Twitter games

So everyone's seen the "recommend 5 _X_ to get to know you" games floating around twitter, right? Right. Well, I found the best one:

But then I thought it would be fun to do some of the others, too. And, of course, some of the Whys, because it is oh so hard for me to narrow things down, but lord knows I love defining myself by my pop culture.

For the above, mantophasmatodea are two fold. One is because we had some in the lab in South Africa, and they are adorable. And two because it is still incredible to me that an entire new ORDER of insects could be discovered in the new millennium. (They've since been reclassified as a family within a new order, but the point stands.) Pneumoridae are the grasshoppers I worked on while I was doing research in South Africa. Wetas because they are awesome and so very New Zealand. Delta Green Ground Beetles were my favorite of my five thesis species, and they happen to be a species of concern on the Jepson Prairie Preserve, purchased by TNC in the 80s. So, you know, synchronicity. And a Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula because we had a pet one growing up, Seemani.

If that weren't enough... (also, I'm sick. This is what my cold-addled brain does.)

5 comic book runs/graphic novels

Maus. Maybe the first one I read? And so brilliant.

Watchmen. Again, just one of the best books of all time. I also happen to be in the minority for loving the movie, but it might be the casting that gets me.

Sandman. Neil Gaiman is very brilliant and I love a lot of his ongoing work, but this may be the pinnacle for me. I love a lot of the ideas and conceits in here.

Local. One of the best presents I've ever received. It's all about a young woman with wanderlust, and her eventual homecoming. Gifted to me just as I returned to San Francisco.

Bone. Stupid, stupid rat creatures!

Hon mentions:
Persepolis - too similar in genre to Maus to be in the top 5, but totally great.
Understanding Comics - so great.

Thinking more broadly about newspaper runs, well, then the Far Side, Foxtrot, Calvin & Hobbes, and Pogo would be up there (I've never read a lot of Pogo, but he's featured prominently in my childhood.) And Sluggy Freelance for being the first webcomic I followed regularly in college. Bunny with a switchblade!

My problem with a lot of comic runs is that they go on too long. I like early Locke & Key, Fables, and Y the Last Man, but I don't think Locke & Key quite stuck the landing, and I stopped reading the others about 5 collections in. Saga's holding up pretty well, but I'm a bit behind.

New Year's Resolutions and Bucket Lists

The past couple of years I've tried to be a little more intentional with some life goals/habits/resolutions, largely inspired by reading Leila's How to Win at Resolutions and Wil Wheaton's Reboot. I particularly like Leila's advice about trying again at a new time if you don't get to something the month you pick it (or even within 6 months), and the fact that Wil included fun goals along some more typical "new year's resolutions" type goals. So in 2017, I made a list of 10 goals or habits to cultivate. I did one (started volunteering again), but! I really liked doing it and I more generally liked thinking about or tracking to a set of goals.

So in 2018, I made mostly the same goals again this year. I fell a little bit into the trap of 'once I find the perfect organizer/planner, I will be organized,' but I've mostly remained on track, albeit sometimes at a slow pace, or trying again on something midway through the year.

Then recently I read about the idea of a 101/1,001 list. The idea behind it is to set a list of 101 specific, measurable tasks that can be accomplished in 1,001 days (not quite 3 years). In that way, you can be a little more concrete about action items ('I will take a baking class', or 'I will meditate for 10 minutes a day for one week', rather than 'start baking/meditating'.) Plus it gives you a time frame to try to tackle some bigger bucket list-type items, without that nebulous bucket list thinking of, 'someday I will go to Japan...'

This also meant transcribing an old bucket list, as I considered which items to put on the 101 list for the next 3 years, versus what should just stay as a "bucket list item"*. The really fun thing about this exercise** was recognizing how many bucket list items I'd crossed off since making the list in 2013. Even though it can feel like there's such a big world out there still to see (my bucket list is like half travel), it's nice to take a look back and see all the fun I've been having in the last five years:

• I've been to the Santa Rosa Plateau, Santa Cruz Island, Coachella preserve, Carrizo Plain, and Elkhorn Slough
• I've been to Montana (also, what?)
• I've spent a week in NYC just seeing broadway shows
• I've been to Borneo!
• I've visited 22 new national parks (or revisited as an adult)
• I've started volunteering again
• I've gone camping in the redwoods again
• I've organized my playbill collection (although I am DEFINITELY MISSING a couple of RENT playbills. Sniffles.)
• I've attended a highland games! Hey! Recent cross-off.
• I've attended a masquerade ball
• I've been to Alcatraz!
• I've attended the Gorey ball
• I've visited the Top of the Mark and the Tonga room
• I've been to Mister Jiu's and State Bird
• I've done the tactile dome at the exploratorium
• I've tried Humphrey Slocombe (overrated, but Salt and Straw is not)
• I've done a tarantula walk on Mt. Diablo
• I've gone whale watching in the bay area
• I've continued attending Outside Lands (also a weird item, 2013-me.)
• I've been to Calshakes
• I've purchased season tickets to the Opera and Berkeley Rep
• I've been to the DNA lounge
• I've had a drink at the Edinburgh castle 
• I've been to the new Alamo drafthouse! (So many times. So many, many expensive times.)
• I've attended a movie in the park!
• I've attended the Oregon shakespeare festival again
• I've tried Zombies Run!

54 Bucket list items done! A mere... uh... lifetime's worth to go. (Hellooo Colorado/Utah national parks trips)

*Just to be clear, the 101/1,001 list isn't three years' worth of a bucket list. I mean I suppose it could be. But mine, and most of the ones I've seen, are a mix of aspirational (travel here/learn this skill) and practical (I have this thing I'm planning for/that money thing I really need to take care of soon.) So like a three-year plan, but with the fun stuff included?

**other than the planning. I'm an enneagram 7. I get half of my fun from anticipatory planning.