Things I Didn't Get Done This Year

I find that I am funniest when I am filled with self-mockery and deprecation, especially when telling a story. People love stories where I make myself look like an ass - take my favorite story from Kenya, for example, the now infamous "Bunny Story." It almost always gets a laugh.

Lists are no exception to the mockery and deprecation. Sometimes I almost wonder if I make lists because I KNOW I will not complete them...thereby giving me a reason to make ANOTHER list. It's a vicious cycle - there's the "good" side of my brain that says "go! achieve! accomplish! be brilliant!" and then there's the wicked side of my brain that laughs and points and says "ahahahahah I sooo knew you wouldn't get that done."

Some may be upset by the lack of accomplishment, but I have decided not to worry too much about it. Because one makes a Bucket List in order to have a list of things to do before one dies....and this always leads me to think that with the completion of a Bucket List one does not find an overwhelming sense of self-satisfaction but DEATH.
Therefore in my lack of completion I have, for another year, cheated death!! VICTORY!

Seriously though, here's what I did and didn't do:

27 Things I Want to Do Before I'm 28:

1. Go somewhere new and somewhat faraway NO
2. Make a superfluous and ridiculous cake for no reason YES! I made not 1 but 2 bee cakes
3. Finish my running excel file bird life list (uber DORK!) there is plenty of time to be dorky!
4. Make a blurb photo book Yes - made two!
5. Run the Boston Marathon* No. Stress fracture, shin splints blah blah blah
6. Take more photos of everything, especially people Yes
7. Become insanely and enviously organized ha ha ha yeah right
8. Finish a long-abandoned craft project (under the sea cross stitch? sr year calligraphy project?)
I count the lizard ridge afghan because I bought most of the yarn for it years ago:

9. FTDS and move in with Jamaal, opinions and judgements be damned No, but that's because the opportunity did not present itself. I will be doing this this year, and soonish. And actually there won't be judgments or opinions. I must've been very angsty when I wrote the original list!
10. Memorize a poem. Or two. "Bright Star, were I would as steadfast as thou art..not...alone..." um. No.
11. Set the bar higher at work- I'm not organized, I'm not putting in 100%, and that makes me sad - Kinda sorta.
12. GET OUT OF DEBT DAMMIT, ALLISON! ha ha ha no
13. Spend more quality time with Jamaal. We hardly have any down time or time to do fun things beyond go out to dinner. I want to do fun stuff for a change (not that food isn't fun, but you know). I want to do photo-worthy things. eh No
14. See a Red Sox game LIVE (bonus points for a stadium other than Fenway!) Nope. Damn.
15. Skip work, even if just for a day, to do something furtive and fun, like go to the beach. ooooh the indulgence! Uh, I took a personal day for a facial! Does that count?
16. Have the wedding planned out almost to completion so I enjoy the day Not precisely, but I'm doing OK
17. Take advantage of what Boston has to offer (restaurants, museums, shows etc) No. I suck.
18. Help more people and animals. I donate platelets and all, but it's kind of removed from the situation. Uh, ha ha ha I comforted a catbird while it died in my backyard...and I totally saved a woodpecker this Christmas. Oy.
19. Bird watch more - see five new species! (neeerrrddd alert) Yes. Super-Nerdy
20. Take better care of my skin (beyond sunscreen, I don't do much of anything) This is a yes. I just bought a Clarisonic too (dying to use it, Sephora is taking its sweetass time sending it!)
21. Chillax more. I am overbooked always, and feel guilty when I don't want to go to something, but have nothing to do otherwise. Have to stop feeling guilty too. Oh GOD no, I am not chillaxed. I have less guilt though.
22. Conquer a fear (this will be the hardest thing on the list!) Um. I don't think I really did this....unless you count "letting Jam pick a DJ" as one, lol
23. Reduce that knitting stash! No...BUT I did not add to it. Key.
24. Visit the Mapparium NO
25. Reconnect with someone YES
26. Spend more time in my kayak taking in the world. YES
27. Make a five-course dinner for me and Jamaal. I don't even know what those five courses would be really, but it's the kind of thing you hear in movies, and I'm gonna do it! YES! OMG and it was so good, even if the main course was spaghetti and heart-shaped meatballs!

I have a 37% completion rate here. Eck, that is bad! I am thinking of adding to this list and making one of those 100 things in 1000 days list, because I am self-centered and like thinking about all the stuff I want to do and goals and sh*t. Maybe that's what I'll do tomorrow to escape the mundane happenings at the office. Maybe....