The start date for my challenge was the 1st of January 2009, which means that in order to succeed, I will have to have completed all the tasks on my list by the end of the 28th of September 2011. During that time, I intend to make regular posts here when I have completed a task or gone a step further towards completing one (see item 100).
Here is my list, broken down into sections and showing the number of completed tasks in each section. You’ll notice that there’s some colour coding. Green denotes completed tasks, orange denotes tasks in progress, and white denotes unstarted tasks. When I have completed an entire section, I will change the colour of the section heading to green.
When I've started work on a task, I'll make a post with the task number and description in the title. I'll then edit this post so that the task on the list links to the new post. As my progress on that task changes I'll edit the post to say how it's coming along. Since my blog is just beginning at the moment I haven't yet posted for all the tasks that I've started, so be patient!
You'll notice that I mention someone called Rebekah quite a lot. She is my lovely wife. Her online photo album (including our wedding photos) is here.
I’ll be very glad to read and reply to any comments from my readers. If any of you also have a “101 things in 1001 days” blog, feel free to request a link swap.
1 January 2009 – 28 September 2011
- Physical (8/17)
- Lose 5 kilos by 30 June 2009 (start = 89kg, target = 84kg).
- Gain no weight between 30 June 2009 and 31 December 2009.
- Record my weight on the last day of each month and on day 1001.
- Climb Ben Nevis.
- Climb five Munros (excluding Ben Nevis).
- Walk the last section of the Milford track.
- Go for a hillwalk lasting at least 8 hours (not Milford).
- Go swimming 20 times in three months, doing 20 lengths each time.
- Swim two lengths of a swimming pool underwater.
- Do 20 situps every day for a month.
- Run a half-marathon.
- Run 10km in an hour.
- Skydive.
- Scuba dive.
- Kayak for one nautical mile (displacement).
- Get a belt in a martial art.
- Practise the bagpipes once a week (except when away from home for over a week).
- Go to three countries I have never been to before.
- Go to Orkney.
- Go to Lewis.
- Drive to the Highlands.
- Visit Loch Ness.
- Go to Ireland with Rebekah.
- Visit Rebekah’s friend Nastja in Vienna.
- Visit Rebekah’s friend Alice in Sweden.
- Borrow a motor home and go on a trip in Europe.
- Attend the dawn service on ANZAC Day at Gallipoli.
- Go to a music festival.
- Read 50 books in 12 months.
- Read the lost Gospels and Apocrypha.
- Read all of Shakespeare’s plays.
- Read two plays by Christopher Marlowe.
- Read three books in French.
- Read the following in Norwegian: Naiv. Super, Kvinnen som kledte seg naken for sin elskede, Bytt Beite, Ringdrotten (Lord of the Rings) and one other book.
- Watch every film that has won Best Picture at the Oscars.
- Watch five foreign-language films I haven’t seen before.
- Go to the cinema with Rebekah 20 times in a year.
- Watch every remaining episode of Spooks.
- Watch every remaining episode of The West Wing.
- Watch every remaining episode of Heroes.
- See five theatre productions.
- Listen to all the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radio episodes.
- Bake a Black Forest Gateau.
- Cook a new recipe every month.
- Cook a three-course meal for at least six people.
- Make my own wine.
- Make my own jam.
- Iron a shirt perfectly (Rebekah to judge).
- Learn to identify ten new constellations.
- Learn to identify ten new flowers.
- Learn to identify ten new trees.
- Learn to identify ten new birds.
- Learn to identify ten new fish.
- Knit a scarf.
- Draw a recognisable picture of Rebekah.
- Learn to play a new song on the guitar.
- Learn to sew buttons onto clothing.
- Memorise a poem at least 20 lines long.
- Learn to tango.
- Teach Rebekah French (reach end of Routledge book with all exercises completed).
- Learn to juggle three balls.
- Buy a new phone.
- Buy a new computer.
- Buy three new elephant figurines for my collection.
- Raise £100 for charity.
- Make £100 busking in a day.
- Deposit £5000 into savings by day 1001 (joint account money counts for half).
- See Eddie Izzard perform live.
- Meet Terry Pratchett.
- Ride on an elephant.
- Eat the meat of an animal that I haven’t eaten before.
- Photograph a wild animal.
- See the Aurora Borealis.
- Drink wine from a horn.
- Go karting.
- Fire a proper gun.
- Take part in a flashmob.
- Test drive a car worth £40,000 or more.
- Get a letter published in a newspaper.
- Win a pub quiz.
- Complete a Fiendish Su Doku puzzle.
- Write and record a song.
- Write a comedy sketch and have it performed.
- Sponsor a child.
- Give out hugs to strangers for an hour for charity.
- Give blood five times.
- Give a ride to a hitchhiker.
- Host a Burns Supper.
- Buy Rebekah flowers.
- Attend a party in fancy dress (not counting a kilt).
- Write and post a short story.
- Chop down a tree.
- Go paintballing.
- Read a story to a young child.
- Invade the pitch/field at a sporting event.
- Join a choir.
- Adopt a pub or bar as my “local”.
- Register with a dentist and have a checkup at least once a year.
- Sleep outdoors.
- Post this list online and keep it regularly updated with my progress.
- Keep a “101 things” scrapbook with comments or mementos for each completed item.
Travel (2/11)
Books, film and TV (1/14)
Learning (0/19)
Worldly goods (3/6)
New experiences (2/11)
Achievements and good deeds (3/11)
Encores (3/10)
Meta (0/2)
