torsdag, november 15, 2007

(Really Belated) Birthday 43 Things, Part 3

This was the first meme I ever did, way back on my birthday 2 years ago. I repeated it last year, and this year...well, I was in the midst of a not blogging very much phase then and didn't get around to doing it. So, consider it my birthday for purposes of reading this. To get you in the festive mood, this post is accompanied by photos of this year's birthday celebrations. The top photo was my birthday breakfast (without the bread, which was probably warming in the oven). The bottom one shows the path to the breakfast table. The Danish flags you can see indicate that there is a birthday going on.

First the items I have completed from last years list. Actually, I haven't done that many of them, but a few, namely:

27) decide what I would like to do a PhD in. Not that I could quite tell you at the moment what that thing is. But it's the thing I want to do a PhD in anyway.

29) See more of California. Not that there is nothing more to see, but after all my travels this past year, I believe that I've hit all the highlights.

And of course, 41) decide the whole kid/no kid debate before menopause has clearly been sorted.

Which leaves a lot more to be done. Of course there are also several that I'm closer to achieving...I do think I'm more patient (sort of), less procrastinative (in a couple of very small areas), more confident (at times), and with better Danish (actually most of the time, but there are still language exams I want to pass). But none of those are quite where they could be...yet. So they stay. After adding in new goals to replace those which are done (new ones are in bold), the results are....

Before I die, I would like to...
1) climb a mountain.
2) start a successful vegetable garden.
3) continue to improve my Danish.
4/5/6) visit all the continents...at this point, this means South America, Antarctica, and Africa (I was in Morocco, but for less than a day, so it doesn't count).
7) own my own house.
8) have a job where I earn enough that I can afford a mortgage.
9/10/11) have articles or papers published in at least 5 academic journals, 5 large-circulation publications, and the Weekly World News
12) retire before I'm 80.
13) learn how to build websites by building my own.
14) learn how to take professional quality photographs.
15) get a tattoo.
16) make my own cross-stitch designs.
17) learn to meditate.
18) live to see and enjoy my 101st birthday.
19/20) travel around India and China.
21) learn to speak and write Mandarin Chinese.
22) see at least part of the world from a inside a hotair baloon.
23) stop procrastinating so much.
24) get into better physical shape.
25) find a job that I look forward to going to almost every day.
26) complete a PhD.
27) get a PhD position which is worth accepting.
28) radiate self-confidence.
29) learn to scuba dive
30) see more of the US.
31) stop worrying so much about all sorts of things.
32/33) start and successfully run my own business/consulting firm.
34) learn to weave cloth on a floor loom.
35) earn enough money to hire someone to clean my house for me.
36) learn how to network at social events.
37) learn to salsa, and/or samba.
38) learn to make clam chowder.
39/40) read José Saramago and Peter Høeg in the original.
41) survive life with a newborn
42) have more patience with people.
43) appreciate how many things that I wanted to do could not be included here because I've already done them.

10 kommentarer:

Daniel sagde ...

Nice post. I'm one of the founders of 43T -- just ran across your post. You've got a great list!

Devil Mood sagde ...

My God, you are so ambitious!
I wouldn't complete a top 10...I mean, I would, but only if I didn't have the pressure to make any of them come true. Oh no, this is pathetic.

Kari sagde ...

I can probably help you with numbers 1 and 6. Climb a mountain? No problem. Just come visit me someday when I'm at home (in New Hampshire) and you can climb Monadnock with me. And number 6? You are always welcome in Cotonou, but maybe you ought to wait on that one because malaria, malaria medications, and pregnancy don't mix so well... yeah, think you'll have to wait. At least you've got your whole life to complete these things. Wow, that brings new meaning to the concept of a deadline.

x sagde ...

good lord, you are pregnant! how on earth did i miss that?
congratulations my sweet!
hooray! i didn' know!
that's lovely Kim!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

madelyn sagde ...

Life with a newborn is so
beautiful ~ absolute bliss ~
:)

Unknown sagde ...

Not enough people read Peter Høeg even translated. I loved Smilla's Sense of Snow -- and I am "allergic" to cold weather.

Scholiast sagde ...

I like your number 43... Figured at least I've done 1, 7/8/35, 41 (even x4) and - the most recent one - no. 15 :)

kimananda sagde ...

Daniel, welcome, and thanks!

Ms. Mood, I'm not so ambitious. Two years ago, I spent a lot of time making the list, but I can't say that I've gone out to specifically do any of these things. It's just that some are things I've ended up doing. It seems a good way to get thinking about all the things in life that appeal to you.

KB, I'd love to take you up on both your offers. Especially to visit you in Benin. Not while pregnant, probably with a small baby. Would that be advisable?

Chloe, thanks! I posted an official announcement earlier this month, but as I'm now posting everyday, the announcement got covered by a lot of other stuff fairly quickly. And it is pretty lovely so far. :-)

Maddie, I hope so. I'm expecting a combination of bliss and total sleep deprivation, actually!

Kathryn, he's not the easiest read. I read The Woman and the Ape soon before moving to Denmark, and really enjoyed it, but I still need to build some vocabulary before I can tackle Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne...I've had a copy for a while, and periodically slog through a few pages, but at this point, it's still really heavy going.

Scholiast, amazing! It looks fabulous...how big is it? It's hard to tell from the photos.

Anonym sagde ...

now that is quite a list. I wonder what mine would read???

kimananda sagde ...

Day, I'd love to read yours if you decide to do one. When I did my first one two years ago, I found just the process ('o.k., so what do I really want to do in life, what would be cool to have accomplished?') was interesting and insightful.