MeMe me me meeeee . . . Award!

The lovely Lori at I Can Grow People has bestowed a MeMe Award upon me.  What is a MeMe?  (Other than a really fun thing to say over and over again, pretending that you're an opera singer warming up at the Met?)

Basically, I have to share seven things with my readers that they (you!) don't know about me and then choose seven of my readers to pass the MeMe Award onto. Let me tell you, this is harder than it seems!  I'm a pretty open person, so there isn't a lot that I'm hiding (and what I'm hiding, I'm hiding for good reason!).  I've spent the past two days trying to think of things that I haven't mentioned before AND are even slightly, remotely interesting.  It's harder than it first seems, but here goes!

1. I have a wretched memory.  There probably isn't a day that goes by that my husband doesn't pick on me for this.  I don't remember anything before I was five years old and don't have solid, great memories until age ten or so.  Beyond that, I don't remember recent things, either.  I like to chalk this up to space conservation; I remember what is important to me.  I like to point out to my husband that he may remember taking apart and reassembling his mother's toaster at age 3, yet he doesn't remember to pick up his socks on a daily basis.  I'd rather pick up my laundry than remember my toddler years.

2. I sort of proposed to my husband before he proposed to me.  We had discussed getting engaged/married but I was still gun-shy about the whole she-bang.  But one day at lunch I told him that I believed we should get married.  After lunch we went and picked out a ring together, which he then took home and proposed to me with two weeks later - longest two weeks EVER!  (Especially the whole "pretending I didn't know about it" to my family part.)

3. Pregnancy grosses me out.  I successfully avoided touching any pregnant bellies until my sister-in-law forced me to touch hers last year.  Just thinking about it makes me want to gag.  I recognize that the creation of life is pretty amazing and the whole process is kind of like a fun science experiment; I just wish I didn't have to be the petri dish.  (No, I'm not pregnant and, no, we're not trying yet.  I'm just surrounded by pregnant women and infants lately so it's always on my mind.)  It doesn't help that....

4. I am a mommy blog addict.  I religiously follow Momversation and a bunch of mommy bloggers, most notably Girls Gone Child (the amazing Rebecca Woolf - yes, I'm still obsessed), Dooce, and Mighty Girl.  Between them and the experiences of my real-life friends and relatives with babies, I have to seriously bite my tongue sometimes around moms because I want to offer my opinion on baby-raising, but feel unqualified to because I'm not actually a mom - just an aunt and avid reader.  I try to take my mommy blog knowledge and use it to make myself a more understanding friend to my mom friends.  Hopefully someday it also helps make me a good mom.

5. I feel like I've lost my personal style.  I think I had more style before my gastric bypass than I do now because now I'm sad about how I look, whereas then it was just a fact of my life that hadn't ever been any different.  I was developing a fun style, I think, when I was thin but then I started gaining weight and it all ended.  I actually feel now like one of those people who's given up, something I'd never guess of myself.  I don't have the money to go out and buy anything, much less all the things it would take for me to feel better about how I put myself together every day, so I'm doing a lot of thinking lately about how I can turn this situation around.

6. You do not want to have anything to do with me if I have not had my morning coffee.  Seriously.  The hubby even bought me a sticker for my car that says, "Give me coffee and no one gets hurt."

7. My graduate thesis was on Harry Potter.  I figured that if I was going to write a 60 page paper, it was going to be on something I didn't mind living and breathing day in and day out for a whole semester.  Long story (paper) short, the argument in it is that many of Harry's decisions and actions are subconsciously based on his orphan status and how he's always looking to recreate the family he lost, even sometimes to the detriment of the other characters.

Ta-da!  Don't you feel so informed now?  And now it is time for me to pass on the MeMe Award to seven blogger readers I'd love to hear more from and think you should check out:

1. "D" at Delightfully Sweet - One of the best home chef/bakers I know.  I really envy her kitchen abilities and absolutely love her food photography.

2. Amy at My Right To Dream - One of my dearest friends and a constant source of inspiration, comfort, and humor.  One of the most giving and accepting people I have ever met.

3. Erin at Thirty-Something - I love Erin's blog because everything she writes about is so interesting and her voice is so clear.  I really feel like she puts her own self out there in her writing, but without ever over-sharing or being boring.  Her concerns (family, career, home, life) are all so close to my own, so perhaps I'm a bit biased.

4. Tara at Tara SG's 101 Mission - I love her 101 list.  She's always writing about and linking to great books, places, recipes, etc.  I particularly enjoy her goal of learning new French words and idioms.

5. Teanna at Spork or Foon - Is that not one of the best food blog titles?  She makes great food look easy AND beautiful.

Numbers 6 and 7.... could be YOU!  While I seem to get the same number of readers daily, with occasional spikes seemingly based on content or random events in the universe, I don't get a lot of comments (as much as I'd love many, many comments). So I throw this out to you, dear reader - take this MeMe Award and bestow it upon yourself!  I say that you can!  My only request is that if you do so based on this post, that you put a link to my blog in it so that it pings back and I can find the post.  Fair deal, right?  If you do this, I'll repost your link as #6 or #7.  :)

All together now: Meme me me me me meeeeeeee!  *glass cracks*  (Anyone else watch that episode of Mythbusters?)

7 Quick Tuesday Takes

1. I'm still really upset by the flippant and hate-filled responses to Jon & Kate.  Maybe it's naive, but I think you can sign up to be on a television show and not expect this sort of media treatment.  Who's following the Duggars around? Anyone?  Which paparazzi are camped outside The Little Couple's home?  Hmm?  Only some people get subjected to this level of scrutiny and, frankly, harassment.  They did not ask for this or bring it upon themselves.  Why don't we have paparazzi laws?  Why is it fair for adult men with cameras to stalk five-year-olds?  Disgusting.

2. Day two of the 5 Day Pouch Test is going well so far.  My only off-plan eating yesterday was a cup of yogurt and a 1 oz. piece of cheese.  So, okay, no off-plan eating would be optimal but I'm still proud of myself.  Hunger is not an emergency.

3. I think your child is adorable, but I don't need to see 85 photos from any family event.  Can you choose maybe 5 of them if you're sending them via email?  Or post an album on Facebook so I can skim through them.

4. I got a FB messages from my ex-work husband yesterday.  It wasn't quite perfunctory, but mainly a research assistance request with a few personal questions thrown in.  I miss my grad school friends.  I miss being around people who read literature and watch the (non-Fox) news and have the skills that go along with a liberal arts education.  I'm looking forward to my new grad classes this fall.  My previous grad classmates set a pretty high bar, though - I hope my new ones are up to snuff.

5. Email is an affliction.  Do any of us really need THAT much email?  I wish the cc option was never invented.  Little by little, I'm unsubscribing from a bunch of mailing lists.  I'd rather just get real emails from people I care to hear from.

6. Yesterday's diary of a food addict post got as many hits alone as I usually get in a day.  This makes me wonder about the interest in food addiction (which I believe is under-represented and misrepresented in the media).

7. My husband's answer to all irritants is "Can I build a flamethrower?"  Today I finally agreed, but only so I can be charred to a crisp, like a snack.  I would be a Combo - crunchy on the outside and soft cheese on the inside (because, really, with all the cheese I eat, I am probably just cheese inside).  What's better than carbs outside and cheese inside?  (Combos, raviolis, manicotti, wontons, quesadillas - I could just go on and on.)  Man, I am a carb addict.

What's your favorite carb outside/cheese inside food?

What was downtown is now uptown... namely me.

Yesterday I went to Teachers College (Columbia University) for some admitted students activities.  It ended up being a mixed day.  As someone who has already completed a graduate degree, the ins and outs of grad school are old hat to me by now.  However, it was great to meet some current students, hear an alumna speak, and spend some time on campus.

I had my camera with me but, unfortunately, since it was raining, the campus tours were canceled and there wasn't much of a point to walking around and taking pictures.  There's a full orientation day in September and I was told the campus tours will be done then.  One of them was a tour of Columbia's historic cultural sites; I am super excited for that one! (There's a statue of Alexander Hamilton that I haven't yet had a chance to go see!)

What struck me early in the day, though, was how this represents a shift and continuum in my life.  I used to take public transportation into the city and head downtown to NYU.  Instinctively, I almost headed for the downtown trains but caught myself and made sure I was going uptown (similarly, when heading home, I had to remind myself that Port Authority was now downtown of me, not uptown).  But NYU used to have a Morningside Heights campus and Teachers College had classroom space in the Village, so it really is like my NYC schooling is linked and circular.  (I'll add that I started kindergarten in the Bronx, so this really is like a move towards my past and a move to the future at the same time.)

The highlight of yesterday, though, was getting to meet the woman who helped create Blue's Clues and who has also worked on Oswald and Little Bill.  (She's a TC alum.)  All that history and talk of registration and student loans and nitty gritty and it comes down to a bunch of Noggin shows, which is fine by me.  Someday my nephew will be impressed that I met her.  For now I'm just happy to be a student again and on the road to what should be the last stretch of my formal education.

The Debt That Dare Not Speak Its Name

My brother recently posted a link on his Facebook page to the FinAid - The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid - calculator, which allows students to calculate what their student loan monthly payments will be and what sort of salary they should have so that their student loan debt isn't a burden. Oh, goody!  I was just dying to know what I should be earning so that these student loan payments aren't a burden.  They have been feeling a bit heavy lately, you know?  This way I can find out what sort of raise I should ask for at my next annual review.

"It is estimated that you will need an annual salary of at least $128,320.80 to be able to afford to repay this loan."

Oh good - it's a totally reasonable amount.  Phew.  I was worried I'd have to ask for something obscene. /sarcasm *headdesk* My monthly loan payment is less than a hundred dollars short of my monthly rent.  Basically, we could be saving up for a house if I didn't have these loans.  We could be doing a zillion things if I didn't have these loans.

In order to battle the heart-stopping depression that my loan figures induce, I try to think about all the good things my university degrees have and can provide, like... um... oh, jobs!  Yes, I have two jobs thanks to my degrees!  Well, except that it's the amount of student loans I have that make it an utter necessity for me to maintain two jobs so that I can make my monthly loan payments. I will say, though, that I feel lucky to enjoy a lot of what my jobs entail, especially the teaching and tutoring aspects.  It would be a whole lot worse if I had these degrees and then had to work in a field or department I couldn't feel good about.  So at least there's that.

But this debt is a crushing burden and an issue far more complicated than "it's all my fault" or "it's the fault of the current US education system/government policies."  There's a lot that goes into amassing debt like this.  The only problem is now I'm stuck having to figure out how to maintain these payments while still doing all the things in life I wish to do, like have a baby and buy a home. The easiest route would be to just earn more money.  Hopefully my boss will approve my request for a 300% raise.

No, really - a list can make you a better person.

I love lists.  I cannot grocery shop without my list; if I try, I forget at least one thing (if not two or three).

I fully believe that part of the reason I love teaching college so much is because I get to write syllabi.  As a student, I have always been a total syllabus junkie.  It got so bad that half way through grad school, I started trying to get the syllabus before the first day of class, even if it was just a few hours before the first class meeting. I really was like a junkie who needed a fix.

This is why I am enamored with the 101 in 1001 project and, now, the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog project.  I don't recall how I found the 101 project, but my dear friend Delightfully Sweet turned me on to the 31 Days project.  Since I can't turn away from any kind of self-betterment project (I think self-betterment is one of the keys to a good life), I had to sign up.

Yesterday was Day One for me and the task was to write an elevator pitch: i.e. a sentence that can sell your blog in the length of time that elapses in an elevator ride.  Since my blog already has a tag line (I dream of having the time to read all the books I own), I didn't go out of my way to create a new one.  However, I realized that while I think that accurately sums up my life - wanting lots of free time to read but being overwhelmed (sometimes happily) with too much to do - it maybe doesn't accurately do the job in layman's terms.  I don't want to change my tagline, though, because I feel it captures me in a very succinct and appropriate way for the blog.  I do have a longer description about me on the, you guessed it, "About Me" tab, though - so I feel those are sufficient for now.

Day Two's assignment is to "Write a List Post."  Well, with my 101 in 1001 tab and follow-up posts, I am already working on this.  However, I haven't ever written a true list post - a post whose title is "X ways in which to do Y" (or something similar).  So that is what I'm going to work on today.  This way it is a challenge for me and I have an idea that I think will be beneficial to me (so it has a true purpose).  Stay tuned!

Tiptoeing into the Ivy

So remember how I got into one grad school program but really wanted another one?  Well, I got into that other one.  This fall I will be working on my Master of Education (Ed.M.) at Columbia University-Teachers College.

Part of me thinks I'm plum crazy to get back on the grad school train, but I do have my reasons for this.  I do want more of an education credential.  Wherever my career ends up going, it's going to involve some sort of education administration; I don't doubt this.  Whether I stay with my current job for a while (which is education administration) or whether I decide to try teaching full-time (if I could ever get such a gig), there would always be administration involved.  The program I'm attending is Teaching of English, so I'll be studying the methods and theories behind teaching composition and literature.  This is absolutely perfect for me because I'll get to continue studying literature but I'll also learn how to be a more effective teacher - something I plan to continue working on for as long as I'm teaching.

When the hubby and I were deciding on wedding photographers, I narrowed it down to two.  The one we ended up not going with does some work for Columbia University and so he had us meet him at a coffee place right by the campus.  We walked through the campus to get there and I totally fell in love; I even dragged Tom into the bookstore and bought myself a sweatshirt.  As of late, I have worried about that sweatshirt; I knew that if I didn't get in, I wouldn't be able to wear the shirt anymore because it would make me too sad.  I just heard from Columbia last night so I haven't yet worn the sweatshirt since being accepted, but I know that when I put it on, it's going to feel different than the last time I wore it.

The email from Columbia came in at 5:21pm yesterday; I was still at work and, thankfully, alone.  My heart was pounding and my hands were sweating as I opened the email.  After I read the first line of the letter: "I am pleased to inform you that you have been admitted..." I let out a "WOO!" and pounded on my desk, like a drum roll.

And then?  I proceeded to cry.  This was it.  This is what I have worked so hard for over the past ten years.  I sent those monthly payments to my first college after dropping out so I could pay off my outstanding balance to them so they could release my transcript and I could transfer to another school and finish my degree.  I took 2-3 classes per semester, including summers, at night while working full-time during the day so I could finish my B.A..  I gave up a decent-paying job and moved two hours from everyone I know (including my then new boyfriend, who is now the hubby) in order to attend grad school.  I holed up and alienated nearly everyone over those B.A./M.A. years because I was driven and dedicated to doing the best that I could at all times.  I won a Teaching Assistantship and didn't treat it like a given or a free ride or something I always knew was mine. I worked hard, learning everything I could about teaching from anyone who was willing to talk to me (I have a particular fondness for my grad school friend Nadia, who taught me so much about teaching and navigating grad school).  I studied my ass off and earned high honors on my comprehensive exam.  I wrote my ass off and earned high honors on my thesis.  Without this, those would just be personal badges of honor.  I have a friend who says he read Moby Dick just so he can drop, "Oh, well, when I was reading Moby Dick" into conversation.  That would have been the worth of those honors.  I was most definitely proud of what I accomplished, but I now feel that it wasn't just for me.  I know that putting this all together helped me get into this program.

I always joke that I wanted to go to an Ivy League school since I first understood what the Ivy League was.  I fully understand and believe that I could get an equally good education at many schools, but I'm always working to make myself proud.  The first time I felt like this was the day of my undergrad graduation:

I worked hard; I was wearing honors tassels; I was graduating from a school I loved (and still love) so much.  That photo was taken at about 6am after only 3-4 hours of sleep, but I look rested and honestly happy.

The next time I felt proud was when I found out I earned honors on my comp exam and thesis.  I didn't find out about the thesis until the booklet from graduation (which I didn't attend) arrived in the mail with my diploma and nearly had to sit down as I saw the double stars next to my name.

And then there's today.  I can't wait for Orientation - to walk onto campus and be able to say to myself, "I belong here."

Growing (up)

Call me a glutton for punishment, but I've decided to do another NaBloPoMo.  This month's theme is "Growing (Up)" and I think it could prove to be interesting so I've decided to jump on board.

Even though I'm 33, I sometimes feel barely older than 25.  I actually forget my age sometimes and have to pause and think when someone asks me how old I am.  The grandmother I get my middle name from actually did forget how old she was later in life and one year, on her birthday, asked my dad how old she was.  When he told her, she said, "What?  Why didn't anyone tell me I was that old?!"  That will totally be me should I be lucky enough to make it to my 80s.

One way that I have recently been feeling more like a grown-up, though, is physically.  I've had a few aches and pains lately that I would have been able to shrug off even just a year ago.  I pulled a muscle in my neck a week and a half ago and it's still a bit sore.  Two years ago, it would have been fine after a day or two, tops.  The other day, I had some lower back pain at the end of our trip to Baltimore; I have no idea why.  I'm also tired all time - seriously, nearly ALL the time.  And I LOOK older.  Seriously.  I was looking at Mike and Tracy's wedding album this weekend.  As I mentioned, I was in the wedding party, so I was in a bunch of pictures and I couldn't get over how young and refreshed I look in the photos (and they were married in December 2007).

I had to wonder - what's done this?  My skin looks worse now; my eyes are far more tired - even though the time around their wedding was crazy busy for me.  Did my last semester in grad school (right after their wedding) just tank my youth?  That semester was craziness - I planned my sister's baby shower, took my comprehensive exam, wrote my thesis, chaired a panel in CA, and went to Ireland.  Granted, I enjoyed all of that, but it was hard work and I was very busy (I was also teaching).  Did I suddenly just age?

Perhaps.  But I think there are other factors.  I didn't eat well when I was in grad school, but I think I actually ate better than I do currently.  I also got a lot more sleep.  I didn't get much more physical activity, but I also didn't sit behind a desk for eight hours a day.  I think these factors are the largest in my sudden facial aging and constant sleepiness.

So, as a... grown-up... I guess I have to do something about this.  The hubby and I are close to breaking even on the budget; that is to say by the end of the month we shouldn't ahave to juggle bills anymore and should be able to buy groceries outside of the "10 for $10" sale.  We've been eating a lot of pasta, which is not the norm for me, and not a lot of vegetables, which is bad.  Once our finances are a stable, I'm going into menu planning mode.  We will have a weekly menu that we will shop for on the weekend and so we'll be ready for meals during the week.  This way I can also plan out some salads and things and make sure I have veggies and healthy lunches, too.  I need to buy vitamins, too.  I was doing well with my 101 list item of taking a multi, iron, and calcium daily - until I ran out and couldn't afford more.

My skin has been revolting, too.  I need to get on track with proper nutrition and drinking water so my skin clears up AND looks refreshed.  I also think I need more sleep but I'm already getting in bed at 11pm.  Going to bed any earlier will cut into the time I spend relaxing after I get home and taking care of little things.  Two nights a week I get home at 8:30 and one night at 7:30.  I'm supposed to get home at 8:30, eat dinner, do a few things around the apartment, and then go straight to bed?  As it is, I can't even find time to read lately... but something needs to change.  I think if I start eating better and drinking more water, it'll help me to start feeling less tired.  I can work on the sleep and exercise issues.  One thing to tackle at a time.

I actually care about my own personal nutrition.  How grown up.

"What we think or what we know
or what we believe is, in the
end, of little consequence.
The only consequence is what we do."

- John Ruskin

Brain feeling full and squishy

Sometimes you have problems that are so overwhelming that you don't even want to think about them or don't know how to think about them.  Sometimes you have problems that are so distressing that you don't want to deal with them.  Sometimes you have problems that are such a blessing, but even still, you don't know what to do or where to start.

Like a lot of people these days, the hubby and I have money issues.  We're barely scraping by, meaning we barely even bought groceries the past two weeks - just milk for cereal and bread for sandwiches, etc - the staples.  We're not eating PB&J every day but we're not eating a lot of meat or vegetables, unfortunately, because the budget is that tight.  It should get better soon as we pay some bills and get a hold on our expenditures, but we have at least another month of this ahead of us.  This is something I think about every day.

Then yesterday I received amazing news: I was accepted to an outstanding graduate program to pursue my Master of Education (I already have a Master of Arts in English).  The problem?  I'm actually not sure I want to go; I'm not sure the program I applied to is the right fit for me.  In fact, I think another one would be a better fit and so I have written to the school to find out if I can join that program instead.  The nerve, right?  But the other (new) program feels so much better; I get tingly looking at the required courses and their descriptions.  For the program I was accepted to, I feel dread and a distinct lack of excitement.  I LOVE being a student so I know I have to go with my gut on this.  I hope I can apply for the other program and not delay my admission at all.

I also hope that I can handle going back to school AGAIN (if I do go).  But that's the next level of worrying - I have to finish this level first.

Edit 4:24pm: I can resubmit my materials for the other program and it seems my admission (if I AM admitted to this second program) would be still for this fall.  However, I have to write a new personal statement!  Gah!  As anyone who's ever applied to grad school (or even college) knows, that is the worst, most difficult part of the application process.  Those essays don't really mean too much for college applications, but for grad school applications, they really can make or break you.

Oh lordy.  My stomach is doing somersaults about this.  Last year I spent months on my personal statement and didn't get into a single PhD program.  This year I spent about 30 minutes on it and got accepted.  Perhaps I just do better when I think less (since I overthink everything).

Going to go right now and get crackin' on the new personal statement!

The Things They Carried, for my ex-work husband

14. Read The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien).

I would recommend this book to anyone; it is simply phenomenal.  It's one of the few times I was struck by the urge to say something like, "This guy can really write."  It was really touching on several levels.  First, it really opened me to what experiences the Vietnam soldiers brought home with them.  Second, it made me think a lot about what our soldiers in the Middle East are going through now.

The book is technically fiction, but reads as non-fiction and it's really impossible to think of it as pure fiction.  I knew it was fiction, but halfway through I had to second guess myself and check the back cover to make sure.  The stories are so believeable that I can't help but believe it's 98% true in actuality.

I say that this is for my ex-work husband because my friend Peter recommended this book to me.  Peter and I shared an office as Teaching Assistants and would talk all the time.  Eventually I began referring to him as my work husband (although I didn't have a real husband yet then - just a fiance).  We had really great talks; he opened my eyes to a lot.  When I mentioned I was considering this book for teaching last year (I ended up not using it, though), his response was, "Oh, that's one of my favorite books of all time."  I knew then that I absolutely had to read it; that's why it gained its own spot on the 101 in 1001 list.  I didn't have time for extracurricular reading in grad school (too busy reading, writing, and grading) so I've just been holding on to this book for over a year now.  I'm so very glad I read it; it's one of those books that affects how you think about something - in this case, what it is we're asking of our young men and women when we send them into combat.

The list is posted and one item is already complete! (kinda)

Under the shiny new "101 in 1001" tab, you can find my list for the eponymous project.  In putting together my list, I hit a few moments of writer's block and perused a lot of lists on LJ's Mission101 community and through the Wordpress 101 in 1001 tag.  This searching confirmed what I was already feeling as I put together my list: you can learn a few things about a person simply by viewing what they put in their list.

For example, it's easy to see that my list is heavy on the personal and light on the professional.  This is because that past few years of my life were so dedicated to the professional (I was a full-time grad student) that my personal life became shredded in the process.  Grad school requires you to give up a large portion of your life to your studies.  In addition, I was living alone two hours away (north or south) from my closest friends and family, so I spent a lot of time alone (well, alone with Oreo, my shih-tzu).  I filled my time by doing schoolwork and spending an inordinate amount of time online and watching TV.  Since graduating in May, I've been having a difficult time weaning myself off the TV and intarwebs and back into normal civilian life, so a lot of the goals I've set for myself help me detail ways to spend more time on myself, my husband, my family and friends - all while doing things I enjoy or have wanted to do for a while.

So, the one task already completed, sorta,  is registering this list on Day Zero.  I did submit it but it hasn't been approved and posted yet.  I didn't bring soda to work today and will not (WILL NOT!!) buy one from the vending machine, so that one's in progress.  That's on the list because I really think soda (even diet soda, which is all I drink) is terrible for you.  I believe the studies that show that artificial sweeteners actually increase your urge to binge because they trick your body into thinking it's getting a sweet goody.  I can't actually have a lot of sugar (more on that another time) so I do use Splenda for my coffee and iced tea, but I think my use is pretty moderate.  I've also read that the carbonation in soda has something to do with robbing your bones of calcium.  Even if that's not true, there's no benefit to soda other than the caffeine (I have a slight caffeine addiction, another grad school holdover) and I can always get my caffeine from tea if I need it.

The debt consolidation is in progress because I submitted it on the website earlier today.  I've consolidated my debt with this company before and they were really great.  I'm looking forward to feeling in control of my finances again (my list will give you a hint that those went to hell in a handbasket during grad school as well).

You really have to love what you go to grad school for because it really does a number on your life.  There's nothing I love better than having a project, though, which is why this 101 in 1001 project is such a great idea for me.  I love projects; I love making lists and crossing off items.  I made the list so that it's challenging, but not clearly impossible.  Some things are far easier than others, but none of them are so easy that it's a waste of space on the list.  I'm really, really looking forward to this challenge.