All things to keep in mind when I make my new 101 in September (yes, even if I don’t finish this one, I still intend to make a new one, and you may see me revamp some of the current items for the next time). Just because I don’t get finished by the deadline doesn’t mean that a lot of these things aren’t still important to me. And honestly, many of these goals were stretch goals to begin with (see me rationalizing?).

Anyways, back the (very) few that I have completed now!

#34 (Get a pet)- I have two of the most adorable little kittens ever sitting on my bed snuggling with each other. This one is done

(Photo take 5 minutes ago.)

#62 (Switch all lightbulbs to CFLs)- I actually did this when I moved into my new apartment in July
#66 (No more plastic grocery bags – only canvas) – I started doing this last year and actually made a habit of it around New Year’s. Every once and a while I forget to bring my bags in, but not usually.
#91 (Organize recipes) – My recipes are very much more organized now, though I can tell this will be an ongoing effort for me . . .
#95 (Attend 5 year high school reunion) – I wanted to go to my 5 year high school reunion, but I couldn’t go back to FL because of school and work. This made me sad, cause I haven’t even spoken with a lot of my high school friends in YEARS. So . . . I guess I’ll try for the 10 year?

So now I’m more than halfway finished – woo hoo!!! I’ll be honest, I’ve done a lot more than I thought I would! Here’s hoping that I can achieve the rest!

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 1/24/2007 -- Making Some Changes
• 12/29/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #35

This post is very picture heavy, so read on at your own peril !

This year I decided to tackle my storage issues, which encompasses the outside patio storage closet, my guest room, and the closet in the guest room.

I had Christmas decorations piled up in my living room from bringing them up from Florida, so the first thing I did was pull out everything from the outside closet so that I could put all the Christmas decorations in there.

I didn’t sort them yet – I figured when I had finished everything else I would pull them back out and use them! And when I got them out to use them, I would then sort through them. I put everything else back into the closet as well except for some things that needed to go to work. My reason for doing this was so that I had a living room to work in for all the rest of it. I then proceeded to pull EVERYTHING from the guest room into the living room. First I had to pull all the things out of the room so that I could even get to the back of the room and the closet.

And of course, the closet.

Then came the sorting. I began with all the paper clutter. I store all my financial stuff and school stuff in my desk, but since I haven’t been able to get to the desk, the papers have all been collecting in piles on the floor and I have an entire box of binders and such that I haven’t even used for school this year. So the first order of business was get all the papers in order so that I didn’t lose anything important while I was shuffling things around.

Oh yes . . . the desk!

I managed to organize the entire trimester’s worth of handouts and assignments into one 1″ binder! I was so thrilled to toss out all the excess. I’ll also note that the reason this was possible was because most of my class notes are on my computer – how much clutter have I saved myself from by keeping everything organized on my laptop? I also got the past couple of months worth of my bank and credit card statements all straightened out too (I keep all my receipts, but since I couldn’t get to my desk, they were all in a big pile waiting to be “processed”). It’s nice not to have all that floating around, just WAITING to get lost!

In my progress report I said that I wanted to get done before Thanksgiving, but the contingency plan was to put whatever was left into the closet and come back to it after my family left. Unfortunately, that is what I had to do, and I got slowed down even more because I got sick! Of course.

The day after Thanksgiving started decorating for Christmas. I put out all my Nutcrackers and my nativity set, and then left the tree for last night. Since I included sorting my decorations as part of my storage organization project, I first sorted through all my ornaments. There was a bag that I set aside that would be great for a little girl (but are a little too young and pink for me), and the rest I put on the tree. I also am donating a few other decorations to Goodwill that I don’t think I will be using anymore (some nutcrackers in poor condition and some stuffed animals.

So, without further adieu, my AFTER pictures!!!

The guest room:

The closet:

The desk:

Where the decorations were . . .

And where they are now (please notice that there are two boxes that I was able to get rid of a few boxes and I labeled the ones that I kept as I sorted through everything)!

And, of course, the back of my car (plus two more bags that are still in my apartment, but I had to take them out to use my backseat, LOL)!

One of the hardest things that I found about the challenge this time around was letting go of some things that I’ve carried from apartment to apartment the past few years . . . things that I don’t really ever use, but think “oh, I could use that one day!” It was also hard to let go of some of my sentimental Christmas things that I never use anymore. I love that I’ve finally got my closet functioning so that I know where things are and everything is compartmentalized (things that are longer term storage as well as better paper management). This is so exciting, and since the room isn’t a wreck any longer, it is a room that I can actually USE!

Almost all the purged stuff is going to Goodwill. There are a couple of things that have been relocated in the apartment, but seriously, they would all fit in a purse. It’s all getting out of here, and that is so refreshing! This apartment has so much more room now, and I know that I will better be able to function myself as well as having guests over!

I really hope that I win this challenge because I put a LOT of hard work into this (especially considering that I work 30+ hours a week, am a full-time graduate student, and hosted my first holiday with my parents coming from Florida, my brother coming from his university, and my boyfriend, who I had not shared a major holiday with yet). Sorted through so much stuff, and have made my life so much more functional. In all honesty, just finishing the challenge feels like winning to me, and the prize is an apartment that works!!!

I can’t wait to read everyone else’s challenge posts!

• 12/5/2006 -- The Closet Caper!
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 9/15/2008 -- 101 in 1001 #2 – 35.64% Complete

TiVo, in a rare moment unreliability, decided to delete the parade before I got a chance to watch it. Grrr . . .

So I started Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Mama and I went and bought a very real(istic fake) tree for my apartment. My first Christmas tree! I brought up all my Christmas decorations from Florida the last time I was home, so I put out all my Nutcrackers and my nativity set, and then left the tree for another day (since I wasn’t feeling well).

Last night I got the tree all set up – AJ helped me by putting it together and helping me fluff out all the limbs (he’s pretty good at it, LOL)! I then sorted through all my ornaments. There was a bag that I set aside that would be great for a little girl (but are a little too young and pink for me), and the rest I put on the tree. Drumroll please . . .

This is my lovely decorated apartment !

My first Christmas tree!

And a little close up of some ornaments:

Some of the ornaments are newer, like the little Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that look just like Ella and Olive and the little Moravian star to remind me of Winston-Salem, NC (where I attended both undergraduate school at Wake Forest University and graduate school at North Carolina School of the Arts). Others are very old, like the pink sand dollar with a Nutcracker (this was given to me when I danced in the Nutcracker for the first time) and the blue and yellow angels (these hung on my mother’s Christmas tree when she was a girl)!

As I have mentioned, I have a Nutcracker collection, so here is a look at it:

Hmm, let’s get a little closer! Here are Steinbach wisemen . . .

And Steinbach Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare!

And a few more that I have on a bookcase near the kitchen (the short one on the left was my mother’s first nutcracker from before I was born – it’s the first in my collection)!

And my nativity set – I just got this last year and LOVE it!

The only thing I’m missing is an Advent wreath for my table, but that may have to wait until next year.

So, now I’m ready for Christmas for the first time in my adult apartment. Ahhh! I’m so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• 7/19/2006 -- About
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions

This post was inspired by XBOX WIFE – her backwards WFMW was all these tipping questions that I have completely copy and pasted and answered below. Let me preface this by saying that I am not a professional on this, I can only share my personal experience (which is actually quite a lot – my family travels a considerable amount). For somewhat professional advice, consider the following:

* Wikipedia: Tip
* The Original Tipping Page
* Get Rich Slowly: Basic Tips on Tipping
* Emily Post: Holiday Tipping

And now, on to the questions! These are based on my personal experiences and opinions (and I inherited most of my tipping habits from my parents). Note that I am typically a big tipper (at a restaurant I consider around 20% to be standard, if not more). I will also leave less of a tip if my service was not that good. It is rare that I will not leave a tip at all, though I have done it once or twice for truly appalling service. But, like I said, I’m usually a very generous tipper.

* How much do you tip the security officer that brings a band-aid to your room? – I’d think a couple of dollars.

* How much do you tip the taxi driver that doesn’t answer any of your questions, or chooses to text message friends while he is driving? – Depends on the length of travel and such. For a $10 cab ride in NYC, I’d say $2 or so.

* How about the taxi driver that gives you great tips and good conversation? – Again, depends on the length and location. For a $10 cab ride in NYC, I’d probably give him $18ish total (but they were really great tips and some AWESOME conversation).

* Do you tip the doorman that greets you, the one that takes in your bags, AND the one that carries them to your room? – Are they 3 different people? If they are, then I typically only tip the one that carries them to my room (unless I have 15 bags . . . then I might consider the others). And usually it’s $1-2 plus $1 for each bag

* How much do you tip the doorman that hails a cab for you? – How hard was it to get the cab? If there was a cab in a line by the hotel, then $1. If he had to call or something, then $2-3.

* The concierge? – Did you use their services? If no, then no tip. If it was a quick question or two, then maybe $1. If they booked a tour for you and gave you 3 good restaurant recommendations, then $5 or so.

* Housekeeping? Do you tip housekeeping daily, or at the end of your trip? (I always worry that the person that has been cleaning our room all week will have the day off on the day we leave!) – If I’ve stayed at a nice hotel for a week or so and received excellent housekeeping service, then perhaps $10-20 at the end of the trip. But usually I don’t tip housekeeping. On a cruise though . . . definitely.

* Salon and spa services in your hotel? – Yes. Example: $50 massage – $10 tip

* And what about salon and spa services in your hometown ~ How much do you tip your hairstylist, the shampoo person, the manicurist, the esthetician? – Yes. I get a $120 haircut and color. The colorist usually gets $15-20, and the hair cutter gets $10. If they are the same person, then they get $20-25 total. And slip a $5 to the one who washes your hair and sweeps up the mess on the floor! Nails? If the manicure is $50, then give them $10-15 . . . and if you’re a regular, make sure to include ALL these kinds of people on your Christmas list (a small little gift, $10-20 gift certificate, homemade cookies . . . you get the idea, somewhere in there).

* The barber? – $15 harcut for the boys = $5-10 for the tip

* The shoeshine guy? – Do people still do this? I have no idea.

* Car wash attendants? – If they were super excellent, maybe $5. Typically though, no.

* Restaurants? How much? Do you determine the amount depending on the specific restaurant? How about the maitre d’? How about self-service places where someone buses your table? – I sort of addressed this already. Usually I go somewhere around 20% – regardless of how nice the restaurant is . . . those waitstaff are working just as hard at Ruby Tuesday as they are at Ruth’s Chris! At self-service places I usually leave a dollar on the table for the busboy. Unless the matre d’ has done you a special service, I usually don’t tip.

* Airports! How much do you tip the guy who unloads your car and the separate guy that checks your bags before you ever actually get into the airport? The parking attendants? The bus drivers for long-term parking? – Usually $1-2 plus $1 for each bag that you have. This goes for the shuttle driver and the skycap. The parking attendant in the little booth – no tip usually.

* Valet parking attendants? – $1-2 when you give them the car and another $1-2 when you get it back.

* Grocery store baggers and car loaders? – I usually forgo using them, so it’s been a LONG time since I’ve done this . . . I would imagine $5 is good if you’ve got a big carful of groceries.

And I’m gonna toss one in here for myself – TIP YOUR BARISTA! If you’ve had good service at Starbucks (or any other coffee shop for that matter), toss your change or a dollar into the tip jar, ESPECIALLY if you’re in the drive-thru . . . it’s factored into our pay like a waiter’s would be, and the drive-thru stores are notorious for getting awful tips, which is quite unfortunate because the work is harder. ::Steps off soap box::

Any other things you’re wondering about for tips? I’d love to keep going!!!

• 7/27/2008 -- Longest Meme Ever (Day of Blogs ’08 #32)
• 7/22/2008 -- Are you ready to stay awake?
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete

A simple little tip that I have found makes my life SOOOOO much easier! If you have a laptop computer and are anything like me, you take your laptop EVERYWHERE . . . to your bedroom, to your living room, on vacation, to a friend’s house – it’s all fair game. However, you probably have a desk (or desk area) that is the “home” of the laptop, where all your stuff plugs into it. And the most important thing that plugs in is the power cord.

However, it’s reeeeeeeeeally annoying to have to crawl under your desk in the unflattering and uncomfortable effort to unplug that power cord so that you can take it with you. But you have to have the power cord when you’re on the go!

Here’s my solution, and it’s so simple it sounds stupid. Buy a second power cord. They’re usually not that expensive, and the time and effort it saves you is immeasurable! Have one that is permanently located at the laptop’s “home” and one that you leave bundled up in your computer bag. Any time you go somewhere, take the one that is bundled up. When you come back home, your other cord is still plugged in and you’re ready to go.

Saving some time and still being addicted to my laptop (LOL)? Works for me!

• 6/15/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #45
• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions
• 10/3/2007 -- Tipping Etiquette

Today was a little more productive. This morning I got my welcome packet (I feel welcomed), my textbooks (book bag heavier, wallet lighter), my ID card (with my senior year high school picture on it – yes, it is 6 years old), and my mailbox number and combination (which I will likely never use). I feel quite official now, and I’m excited that once again I can get the student discount at the grocery store – woot!

Then, this afternoon, we had a for real meeting with our program faculty members – 8 students, 2 teachers. Close and personal, eh? It was great to get to go over all the material that we had received in bits and pieces the past few weeks. We didn’t really learn a lot of new stuff, but I feel significantly less scattered now, and that’s nice. Also excited to hear that my laptop (which runs on Windows Vista, not XP) is not going to be a problem in my computer class. We’re gonna stick Office 2003 on it (I have 2007) and life will be dandy.

Still don’t COMPLETELY know my schedule as they are still working out the rotations for us (we each spend some time in marketing, development, box office, etc.), so I STILL can’t tell Starbucks what my hours are going to be. That has been more than frustrating, but I did find out enough to get by for the next week or so, so hopefully this will get resolved and my life will be complete.

On a side note, the orientation schedule has a lot of things that are not required for grad students . . . but it doesn’t really say that on the schedule. As a result, I’ve gotten a lot of free time this week (I took off from work since orientation seemed to be so involved). What am I doing with this free time? Why, goofing off with AJ and spending WAY too much time with the cats. They’re so awesome – I really want kittens of my own . . .

OK, off to bake cookies – if you’ve had my cookies, you know what you are missing. If not – trust me, you wish you did !

• 1/12/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #21
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 1/23/2008 -- Holidays, Hospitals, and Higher Learning

Wow, it really has been a while since I did a WFMW! I thought I’d jump back in with this week’s theme – the “Brand Loyal Edition.” We’re supposed to post about what brands/products we can’t live without. So, here are a few of my favorites!

Starbucks – there’s a reason I love my job. Not only do they make quality products, but they are becoming more socially responsible and they are an AWESOME company to work for (that is not marketing hype – all the rumors you hear about them being a great employer are true).

E. Webscapes – there’s a reason I love my other job too, LOL! I was a very loyal customer for E. Webscapes before I joined them this past spring, and now that I get to work for them every day I see just how much hard work and personal care goes into each design project. Most definitely worth the money!!!

WordPress – it is so freakin’ versatile! If you haven’t experimented with WordPress as a blogging platform (or just a site management too) I SERIOUSLY recommend that you do so. I’ve tried many different platforms, and WP by far outshines them all. You can do so many things with it, and it is super crazy user-friendly. I have 2 blogs run on it, plus I’ve set up blogs for 4 or 5 friends on WP as well. And they are people who don’t know HTML from PHP from voodoo . . . and they love using WP.

Bookcrossing – this site has revolutionized the way that I think about books. I was always taught to hold on to your books since they are such a precious item. I still have great respect from books, and if a book holds special meaning for me or if I REALLY enjoyed it, I will still hold onto it. However, I’ve also learned the joy of sharing books. It’s so awesome to read journal entries as your books travel around and are enjoyed by countless others. And, if that’s not enough incentive, think about how many trees you could save by not printing new books!

Amazon.com – speaking of books, LOL! Amazon is almost ALWAYS my first stop when I’m buying something new. The prices are almost always the cheapest (plus, within 30 days if the price changes you can get back the money you would have saved by using Price Protectr), the reviews are EXTREMELY helpful, and if you join Amazon Prime you get EVERYTHING with free 2 day shipping (yes, there is an upfront fee, but I’ve found that I save way more than that by not paying for shipping or having to bump my order up to $25 for free shipping, and there is the benefit of not waiting a week). I even applied for the Amazon.com credit card, and I use that as my primary card. I get 1 point for every dollar I spend, and once I get to 2,500 points, I get a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com! Since I keep track of my spending like a debit card, it’s not rare for me to see one of these almost every month. AWESOME. Books? Check! DVDs? Check! Canvas grocery bags? Check! New external hard drive? Check! All things I’ve bought (for less) on Amazon.com!

Finding awesome brands that I trust and have proven themselves to me time and again? Works for me!

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 8/10/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #23
• 9/14/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #27

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 7/22/2008 -- Are you ready to stay awake?
• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Trade paperback. Hardbacks are too big and mass markets are too small – I like to be able to read with the book in one hand, between my thumb and pinkie.

Amazon or brick and mortar? AMAZON!!! The prices are soooo much cheaper, plus I can do all the wishlist/recommendation stuff. Also, I have been known to walk out of a bookstore with 2 overflowing bags of books . . . when I hadn’t intended to buy any . . .

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Barnes and Noble – love the atmosphere, and the selection is better.

Bookmark or dogear? Bookmark bookmark bookmark!!! My mom makes beautiful bookmarks out of beads and ribbon, and now I can’t live without mine!

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? At the moment they are all just sort of grouped by genre, but that is because I have a severe lack of a good bookcase. When I get a good bookcase for my next apartment, I’m probably gonna go all out and file them by their Dewey numbers, so that’s genre, then author alpha.

Keep, throw away, or sell? Keep books that I really really loved, and then the ones that I don’t I TRADE!!! All of my books that are not sentimental for me are listed at Bookcrossing.com (which I highly recommend all readers use), and then I trade either with other BCers or on PaperBackSwap.com. This means that I have spent significantly less money on books in the past 6 months or so, and my wallet thanks me for that.

Keep dustjacket or toss it? I keep it – even though they’re annoying, they look nice, and they’re part of the book!

Read with dustjacket or remove it? Like I said, they’re annoying! I always manage to rip them if I read with them on, so off they go!

Short story or novel? Novel! Though give me some Edgar Allan Poe and I’ll be happy all afternoon.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? Collection. I often find that anthologies are too disjointed for me.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Oooooooo, LOVE Harry Potter! Though, to be fair, I haven’t read Lemony Snicket, only saw the movie, so that’s on the TBR list.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I am soooo horrible about this. I stop reading when I get tired, though often I get invigorated by reading, so I don’t get tired . . . which means I read until the book is done, even if that’s at 4:30AM.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Neither. How about “there was a shoe sale at Barney’s” . . .

Buy or Borrow? Buy. Another thing I’m really bad at. I really really want that book to be MINE. Getting to the point where I’m OK with trading for “new” books took a while (yeah, OCD much?), but I feel like they are mine, so it’s OK. Sometimes I borrow from my mom, but let’s be honest, I feel like I partially own all of her stuff, and visa versa, ya know?

New or used? New or traded. I rarely buy used (unless it’s a textbook – then we’ve reached a different area altogether).

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? I like to browse, but if I’m buying chick lit off of Amazon (which I rarely do anymore), the reader reviews are helpful. Since those are all pretty mindless anyways, the opinions tend to lead you in the right direction.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? I usually want a tidy ending. I know it may be more intellectual to let you figure it out yourself at the end, but I’m reading for pleasure – indulge me.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Nighttime. If I read in the day I feel like I should be doing something else, and then I can’t enjoy it as much. Though I do tend to read in certain places – airports/airplanes, coffeeshops, when I get my hair highlighted (I’m sure they love how untalkative I am) . . .

Stand-alone or series? It depends on the series. I usually go for stand-alones because there aren’t many good series in the genres that I like to read.

Favorite series? While now it’s probably Harry Potter, I probably would need to say Baby-Sitters Club is my all time favorite . . . that series changed my life.

Favorite children’s book? What a difficult question! I don’t think I can answer this one . . . it requires some serious soul-searching . . .

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Don’t really have much to contribute to this one. I really like Thomas Hardy books, and if you’re not an English major, you may not have heard of him . . .

Favorite books read last year? Last year wasn’t too hot for reading – I was reading for class, and then I was on reading burnout.

Favorite books of all time? Ahhhhh! Another one that I don’t know how to answer! Mmmm, let’s go with Baby-Sitters Club, a collection of Edgar Allan Poe, Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

Least favorite book you finished last year? Had to be one of those awful things I read last year for my pre-1700 World civ class . . .

What are you reading right now? Just finished Loose Lips: A Novel by Claire Berlinski last night!

What are you reading next? The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Hat Tip: Shannon @ Rocks In My Dryer

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 7/26/2008 -- Recycled Reading Meme (Day of Blogs ’08 #17)
• 7/26/2008 -- Another Book Meme (Day of Blogs ’08 #12)

Also, in the past couple of months, I have a renewed sense of dedication for making our planet a better place. This happens to coincide with the time that An Inconvenient Truth came out, but that is not what got me started. I actually can’t remember the initial trigger, but the Internet has fueled this interest with its vast resources. About 10 years ago I was VERY committed to environmentalism – my weeks consisted of collecting the recycling in my school and my weekends were spent on beach clean up trips and letter writing campaigns. Then high school came, and I was more concerned with myself than the planet. Then college came and I didn’t have time to be concerned with the planet. I always figured I had gone through an “environmentalist phase,” so I was quite surprised to discover that little piece of me come back alive!

So, I have replaced these goals:

62. Create my own WordPress template.
66. Create new printables section for Doodlebug Designs.
69. Rework all of my websites so they use valid XHTML.
70. Rework all of my websites so that they use valid CSS.

with a new section in my 101:

Green Living
62. Change all the incandescent light bulbs in my apartment to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
66. Stop using plastic bags at the grocery store and switch to reusable canvas bags.
69. Switch a significant portion of my food and cooking supplies to organic. Healthier for me, healthier for the planet.
70. Search for organic and free trade coffee and tea that I like, and make the switch.

I imagine that when I create my next 101 in 1001 that this section will be larger, but for now I’m starting small.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programing.

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 12/29/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #35
• 7/19/2006 -- About