101 in 1001

101 things to do in the next 1001 days

Those struck out and marked appropriately (explanations!) are out for various reasons, those backgrounded green have been finished with.

1. Lose weight (a final weight of around 80kg would be just perfect, thanks).
2. Drive through Queensland, making a real trip of it, over the course of two to three weeks of annual leave. (Done 2007-04-01)
3. Pay off $25k of the principal of the property loan.
4. Build up a decent audio/visual system. (Done 26/12/2005)
5. Go skiing in either New Zealand’s southern alps or at Perisher. (Update 1/03/2008): It's clear to me that I won't get to do this; the big trip this year is to Europe during the Northern Summer.)
6. Engage in an education/certification course related to career improvement. (Done 2006-12-15)
7. Take a long distance train trip (Done 2008-06-19).
8. Learn to like software development from a programmer’s perspective. (Done 24/05/2006)
9. Play ‘tourist’ in Northern Australia. (Update 1/03/2008: Mackay doesn't really count as "northern," but I did play tourist.)
10. Start regaining the pilot’s license. (Update 1/03/2008: Insufficient free funds to do this any time in the next 150 or so days. Unfortunately.)
11. Take time out from everything computing related when on holiday. (Done 18/09/2006)
12. Get up the minute that the alarm goes off every day for a month. (Done 19/05/2007)
13. Have a photo published. (Done 04/09/2006)
14. Attend a car show. (Done 05/03/2006)
15. Write neatly.
16. Use correct English more often, not just when writing technical documentation. (Done 12/05/2007)
17. Be more concise in emails, habitually. (Done 16/03/2007)
18. Abstain from caffeinated substances for long enough to see if it makes a difference to concentration ability. (Done. No. 2007-05-18)
19. Use the camera at every opportunity, and make the behaviour automatic.
20. Start building an investment portfolio (such as shares). (Done 2007-03-12)
21. Demolish the remaining HECS debt. (Done 14/02/2006)
22. Do a Q-Ride course. (Done 07/01/2006)
23. Obtain a replacement motorcycle for commuting and other ‘fun.’ (Update 1/03/2008: New job makes this redundant; no need for alternative transport, and better things on which to spend (or not spend) money.)
24. Obtain a maintenance guidebook for the motorcycle.
25. Maintain the bike without outside help.
26. Create a herb garden with variety.
27. Go camping. (Done 20/03/2007)
28. Replace the current car at or before end-of-warranty with something new and relatively low-emissions, which is also fun to drive (for example: a Peugeot 307 HDi Update: No thanks anyway; the rental 307 with the 1.6 litre petrol engine was a right slug, with fuel economy to make oil barons weep in delight). (Done 13/08/2006, delivery approximately 28/09/2006)
29. Ride a pushbike to and from work every day for a week. (Update 1/03/2008: 51km each way? Unlikely.)
30. Go in the Bridge to Brisbane. (Done 06/08/2006)
31. Go in the Bridge to Brisbane, and obtain a recorded time of no greater than one hour and thirty minutes. (Done 06/08/2006 - 1 hour, 25:57)
32. Seek employment in a non-Defence related field. (Done 04/05/2007)
33. Gain employment in a non-Defence related field. (Done 01/10/2007)
34. Spend three nights in Eungella during winter.
35. … and take photographs at dawn of the platypuses in Broken River.
36. Take photographs of a mist- or fog-laden valley at dawn.
37. Perform value-increasing modifications to the property. (Done, but not by any means completed, 7/07/2006)
38. Do a proper coast-hugging drive between the Gold Coast and Rockhampton. (Can't actually be done: there aren't coastal roads for most of the trip, and some of those that do exist are 4WD only!)
39. Document it with photographs. (See above.)
40. Replace old, tired but good work boots with a new pair. (Done 22/04/2006)
41. As above, but runners as well. (Done 24/04/2006)
42. Purchase Tiger (the OS, not the large cat). (Done 13/04/2006)
43. Constructively criticize bad service without feeling somehow bad about it. (Done 7/07/2006)
44. Give blood. (Done 25/09/2006)
45. Go for a week without drinking sugary drinks (flavoured milk OR soft drinks). (Done 23/03/2007)
46. Take backups of important stuff (particularly photos) at monthly intervals. (Done 15/05/2007)
47. Habitually take a home-made lunch to work for a fortnight. (Done 7/07/2006)
48. Go to an as-yet-unseen comedy act at the Powerhouse or Sit-Down Comedy club. (Done 10/09/2007)
49. Walk end-to-end on Hinchinbrook Island.
50. Make a conscious effort to ‘think positive’ at work, and succeed for a day. (Done 26/09/2006)
51. Take a motorcycle on a long-haul ride (400km or longer, one-way). (Update 1/03/2008: Unfortunately can't happen; too much going on this year and no bike either.)
52. Ride a pushbike at least 100km in one ride for “fun.”
53. Make better use of bulk purchasing, particularly in groceries. (Done 15/10/2007)
54. Cook — and then clean up — for every meal for a week (Yes, that is 21 uses of the kitchen followed by 21 uses of the kitchen sink). (Done 14/10/2007)
55. Take more interest in local affairs. (Done, thanks to certain dams 19/06/2006)
56. Cook a meal for six friends. (Done 31/12/2005)
57. Chase a thunderstorm.
58. Spend a few days in Perth. (Done 1/03/2008)
59. Shop for clothing at somewhere with class (= not Target).
60. Tolerate Microsoft Windows. (Done 13/10/2006)
61. Say “no” to requests for non-work-related IT assistance of any kind, at least twice. (Done 12/05/2007)
62. Even in the face of offers of money. (Done 12/05/2007)
63. Cook a roast, including vegetables & gravy, using more than the usual 180°C-for-about-so-long tactic. (Done 2006/04/01)
64. Succeed in even-cooking a large roast. (Done 2006/04/01)
65. Succeed in limiting discretionary spending. (Done 01/11/2007)
66. Go overseas somewhere for work, and spend more time looking around when not working (as opposed to sitting in the hotel room). (Done 29/02/2008: Perth's almost "overseas," and I did spend a lot of time playing tourist...)
67. Keep a mug or bottle of water near my work-desk every day for a month. (Done 17/03/2007)
68. Cause a refill of said mug or bottle at least three times per day. (Done 16/03/2007)
69. Take annual leave without concern for the backlog of work it’ll generate. (Done 16/06/2006)
70. Refuse requests involving cancellation of prior-booked annual leave. (Done 16/06/2006: Amazingly 3 weeks of leave didn't result in a "are you sure you need it?" or similar.)
71. Learn to manage Windows Server installations.
72. Learn to lead people.
73. Lead people and get paid for it.
74. Leave work at 5pm every day for a fortnight, without concern for un-performed work (i.e. no overtime, paid or otherwise). (Done 9/9/2006: viva la 38 hour week!)
75. Examine opportunities for work outside the capital cities. (Do Cairns or Townsville count for anything? Done 17/05/2007)
76. Refuse requests involving time-wasting meetings, rather than wasting time complaining. (Done 2006/04/03)
77. Keep negative comments about work practices to myself for a week. (Done 9/03/2007)
78. Not overcompensate for a lack of negative comments the following week/s. (Done 16/03/2007)
79. Obtain a collection of equipment for the digital and film SLRs: a 50mm f/1.8 EF lens, and an external flash, at minimum. (Done 16/09/2006: Canon Speedlite 580EX and a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens are now mine)
80. Make contact with four people from my past. (Done 20/09/2006, thanks to an impending class reunion.)
81. Get out on a motorcycle ride, for no better reason than “I was bored.” (Done 24/04/2006)
82. Find things to do when bored — even if it means getting out and about for a while. (Done 20/05/2007)
83. Buy a copy of Brooks’ The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering to keep at work.
84. Keep a collection of useful engineering texts at work. (Done 11/05/2007)
85. Use engineering texts taken to work, or replace them at least semiannually. (Done 11/05/2007)
86. Clear out old work stuff (papers etc) and shred/destroy at least quarterly. (Done 11/05/2007)
87. Buy a personal shredder for home. (Done 10/09/2007)
88. Keep documents and other detritus pruned at least semiannually. (Done 10/09/2007, 15/03/2007)
89. Go to A Salt and Battery and order something that isn’t grilled barramundi, salt and pepper calamari, or Caesar salad.
90. Cook three completely different meals in one month. (Done 23/03/2007)
91. Take the Friday and the Monday of the weekend of Rally Queensland off, and make a proper weekend of the festivities. (Done 16/06/2006)
92. Turn off the mobile phone for a whole weekend. (Amazing what vexatious ex-neighbours will do. Done 02/12/2007)
93. Take a week off and spend it doing ‘nothing’ somewhere quiet. (Done 20/03/2007)
94. Constructively change my employer for the better. (There's only so much one can do.)
95. If that doesn’t work, change my employer. (Done 01/10/2007)
96. Go out on a photo-taking trip in some manner of inclement weather.
97. Take a day off work to spend on public transport.
98. Catch a commuter train to a Sunshine Coast hinterland stop (and back).
99. Take the pushbike up to the Glass House Mountains.
100. Keep my current mobile telephone — in working order — for the duration of this list. (Sadly, NextG is the only coverage available at my new workplace, meaning the old Treo650 had to go.)
101. Visit overseas somewhere on a work trip, but arrange to have a few days’ leave whilst there. (Done 1/03/2008)