Honestly Ani: To resolve or not to resolve, that is the question...

Happy New Year blogesphere!

Every year people make resolutions. They decide on things they want to do this year. Typically their resolutions are the same ones they make every year and they are things like "lose weight," "get married" & other huge thing that they'll never do. I stopped make resolutions years ago. As it is I try to better myself when I can, I change and update when needed. No need for resolutions for me.

My buddy Mel mentioned making a list of things she wants to do this year. Almost like a daily calender of things she wants to do. I insisted that she had to share it with me. I'd never done anything like that before, and I thought it was an awesome idea. Some of them are fun things to do, some of them are activities to get you out of yourself for a little bit some are well... anything really. Originally it was supposed to be 365 items, but it ended up being 300 (more than enough items for this list). I took her list and adopted it for myself. Added more things I wanted, took out things I didn't have interest in like I am a mentor already, so I don't have to sign up, my mom cooks for me regularly so I don't have to ask. But kept most of her list just the way it was, I mean its a great list! She worked really hard on it. My edit of it is 305 items.

Anyway, I wanted to post my list for two reasons, first to hold myself accountable because if I tell you I'm going to do it, I have to do it. And second, because maybe this will inspire you to get out of yourself and do something like it.

300 random things to do in 2010

Hand write a letter (not an e-mail or text) to someone, and mail it.
Get a massage.
Go see a live taping of a show.
Spend an entire day with grandma.
Volunteer to read at a hospital/library/bookstore.
Go see a movie alone.
Plan a day-long event with friends.
Plant a tree.
Write a poem describing your face.
Give up something for a day.
Read a children’s book.
Thumb wrestle.
Invent your own holiday, and make plans to celebrate it.
Celebrate your individuality by writing a song about what makes you unique. No voice lessons required.
Order something out of the ordinary (but that you know you’ll enjoy) on the menu.
Send a cheesy postcard to some one with a good sense of humor.
Watch the sunrise.
Watch the sunset.
Learn how to say please and thank you in five languages.
Organize a drawer at home or work.
Draw a flower.
Send some one a box of chocolates.
Avoid using your cell phone for two hours.
Go on a two-day vacation.
Take a craft class.
Do a Google search for “worst movie”, and watch one.
Do a Google search for “best movie”, and watch one.
Rearrange the furniture in any room.
Superman vs. Batman: Who & why? Write a 50 word argument.
Challenge someone to a card game- poker, UNO, etc.
Make chocolate dipped strawberries.
Plan a Mad Tea Party. Make your guest dress up.
Make someone a homemade gift.
Meditate.
Plan a dinner party.
Have a favorite dish at least once a month
Buy a coloring book, and keep it around for stress relief.
Bake an apple pie with a from scratch crust. Serve with or without ice cream.
On the first warm week of the year, go for a light jog or long walk.
Treat yourself to something from ToysRUs.
Learn beginner’s origami.
Visit a speakeasy in NYC.
Play hopscotch.
Visit Yale University Art Gallery at least once a month or two (bring a sketch pad).
Visit the British Art Gallery at least once every month or two (bring a sketch pad)
Make Rice Krispies Treats.
Knit a pair of socks.
Write a fan letter to someone you know.
Plan a game night. It can be a board game, video game, etc.
Eat frozen seedless grapes.
Give someone a big tip for an extraordinary job.
Let’s go fly a kite! Or at least try.
Start a one-book book club. Send an e-mail about the book you have selected, ask people to purchase the same book, and share your thoughts via e-mail.
Donate to a wild animal foundation.
Assemble a LEGO kit (big or small).
Make a pizza from scratch.
Visit a farm.
Enjoy an all-day marathon of your favorite show.
Walk/Run in a 1/2 marathon.
Go fruit picking.
Visit the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, and enjoy the river view.
Write about a bizarre dream. Make it up if you cant remember one...
Learn about the history of where you come from.
Learn to make flan, chocolate mousse or some other dessert you have never made.
Spend a day with sibling(s) or best friend(s).
Play tick-tack-toe.
Look up to the sky. In a sentence, describe what you see.
In the movie about your life, who would play you? Why?
List 5 things you like about some one close to you.
Buy your dream car- Hot Wheels edition.
Make S’mores.
Memorize a poem, and recite it.
Draw stick figures in action: dancing, running, hopping, whatever.
Pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.
Buy a science kit, and experiment!
Get a henna tattoo.
Buy a book for someone. Dedicate it.
Report a stray animal to a reputable shelter.
Make a heart-shaped grilled cheese sandwich.
Pay double the minimum on a credit card bill.
Check your credit.
Pay tribute to George Costanza- play a game of opposite day (do the opposite of what you would normally do).
Write a haiku about cheese.
Make a model of a human using saran wrap, aluminum foil and toilet paper.
Play with a yo-yo.
Personalize a shirt with art or your initials using an iron-on kit.
Use a rock as a paperweight.
Create different dips from sour cream, mayonnaise or mustard.
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
Make a paper airplane that actually flies.
Buy a soap making kit.
Pay tribute to Julie Andrews by listing 11 of your favorite things.
Come up with your own silly answer for, “Why did the chicken cross the road?”
Draft a will listing three items. Who gets what and why?
Find out what your blood pressure is.
Make a sock puppet, and name it.
Perform surgery. Play a game of Operation!
Play a game of solitaire.
Make a 20-30 minute meal.
Take a day off from everything and everyone, turn cell phone off.
Look up a Top 10 book list, and read one of the books.
Swap recipes/ideas with a friend.
Visit the local aquarium.
Exchange your bottles/cans at the local supermarket.
Clean out the refrigerator, and scrub it like never before.
Buy yourself flowers, and strut down the street with a big smile on your face. People will wonder.
Watch a film in your native tongue.
Trace your hand on a sheet of paper, and draw something using the template.
Ask someone for directions to a place you’re already familiar with and see how accurate their instructions are.
Go through your closet, and get rid of the things you will never use again.
Search for five friends/family using the Google search engine.
Write down 10 random things in less than 1 minute. Then write a sentence or two using the words.
Act out your favorite movie scene.
Open a dictionary to a random page. Close your eyes and point. Use the word in a sentence.
Watch an episode of Bob Ross’ show on You Tube, and paint along with him.
Pump your fist to a song. Just make sure no one is watching or recording you.
Change your name for a day to something outrageous. But make sure you can say it with a straight face.
Make ice tea ice cubes, and serve with lemonade on a hot day.
Put together a puzzle.
Wrap a gift in something other than wrapping paper.
Learn a Chuck Norris move.
Visit the Cloister Museum in Washington Heights.
Go on a boat ride.
Donate books to a children’s organization.
Build a sandcastle.
Make a pillow.
Ask a friend to lend you a dollar. Mark the dollar with a symbol, and hold it, and tell him/her you will pay it back in 3 months.
Treat someone to lunch for no reason.
Take a pottery class.
Learn to count to ten in Japanese, Russian, Polish.
Visit the Tenement Museum in NYC.
Go window shopping. Buy nothing.
Learn how to track planets across the sky.
Make a smoothie.
Silence is golden- try not speaking for a day.
Start an old fashioned savings jar.
Perfect your signature.
Go on a nature walk.
Go to a book signing.
Find the dippers; little and big.
For an entire week, try 7 of the salads on the New York Times 101 Simplest salads list: http://is.gd/5Cqyf
Make a collage: What’s your idea of Utopia?
Visit a comedy club.
Learn how to make play dough.
Make a mix-CD for a friend who is having a hard day/week.
Give someone a “Get out of __________ free” card.
Learn how to make maple syrup.
Make natural Popsicles.
Splurge on a meal.
Draw a person- Picasso style.
Plan an entire day of meals from food purchased at a Farmer’s Market.
Visit a Jazz Club.
Plan a trip to Amish country.
Write down five things that make you happy. Give the list to someone with the heading, “5 Ways to Get Rid of the Blues.”
Create a Quiz about something you are knowledgeable about, and have people take it.
Make chocolate covered pretzels.
Visit the BAM Theater.
Send someone a greeting card.
Write a book review on an Internet site.
Find a recipe for something you've never made. Try it.
Keep a dream journal for a week.
Write a song parody.
Host a tribute to your favorite director by having a three film marathon.
Wear a fun wig to a party.
Make an elaborate dessert from scratch.
Get a black piece of construction paper, and draw stars.
Memorize the flowers of the thirteen original colonies.
Offer to run an errand for a friend.
Pay someones toll.
Watch a gangster movie (e.g., Scarface, The Goodfellas, etc.)
Take a cooking class.
Catch a movie at a theater before noon.
Go bowling.
Play an arcade game.
Create a ten-page flip book.
Donate canned goods.
Frame an important picture. Splurge on a nice frame.
Have lunch at the park.
Give yourself a facial, or treat yourself to one.
Count the number of people (men or women) sporting a mustache.
Learn the history of your favorite dish.
Buy a Wendy’s frosty coupon book (1 pack contains 10), and share the coupon with the first 10 people who speak to you.
Write a Mento’s commercial.
Let destiny decide: Pick 6 movies from your own collection, and assign a number to each movie (1-6). Then roll a die, and let fate decide which movie you will watch.
Ask a random person to recommend a book.
Learn to make strawberry or grape jam.
Find out which celebrities/important people in history share your birthday.
Make a log cabin out of Popsicle sticks
Create a family crest.
Learn how to make excellent sangria. Serve with tapas.
Adopt a Jedi name. 
Visit Little Italy in the Bronx
Tell a ghost story.
Make a cootie catcher (paper fortune teller).
Learn the School House Rock song.
Explore your neighborhood by foot.
Write a letter to someone you know overseas.
Make chocolate lollipops. Give them to your friends & co-workers
See how many times you can fold a piece of paper.
Plan an escape route from work or home.
Let a quarter decide your fate for a day.
Make a papier mache candy dish.
Read a comic book/graphic novel.
Write an instructional guide to anything.
Do a MacGyver, and make something using three household items.
Present someone with an award for best _______________.
Pick a street in your neighborhood, and find out who it was named after.
Go to a fair.
Do something spontaneous.
Eat at Tom's Diner.
Play a game of Mad Libs.
Write words that start with A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y. Use the words in a sentence.
Learn to true history of a historical monument.
Wrap a gift in anything other than wrapping paper.
Learn a simple magic trick.
Take advantage of Restaurant Week.
Carve your initials in a tree.
Read up on the life of your favorite song writer/ composer.
Write up a self evaluation.
Vampire or Wolf? Why?
Visit a botanical garden
Draw the anatomy of a monster.
Create a report card for friend.
Play dominoes.
Listen to Brazilian music.
Write a note with a calligraphy pen.
Use hot wax and a stamp to seal an envelope.
Make a fruit salad.
Make a loaf of bread, and give it to someone as a gift.
Have comfort food for dinner.
Learn how to fold a napkin in an artistic way.
Read a mystery novel.
Write your name- graffiti style!
Look up events for the year you were born.
Visit a zoo.
Reward yourself with a small gift.
Recycle something you would normally toss in the trash.
Blow bubbles.
Compile a list of long-term goals.
Visit a bookstore. Read the first chapter of any book.
Who is your favorite author and why?
Give to Charity Water.
Watch the movie version of a musical.
Buy flowers for someone who needs a pick me up.
2010 will have a lot of remakes of movies. Watch the original.
Use wrapping paper as a decoration.
Jack and Jill went up the hill to – make the rest up.
Why was the Empire State Building built?
If you could change places with anyone, living or dead, for one day, who would it be?
Watch a family-friendly film with the family.
Host a BBQ, or plan a picnic.
Read a book in one sitting.
Grant a wish for some one.
Practice your cursive.
Make a banana split.
Ask someone to recommend a restaurant.
Get a bag of M&M’s and a small jar, separate by color, and pour into the jar one color at a time.
Decorate something with photos.
Own something you have not used in a while? Use it!
Add scented satchels to a stinky drawer.
Pack your own survival kit.
Visit a garden show.
Draw a family tree.
Have someone play music for you (live or recorded).
Send someone a random e-greeting.
Cross a bridge (on foot).
Wear something made out of candy.
Anonymously donate pencils to a classroom.
Create a wish list.
Look up “Today in history”.
Write a sentence, and then use a thesaurus to replace the words you used.
Write an online review for a service.
Play jacks.
Read the funnies. Save your favorite one.
Watch a silent film.
Learn the history of the ballpoint pen.
Make a miniature parachute.
Visit MOMA, don't forget the sketch pad!
Make a conscious effort to not procrastinate.
Make a gratitude list at least once a week.
Write a short story.
Learn to type.
Bake something and mail it to a friend who lives far away.
Give Grandma a manicure.
Hold the door open for strangers wherever you go.
Make a couple sandwiches and give them to the homeless people of New Haven.
Knit a sweater
Do not turn on home computer on a night or day off.
Take a dance class, go out and show off your stuff.
Get a list of your friends all time favorite movies and start watching!
Make a date to have a brother-sister day. Do something new & fun!
Have a Paint ball fight with friends.
Learn self-defense.
Learn Yoga.
Make a sock puppet, give it a name and a new adoptive home.
Organize my room.
Set up Studio Space to paint and draw in.
Visit the elderly in homes...
Smile all day, let them wonder...
Get a tattoo.

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Friday, January 1, 2010

To resolve or not to resolve, that is the question...

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