It's a Fait Accompli

2009-07-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

UPDATE 7/15- No items completed but three multi-part items have additions.

#61: Buy three new suits, I bought two today, hopefully they will get lots of use this coming fall.

#90: Play golf 10 times per season, played Miners Ridge a few weeks ago, that makes four with a sold 4 months left in the season.

#30: Swim in Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf- Atlantic is done and did it off Martha's Vineyard.

I also need to add another item to accomplish in 2009. Thinking about what that could be.

An update on the in progress items:

James's 101 Things To Do In 1001 Days...
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days (that's 2.75 years)
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 my part).

Start Date: November 22, 2008 (no, not a coincidence is you know your history)
End Date: August 20, 2011

Health

1. 8% body fat by May 15, 2010
2. Run a 5k
3. Run a marathon
4. Run a triathlon
5. Drink more red wine, less beer and liquor (gonna need at least 20 examples of this before its marked off)

a. 11/25- Choice between beer and wine. Chose wine

b. 12/26
c. 4/2
6. Climb Mount Washington
7. Get a complete physical Done 2/5

8. Go to the dentist 2 times a year
9. Drink 8 glasses of Water a day in April of 2009
10. Do not eat after 8:00, Monday thru Friday, except on holidays in April of 2009
11. Go a month without wearing contact lenses
12. Be a vegetarian for a month
13. Go on a liquid diet for two weeks

Entertainment

14. Hear Jimmy Buffett sing Margaritaville live
15. Hear Bono sing City of Blinding Lights live
16. Go to at least 2 red sox games a season (and sit on the monster seats at least once)
17. Go to Red Sox Spring Training
18. Go to a comedy show
19. Go to play on Broadway
20. Get season tickets to BC football

Education
21. Finish in the Top 5% of my graduating class
22. Win at least 3 more CALI awards before I graduate
23. Read the Bible
24. Read the Koran
25. Read the Art of Happiness, by his holiness, the Dali Lama
26. Learn Latin
27. Read writings of Aeschylus
28. Read one biography, “classic” piece of literature or self-help book every two months

a. "The Nine" by Jeffrey Toobin

b. "The Death Penalty" by Hugo Bedau

c. "The Great Derrangement by Matt Taibi

d. Next: Becoming Justice Blackmun

29. Learn to play an instrument
*And due to time constraints, “read includes audiobooks as long as I do it while running on the treadmill!

Travel

30. Swim in the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

July 4th- Atlantic Ocean, Martha's Vineyard

31. Try skiing again or snowboarding
32. Nantucket
33. Get a passport
34. Go to Ground Zero
35. Drink a margarita at Margaritaville
36. Sit on a double decker in London, England
37. Eat a lobster on Cape Cod
38. Go to a vineyard
39. Go some place where English, is the second language
40. New York City during the x-mas season
41. Stand on the Cliffs of Moher

For Others

42. Volunteer 50 hours by day 365

10 hours done as of 7/11
43. Volunteer 100 hours by day 730
44. Donate $100 by day 365
45. Donate $200 by day 730
46. Buy a cup of coffee for random stranger in starbucks drive thu
47. Buy food for a homeless person
48. Buy a Christmas gift for a child

Professional /Personal Wealth

49. Do something to get involved in local politics
50. Graduate from law school
51. Pass the Bar
52. Save 25k for a house (this includes 10k already saved)
53. Understand my 401k and take control of it

54. File my taxes the first week I can

a. Done for 2009
55. Apply for 5 scholarships for last year of law school

56. Be debt free (excluding student loans)

57. Buy Real Estate

Toys
58. Iphone or Blackberry
59. Aviator Ray-bans
60. A tag watch
61. 3 new suits

July 14- Bought two new suits.

Randoms

62. Watch 5 foreign films, including one by Kurosawa
a. Watched “This is England”, 2006 British Film of the Year. 1 of 5 foreign films
63. Play basketball at the Y
64. Just say, finally, "I'm an attorney"
65. Play basketball at Morgan
66. Sleep in a tent for three days
67. Go to Mary Ann’s , Eagles’s Deli and Roggies
68. Don’t shave for a month
69. Fly non-commerical
70. Get me, matt, shane, gary, josh & joe into the same room at the same time
71. Visit a friend from high school, a friend from college, and a relative, who all live in another state.
72. Ask a stranger out on a date
73.Take Liam to the Vet
74. Fast for 48 hours
75. Attend 3 school social events
76. Lose 20 pounds by June 1, 2009
77. Add in 2009
78. Add in 2010
79. Add in 2010
80. Visit my Grandma and be ok with her asking me if I have a girlfriend, 20 times in an hour 2/1
81. Visit my Great-Grandma
82. Visit the Supreme Court
83. Find Ben Shiu (or at least document considerable effort) Unsuccessful but I gave it a shot
84. Watch a movie at a drive-in theater
85. Hear President Obama speak (live)
86. Go to a Uconn game at Gampel
87. Go without Starbucks for a month- Done and I don't miss it 2/4
88. Dress up for Halloween every year
89. Publish Something
90. Play golf 10 times for each calendar year
2009-
a. Banner Lodge 4/10
b. Grassy Hill 5/10,
c. Quarry Ridge, 5/31

d. Miner's Ridge, 6/22

91. Watch the sunrise
92. Buy a piece of artwork.
93. Make 10 new business related contacts a year
94. Play football on Thanksgiving
95. Go fishing
96. Be in a relationship for at least 6 months
97. Move in my treadmill to apartment
98. Take Bandit to Starbucks DONE 11/27/08
99. Find that Belgium Beer I really liked
100. Finish this list in 1001 days
101. Start a new list.

2009-06-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

UPDATE 6/6/09

Ok, its been way too long, Erik has done a good job harassing me and I’ve done a good job ignoring him, but no more. Big update here, a number of things totally completed and a number of things done for the on-going lists.

Completed Items
#9—Drink 8 glasses of water a day in April (I have carried this into May and June)
#10 No food after 8 in April
#58 Got the blackberry (how did I live without it?)
#59 Got the Ray-Bans
#76- Lost 20 pounds by June 1, under 200 pounds for the first time in LONG time…
#35 Drink a margarita at Margaritaville (SEE PIC)
#44- Donate $100 to charity by day 365 ($75 to Susan Komen, $25 to MS Walk, also helped to personally raise $125 dollars for Breast Cancer and Team Raised nearly $700+

And drumroll, this is the first of the big 3 physical challenges, Ran a 5k for breast cancer research #2

On-Going Items

#42- Fifty Hours of Charity By Day 365
*5 hours for CT MS Walk
*3 Hours for Susan Komen Race for A Cure

#90 Play Golf 10 Times per year
2009
Added Grassy Hill 5/10,
Quarry Ridge, May 31

#62 Watch 5 Foreign Films
Watched “This is England”, 2006 British Film of the Year. 1 of 5 foreign films.

Also finished exams, little closer to graduation/bar/being lawyer etc. One more year!
Set up debt consolidation loan—will be debt free excluding school loans 4/10

Next step, need to start knocking some things off the travel list.

2009-04-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Update: #65, Play basketball at Morgan is done, played in the Alumni game, good times; Applied for 5 scholarships done; also added to on-going list #5 and will get my first round of golf in this weekend #90.

New Item for 2009

2009-03-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

3/29- Adding a new item to one of my 2009 wild cards, looking to lose 20 pounds by June 1.

Update 3/24

2009-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well, not really anything done in the last month, BUT many things in the works. Currently planning a trip to Ireland in June/July, which will not only eliminate that one, but will require me to get a passport. Also, moved from the top 7% to the top 6% in my class last semester, so a little closer to 5%. Continue to train for the 5k this summer. I also have a new boss who is a red sox season ticket holder which I really hope will help my red sox games. Also started my scholarship applications for next year. And should be debt free by May. And I should have my blackberry by end of april. Basically, I'm gonna start plowing through things in the next 30-60 days.

Update 2/5

2009-02-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

Well overdue update, I have completed #'s 7, 57, 87, 83 and 80 (complete physical, taxes are done for 2009, visited my grandmother last week, no starbucks for a month, and I tried to find Ben Shui, no luck on that one... several others are in the works and should have another decent update in a few weeks. I should find out if I have won any CALI awards for this past semester, I'm also in the midst of my february no food after 8pm challenge, and I'm also training for my first 5k, which will hopefully be the aptly named "Ambulance Chase" 5k at my law school, which I think counts as a school event as well, so that will assist with another goal.

2009-01-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

Well, before Erik verbally berates me more, I think I will update my blog. Over the break I visited my great-grandmother, 98 years young, #81; and I read a biography on the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, called "The Nine", which I highly recommend if you are a Supreme Court junkie like me # 28; I moved my treadmill into my apartment #98; and I found the beer I loved at a springfield bar that went out of business, its called K-O blond beer #99

In progress: I did take three law school exams which indirectly moves me closer to 21, 22, 50 and 64; yesterday I started my Starbucks fast for one month 1-4--2/4/09;

2008-12-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2008

Slow start on my list, but probably the worst time of year to start this. I do have a few plan in the works for January, including going to Obama's swearing in, which while doing I will visit an out of state friend, an out of state relative and swing by the Supreme Court, so that's 4 down. Oh and I did take Bandit to starbucks, even though he refused to sit in the front seat with me cause he's a big baby.

2008-11-22T11:48:00.001-08:00

James's 101 Things To Do In 1001 Days...
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days (that's 2.75 years)
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 my part).

Start Date: November 22, 2008 (no, not a coincidence is you know your history)
End Date: August 20, 2011

Health

1. 8% body fat by May 15, 2010
2. Run a 5k
3. Run a marathon
4. Run a triathlon
5. Drink more red wine, less beer and liquor (gonna need at least 20 examples of this before its marked off)

a. 11/25- Choice between beer and wine. Chose wine

b. 12/26
c. 4/2
6. Climb Mount Washington
7. Get a complete physical Done 2/5

8. Go to the dentist 2 times a year
9. Drink 8 glasses of Water a day in April of 2009
10. Do not eat after 8:00, Monday thru Friday, except on holidays in April of 2009
11. Go a month without wearing contact lenses
12. Be a vegetarian for a month
13. Go on a liquid diet for two weeks

Entertainment

14. Hear Jimmy Buffett sing Margaritaville live
15. Hear Bono sing City of Blinding Lights live
16. Go to at least 2 red sox games a season (and sit on the monster seats at least once)
17. Go to Red Sox Spring Training
18. Go to a comedy show
19. Go to play on Broadway
20. Get season tickets to BC football

Education
21. Finish in the Top 5% of my graduating class-------Finished Top 6
22. Win at least 3 more CALI awards before I graduate------------Got 1
23. Read the Bible
24. Read the Koran
25. Read the Art of Happiness, by his holiness, the Dali Lama
26. Learn Latin
27. Read writings of Aeschylus
28. Read one biography, “classic” piece of literature or self-help book every two months

a. "The Nine" by Jeffrey Toobin

b. "The Death Penalty" by Hugo Bedau

c. "The Great Derrangement by Matt Taibi

d. Next: Becoming Justice Blackmun

July 4th- Atlantic Ocean, Martha's Vineyard

54. File my taxes the first week I can

a. Done for 2009
55. Apply for 5 scholarships for last year of law school

56. Be debt free (excluding student loans)

57. Buy Real Estate

Toys
58. Iphone or Blackberry
59. Aviator Ray-bans
60. A tag watch
61. 3 new suits

July 14- Bought two new suits.

Randoms

62. Watch 5 foreign films, including one by Kurosawa
a. Watched “This is England”, 2006 British Film of the Year. 1 of 5 foreign films
63. Play basketball at the Y
64. Just say, finally, "I'm an attorney"
65. Play basketball at Morgan
66. Sleep in a tent for three days
67. Go to Mary Ann’s , Eagles’s Deli and Roggies
68. Don’t shave for a month
69. Fly non-commerical
70. Get me, matt, shane, gary, josh & joe into the same room at the same time
71. Visit a friend from high school, a friend from college, and a relative, who all live in another state.
72. Ask a stranger out on a date
73.Take Liam to the Vet
74. Fast for 48 hours
75. Attend 3 school social events
76. Lose 20 pounds by June 1, 2009
77. Enlist in the Army
78. Get the Army Physical Fitness Badge
79. Add in 2011
80. Visit my Grandma and be ok with her asking me if I have a girlfriend, 20 times in an hour 2/1
81. Visit my Great-Grandma
82. Visit the Supreme Court
83. Find Ben Shiu (or at least document considerable effort) Unsuccessful but I gave it a shot
84. Watch a movie at a drive-in theater
85. Hear President Obama speak (live)
86. Go to a Uconn game at Gampel
87. Go without Starbucks for a month- Done and I don't miss it 2/4
88. Dress up for Halloween every year
89. Publish Something
90. Play golf 10 times for each calendar year
2009-
a. Banner Lodge 4/10
b. Grassy Hill 5/10,
c. Quarry Ridge, 5/31