2026 Goals!

In addition to working on my 101 in 1001, I'd like to focus on doing some other stuff as well - being more intentional about using my skincare and beauty stuff, burning candles, using my journal more, buying less stuff, curating a wardrobe that makes me happy. 

I'd like to do a pan challenge with 26 full size items for 2026 in addition to 26 samples every 2 months.

Face Skincare

1.     Kinship Naked Papaya Cleanser

2.     Volition Snow Mushroom Water Serum

3.     CosRx Galactomyces Essence

4.     Peach & Lily Copper Peptide Serum

5.     Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth Serum 

6.     Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer

7.     Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream  

8.     Drunk Elephant Protini Moisturizer

9.     Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Moisturizer

10.   Sunday Riley Juno Face Oil

Haircare/Body Care

11.   Hot Tool Detangling Mist

12.   Verb Purple Shampoo

13.   CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Face and Body Lotion

14.   Truly Buns Of Glowry Butt Polish

15.   Truly Coco Cloud After Shave Serum

16.   Truly Coco Cloud Whipped Shave Butter

17.   Dionis Watermelon Lip Balm

18.   Dionis Pepperment Lip Balm

19.   Dionis Coconut Lip Balm

20.   Laneige Peppermint Sleep Mask

Makeup

21.   Tarte 25th Anniversary Palette

22.   Urban Decay Naked Metal Mania

23.   Smashbox LA Lights Blush Palette

24.   Smashbox Drawn In Decked Out Highlighter Palette

25.   Nars Lipstick - Geraldine

26.   UD Lipstick - Disobidient

Otherwise, I think I'd like to focus on creating routines and really focusing on caring for myself, creating a calmer home environment, and creating systems that really help me with the day-to-day. My hope is to be able to build routines that can provide a way to relax and give me strength to put the work into my mental health. Toward the end of the year, I strayed from doing regular things to take care of myself and just felt really overwhelmed by everything. I'd like to get back to monthly massages and facials, treating myself to pedicures/manicures, and focus on creating morning/evening routines, weekly routines, in general just being more dependable - for myself.

For my 101, I'm going to try to focus on getting to one of my travel destinations (3-8), catching a concert (29), going to afternoon tea (40), and actually reading some books this year (61).

6th time's a charm

I didn't even realize my time had come to an end for my last attempt at completing101 goals in 1001 days. Here is my next attempt's list. I honestly am not sure I would even have enough money to complete all these goals, but it's nice to aspirational sometimes! And so it goes.....

Start Date 4/5/2025

End Date 1/1/2028

Travel (10 things) (10/101)
1 renew my passport✅
2 spring training all years (1/3) 2026
3 travel to europe
4 visit montreal
5 visit buzz
6 visit nyc
7 visit new orleans
8 visit martha's vineyard or nantucket
9 visit 3 new mlb parks (2/3) (target field 6.26, wrigley field 7.26)
10 visit ben & jerry's flavor graveyard

Self-Care (10 things) (20/101)
11 monthly facials (11/33) (4.25, 5.25, 6.25, 7.25, 9.25, 12.25, 2.26, 4.26, 5.26, 6.26, 7.26, 8.26, 9.26, 10.26)
12 monthly massages (9/33) (4.25, 5.25, 6.25, 7.25, 9.25, 3.26, 4.26, 5.26, 6.26, 7.26, 8.26, 9.26)
13 monthly pedicures (6/33) (8.25, 9.25, 1.26, 3.26, 5.26, 6.26)
14 monthly acupuncture (3/33) (4.25, 5.25, 6.25)
15 biannual dental cleaning (2/6) (6.25, 1.26) next scheduled for 8.26

16 yearly physical (1/3) (10.25) scheduled 11.26
17 yearly mammogram (0/3)
18 yearly vision exam (0/3)
19 yearly vet for cats (1/3) (10.25)
20 yearly file taxes (0/3)

Culture and Entertainment Repeating (12 things) (32/101)
21 yearly bruins game (0/3)
22 yearly celtics game (0/3)

23 yearly red sox game (1/3) (4.25)

24 yearly porchfest (may) (2/3) (2025, 2026)

25 yearly revere beach sand sculpting fest (jul) (0/3) (missed 2025, missed 2026) 

26 yearly shakespeare on the common (aug) (1/3) (2025, missed 2026)

27 yearly fluff festival (sep) (2/3) (2025, 2026)

28 yearly honk festival (oct) (0/3) (missed 2025, missed 2026)

29 yearly rock concert (2/3) (Jimmy Eat World 6.26, Generations - Harvest 6.26)
30 yearly MFA visit (2/3) (5.25, 5.26)
31 yearly attend the symphony (0/3)
32 yearly visit ICA (0/3)

Cultural and Entertainment Discrete Events (10 things)(42/101)
33 see a show on broadway
34 firewalk providence
35 vermont maple festival
36 bourbon trail in KY
37 kentucky derby
38 go on a whale watch✅
39 visit brimfield/go antiquing
40 have afternoon tea in boston
41 sit in a boat on walden pond reading thoreau
42 attend every season at ART (1/3) (2026 season Passengers, 300 Paintings, Wonder, Black Swan, 2027 Season Rhinoceros, 1972, Mexodus, Life on Mars)

Yearly NE Things (4 things)(46/101)
43 yearly flower picking (0/3)
44 yearly beach visit (1/3) (7.25)
45 yearly fruit picking (0/3)
46 yearly ski trip or outdoor ice skating (0/3)

Social Monthly Activities (5 things)(51/101)
47 avg one new restaurant/bar a month (16/33) (the new eastern standard, oak bistro, blu, roxy's, cafe beatrice, happy crab, field & vine, toscano, juliet social club, sip, la voile, the hallows, gato exotico, lou's, ama, foxglove terrace)
48 wine night monthly/new fancy wine (1/33) (4.25 Moutard Champagne)
49 beer night monthly (13/33) (4.25 fruited sours, 5.25 locals only, 6.25 as seen on tv, 7.25 missed, 8.25 limited release, 9.25 missed, 10.25 beer+cheese, 11.25 veteran owned, 12.25 blind present, 1.26 new year new beer-champ!, 2.26 dark beers. 3.26 march madness, 4.26 spring+fresh. 5.26 missed, 6.26 missed, 7.26 freedom inspired-champ!, 8.26 unfamiliar beers, 9.26 missed, 10.26 sweet or spooky)

50 karaoke monthly (4/33) (5.25, 7.25, 3.26, 6.26, 9.26)
51 friend date monthly (17/33) [4.25 (suchi), 5.25 (ryan, emily), 6.25 (alison), 7.25 (emily) 8.25 (suchi, ryan, chelsea) 9.25 (mccoys) 10.25 (steph, deana), 11.25 (obes, wine, and caps) 12.25 (wine peeps), 1.26 (greer's), 2.26 (nc drinx, circle dinner, oyster night), 3.26 (obes dinner @ gato), 4.26 (ryan, chelsea, emily), 5.26 (suchi, deana, ryan, chelsea), 6.26 (loren, steph, ryan, chelsea), 7.26 (steph), 8.26 (jess)]

Social One-Off Activities (6 things)(57/101)
52 have a picnic on boston harbor islands
53 host a tea party
54 host new years eve
55 host a derby party
56 host porchfest
57 host a backyard cook-out

Self-improvement (10 things)(67/101)
58 PMP or project management certificate
59 max out contributions to 401k + IRA (0.5/3)(2025 401k[23500] Roth[2000], 2026 401k[24300/24500], Roth [xxxx])
60 start non-retirement fund investing ($500/month) ($0/$16500)
61 read 33 books (0/33)
62 journal weekly (0/143)
63 start yoga/meditation practice
64 take an adult education class yearly (0/3)
65 complete one monthly challenge yearly (0/3)
66 complete EMDR
67 feel strong and confident in my body

Adulting Goals (10 things)(77/101)
68 get/maintain renters insurance
69 have $100,000 (non retirement) ($0/$100,000)
70 start + maintain garden
71 have 20 well taken care of plants (0/20)
72 complete happiness workbook
73 get a cleaning person
74 find 12 new go-to recipes (0/12)
75 buy a scooter or car
76 receive a promotion
77 buy an apartment

Develop Better Habits (15 things)(92/101)
78 weekly changing sheets (3/143)    
79 weekly changing towels (1/143)
80 weekly laundry (18/143)
81 monthly crossword puzzles (0/33)
82 flossing 25 day/month (0/33) (2025: Apr 23/30, May 23/31, Jun 20/30, Jul 22/31, Aug 20/31, Sep            22/30, Oct 24/31, Nov 16/30, Dec 10/31; 2026: Jan 13/31, Feb 6/28, Mar 15/31, Apr 9/30, May 13/31, Jun 15/30, July 11/31, Aug 13/31 )
83 avg 5,000 steps a day/one day 10,000 weekly (0/143 avg)(10/143 10k steps) [as of 9/10/26]
84 making dinner avg 4 nights/week
85 bed by midnight sun-thurs
86 awake by 730 am
87 weekly masks at home (0/143)
88 showering every other day
89 gym avg 2x/week (0/33)
90 working on site avg 3x/week (0/33)
91 weekly meal planning/grocery store trips (0/143)
92 biannual haircuts (1/6) (5.25)

Feel Good Things (5 things)(97/101)
93 pay for someone's coffee/tab
94 free a book with bookcrossing.com 
95 serve on a board or commission (joined USNC)
96 contribute quarterly to community fridges
97 complete 100 days of tracking gratitude

Badass Things (4 things)(101/101)
98 have a job i am truly satisfied working
99 get the arm tattoos i want
100 build a home that makes me happy
101 shave the sides of my head/get an undercut

5th Try Recap and Look Forward

Travel 1/6 accomplished – Travel was not a focus for me over the last few years. It’s been difficult to travel having two kitties who don’t really get along. We can’t leave them alone together, so it’s difficult to travel with them, and it’s also hard to have someone take care of them at home. I did at least get to see Jess’s wedding and spend some time with her, so that was really nice. I am keeping the 5 goals I didn’t accomplish on the next goal list.

Local travel 0/6 accomplished, 1 partial – This definitely was a failure on my part. I had potentially envisioned these as just day trips, but I find myself overwhelmed on the weekends and finding it tough to get out of the house for any real big things. I am hopeful things can change in the coming years. I did at least make it to the beach once and have become a Trustee member, so I’m hoping that will make me more inspired to do beach days, as the goal of going once a year remains. I am keeping the gist of these on my next list, but splitting between actual travel locations and traveling for specific events.

Health 5/12 accomplished, 4 partial – This definitely was a success for me. I suffer from medical anxiety, so getting all these really big things done was a huge accomplishment. I am regularly going to the dentist, got glasses, and have been going to both therapy and EMDR. EMDR is going to be a long process, but I am committed to continue working on it, along with regular therapy. I also replaced my IUD and finally got a mammogram (and ultrasound). Those were both really fucking horrible experiences that I hated. I feel like medical care for women is so horrible, and we have to unnecessarily go through very painful experiences just because no one has cared to make things less horrible. Due to the state of medical care for women, I have been hesitant to commit to my yearly physicals and mammos, but they will be on my list for next time, and I am hoping I have the courage to complete them. Same with vision exams, I really hate them, but I hope to keep up with them. I am sort of abandoning the idea of getting to a specific size or weight, instead with the goal of feeling strong and confident in my body. Keeping 7 of the goals for next attempt, but have changed categories I’m tracking them in.

Physical Activity 1/9 accomplished, 1 partial – I did get a bike, but I think I have ridden it less than a handful of times. My walking has been minimal; I don’t think I ever walked to work, even if I was only working in the square. I am relying too much on driving places. I purchased a gym membership each year but have yet to go! Womp. I am keeping a few of goals in certain ways. I am trying to commit to going to the gym weekly, and upping my average daily steps to 5k, hitting 10k once a week. We shall see how it goes!   

Beauty/Fashion 3/11 accomplished, 2 partial – I over accomplished some of the goals. I ended up splurging for both monthly massage and facial memberships. I know it’s a lot of money, but I do think it’s helping me feel better and providing relaxation and things for me to look forward to. I am planning on keeping them up monthly for the foreseeable future and goals list. Using and fixing up my beauty products was a mixed bag. I need to organize them better and focus on using what I have, but I have not included those things on my next iteration of goals. Instead, I am adding getting a pedicure monthly, but focusing more on activities with friends.

Social 0/9 accomplished, 4 partial – I did not make it to a single Celtics or Bruins game, but they’ll stay on the list for next time. I also didn’t go fruit picking or host a derby party, but those will remain in some fashion for next time as well. I did make it to the Sox 2/3 years, and that will remain as well. I didn’t make it to a new restaurant each month, but if I include traveling, I did try 33 new restaurants. I’m going to shoot for a total of 33 new restaurants for the next version. I also didn’t try a new fancy wine each month, but I think I did try over 33 new ones, especially champagnes. Wine club has not been consistently happening since there is no one to regularly take on hosting, so I’m going to combine trying new wines with attending whenever wine nights happen, in the hopes that I can try one new one each month. Hopefully, I can track things better!! I’m keeping versions of 7 of the 9 goals.

Cultural 1/8 accomplished, 2 partial – I’m counting going to every ART offering as I made it to everything I could before my time expired, and will keep that on my list. But otherwise, I didn’t do very well taking advantage of all the cultural experiences I have at my fingertips. I did take advantage of more comp offers with friends, so I’m hoping to do that at least once a year again. I have shifted my culture and entertainment goals to essentially do one thing a month for the duration of my 1001 days. I’m hoping I can make it more of a habit.            

Educational 1/6 accomplished, 1 partial – Man alive, this was not a great attempt as keeping my brain active. I do think getting a new job/switching careers again sort of made it difficult to focus on any of these things. So aside from getting my physical library cards, the effort was just not there. I need to remember that I do really enjoy reading books, and it’s so much more fulfilling than scrolling on my phone at night. I will try to make a list of what I really want to read to be a little more focused on that goal. Reading 33 books, taking some sort of continuing education class each year, and getting a PMP/PM certificate will stay on the list.

Spiritual/Self-care 0/12, 2 or 3 partial – Haha this was another one I didn’t do very well at accomplishing. A lot of them were long term developing daily, weekly or monthly goals which I guess I don’t have focus on doing. However, I do think they are important for my long-term health and wellbeing, so I’m keeping some version of 5 of them, plus adding some additional habit goals.

Financial/Organization 5/14 accomplished – Ok, maybe not as many goals accomplished as I would have hoped, but I think the ones I did complete were a pretty freaking big deal! Most notably, I paid off my school loans (woot, woot!), saved $10k, and was able to bump my 401k savings to the max and also started a Roth IRA. I still have a long way to go on being more financially stable, but I am making progress and that feels good. I am keeping many of the financial goals on the list but leaving off the individual organizational goals focus. I am probably overextending myself on what is even feasible to accomplish in terms of money (like I physically am not making enough money to accomplish it all), but that leaves me flexibility in which goal(s) I really want to accomplish. Or who knows, maybe I will get a crazy promotion in the next couple years that will really help me achieve these things…..

Hobby/Fun Shit 1/6 accomplished, 3 partial – Not accomplishing some of these goals was not necessarily a bad thing. I stopped tracking finishing liquor bottles, but I think that’s because I have been drinking less. Same with collecting all Four Roses blends. I did get some cool art pieces from local artist (downstairs neighbor included!) but only found one unique piece of jewelry. I failed at gardening, doing puzzles, volunteering, coloring and dessert making. I’m going to keep the gardening but I guess I’m switching my focus of fun stuff to hanging out with people and doing out of the house activities.

Total Accomplished: 18/101 with partial progress on 21 others

So I didn’t even attempt to achieve about half of the goals. I don’t think that’s because I don’t actually want to do them, I think it’s just because I am overwhelmed by regular life. But also looking back at prior attempts, I think I top out around the 20 goal mark, so I guess at least I'm consistent!

 For my next iteration, it would probably be helpful to try to map out how to achieve these goals more fully and actually assign targets or dates to them.

Taking this reflection into consideration for my 6^th attempt, of the 101 goals, I think about 70 of them are “easy” enough to achieve if I am just dedicated to doing things. I have 54 “low” effort goals that are achievable from the house or staying local in the city; 10 one-off things, 22 things to do annually, 12 things to do once a month, and 5 once a week. I just need to be dedicated about making the effort to do them. There are an additional 14 one-off goals that include domestic travel or doing things in the city that just take a little more effort to accomplish, but nothing that is outrageous to think I could do it. I also have 2 low effort goals that I just need to commit to doing daily.

2025 Resolutions and Goals

 -read one book a month

-check into Finch app daily for January✅

-get my arm tattoo

-go to high tea

- get cash savings to $50k

-max Roth IRA out

-two new bkr purchases, trade/sell ones I don't need or like

-no large PLG purchases

-don't waste time or effort on people who don't care about you

-donate something monthly (weekly if possible?)

-keep up with EMDR

-tackle yard and garden

Tik-tok time is passing: 200 days left!

I don't think I realized how much time has passed since I started. Definitely not as far along as I had hoped, but that is life.

I don't think I'm going to tick off more of my travel goals. I might make it to NYC, but I haven't been itching to be traveling. A little too overwhelmed by life.

I think I have been pretty good on health stuff. I made a big push to get back to regular medical and dental care. It was tough and 100% overwhelming, but I made it through a slew of appointments to get a physical, mammogram, IUD replacement, skin check, vision exam, regular dental cleanings, been doing acupuncture at least monthly, therapy along with starting the EMDR process. Whew, it's a lot! I also signed up to do monthly facials and massages. I think it has been really nice to have some relaxing thing to look forward to every month. I've also been trying to get better about sleep and stuff. It's been difficult that I will just rebel and stay up till 4AM some days because I'm upset about having to conform to this day person life. I hate it.

In terms of getting active, I have not been very motivated. My depression has been looming large for the last year+. I know it would be helpful to eat better and at least be walking more, but I just can't find the motivation. The summer got unbearably hot for weeks on end in July and August, which is starting to affect me more as I get older, so that also hindered activity. I feel like social activity and going out to do stuff has also taken a hit due to sadness.

One thing that has definitely improved is finances. I've held steady to saving the max I can for my 401k, paid off my student loan(!!!) in July, and have a pretty good amount of savings. Plus I have sucked it up and done my taxes. So that's something to be proud of, for sure. I still need to get better about budgeting, and have been looking into different strategies, so hopefully I can find something that works for me to actually stick to.

So, as normal, maybe not the best progress, but honestly, I'm pretty excited to have 11 goals completed.

2024!

 Welp, I haven't been the best at keeping to my goals, but I did finally try acupuncture. I think it's helping a bit with my trouble sleeping. I did almost weekly for the last 4-5 months of 2023, and am trying to do at least monthly, to every 3 week visits for the year.

I've been pretty good about getting facials on a regular basis. I wish I could get them all the time because I do really like how my skin feels after getting one. I've been toying with doing a monthly facial subscription type place, but the vibe is definitely not as relaxing as I wish it was.

I had dinner at Season to Taste and it was really delicious. Obviously it was expensive, but everything tasted very yummy. I have missed going out to restaurants, so I want to try to make it a priority to go out at least monthly, if not twice a month. It's just tough because everything is so freaking expensive!!

I've probably picked up flowers once or twice more than I think I have, but I am hoping to make a concerted effort to pick them up monthly. They do bring happiness that I should make the effort for.

I still haven't taken my bike in to get put together but hopefully I get my butt in to do that soon!

Updated List of Restaurants to Try!

 I have copied over a few from the old list that are still around and that I haven't tried yet. I am woefully uninformed of what's cool and new, so this may be a short list for now:

-bar volpe

-batifol 9/23 yummy food, expensive, nice but new staff

-brassica

-celeste

-comfort kitchen 6/24 had a surprising number of options that weren't meat focused, fun cocktails

-dear annie

-deuxave

-field and vine

-hecate

-gufo

-gustazo 5/24 delicious, easy to over order, massive area indoors, need to try patio

-krasi

-la brasa

-loco taqueria and oyster bar

-marseille

-mei mei

-mooncusser

-myers and chang

-ostra

-o ya

-season to taste 2/24 delicious, small plates, some interesting cocktails

-saltie girl

-silver dove afternoon tea

-spoke wine bar

-social club

-sycamore

-tres gatos

-urban hearth 10/23 delicious food, sat outside, spent a lot

-the wig shop

September!

 Last month wasn't the greatest for getting things done, unfortunately. I still haven't purchased a bike or started on some of the monthly tasks that are supposed to be enjoyable like doing a puzzle and taking a bath. It's been hard to be motivated on anything.

However, I did make progress on empties including 2 FS products and11 DS/foils. I think September will have even more FS empties. We saw Twilight, which while it was very tough subject material, I am glad I saw it. I went to a couple new restaurants: Colette and Geppetto. 

I killed a bottle of Bombay, but still need to take inventory of the collection to keep better track. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with work, so I held off on registering for a PM class. I need to get a better rhythm and schedule to be productive.

Goals for September include: getting a facial, going to the dentist, going to Brimfield, hitting up a late season Sox game, schedule vet appts, schedule acupuncture intake, and spend some time reading/relaxing outside before it gets too cold.

August Update

 A few updates on July:

I didn't buy a new bike yet, so that is still on the list for August.

I ponied up for fitness classes, but have yet to take any. My goal is to try one online class a week this month.

I got a haircut! I saw 1776! I had dinner at Faccia Brutta (and Mex Taqueria)! I tried a fancy wine (2017 Jean-Marc Pillot Rully Premier Crus Les Raclots)! I did a day without social media!

No bath, candle burning, post crossing, flower buying, or book finishing happened. So the goal is to get some flowers this month, burn a candle once it cools off a bit (it was too damn hot to have any additional heat sources!), finish Can't and Won't the book I started last month, plus at least start another, and I just registered a postcard to Germany. I don't know this bath thing is going to happen anytime soon.

In terms of beauty empties, I kicked 2 FS products (Ulta Body Scrub, and the Ordinary Copper Peptide Serum), and 9 DS/foils, so that feels pretty good so far. I'm working on 13 DS/foils and 4 FS during the month of August, so I hope to average things well.

Restaurant of the month: I may try to hit up Celeste since that's really easy, but other places to keep in mind are Oleana, Little Donkey, Urban Hearth, and Gustazo.

Other big goals for August:

All the doctors appts to schedule!

15) find a therapist
16) get a mammogram
17) get a vision exam
18) get acupuncture monthly

60) Shakespeare in the park yearly (0/3) Need to do this before Aug 7th!

62) get a certificate in project management (register for a fall semester class by Aug 25th!)

First things first

 Alright! Here are the things I'd like to focus on for my first month in July:

26)    buy a bike I'm hoping to buy myself a new bike for my actual birthday. I haven't ridden one in years, so I'm going with cheapish and cute. We'll see how that goes.

28) join and go to the gym each year I already joined the gym for the year. The school runs on a June - May yearly schedule, so I went ahead and got a year membership...for $24 😂 I generally am not the type who just goes to the gym to lift weights or run on a treadmill, so I'll need to pony up for the classes as well. But I think that's like $160 for the year. Seems not horrible when averaged over the year.

33) biannual haircuts (0/6) It's baaaaadddd. I need a cut ASAP. Have an appt at Ulta for early July.

39) monthly baths (0/33) I need to do a deep clean of the bathtub, but this will be a nice reward for doing so.

43) pan 12 FS beauty products/year + 10 samples/month (0/33) + (0/330) I'm hoping I'll have at least 3 products finished by the end of the month: both toners, copper peptide serum, and potentially a sunscreen. In terms of samples I'll be working on the following: Sunday Riley Good Genes, a couple face moisturizers, a couple sheet masks, and a PTR pumpkin mask, but that leaves 4 more!

49) Postcross quarterly (0/11) I reactivated my profile and probably have plenty of cards to chose from.

51) try a new fancy wine monthly (0/33) Hoping our wine tasting will be back, but if not, maybe it's time to open one of the bottles I've been holding on to for a few years.

52)    try a new restaurant monthly (0/33) Already have reservations for Faccia Brutta for my birthday. I'm really excited to try it out! It's not only new to me, it's new to the Boston restaurant scene.

54) go to every ART offering for a season (0/3) We have tickets to see 1776 again with friends, so might as well count it.

63) get physical Somerville and Boston library cards I'm so close to the library. I literally just need to get off my butt and walk the 5 minutes to get it taken care of.

64) read 33 books (0/33) What book do I want to read??? I've started The Gift of Imperfection and The New Jim Crow, but neither are reallllly sparking my interest. So I might do something fluffier like Paulo Coelho's The Spy or Bossypants or Nobody Is Ever Missing. 

68) buy self flowers semi-monthly (0/17) Birthday is a perfect excuse to buy flowers.

77) pan 10 candles (0/10) I have like 3 candles that are close, but maybe I'll chose a more summery smell.

98) finish 3 liquor bottles yearly (0/9) I think it might be helpful to make an inventory of what I have so I can keep track a bit better.

5th try for my 5th decade

It was unending, and thus is starting again. You guys, I'm turning 40 in a week and I feel shitty about my life. I'm generally unfulfilled, have fallen away from any hobby I ever enjoyed, and feel like I have zero friends and motivating factors in my life. So. What's the best way to change that? Another attempt at doing a 101 goals in 1001 days? OK! 

There are some longtime favorites that despite never achieving, I still put on the list. I *think* they are still things that will bring me joy or something.  There are some newish things. We'll see how it all goes, but hopefully, I am slightly more committed to this one than the last one. So here goes:

Begin Date: July 1st, 2022

End Date: March 28, 2025

I honestly can't even imagine being alive in the year 2025; it's so much in the future, but I guess it's nice to have something to look forward to. Some of these things are discrete accomplishments, but others are hobbies I hope to develop over the coming months, which I will be giving myself space and grace to accomplish.

Travel
1) travel to Europe
2) visit 3 new MLB ball parks (0/3)
3) visit Buzz
4) visit Jess✅ (May 23)
5) visit New Orleans
6) visit NYC

Local travel
7) go on a whale watch
8) visit 3 NE towns a year (0/9)
9) visit Brimfield flea/antique market
10) visit Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket
11) visit the beach yearly (1/3) (Aug 2024)

Health
12) be down to a size 6
13) biannual dentist visits (5/6) (Sep 22, Mar 23, Oct 23, Apr 24, Oct 24)
14) complete happiness workbook
15) find a therapist✅(started Oct 23, we'll see how it goes) 

16) get a mammogram✅
17) get a vision exam✅
18) get acupuncture monthly (Started 8/23)(18/33 missed Mar 24, Jun 24)
19) go 1 week each month without drinking for 6 months (4/24) (1/6)
20) go on an ashram retreat
21) replace IUD✅
22) try EMDR✅
23) yearly physical (1/3) (Apr 24)

Physical Activity
24) walk to work weekly in season (2/64)
25) 30 days of 10k+ steps
26) buy a bike ✅ (bought a bike 12/23, assembled 2/24)

27) complete a 30 day fitness challenge each year (0/3)
28) join and go to the gym each year (0/3) (joined for 22-23, 23-24, 24-25)

29) take a dance class
30) take a kickboxing class
31) take a yoga class
32) try rock climbing

Beauty/Fashion
33) biannual haircuts (4/6) (Jul 22, Jan 23, Dec 23, July 24)
34) biannual massages✅ (6/6) (Mar 23, Nov 23, Jan 24, Mar 24, Sep 24, Mar 25)

35) buy new underwear✅
36) complete 100 days of eyeshadow challenge
37) create a capsule work wardrobe
38) fix/sanitize palettes
39) monthly baths (0/33)
40) pan an eyeshadow palette
41) quarterly facials✅ (11/11) (Sep 22, Dec 22, Mar 23, May 23, Aug 23, Oct 23, Feb 24, Apr 24, July 24, Nov 24, Mar 25)

42) shower every other day
43) pan 12 FS beauty products/year + 10 samples/month (31/33) + (47/330)

Social
44) Bruins game each season (0/3)
45) Celtics game each season (0/3)
46) go fruit picking yearly (0/3
47) host the Derby party yearly (0/2)
48) join a club/group
49) Postcross quarterly (1/11) (8/22)
50) Sox game each season (2/3) (2023, 2024)
51) try a new fancy wine monthly (8/33) (2017 Jean-Marc Pillot Rully Premier Cru Les Raclots, Il Mostro Longana Rosato Frizzante, Piper Heidsieck Champagne Cuvee Brut, Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose, Legras and Haas Intuition Champagne, Champagne De Sousa Blanc de Blancs, Pol Roger Reserve Brut, Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut)
52)    try a new restaurant monthly (30/33) (Faccia Brutta 7/22, Mex 7/22, Sulmona 7/22, Colette 8/22, Gepetto 8/22, Giulia 9/22, Coquette 9/22, Daddy Jones 10/22, Vera's 11/22, Nash Bar 12/22, [Riverhouse (Palmetto FL), Sea Salt (St Pete) 3/23] Stoked 3/23, Southern Craft (Johnson City TN) 5/23, Condesa 7/23, Sloane's 8/23, Batifol 9/23, Urban Hearth 10/23, Westland 10/23, Bar Mezzana 11/23, Article 24 12/23, Season to Taste 2/24, Bayside Grill (Ft Myers FL) 3/24,  SeaHag 5/24, Gustazo 5/24, Comfort Kitchen 6/24, ClamBox 8/24, Ruka 9/24, Pappa Razzi 9/24, Amar 9/24, Junebug 10/24, Cook 11/24, Wig Shop Mar 3/25)    

Cultural
53) find three new musicians you like (0/3)
54) go to every ART offering for a season✅ (3/3) (2023 Twilight, Life of Pi, The Wife of Willesden, Evita) (2024 Half God of Rainfall, Real Women Have Curves, Becoming a Man, Gatsby) (2025 Romeo+Juliet, Diary of a Tap Dancer, The Odyssey, Night Side Songs, TBD)

55) go to the aquarium
56) go to the ICA
57) go to the MFA
58) see a show on Broadway
59) see the ballet yearly (1/3)
60) Shakespeare in the park yearly (1/3) (8/22, missed 2023, 2024)

Educational
61) do a crossword each Sunday (0/143)
62) get a certificate in project management
63) get physical Somerville✅ (7/22) and Boston library cards✅(4/24)

64) read 33 books (3/33) (Where the Crawdads Sing, Atomic City Girls, Circe)
65) take a French class
66) take a Spanish class

Spiritual/Self-care
67) 100 days of gratitude on IG
68) buy self flowers semi-monthly (12/17) (10/22, 4/23, 7/23, 12/23, 2/24, 4/24, 5/24, 8/24, 9/24, 12/24, 1/25, 2/25)
69) cook dinners semi-weekly 
70) create a self-care schedule/routine
71) fill a journal
72) find 10 new go-to dishes (0/10)
73) get 7.5 hours of sleep/night for a month
74) get my fortune read yearly (0/3)
75) go to bed by midnight Sun-Thurs
76) one day each month w/o social media (1/33) (7/28/22)
77) pan 10 candles (0/10)
78) practice Wicca

Financial/Organization

79) buy a car or scooter
80) cats to the vet yearly✅(3/3) (N 9/22, C 4/23, N&C 10/23, N&C 10/24)

81) contribute 5% of salary to Roth IRA or bump 401k to 10%✅(bumped to max 2023, 2024, 2025, opened Roth IRA 2024)

82) create a monthly budget (and stick to it) (doing poorly as of 12/24)
83) donate/recycle/throw out old shoes/clothes yearly (0/3)
84) file taxes each year✅(3/3) (Fed/MA 23, Fed/MA 24)

85) get rental insurance
86) hang all pictures
87) organize 2nd floor room
88) pay off school loans✅
89) renew passport
90) save $10,000✅(10000/10000)

91) shred papers yearly (0/3)
92) update and keep track of accounts/pwds

Hobby/Fun Shit
93) buy an original piece of art✅
94) buy one piece of unique jewelry yearly (1/3) (earrings 11/24)
95) collect all 8 Four Roses blends (2/8) (OBSF, OESK)
96) color monthly (0/33)
97) do one puzzle monthly (0/33)
98) finish 6 liquor bottles yearly (9/18) (Bombay Sapphire, Redemption Rye, Bitter Truth Violet Liqueur, Luxardo Maraschino, Green Chartreuse, Campari, Noah's Mill, Sauza, Four Roses)
99) have an urban food garden
100) make a fun new dessert each year (0/3)
101) volunteer (with BBBS/the Children's Room)

viale outing

i'm excited because i finally made it to a new restaurant. i checked out viale with the swede and the boat engineer. we pretty much tried everything on the cocktail list (minus a hot toddy) and then had some small bites. i tried a mezcal/beer cocktail that wasn't too smokey buho mezcal); also tried a scotch cocktail that was good (pig's nose scotch). i tried a cocktail with denizen rum that was delicious. it was their white rum, which is much less funky than their aged rum. the boat engineer had an amazing cocktail with oloroso, green chartreuse, and lime. and my favorite of the evening was the 1919; rittenhouse rye, old monk rum, punt e mes, and benedictine. we just got some small bites: a cheese plate, fried polenta, roasted beets, some pasta. it was a good night.

the boat engineer and i continued the night and stopped by curley's. we did a lot of experimenting. i had a drink with batavia arrack that didn't suck, which is kind of amazing to me. anyway, hopefully i can continue checking out at least one new place a month on thursdays. we shall see!

bars/restaurants i need to check out!

-alden and harlow
-bastille kitchen
-belly wine bar
-besito mexican (MAYBE)
-brass union
-cafe art science
-canary square
-clio
-fairstead kitchen
-giulia
-kirkland tap and trotter (6/17/15)
-la brasa
-loco taqueria and oyster bar
-loyal nine (7/1/15)
-myers and chang
-ostra
-puritan and company (7/1/15)
-ribelle
-sarma

-select oyster bar
-spoke wine bar

-sycamore
-tres gatos
-viale (2/19/15)
-westbridge

and if/when they open
-brewer's fork (3/1/15)
-townsman

places that weren't on my list:
-sams (8/5/15)
-hojoko (8/19/15)

update #2

surprise, surprise, i have not been keeping up as i should. i don't even know what i have been doing for the last 3 (ahem, 4) months.

i know i have been sad a lot and completely unmotivated to do anything. which sucks. but i should focus on what i have been able to accomplish.

i voted. woot. sadly, i don't think many of my candidates ended up winning.

without even really focusing on it, i have been able to do karaoke monthly. twice at highland and once (maybe twice) at abigails.

i kind of fell into a monthly wine tasting with one of my regulars. i've made it to 2 out of the 4 so far. the first being bubbly and the second being cabernet sauvignons from around the world. the next one up is syrahs, so i will keep that on my radar.

i was able to make it home to colorado and arizona for christmas, thanks to the boat engineer's mom buying our plane tickets. it was stressful seeing family and things were kind of crazy, but i guess that's to be expected. on a more positive note, i refrained from drinking starbucks while i was away, so yay! also went ice skating with my nephew (despite it being a disaster). checked out a pretty awesome restaurant with my aunt and unlce, called argyle. it has an amazing whiskey list and the food was delicious. i got a pedicure and manicure with my aunt while in colorado, but it's definitely time for another.

boat engineer took my car in to get fixed and the oil changed, etc. but now it's been a few weeks since i have driven it, so i'm sure that's not good for it. and now we have like a million feet of snow, so i doubt i'll be driving it in the near future. ugh.

the diner holiday party happened, but before that my yang and i went to barcelona wine bar, their new spot in the south end. had some delicious cheese and wine.

the work log definitely faltered at the end of the year, but i've been pretty good about keeping up with it in the new year.

i reapplied for healthcare. woo hoo. that kind of feels like the biggest win of all so far.....

things to concentrate on:
-tickets to florida
-tickets/hotels for kickball wedding
-START DOING YOGA!
-do some stretching, do some dancing
-update my passport
-check out alden and harlow or viale
-postcross in february
-apply for dental insurance
-join the y
-schedule a facial and massage (this should not be a chore....)


things on the horizon:
-ne trip for the late winter/early spring
-check out csas for the spring
-taxes (blech)

update #1

so i've done a few things, maintenance as i like to call it for the things that need to be done on  fairly regular basis.

-i danced, somewhat drunkenly with a friend after we got home from work. she was feeling bummed; i have been feeling down lately, so what's the best way to get that out of your system? dance like a fool. but i'm definitely out of shape and couldn't dance for that long. hopefully things will improve if i do it semi-often.

-i stretched before going to bed. once. maybe that will become a nightly thing.....

-i hit up karaoke at the courtside with my old karaoke buddy who is moving away. it was kind of bittersweet because we've grown apart a bit, but it's nice when you can just fall back in to fun. i sang culture club's karma chameleon, pretty poorly, but whatever.

-got a couple of goals with one outing. my sister's wedding was 2 weekends ago (the start of this quest) and it was in gloucester. we went up early to catch lunch downtown, which is where we discovered cape ann's brewpub (new bar for the month). the food was decent for pub grub and we were able to try a sampler of all the beers they had on tap. walked a bit along the waterfront and then checked out hammond castle because that's where the wedding was. it would have been nice to do a beach walk, but it was kind of cold out so we didn't (that and we were kind of pressed for time).

-i also realized it's been a while since i've been to a starbucks, and that i have 4 good local cafes that i regularly pass in my travels, so i should clearly be able to avoid coffee from a chain. until the boat engineer and i were talking and he brought up the fact that sometimes a starbucks is the only place still open when we are traveling. so i decided that i'm adding a caveat to my no starbucks for a year thing, and that is it doesn't count if i'm traveling because sometimes there is no local, non chain option. and starbucks isn't the worst chain coffee place out there, so c'est la vie. but i'm really going to try not to go to one at all....

-donated to the breast cancer research foundation. so that's one down, two to go.

things i need to do before the week is over:

-dance some more
-laundry (the duvet and one load of clothes for sure)
-read like crazy, or at least regularly.
-buy christmas tickets home
-update work log

things to be on the radar:

-oil change
-yoga
-date night
-acupuncture
-wine tasting
-pedicure
-paper journal

postcrossing tracking

sent off my first of hopefully 33 postcards. ideally, i'd like to do one a month, but as long as i get 33 total by the end of the 1001 days, i'll be happy. so here's the (growing) list:

us-3027611 (10/9/14) received (10/15)
us-3067628 (11/3/14) received (11/21)
us-3196018 (1/23/15) received (2/13)
us-3196020 (1/23/15) received (1/28)
us-3217311 (2/4/15) received (2/17)
us-3260309 (3/2/15) received (3/17)
us-3325060 (4/8/15) received (4/25/15)
us-3428317 (6/9/15) received (6/21/15)
us-3428326 (6/9/15) received (6/20/15)
us-3486927 (7/14/15) received (8/1/15)
us-3529308 (8/6/15) received (9/3/15)
us-3602312 (9/16/15) received 

4th attempt, new blog!

local travel
 1  visit martha's vineyard or nantucket 0/1
 2  have a beach day once a month june, july, august 0/7
 3  go to a water park every summer 0/3
 4  day trips in NE quarterly 1/7 (gloucester 10/14)

serious travel
 5  go to the kentucky derby 0/1
 6  spring training yearly 1/3 (15, 16, 17)
 7  travel abroad 0/1
 8  visit VT(Nov) 1/3, ME (Jul) 1/2, CO(Dec) 1/3, AZ(Dec) 1/3, FL(Mar) 1/3, yearly; MD once 0/1
 9  attend a cocktail festival 1/1 Thirst Boston 2014

 10  visit autumn 0/1
 11  visit becca 0/1
 12  romantic getaway with boat engineer 0/1

things to do (in boston)
 13  st patricks day in southie 0/1
 14  cyclorama for world aids day 0/1
 15  see one movie nominated for best picture each year 0/3
 16  see shakespeare in the park yearly 1/2

things to buy
 17  buy every season of supernatural 0/9
 18  buy one unique piece of jewelry a year 1/3
 19  buy one investment piece a year 0/3

sporty/exercise
 20  learn to sail 0/1
 21  do yoga twice a month 0/66
 22  go snowboarding each winter 0/3
 23  run a 5k each year 0/3
 24  ride bike to work weekly may through september
 25  (belly) dance weekly 4/143
 26  take weekly flamenco classes for a season (3 months) 0/36
 27  be able to do the splits with either leg in front
 28  go ice skating each winter (dec/14) 1/3

organization/to do
 29  update the 101 list monthly 8/33
 30  write in paper journal monthly 0/33
 31  marzibox cleaned 2x week 52/286
 32  do laundry every other week 16/72
 33  perform regular maintenance on car
 34  maintain paperwork in an organized manner
 35  throw away/donate clothing/shoes yearly 0/3
 36  develop old film rolls
 37  create a contact list
 38  digitize cds/get music from computers
 39  update my ez pass
 40  subscribe to the magazines i want and refrain from buying them in the store
 41  update passport

fun:crafty
 42  redo an old piece of furniture
 43  go through wardrobe and create/photograph outfits
 44  frame all prints and hang them
 45  start and maintain an herb garden

fun:social
 46  host a tea party
 47  check out a  new bar/restaurant each month 13/33 (cape ann brew pub 10/14, argyle (denver) 12/14, barcelona 1/15, viale 2/15. brewers fork 3/15, ward 8 3/15, kirkland tap and trotter 6/15, loyal nine 7/15, puritan and co 7/15, sams 8/15, hojoko 8/15, baseball tavern 8/15, brick and mortar 8/15)
 48  go on a real date each month 9/33
 49  be a regular at one bar I love
 50  go to karaoke once a month 11/33 (10/10, 11/12, 12/3, 1/23/15, 1/30, 2/13, 3/6, 4/21, 5/14, 6/17, 8/10)
 51  have a really awesome nye?
 52  have afternoon tea at a fancy hotel or tea house
 53  get a real christmas tree and have a decorating party
 54  have a pumpkin beer tasting

 55  participate in postcrossing monthly 6/33 (10/14, 11/3, 1/23(2), 2/4, 3/1, 4/8, 6/9(2), 8/6, 9/16)

communication
 56  send birthday cards each month 0/30
 57  send christmas cards yearly 0/3 missed the first year :(
 58  visit james/andrea/matt 3x a year 0/9

health:well-being
 59  get wisdom teeth removed/dental work done
 60  lights out by 3am
 61  get acupuncture monthly 0/33
 62  eat at home at least 3 nights a week
 63  take marzipan to the vet yearly 1/3 (3/31/15)
 64  go to the doctor yearly 0/3
 65  go to the dentist yearly 0/3
 66  have and maintain health insurance 1/3 (i applied for 2015)
 67  return to therapy
 68  maintain weight below 130lbs
 69  become a member at the ymca
 70  be living in an apt that is comfortable and i love

pampering
 71  get a facial quarterly 0/11
 72  take a bath quarterly 0/11
 73  buy flowers seasonally 1/11 (2/28)
 74  get a bra fitting and get new bras
 75  get a manicure quarterly 3/11
 76  get a pedicure once a month 4/33
 77  get a massage quarterly 0/11
 78  go on an ashram retreat

education/betterment
 79  become fluent in french
 80  read a book monthly 12/33 (dare me, the girl you left behind, the interestings, my horizontal life, midnight in europe, the vacationers, the shadow of the wind, 2 am at the cat's pajamas, the paris winter, cupcakes and cashmere, throw out fifty things, adultery )
 81  go to a monthly wine tasting 4/33 (11/13, 12/11, 2/5, 7/1)
 82  join a csa
 83  go starbucks-less for a year (caveat, while not traveling) (started 10/5/14, still going as of 9/16/15)
 84  take a cheese class

financial/job stuffs
 85  have one school loan paid off
 86  take care of outstanding debts
 87  be back on track with loans payments
 88  have $10,000 in 401k
 89  have six months living expenses in cash
 90  have a job i really love
 91  maintain cc's in a way that they can be paid off within 6 months
 92  create a budget and stick to it
 93  maintain precise records on work hours and wages
 94  update resume yearly 1/3

good vibes/volunteering
 95  donate yearly to breast cancer research/prevention in october 1/3
 96  volunteer yearly 0/3
 97  donate my hair
 98  buy a coffee or pay a toll for stranger once a year 0/3
 99  vote yearly 1/3
100  consecutive seasons of mlu volunteering 0/2
101  attend a charity ball each year 0/3


beginning date: oct 5, 2014
ending date: july 2, 2017