high school and have yet to reach the magical end I speak of, you should probably read it. It's pretty great (maybe I only think that because I wrote it))

Sometimes the end of things is really rad. 

High school. Middle school. A really good book or movie (unless it's so good you just want to curl up in a ball and cry because it's over). A nightmare (except I sort of had that covered when I mentioned high school and middle school. Am I the only one who still has bad dreams about high school?). When your dog is peeing on your arm because she's so excited to see your sister (though it would have been better if that had never happened... I liked my life better before the night when I found out the best part of your dog taking an excited piss on you is when it's over).

Sometimes the end of things really sucks. 

A really good book that's so good you wish it would never end. A hyperrealistic good dream where you don't realize you're dreaming until it's over and then the fact that it's a dream is just a disappointment. A fantastic friendship. When you're having a really great time hanging out with someone. Your life before you knew what having your arm peed on by a dog felt like. 

But really, I just wish my dog didn't pee on my arm that one time. 

xoxo, kristina
(ps - this is a prewritten post.
my dog was spayed yesterday, so my day will be spent making sure she is comfortable and safe... but i had this post written, so why not post it, right?)

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas (?)

I'm not going to pretend like I'm not having a bad day. Not really at all in the mood to write a post -- but I figure maybe writing a post and listening to "Under the Booty" (classic Kristina blogging music) would put me in a bit of a better mood. Worth a shot, right?

Hey, at least I had a post I've been meaning to write for the past few days because I am in no mood to brainstorm posts -- though if this post makes me feel better I might be doing that right after this.

Um, yeah. It was cold today, but definitely not Christmas. But a couple days ago I finished my friend Michelle's Grinch sweater, so I thought I'd show it off.

Note to self: it's really hard to take pictures of stuff for your blog when your room is a disaster. I mean -- yeah, I could have made my bed for that picture. At least I cropped out the toothbrush on the end of my bed -- you're welcome (what is that even doing there though?).

You're probably like, why would you even knit your friend a really ugly green sweater with the Grinch's face on it and the answer is honestly I have no clue. Somehow last year I ended up knitting her mittens with Heath Ledger's face on them. Now I guess knit items with faces on them are just a thing I make for her. We've already discussed how for next year I found Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert face patterns. It's June. Of 2013. I'm talking about December 2014. Planning ahead?

I can't decide if I should give it to her as a birthday present (her birthday is in September -- then she can actually have it for this Christmas) or for Christmas (she's Jewish... stop, I just made it so much worse. I knit my friend who is Jewish a Christmas themed sweater. Go home, Kristina).

xoxo, kristina

real talk

I spend more time sitting around, cringing about how my blog isn't perfect than I do doing anything to make my blog perfect. And then cringing about how I never post on my blog, and that also makes it imperfect, because I only want to post perfect content. And just now I realized that's absolutely crazy.

YOLO.

xoxo, kristina

(also i apologize for quoting adventure time 

and immediately after saying "YOLO"

actually i don't apologize, you know why? 

because YOLO) 

a little room inspiration

I've put myself on an online shopping ban. Not even just buying -- the actual act of shopping online has been banned from my life. My room is a disaster, and instead of cleaning, I like to sit on my computer and shop for things for my room and clothes to put in my closet (which is also in complete disarray) and a backpack (which I don't need until September... important, right?). So I've banned myself from shopping online until my room is clean. 

I've been in the process of "redoing" my room since September or so, when I got new furniture and painted and just started making it lovely. To be honest though, I just kind of gave up entirely and suddenly I realized my room is full of empty shelves and my walls don't have any of the stuff I wanted on them on them, and I'm just extremely displeased. 

But my shopping ban means I can't look for stuff online for my room when I'm not capable of cleaning my room (ie - right now while I'm watching TV with my puppy), so instead I've resorted to browsing the home decor section of Pinterest. I'm addicted. Addicted. I have so many ideas, and barely any of them are applicable to my room, but I'm going to try to draw inspiration from some of the super cool rooms I've found. 

A few of my favorites (logically, mostly white color schemes as that is the scheme of my room): 

(via dreams + jeans)

(via radical possibility)

(via dustjacket attic)

(via Elina Dahl)

xoxo, kristina

well, hello there, summer!

I know it's not the official start of summer for almost another month. Wednesday morning, I took my last final of the semester and hurried home to submit a final paper -- and then I was done. Goodbye school (until September), goodbye English classes (until I find out if the four year institution of my choosing requires me to take another one), goodbye awkward eye contact with kids I sort of knew in high school (until I get a new set to deal with in September), goodbye eight am linear algebra class.

I'm done. Until September 3rd.

I love summer. I love chilly mornings and nights (not so much the scorching in between -- which is what we have now. It's too early for this. It's May. I should not have my air conditioning on). I love little puppy paw prints from wet grass. I love sleeping in. I love taking cold showers to cool off. I love staying up late. I love not having to wait for my friends to get out of class to text me back. I love time to create. I love grass under my feet. I love time to watch an entire series of a television show in a single week if that's what I want. I love dirt between my toes. I love that what comes next is autumn (my true seasonal love). 

Since today is the unofficial start of summer, I guess it's time to say it. Summer, yours is a welcome return. Glad to have you back. 

xoxo, kristina

"you ain't never had a friend like me"

I don't know how to put this, but I'm a pretty... eccentric person. I've got more quirks in my left pinky finger than anyone should have in their entire body. It's all crammed in there. Might as well call me Zooey Deschanel (except take away the stupid bangs and the huge eyes and the fact that I don't look like Katy Perry). If I weren't me, I wouldn't want to put up with me.

You know who does want to put up with me? My favorite little peanut and very best friend, Emily. In fact, this kiddo put up with me for an entire night last weekend instead of going to her senior prom (because I did the same for her instead of going to mine! Soul mates and true love, am I right?). She put me up for the night on a couch in her room and fed me salad and took me to a really rad local festival (where we tried to stalk people I know... I mean, what?) and let me watch the Doctor Who season finale on her tv which is considerably larger than mine.

Aren't we cute (or really creepy looking, whichever works)? Like, it is really a wonder that I am single because I'm soo photogenic. 

Oh, but she paid the price in dealing with quirkiness. And in me trying to take selfies of us and totally cutting myself out of the shot. So, thanks, little kitten pumpkin cup.

Thanks for dealing with me when I...

• ...told you I wanted to kidnap the little girl in the restaurant. I was kidding (sort of) (maybe) (she was really cute, okay?).
• ...passive aggressively took forever to order because I felt like the guy working there was annoyed with waiting for me and trying to rush me. 
• ...announced in front of several other people that the grass we were sitting on was stabbing me in the vagina. 
• ...asked you if we could roll down a hill. A hill that had several people on it. In fact, this might have been the hill with the lax bros and dogs on it. The lax bros with dogs who just wanted to check us out. 
• ...panicked in your car because your parents might ask me a question I didn't know the answer to when I met them. Even though they didn't ask me any questions. 
• ...turned a simple count of how many people we knew that we saw into a massive competition of who could see more people they knew. 
• ...laughed so hard I couldn't breathe when you told me you wanted to go to bed because I was remembering the guy in the wifebeater who tried to hit on you and when I told you that it was better to eat off a table that had been rained on than "peed on by a hobo." 
• ...told you being rained on was better than being peed on by a hobo in the first place.
• ...walked down a busy street crouched over with my hand in between my legs alternately with walking with my legs spread as far apart as possible. 
• ...took numerous pictures of you while you were talking to me and then told you how "pretty" (so not pretty at all) you looked in them. 
• ...posted one of these pictures on the internet for the world to see (this one, I think, is the fan favorite. It's so blurry, and you seriously look possessed... it hurts too much not to share). 

You rule! Also, 200 perfect princess points for anyone if you picked up my Aladdin quote for a title because, as we know, that's my favorite movie. 

xoxo, kristina

...and finally, a blog

Welcome to my little baby corner of the blogosphere! I couldn't be more excited to have you here. I'm Kristina, and I run this little guy singlehandedly. I'm a really big nerd, and I have a lot of trouble accepting that I'm not Blair Waldorf.

I can't not make lists about everything. My favorite Disney movie is Aladdin, but I don't consider it one of the princess movies so my favorite princess movie is Beauty and the Beast. I talk to myself a lot, and I start a lot of screenplays that are half based on my life and half based on my obsession with Gossip Girl. I have a beautiful little maltese puppy named Penny who is basically my entire world (I'm sure you'll be seeing her around sooner or later). I have this weird thing about capital letters in titles of things... aka, I hate them. My favorite number is 37. My best friend blogs too!

Thanks for joining me, and I hope to see you around here again soon.

xoxo, kristina