12/14/13

12 Things

This post is 100% inspired by my cousin Rachel's blog. She does this thing she calls her 22/23/24 Things. Essentially, she picks a number of things (equal to the age she's turning) that she wants to accomplish by her next birthday. I think it's pretty cool and given that I find myself lacking direction without assigned reading or papers or studying to do once I get home from work, I think now is the best time to accomplish things I didn't have time to accomplish during my undergrad career. However, I can't think of 24 things I'd like to do, so I'm starting small. 12 things. I per month until I turn 25. Ack. That number seems so weird. I'm still 22 in my brain.

1. Perfect the tiramisu cupcake.
I've made them three times, but each time was in a different state of mind with time constraints. My goal is to perfect the recipe and the whipped topping and my whole process for making each cupcake the perfect cupcake.
2. Read 6 books.
I started JK's Casual Vacancy and found it too thick to read when already sleepy, so I'm shelfing it for now. I'm reading Perks of Being a Wallflower and it's perfect for my mindset right now. I just need to get back into reading thicker material. Tina Fey's Bossypants and Nora Ephron's I Remember Nothing, while new favorites, are extremely easy reads and feel more like reading a blog than a book.
3. Explore a part of San Francisco I've spent little time in.
I have my favorite spots in one of my favorite cities ever, but I'd like to go past my childhood experiences and make some cool new memories. This is also an excellent excuse to go to SF. I feel like it's been ages since I've set foot in the city.
4. Finish organizing/uploading my Project 365
I quit uploading in August. I had about two months of the project left to upload but I got busy? I have no idea where my motivation went. Also, I know the 365 days have passed and that I took a photo everyday until about November, but I also erased a bunch of photos from when I first plugged my iphone into my computer. I'm not Apple literate. It happens.
5. Practice French everyday for a month.
I've got this excellent app on my phone called Duolingo. It's basically a free mini Rosetta Stone. I was really consistent about practicing when I first downloaded it but I've fallen off my wagon a bit. Time to get back on. The lessons take like five minutes so there's no excuse for not practicing.
6. Make coffee art.
Coffee was a way of life for me and my buds in San Diego. And finding a cafe that had latte art was such a treat for us, I figure I should make like Annie from the Parent Trap and take a whack at it. Was that reference too obscure? My bad.
7. Bake a cake/cupcakes from scratch.
I'm really into cake. And by that I mean boxed cake. I think it's delicious. But since I'm semi-honing in on my baking skills, this should probably happen sooner than later. Also, I'm pretty intrigued by the pre-boxed cake process of cake making. It strikes me as nostalgic and authentic, but that might just be my hipster showing.
8. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen before.
These are my confessions, just when I thought I said all I could say, I sit back and realize that it isn't okay that I've never seen Fight Club or Casanova or Sleepless in Seattle or Superstar or Scarface or Schindler's List. I'll stop there. Just know you were supposed to be singing that to the tune of Usher's Confessions Part II the whole time.
9. Complete 5 of my pins on my Learn/Make/Do board on Pinterest.
I refuse to continue to sit around pinning crafts and never completing them. So I'll go to Michael's, get some frickin' modge podge or whatever it's called and start crafting all the things! I'm picking five because I'm being realistic. Let's face it, I barely make time to put my clothes away after doing laundry (when I finally wait long enough that I have no choice but to do laundry).
10. Hand letter something. Turn that something into art.
I believe I've mentioned that I liked changing my handwriting as a kid. I thought it was fun. I dabbled in what I'm loosely calling graphic design as a teenager. Anyway, hand lettering is totally in right now, but anyone who's seen how I write names on envelopes or lyrics/quotes on the backs of paper as a time killer knows that I've got my own set of decorative letters. I want to expand on this, practice my calligraphy-looking letters, learn serif letters...I'm getting font nerdy. Sorry. Anyway, I love word art so why not make something Brandon and I can lug around and display in our home forever and ever?
11. Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day
I heard about CCD in my Marine Bio class back at Solano. I had a debate tournament the same weekend as the cleanup so I never made it. I've just seemed to miss it every year. Having interned at the wonderful I Love A Clean San Diego, I think cleanups are super fun and important. I'm also kind of obsessive about proper recycling because of it. Like I won't hesitate to reach for a plastic bottle that's been tossed into the garbage instead of the recycle bin RIGHT NEXT TO IT. C'mon people...
12. Decorate me and Brandon's apartment.
Okay. Another confession. Don't worry, you don't need to sing this one. I have done close to nothing to decorate my apartment. We have all of our essentials and even picked up a few pillows with gift cards, but it all still feels a little thrown together. I mean, my dorms felt more decorated than what my apartment feels like now. I've been here three months and have yet to hang a photo. I feel vaguely guilty/like a failure for not having my apartment all cute the way I want it to be. Other people waste no time making their homes look like they've lived there forever. Who knows how long we'll stay in the apartment we're currently in, but I can at least start thrifting and collecting things to make our apartment more of a home.

Alright, there they are. My twelve things to accomplish while I'm 24. I've gotta say this feels rather ambitious. At the very least it will give me something to blog about.

Oh, and if any of you are particularly interested in joining me in completing any of these things, let me know. We can make a day of it, listen to Lorde's album (one of my new favorite things) on repeat and take lots of photos. Yes? Okay.

♥ A

4 comments:

  1. This is such a great idea! Also, if you need suggestions for your learn/make/do board (because you don't have enough to do already ;)) make these enchiladas http://www.pinterest.com/pin/138626494753886692/ !!! I literally made them twice this week because Stephen and I loved them so much!

    Excited to see how all this goes!

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    1. Hey thank you! I've been looking for something other than tacos to make for Mexican food nights. I'll let you know how they turn out!

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  2. Yay I love this! (I'm also considering only doing 13 things for my 26 Things, but we'll see).

    I'm all for the SF exploring. I wish I could do it with you. I'm a navigational pro now afterall--see 23 Things, haha.

    I understood the Parent Trap reference. I'm excited for this coffee art. Do you need special tools for this?

    Jamba Juice does CCD sometimes. Or you can find one in SF and combine items 3 and 11.

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    1. Luckily we have the whole year for me to complete this. If/when you're back in CA you'll have to show me your hidden treasures. I got the idea from your 23 Things!

      You are the second person to tell me they got my Parent Trap reference. This is how I know I surround myself with good people.

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