the one with 31

alright, who's ready for a new list? :)

if you're not familiar with my list making, let me explain. on my birthday, i publish a list of goals equal in number to my age. today i turn 31, so this year's list has 31 goals. i've done this each year since 27. if you're interested: the 27 project, the great 28, the year before 30 and v3.0.

1. watch 31 johnny depp movies: between my netflix queue and my own stash of movies, i have 37 movies available to me. one that netflix doesn't have is The Brave, which i hear is johnny's directorial debut. i may do a little searching to find a copy of that one.

2. read 31 chapters: i have a beautiful bookcase filled with beautiful books. most of which i've never opened. i can't commit to reading 31 books - it's too much and i don't want to be tied to reading a book i'm not enjoying. so i'm going to read 31 chapters. granted, all i need to do is read Eclipse (which has been sitting next to my bed for months) and i'll be almost done. :)

3. go 31 days without watching Friends: hi. i'm 'becca. and i'm addicted to Friends.

4. make 31 new recipes: it's too bad i couldn't have started this one two weeks ago. i've made a lot of new stuff lately. :)

5. prepare food for someone else 31 times: it can be dinner, it can be appetizers, it can be cookies. but why make 31 new recipes & not share them? :)

6. take 31 photos a day for 31 consecutive days: this works out to being a photo for every 31 minutes i'm awake. it's nice of the math to work out that way, isn't it? i'm thinking of setting the alarm on my phone to go off every 31 minutes, and taking a photo of what ever is in front of me at the time. i think people at work will just start to phase it out.

7. send 31 pieces of mail: that's pretty self-explanatory, right?

8. blog 31 days in a row: i've done it before, i can do it again.

9. watch 31 episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent: truth is, i love Vincent D'Onofrio (even if i do have to copy & paste his name because i can't spell it). 31 episodes won't even cover 2 full seasons, but it'll give me something to watch as i avoid the Friends dvds. :)

10. watch 31 Friends episodes in preparation: i want to have a Friends trivia party this year. but since all of my goals include the number 31 one (and i can't fit 31 people in the house. nor do i know 31 people who would come to such a party), this was the best way to include it on the list. i know, i'm also avoiding Friends for 31 days. but i'm thinking i'll avoid the show early in the year and then have fresh eyes to watch 31 episodes & glean trivia goodies.

11. take 31 photos of the same object or scene: i want to do a series of photographs where the only thing that changes is time. perhaps all the photos will have the same framing of my backyard, but when i take one each day you'll see the flowers bloom or the grass get cut or whatever.

12. do 31 things i've never done before: the thing is, i think i'm probably more daring than i realize. i want to pay attention to the things i do this year and really notice when i'm pushing myself to do something new.

13. lose 31 pounds.: i've dropped about 15 pounds since the beginning of december. i can lose 31 more - and keep them off.

14. drive 31 miles on US Route 31: US Route 31 is a north/south highway that spans from northern michigan to southern alabama. it's total length is 1280 miles. since it's so stinkin' close, i'm thinking i need to drive at least 31 miles of it.

15. go 31 days without meat: i don't have any moral issues with eating animals. in fact, i think they're quite tasty. but i want to try some vegetarian goodness. really rely on the fruits of the earth. and, you'll notice, i'm not forcing those 31 days to be consecutive. 31 days total, spread throughout the year, without meat.

16. make 31 pieces of jerky: last year i used the dehydrator for halloween decor. this year, i'm making jerky. personally, i like how i talk about dried animal right after saying i want to go 31 days as a vegetarian.

17. sew 31 seams on a quilt: i don't have to finish anything, but i really need to sew!

18. take at least 3100 photos: this past year i did more traveling than ever, so my photo count was way up (around 5600). i don't foresee quite as much travel this year, but i still want to take a lot of photos.

19. play a 31-game series of Phase 10 with liz: hopefully i can continue my current winning streak. :)

20. fill 31 holes: that's my creative way of saying i'm taking down the photo wall in the living room.

21. make use of 31 photos from Ireland: part of the reason i'm taking down the photo wall is because i can't swap out the photos easily. i have nothing from Ireland printed out & displayed. i need to do that.

22: play 31 notes on a musical instrument: it can be the trumpet, the fluglehorn, the accordion or the piano. i just need to play.

23. ride 31 miles on my bike: not all at once, but i need to use my bike this year.

24. scan 31 old photos: this will require buying a scanner. or using my parents'. and since all the old photos are already at my parents' house, that works out nicely.

25. go 31 days without leaving dirty dishes in the sink for more than 31 hours: i stink at washing dishes promptly. this goal doesn't require me to wash them immediately, but it will help keep the kitchen much tidier.

26. secret: i believe the time will come this year when i can reveal this one. however, to avoid any conflict or misunderstanding, i'm keeping it hush-hush until that time arrives. if it doesn't, i'm sorry.

27. give 31 handmade gifts: i'm going to try very hard to not have to include my handmade Christmas cards in this goal ... but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?

28. finish Christmas presents at least 31 hours early: "early" being defined as "before i leave for my parents' house."

29. print 31 photos for the photo album: my photo album is seriously behind.

30. print 31 more photos for the photo album: honest, i don't have anything printed since spring of 2005.

31. print another 31 photos for the photo album:spring of 2005, people!