my 101 in 1001

thanks to my friend sara, i've been inspired to create a list of 101 things i want to accomplish in the next 1001 days. i'm officially starting today (june 24, 2011), which means i will finish by march 20, 2014 at 11:59:59 pm.

be forewarned, a number of the items on my list might be considered tmi ("too much information" for the layperson). here we go:

1- visit china

2- be vegetarian for 30 days (again)

3- blog weekly (0/144)

4- vlog monthly (0/34)

5- learn to play 10 new songs on the bass (0/10)

6- do the splits (front-ways)

7- do a street performance (dance or music)

8- read 50 books (0/50)

9- get rid of all my facial hair

10- translate and subtitle a japanese drama series

11- write and direct a movie

12- host a dinner party at my house (3+ guests)

13- learn how to make 10 classic drinks (0/10)

14- read 5 japanese novels (0/5)

15- record an album

16- visit australia

17- go inside a pachinko parlor

18- write a letter by hand

19- wax my legs

20- bike to mito

21- learn 5 new recipes for every meal (0/15)

22- read the qur'an

23- appear on japanese tv

24- amass a savings of 1,000,000 yen (approx. $12,000)

25- take a yoga class

26- start/join a band

27- be "out" at work

28- bring a sketchbook to the zoo and draw animals

29- memorize the lyrics to 20 japanese songs (0/20)

30- engage in a gyoza-eating competition

31- pass jlpt level 1

32- legally change my name

33- take one picture a day for 30 days in a row

34- make an animated short

35- learn 15 pop dance routines (0/15)

36- find and meet with a therapist

37- visit shikoku

38- visit okinawa

39- make my own kimchi

40- drink beer in a bowling alley

41- watch "buffy the vampire slayer" in its entirety

42- NaNoWriMo

43- learn the prefectures and capitals of japan

44- do an all-day photo shoot

45- take in a bath in something aside from water

46- develop my own series of english, japanese, and chinese lessons

47- make a friend online and meet them in real life

48- literally meet someone for a cup of coffee

49- convince a friend to visit me in japan

50- buy an apron

51- have a sleepover at my house (2+ guests)

52- go to and use the public library

53- go to 20 new bars (0/20)

54- memorize 10 monologues in english and japanese (0/20)

55- buy an area rug

56- memorize the names and numbers of the first 151 pokemon in japanese

57- make a snow angel

58- survive a summer without turning on my ac

59- write a comedy routine

60- wear sunglasses at night

61- experience love

62- do a scavenger hunt

63- learn to play the ocarina

64- draw/write a graphic novel

65- buy something just to smash it

66- eat an entire meal upside down

67- draw my self portrait with crayons

68- sleep in the storage closet under my bed

69- decide what kanji i would use to represent my name

70- organize an enkai

71- get a part time job completely unrelated to teaching

72- dress as dr. girlfriend for halloween or some other costumed occasion

73- make an avocado milkshake

74- find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie-pop

75- get rid of the boys (like you cared to know?)

76- eat a block of cheese in one sitting

77- play hide and seek with people my age

78- watch the best picture winners/nominees from 1996-2010 (0/56)

79- sing a david bowie song at karaoke

80- be homeless for a week

81- go 30 days without facebook

82- go 12 days without the internet

83- design the floor plan of my dream house

84- swallow a piece of gum

85- develop the habit of brushing and flossing daily

86- write a ransom note using letters/words cut out from magazines

87- roll down a grassy hill

88- be someone's slave for a day

89- write 70 poems (0/70)

90- fly a kite

91- win a staring contest

92- visit south korea

93- learn how to sew

94- pick up a chicken

95- make a savory vegetarian sandwich with at least 5 ingredients

96- give a high five to each of the following: a policeman, a cook, and a store clerk

97- eat fresh wasabi root

98- ride my bike while completely drunk

99- swim a mile

100- volunteer

101- lose my virginity to someone i care about

walk walk

i went for a walk today (or yesterday, since it's past midnight). according to google maps it was about 10 miles total—with two sizable breaks.

part 1:
my roommate wanted to go out for some grub and i decided to tag along. as luck would have it, the used jeep he bought yesterday refused to start. having sat around all day—and feeling extremely tired for having done nothing—i was determined to leave the house for a bit. so i set out on foot. i crossed university parkway, and with walmart sinking out of view behind me i headed north on an oddly charming street with a rather sterile name—400 west.

if i had to choose one word to describe the street, it would be personality. this is no cookie-cutter neighborhood (at least not until you get north of center street). it was as if each plot of land was a large-scale caricature of its owner. some flashy, some plain. some private, some open. some lush, some barren. i passed by a peach orchard, and at the end of it there was a young girl yelling "peaches! we got peaches and nectarines!" ("nectarines" sounded like "ice cream" from far away, and i was a bit disappointed when that became clear). i bought a peach for 50 cents. it was quite good—not the most flavorful peach, but it had a good, crisp consistent texture. there's something wonderful about the unplanned roadside purchase of a piece of fruit. 400 west lost the diversity of personality a few blocks later, but i took my time with the peach and hardly noticed the loss.

part 2:
i met up with a friend for coffee at the end of my 400 west walk. we took the bus down to starbucks, sipped our designer drinks, and tried to talk of happy things (which can be hard in utah valley). we missed the last bus by 10 minutes, so we had to walk back. our path took us north on 400 east. i'm not sure how 400 east and 400 west compare visually—good conversation and low light made such observation impossible. we talked. it was nice. i have far too many inane conversations, so 400 east was refreshing.

part 3:
after hanging out for a few minutes, i headed out once more. i retraced my steps along 400 west, now dark and deserted. with little visual stimuli and no desire to entertain an hour of inner monologue, i sang some shibuya-kei classics by pizzicato five and capsule all the way home—a good way to wrap up the night:

三月のある日曇り空のお昼すぎ
レコード買いに二人きりでドライブ
あっあっあっあっ
サングラスかけたキミは僕のドライバー
黒い皮の手袋よくにあう
バックシートで僕はいつも酔っぱらっている
風に吹かれてすごくfeelin' groovy
グルービーな音楽が聞こえたら
僕の baby baby driver
僕の baby baby driver
スピードあげて！

pizzicato five, mini cooper