73. Get Into American Illustration Again

"Is It Summer Yet?" selected for American Illustration 29! Woohoo!!!

Updated List/Bonus List

My original list had "buy a printer" and "buy a scanner" as separate items. Since I bought an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier it doesn't seem right to cross two items off the list. So I combined "printer/scanner" and added "Do all the hikes in my PA Day Hikes book" at #33. I also added a few items to my bonus list...

61. Dining Room Set

Technically not a dining room table, but a table which I've placed in my dining room, so it technically counts...

57. New Printer/Scanner

After 9 years of loyal service, my Epson Photo 1280 finally kicked it. Turns out trying to feed a shopping bag through her was more than she could handle. She was a good printer and she will be sorely missed...

But for every printer that dies a new one is born, as they say. Such is the cyclical nature of life. So say hello to our shiny new Canon PIXMA MP560 wireless printer/scanner/copier-in-one. Boom...

40. Cuyahoga Valley National Park

On Saturday, Karen, Chris & I headed to Ohio for a day of pinballing in Cuyahoga Falls and hiking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Some shots from our Ohio adventure...

Cuyahoga Valley...

Lounging at Ledges...

Icebox Cave...

Karen pinballing it up...

Me sucking at Big Buck Hunter...

Lunch at Reggie's...fry-chicken-wi-fi...

53. Health Insurance

All the healthcare talk of late prompted me to finally act on this one. I contacted my insurance rep and signed up for skin & bones HMO coverage for $114 a month. I've been putting this off for a long time, so it's nice to finally have some piece of mind.

Update On Curling...

...in short, it was a bust. Guess I underestimated the curling buzz that was generated by the Olympics. Will have to try this one some other time.

One More Edit...

Motorcycle maintenance class got bumped to my bonus list. In it's place at #97...CURLING!

I've seen a lot of curling during these Winter Games, and it got me in the mood to try it out. So I Googled "curling pittsburgh, pa" and wouldn't you know there's a Pittsburgh Curling Club out on Neville Island! And with the recent spike in the sport's popularity, the PCC is offering up curling lessons for beginners this Saturday, the 27th. All equipment included for only $10! I know how I'll be spending my weekend...

With this addition, here's my updated list...

99. Go to the Eye Doctor

$68 dollars and one eye exam later, I've got a fresh pair of trial contacts on my eyeballs...

Another Revision...

Dropped: Office directory portraits

Added: Carve a pumpkin

It's ridiculous that I've never carved a pumpkin. I'm doing it this Halloween. I'd like to eventually do the office portraits though, so it's going on my bonus list.

My updated list...

71. Redesign My Website

Still working out a couple kinks, but the website is up and more or less FINISHED!!! This turned out to be a pretty big undertaking, so it's nice to get it off the list.

A million thank you's to Karen for her tireless dedication. I can't sing her praises enough. She is a wonderful person and a hell of a designer to boot. I couldn't have designed something even remotely as cool without her. Just as an illustration, here's the initial piece of crap template I came up with...

Yeah, exactly. Karen really brought the thunder and bapped this website's dick around.

Lastly, I'd like to thank Mother Nature for "Snowmageddon '10." Without the 2 feet of snow on the ground, we might not have had the chutzpah to hole up in the studio for the last 2 weeks and finish this thing.

44. b. Cross-Country Skiing

Technically, I meant downhill skiing when I made the list. But seeing as this is the first time I've ever had skis of any sort attached to my feet, I'm counting it as a bonus item.

The conditions weren't the best. The ground was crunchy and rough, and I was pretty ill-equipped as far as gear goes (note: 14° weather calls for thicker gloves). Needless to say, we didn't ski long, but over the course of an hour, I think I improved quite a bit. Something I'd definitely like to try again.

83. Seven Sins Illustrations

The Seven Sins illos are done! I couldn't think of a good one for "Pride," so I just did 2 "Lusts." So technically, it's only 6 sins, but seven sinners. Works for me.

Revised List

Bonus Items

1. Get Heath Insurance

2. Eat fondue

3. Sports History Museum

4. Make a dresser similar to the one at the Carnegie...

5. Pick fruit/berries and make a pie with them

6. Plant a fruit tree

7. Snowshoe

8. Buy a record player

9. Ride a Segway

10. Carve a pumpkin

*11. Make a tres leches cake...

*12. Carnegie Natural History Museum...

*Technically these were on Karen's list, but I did them with her, so I'm stealing them.

Edit: #84. Frame My Old Ticket Stubs

As I figured would be the case, I've already done a little bit of editing to my list. I removed "Frame my old ticket stubs" from Art Stuff and replaced it with "Seven sins illustration." I've always wanted to do a seven sins-themed project, and there's a seven sins illustration contest with a quickly approaching deadline. I'd really like to get something entered in it, so adding it to the list might be the little kick in the pants I need. Also, I could kind of care less if my old ticket stubs sit in a box for another 10 years...

82. Finish the Cardboard Room

All done with the cardboard room! It's complete with a rocking chair, guitar, a couple tables, a chandelier, and even some framed artwork!

101. Finish this list and start a blog

First item off the list. Check. Only 100 to go!

The List

I plan on keeping a hard copy of the list, but just in case I lose it, here it is in its entirety...

Note: My anal-retentive nature dictated that I group everything into categories.

Overseas Trips

1. Prague

2. Italy

3. Greece

4. Germany (Oktoberfest)

5. Belgium (bike trip)

6. Iceland

Trips Within the US/Canada

7. Alaska

8. Maine (sunrise from Quoddy Head)

9. Portland, OR

10. OBX (bike trip)

11. Omaha (visit Christy & Brandon)

12. Put-In Bay

13. Milwaukee

14. Nashville

15. Mystery Hole

16. Canton, OH (Pro Football Hall of Fame)

17. Wheeling, WV (Nailers game/gamble)

18. Massachusetts (visit Kelly & Nate)

19. Niagara Falls

20. Toronto

21. Montreal

22. Nova Scotia

Pennsylvania

23. Laurel Highlands Trail (hike all 70 miles)

24. Centralia

25. Gravity Hill

26. Cherry Springs (star gazing)

27. Presqu Isle

28. Thousand Steps Geocache

29. Denny's Beer Barrel Pub

30. St. Anthony's Chapel (religious relics)

31. Straub Brewery (drink from the never-ending tap)

32. Zippo factory

33. Grand Canyon of PA (Pine Creek Gorge)

National Parks

34. Assateague (camp)

35. Acadia

36. Yosemite

37. Zion

38. Glacier

39. Grand Teton

40. Yellowstone

41. Cuyahoga Valley

42. Grand Canyon (hike to the bottom and back)

Non-Site Specific Destinations

43. See the Aurora Borealis

44. Horse track (bet on horses)

45. Go skiing/snowboarding

46. See the Steelers play in a different stadium

47. See the Pirates play in a different stadium

48. See the Penguins play in a different arena

49. Rent a cabin in a state park

50. See Gogol Bordello live

51. Go on an overnight/multi-day motorcycle trip

52. Shooting range

53. Hedge maze

Purchases

54. Hybrid vehicle

55. iMac

56. New iPod

57. New printer

58. New scanner

59. Kayak

60. New bed

61. New dresser

62. Dining room set

63. Curtains (bedroom/living room/kitchen door)

64. New GPS unit

65. Porch furniture

66. Nice winter coat

Around the House

67. Fix the gutters

68. Start a garden

69. Get the grill working

70. Stain & finish my studio table

71. Paint the living room

Art Stuff

72. Redesign my website

73. Get into CA

74. Get into American Illustration again

75. Teach an illustration class

76. Write & illustrate my own book

77. Film about my parents

78. Have a solo show

79. Curate a group show

80. Office directory portraits

81. Fictional sea life diagrams

82. Finish the cardboard room

83. Paint a mural in my studio

84. Frame my old ticket stubs

85. Make a table top out of bottle caps

Other Stuff

86. Make sushi

87. Brew beer

88. Can/jar something

89. Run a half-marathon in under 2 hrs.

90. Get a dog

91. Ride a horse

92. Take a photography class

93. Watch E.T.

94. Watch "The Wire" again

95. See the vein on the front of my biceps

96. Write and record a song on a 4-track

97. Take a motorcycle maintenance class

98. Attend a game at the new hockey arena

99. Eye doctor (new contacts)

100. Meet Tom Waits

101. Finish this list and start a blog

101 Things: Day 1

So I have a lot of friends doing this "101 Things in 1001 Days" thing...or I guess a lot of people know it as the Day Zero Project...? Anyway, I was inspired to make my own list and document it in a blog. I'm not much for blogging, so I plan on using this solely as a way for me to track my own progress. I don't really expect anyone to read this.

Today is January 18, 2010. This gives me until October 15, 2012, or approximately 2.75 years to complete the 101 items.

Good luck to me.