Day Zero Project: 101 in 1001

A while back my best friend, Brett, messaged me on Google chat about an experience called "Day Zero, home of the 1001 Day Challenge."


The idea is simple: come up with 101 tasks you'd like to complete within 1001 days. According to the Day Zero Project website, "tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined" and "tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part."

I often find myself saying "I want to do that one day" and saw this project as a way to turn that statement into "I am going to do that one day."

So, after a week of brainstorming, scouring the web for inspiration, and garnering insight from friends and family, I came up with 101 things! Although I am happy with my list, I have decided that if I come up with something that seems more fitting, I might remove one of my less than stellar ideas.

I'm not much of a writer, but I thought it was important to blog about my progress. If anyone would like to help me with any of my tasks - please let me know! I think part of doing this project is to get out there and do things with my friends and family! With that, here's my list (I'm officially starting the project as of July 1, 2011 - which means 1001 days will come to an end on March 29, 2014).
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1. Make Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon (0/1)
   
2. Get my tattoo updated (0/1)
3. Go to a state that I have never been to before (Kentucky) (1/1)
4. Offer to (and actually) buy groceries for a random stranger (0/1)
5. Adopt a vegetarian lifestyle for one week (0/1)
6. Get a will written for myself (0/1)
7. Visit a brewery (1/1) (Troegs)
8. Stay at a bed & breakfast (0/1)
9. Finish a 5K in under 25 minutes (0/1)
10. Finish a half marathon in 2 hours or less (done January 2012)(1/1)
11. Take a hip hop dance class (0/1)
12. Host a costume or theme party (0/1)
13. Participate in the "Day of Silence" (0/1)
14. Eat at (at least one) of the best restaurants in the country (0/1)
15. Incorporate lifiting into my exercise regimen at least 2 times/week for a month (without compromising my normal exercise habits) (0/1)
16. Ask five people for their favorite books and read each one (Pavan)(Aunt Nanci)(Brett)(3/5)
17. Ride a segway (done August 2011) (1/1)
18. Learn to knit (0/1)
19. Cook 5 new-to-me dinner recipes (1 done, July 2011)(2 done, September 2011)(3 done, November 2011)(4 done, December 2011)(5 done, February 2012)(5/5)
    
20. Go to a movie by myself (0/1)
21. Tailgate at and go see a Penn State game (0/1)
22. Take a pilates class (0/1)
23. Tour a winery (0/1)
24. Learn to play chess (0/1)
25. See all of the films that, since I was born, have won the Academy Award for Best Picture (The King's Speech)(Driving Miss Daisy)(Argo)(3/31)
26. Bake something from scratch once a month for 6 months (July 2011 done)(August 2011 done)(September 2011 done)(October 2011 done)(November 2011 done)(December 2011)(6/6)
    
27. See a drive-in movie (0/1)
28. Compete in the Warrior Dash or some other "mud" race (Run for Your Lives, 10/27/2012)(1/1)
29. "Glam it up" one night before going out - red lips, styled hair, the works! (0/1)
30. Try 5 new foods (July 2011)(October 2011)(November 2011)(January 2012)(April 2012)(5/5)
31. Go alcohol free for two weeks (0/1)
32. See a play (rather than a musical) in New York City (0/1)
33. Go on a camping trip (0/1)
34. Take a cake decorating class (0/1)
35. Visit 5 restaurants I've never been to in my hometown/surrounding area (Chalit's Thai Bistro)(Blue Moose Bar & Grille)(ShakeDown BBQ)(breads 'n spreads)(MoMo's BBQ & Grill)(5/5)
36. By a "special" piece of jewelry (0/1)
37. Volunteer/participate in some form of community service 5 times (Dickinson Day of Service)(United Way Day of Caring)(Wildwood Park Volunteer Day)(3/5)
38. Prepare a four course meal for friends and/or family (Thanksgiving in March 2012) (1/1)
39. Learn to tie a tie (Halloween 2012)(1/1)
40. Get another stamp on my passport (0/1)
41. Buy a bike - then ride it on a regular basis (0/1)
42. Go out all night into the early hours of the morning and watch the sun rise (0/1)
43. Help my parents organize all of their photographs (0/1)
44. Participate in an urban scavenger hunt (0/1)
45. Go roller skating/roller blading (0/1)
46. Compile "Six-Word Memoirs" from people in my life (0/1)
47. Send a "just because" package to a friend or family member (0/1)
48. Do the Polar Bear Plunge or something similar (0/1)
49. Work out before work every day for a week (0/1)
50. Organize my iTunes library (0/1)
51. Plan a vacation with my college girlfriends (0/1)
52. Plan a vacation with my BEST (0/1)
53. Learn to play Hearts (0/1)
54. Try 5 "classic" cocktails I have never tasted (Manhattan)(Sidecar)(2/5)
55. Attend Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney (0/1)
56. Get a psychic reading (0/1)
57. Go to an amusement park I have never been to before (0/1)
58. Bring a packed lunch to work every day for a month (0/1)
59. Go on a "Facebook strike" for one week (0/1)
60. Go rock climbing (0/1)
61. Wear my hair different every day for a week (0/1)
62. Make my own sushi rolls (0/1)
63. Learn how to drive a stick shift (0/1)
64. Go ice skating in Rockefeller Center (0/1)
65. Go somewhere and play bingo (0/1)
66. Take surfing lessons (0/1)
67. Take a hot air balloon ride (0/1)
68. Have a legit picnic (complete with a basket)(Summer 2012)(1/1)
69. Turn off my phone for 24 hours (0/1)
70. Visit 5 museums (Franklin Institute, Summer 2011)(Wolf Sanctuary, March 2012)(2/5)
71. Research my family heritage/lineage and start to create a family tree (0/1)
72. Buy an original piece of art (0/1)
73. Tour the State Capitol in Harrisburg again (0/1)
74. Visit Ellis Island (0/1)
75. Sew myself an article of clothing (0/1)
76. Build a gingerbread house (Christmas 2012)(/1)
77. Run along Boathouse Row in Philadelphia (September 29, 2012)(1/1)
78. Participate in a Zombie Walk (0/1)
79. Visit the birthplace or gravesite of a cultural icon (0/1)
80. Learn how to properly throw a frisbee (0/1)
81. Go see the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC (0/1)
82. Learn how to make a national dish (0/1)
83. Memorize a favorite poem (0/1)
84. Be part of a flash mob (0/1)
85. Participate in the Komen 3-Day for the Cure (0/1)
86. Sing the national anthem at a public event (0/1)
87. Become a member of WITF (1/1)
88. Go white water rafting again (0/1)
89. Ride a mechanical bull (0/1)
90. Visit Coney Island (0/1)
91. Stand in four states at the same time (the "four corners") (0/1)
92. Go to Las Vegas again now that I am over 21 (0/1)
93. Go to a professional football game (0/1)
94. Play a hand of poker in a casino (0/1)
95. Celebrate Halloween in New York City (0/1)
96. Fly a kite (done July 2011)(1/1)
97. Do not go out to eat for one month (0/1)
98. Participate in a protest (March 13, 2012) (1/1)
99. See the Philadelphia Union (April 14, 2012)(1/1)
100. Watch a meteor shower (0/1)
101. Put away $10 for every goal achieved (0/101)