Anna's 101 Things in 1001 Days

Update: Visit to Oxford (part of goal 006)

sleepercity — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:19:37 +0000

Blogging about goal 006, which is to travel five times to meet up with different friends. Click for main page for goal 006.

Visit to Oxford (Jan/Feb 2009)
Planning to meet up with Sonia, Tanya and Cat. Haven’t seen these wonderful women in far too long and haven’t been to Oxford for years, and never properly, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Update 1: Train tickets booked as of 17/01/09.
Update 2: Visit done! Fri 30th Jan – Mon 2nd Feb. Had a wonderful time, liked the place far more than I was expecting to, have a tonne of photos to upload to Flickr asap. Unfortunately Cat couldn’t make it but I stayed two nights at Tanya’s – for one of which Sonia was also there – and another night with a friend of mine, Richard, who’s studying at the University. Got to see and do an awful lot but still not enough for my liking so will have to go back!
Update 3: Favourite photos from the weekend now up on Flickr.

074) See all the Best Picture Oscar nominees (5/5) (08/10) (0/5)

sleepercity — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:07:39 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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BACKGROUND/CRITERIA

I don’t think I’ve ever seen all the Best Picture Oscar nominees for any one year and I always regret it. I love the Oscars, I can’t help it. I know it’s overblown hype and superficial glamour and a lot of the Academy are idiots and the whole concept of picking ‘winners’, (even though they’ve stopped using that terminology,) is silly. But every year I have the best time watching the thing, from the crazy red carpet and opening ‘We Love the Movies’ bit to droopy-eyed coffee-making and every embarrassing speech. I make a night of it, extra fun in recent years with the various live-blogs, and I’m always happy to.

So, the goal is to have seen every film nominated for Best Picture during the period of my 1001 Days before those 1001 days are up, which means seeing the nominees for 2009, 2010 and 2011. I’ll do my best to see everything before the awards themselves but because I’m in Britain that’s not always possible, though the studios seem to be getting better at giving us earlier release dates.
Obviously this goal will overlap a bit with Goal 073. So shoot me.

I’ll add in my thoughts about each film as I get ’round to it.

PROGRESS

2009 NOMINEES – 5/5
1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – SEEN! 06/02/09 Felt exactly like I thought it would feel. And was wonderful.
2) Frost/Nixon – SEEN! 28/01/09 Good, interesting, kind of sad. Everyone’s very good, especially the two leads, but I’d seen too many trailers etc. and went in already a bit sick of it.
3) Milk – SEEN! 24/01/09 Absolutely loved. Great performances, great direction, really moving, funny and inspiring.
4) The Reader – SEEN! (prior to start date) Liked quite a bit. Excellent acting, engaging plot, not your average.
5) Slumdog Millionaire – SEEN! 10/01/09 Really enjoyed. Direction and editing brilliant. Looks gorgeous, very nice ensemble performance.

2010 NOMINEES – 08/10
* Avatar – SEEN
* The Blind Side
* District 9 – SEEN
* An Education – SEEN
* The Hurt Locker – SEEN
* Inglourious Basterds – SEEN
* A Serious Man – SEEN
* Precious
* Up – SEEN
* Up in the Air – SEEN

2011 NOMINEES – 0/5

055) Donate money to five new causes: ACCOMPLISHED! (22/09/09)

sleepercity — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:10:29 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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BACKGROUND
I donate regularly to a few charities close to my heart but seem to get lazy because of this when in reality there are infinite causes I want to support. I don’t particularly like that generally all I do is throw money at things – hence I have a couple of practical goals on the List to offset this – but when it comes to crises in far-off places it’s really all I can do. I would be useless in person, dead weight. I don’t have any medical training and don’t really speak any languages other than English. But money is something I can spare, and it’s something that, right or wrong, makes a difference. And I’ve got to make a difference.

The criteria for this is to donate to a cause that I’ve never donated to before. So for example, I donate regularly to Cancer Research and have donated in the past (and will again) to specific charities for breast cancer, so those don’t count, but I’ve never donated specifically to lung cancer charities, like the Roy Castle Lung Foundation, for example, so if I did, that would count. I hope to donate to more than five new causes over the course of the 1001 days, I just figured that five was a decent enough number to remind me to seek out new causes.

PROGRESS
1) 27/01/09, Gaza – Donated to the DEC Gaza Appeal, supporting aid for 1.5 million people in the Gaza strip affected by the recent attacks by Israel.
2) 06/02/09, Children’s Adventure Farm Trust – Sponsored a friend who is walking on hot coals for this charity!
3) 08/02/09, charity:water – As part of Twestival and in sponsorship of @twitchhiker.
4) 28/04/09, St Gemma’s Hospice – In sponsorship of an old school friend running the Edinburgh Marathon.
5) 22/09/09, The Anthony Nolan Trust – In sponsorship of a colleague zip-lining from the Runcorn bridge. The trust concentrates on uniting bone marrow donors with leukaemia sufferers.

086) Walk the dogs through the Black Woods – DONE! 14/02/09

sleepercity — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:02:20 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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COMPLETED!

BACKGROUND
Very basic, very easy thing that I never do.
When we first got Jazz – the oldest of my two dogs, a rescue that had been badly treated – I had a lot more time and would regularly let her go tearing around these local woods, but eventually I had less time and our walks fell back to some slightly more local woods and fields. Great place, but the same place, every day.
The Black Woods are ancient woodland, woodland since the end of the last ice age, and they just feel different. So this goal is simple: walk both dogs through the Black Woods. Hopefully I’ll rekindle the old habit.

PROGRESS
Update 1, 26/01/09: Took Jazz today! She had a lovely time stalking the squirrels. You know that Collie freeze-in-position thing? That’s what she does, right low to the ground. She’s got to stay on her lead when she’s in the woods because I can’t see who else might be coming through the trees and she tends to be a bit grumpy with dogs on leads. And chase after cyclists! Not so much fun for the cyclists.
Taking my other dog, Louis – younger, bigger, sillier – asap.

Update 2, 15/02/09: Took Louis yesterday and he bloody loved it. He’s safe to go off the lead, went tearing around after the squirrels, met three new dogs and generally had a lovely time.
Very glad I put this down as a goal. It really was a simple thing that I needed an excuse to get around to doing.

072) Read ten new non-fiction books (01/10)

sleepercity — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:51:15 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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BACKGROUND
I have many, many, many interests. History, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, biology, astronomy, politics, economics… But any research I do is sporadic at best. TV documentaries are great and the internet rules all but both have made me lazy. This goal is about deepening my knowledge in certain areas and actively studying things, rather than kind of passively sitting there being spoken at or jerkily searching for whatever interests me that second. I’ll still do the passive/jerky thing, of course! I’d just like to add in some proper book learnin’.

PROGRESS
01) Negotiating with the Dead by Margaret Atwood
02) Thomas Paine’s The Rights of Man by Christopher Hitchens
03) Essays (Why I Write / The Lion and the Unicorn / A Hanging / Politics and the English Language) by George Orwell
04) Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin
05) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
06) The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf

IDEAS
+ Some Sagan thing
+ Anthropology
+ Robert Peston’s ‘Who Runs Britain…?’ (late 2008 version)
+ Ben Goldacre’s ‘Bad Science’
+ How Not to Write a Novel

006) Travel five times to meet different friends (2/5)

sleepercity — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:52:42 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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BACKGROUND
I love my friends but lots of them are spread all around the country and between the ins and outs of everyone’s schedules and a general lack of disposable income it always seems to take months to go from emailing people with “let’s meet up!” to actually making arrangements and sticking by them. And that’s often my fault. I’m not proactive enough – sometimes because I can be reluctant to foist myself on busy people, friends or not! – so this goal is part of an effort to be more proactive in maintaining and supporting friendships with the people I love and admire.

PROGRESS

1) Visit to Oxford (Jan/Feb 2009): See this post for details.
2) Visit to Sheffield (June 2009)
3)
4)
5)

004) Visit Scotland – DONE! (06/03/09)

sleepercity — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:37:52 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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COMPLETED!

BACKGROUND
I find it endlessly ridiculous that I’ve wandered around continental Europe but never been to some of the awesome places in the world that are also right on my doorstep. I’ve wanted to visit Scotland for years but haven’t yet found the time or the money but that ends now! I find the history of the place fascinating – Christians and Vikings and Picts, oh my! Nice series on TV at the moment about the History of Scotland – and there are myriad cultural and heritage landmarks to take in. The countryside and highlands are obviously supposed to be awe-inspiring, and hiking Ben Nevis would be amazing, but walking anywhere in the country is a must for me while I’m there.

PROGRESS
UPDATE 1 (18/01/09):
Train tickets and Edinburgh hotel booked! (As of 9th January.) Very excited. A couple of days in March this year (2009) won’t be enough but it’s a start. I’m in the process of researching and thinking up a few plans for my time. Want to fit in a good walk, whatever the weather, and a proper touristy sight-see of the city but also find some alternative-y things to do. Shouldn’t really have been as surprised as I was to discover Edinburgh has veggie and vegan cafes/restaurants/shops etc., it’s a major European city, after all, but I’m pleased nonetheless.
UPDATE 2 (09/03/09):
Came back from Edinburgh a few days ago, amazing place, loved it. Will write about it and get photos on Flickr asap!
UPDATE 3 (16/03/09):
Photos up on Flickr here.

Photo to commemorate as per Goal 001:

070) Get a new pair of glasses: ACCOMPLISHED! 13/01/09

sleepercity — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:44:04 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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BACKGROUND
I’ve been surviving on contact lenses for far too long. Every time I go for my aftercare my lovely optician reminds me I need to get a pair of glasses in case of infection etc. My most recent pair are virtually unwearable thanks to my trying to save a bit of money by getting standard lenses without any scratch-proof coating to resist the cuddle attacks of my nutty dogs. Let us all be shocked that spending a bit more money initially often saves it in the long-term. It’ll be such a relief to be able to wake up and not have to stumble around blindly, lending mastery to my lack of physical coordination, shoving bits of plastic into my bleary eyes. Contacts are still generally a lot more practical and enjoyable for me – no wind/rain issues, full field of vision – but it’ll be a relief to give my peepers a rest.

ACCOMPLISHED!
13/01/09

Photo to commemorate as per goal 001:

071) Read prose by thirty authors whose work I’ve never read before (03/30)

sleepercity — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:30:12 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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BACKGROUND/CRITERIA
I have a tendency to read the same authors, to find someone I love and read everything they’ve written, and that’s fine, but it’s narrow. My aim in making this a goal is to have a reminder to expand my literary horizons next time I find myself stroking the spine of a seventh Margaret Atwood or contemplating re-re-reading The Amber Spyglass.

PROGRESS
01) Paul Auster, ‘The New York Trilogy’ (Early 2009)
02) Mary Shelley, ‘Frankenstein’
03) Gabriel Garcia Marquez, ‘Memories of My Melancholy Whores’
04) Anne Michaels, ‘Fugitive Pieces’ (Oct 2009)
05) Dan Rhodes, ‘Anthropology’ (May 2009)
06) Ernest Hemingway, ‘Collected Stories’
07) Ray Bradbury, ‘We’ll Always Have Paris’
08) Aldous Huxley, ‘Brave New World’
09) Anais Nin, ‘Collages’
10) Scarlett Thomas, ‘The End of Mr. Y’ (Sep 2009)
11) Sam Savage, ‘The Cry of the Sloth’
12) Don DeLillo, ‘The Body Artist’

IDEAS
George Eliot: That’s right, I’ve never read George Elliot. Please hold off your throwing of stones and various paraphernalia until the end of the post. ‘Middlemarch’ (my mum’s favourite book) and ‘Daniel Deronda’ are my priorities.
Leo Tolstoy: I was sort of named for ‘Anna Karenina’, I should probably read the book.
DH Lawrence: Probably ‘The Rainbow’ first.

073) See 101 new films (087/101)

sleepercity — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:11:54 +0000

This is a goal for ’101 Things in 1001 Days’.
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BACKGROUND/CRITERIA
I’m a film nut, I really don’t need any help with seeing movies, but no matter how many I catch there always seem to be things that I miss and feel really sorry about, so this struck me as a good way to pack some of them in.
The only real rule is that the films have to be completely new to me to be counted on the list. It’s really difficult to avoid seeing a few seconds’ clip in the promotion of certain big releases, so that’s allowed. I’m thinking more of films that are on TV. If it’s something to which I’ve seen the end or the beginning or some part in the middle at some point in the past, I can’t count it. Even if I walk in halfway through and only see a couple of minutes of it, I’m not allowed to add a later viewing of the full thing to the list. And no “it was on in the background”s. I hate doing that with films, anyway; far more satisfying to be properly in the thing.

PROGRESS
001) Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day (06/01/09)
002) Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 (07/01/09)
003) Slumdog Millionaire (10/01/09)
004) Defiance (13/01/09)
005) The Wrestler (21/01/09)
006) Milk (24/01/09)
007) Frost/Nixon (28/01/09)
008) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (06/02/09)
009) Revolutionary Road (10/02/09)
010) The Happening (13/02/09) – for @BadMovieClub
011) My Bloody Valentine 3D (14/02/09)
012) He’s Just Not That Into You (17/02/09)
013) Vicky Cristina Barcelona (20/02/09)
014) Gran Torino (07/03/09)
015) Watchmen (09/03/09)
016) The Young Victoria (12/03/09)
017) Underworld 3 (16/03/09)
018) The Age of Stupid (March 2009)
019) The Damned United (March 2009)
020) The Secret Life of Bees (11/04/09)
021) In The Loop (18/04/09)
022) Body of Lies (April 2009)
023) Fugitive Pieces (04/05/09)
024) Star Trek (2009) (10/05/09)
025) Synecdoche, New York (18/05/09)
026) Awaydays (May 2009)
027) Terminator Salvation (17/06/09)
028) Celebrity (26/06/09)
029) Lovely & Amazing (27/06/09)
030) Public Enemies (July 2009)
031) Henry and June (July 2009)
032) A Complete History of My Sexual Failures (July 2009)
033) Adaptation (July 2009)
034) The Lives of Others (Aug 2009)
035) Coco Before Chanel (Aug 2009)
036) District 9 (Sep 2009)
037) The Brothers Grimm (Sep 2009)
038) Creation (Sep 2009)
039) Miami Vice (Sep 2009)
040) Rachel Getting Married (Oct 2009)
041) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassuss (Oct 2009)
042) Up 3-D (Oct 2009)
043) The Men Who Stare at Goats (Nov 2009)
044) Angels & Demons (Nov 2009)
045) A Serious Man (Dec 2009)
046) New Moon (Dec 2009)
047) This is England (Dec 2009)
048) The Philadelphia Story (Dec 2009)
049) A Short Film About Love (Dec 2009)
050) Anna M. (Dec 2009)
051) Brick (Dec 2009)
052) Where the Wild Things Are (Dec 2009)

- – -

053) The Invention of Lying (Jan 2010)
054) My Neighbour Totoro (Jan 2010)
055) Metropolis (Jan 2010)
056) Avatar 3D (Jan 2010)
057) Priceless (Jan 2010)
058) Up In the Air (Jan 2010)
059) The Road (Jan 2010)
060) Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (Jan 2010)
061) Daybreakers (Jan 2010)
062) The Hurt Locker (05/02/10)
063) The Time Traveller’s Wife (Feb 2010)
064) An Education (Feb 2010)
065) The Wolfman (Feb 2010)
066) Invictus (Feb 2010)
067) Volver (Feb 2010)
068) Inglourious Basterds (Feb 2010)
069) Casino (Feb 2010)
070) Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Feb 2010)
071) A Single Man (Feb 2010)
072) The Last Station (Feb 2010)
073) You Can Count On Me (Feb 2010)
074) Moon
075) Shutter Island
076) Green Zone
077) Perfume
078) I Love You Philip Morris
079) Into the Wild
080) Kick-Ass
081) The Ghost
082) Clash of the Titans
083) I Am Love (May 2010)
084) Robin Hood (May 2010)
085) Eagle Versus Shark
086) American: The Bill Hicks Story
087) Four Lions

IDEAS
Alive in Wonderland 3D
Glorious 39
Nine
The Informant!
The White Ribbon
Examined Life
Let the Right One In
In the City of Sylvia
Couscous
Che (Parts One & Two)
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Waltz With Bashir