Jane Eyre! [Progress: 33]

Today I finished Jane Eyre! The first of my 10 classics.

I read it within about 4 days of getting it, which is pretty sad on my part, but i found it intriguing. And i somewhat just wanted to finish after reading the ending in the footnotes! (seriously, just because it is the "classic" edition does not mean they can assume everyone knows the story... but apparently i was in a very select ignorant group.) anyway, besides penguin classics giving away any surprise in the book (i'm surprised they didn't write it on the back cover) i definitely enjoyed reading this. i have never read (or seen the movies of) any of the "classic" love stories: this, pride and prejudice, basically anything by jane austen, etc. so it was still an endearing subject to me. i found myself enthralled even though i knew what was coming. although at some points i found the plot lines to be so coincidental almost to the point of being funny. and sometimes i just wanted jane and mr rochester to make out already so they would stop bantering. but overall, the characters were my favorite part. st john was an especially intriguing character - i was glad charlotte bronte gave him a personality instead of just a cardboard cutout Christian (yay alliteration). i also even caught on to some of the symbolism, but i'm sure if i read this last year, we would have found some sort of sexual allusion at the heart of the story. okay well i will stop paining you with my review, but you have to forgive me... it's been so long since i've analyzed literature in any form.

Bottom Line: if you can get over the predictability, it will definitely keep you interested (especially for the hopeless romantics out there)

now i'm moving on to one of the books off our friend list, i need a break before the next classic.
<3
Meaghan

Probably one of the scariest things on the list... (Progress: 5)

I was reading Tan's LiveJournal today and I noticed that he mentioned the LA Marathon in it. This led to the scary realization that it takes quite awhile to train for a marathon, and this is one of those goals that I'd like to get done with sooner rather than later. So I hopped on the website, got myself registered, and voila! I will be running in the LA Marathon on May 25th, 2009.

I'd have to say this is in the top three scariest things I have to do on this list, but finishing it will be amazing...I just know it!

I start training Monday..wish me luck!

<3,
Jillian

Classics! (Progress: 33)

This really can't be counted as "Progress," but I have finally found a list of books that I want to read for number 33: Read 10 "Classic" Novels! This is a list that someone else compiled, but I'm open to other suggestions! :)

1. Don Quixote
2. Gulliver's Travels
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. Oliver Twist
5. The Scarlet Letter
6. Moby Dick
7. Madame Bovary
8. Crime and Punishment
9. Anna Karenina
10. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

I love to read! <3,
Jillian

I might as well just add mine to this as well. Also open to suggestions. =]
1. Bleak House
2. Metamorphosis and Other Stories
3. Jane Eyre
4. Anna Karenina
5. Gulliver's Travels
6. Count of Monte Cristo
7. Age of Innocence
8. Babbitt
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
10. On the Road

Some of them are definitely more modern "classics" but i really want to read them.
<3 Meaghan

Progress: 44

So maybe we are posting a few too many, but we have to capitalize on our motivation while we actually have it!
I just got Rhino (a 3D modeling software) for school and I've been working through the tutorials learning how everything works. So far I've made a flashlight and rubber duck! (I realize this is probably more exciting to me than anyone else.) I've been trying to find a way to show how the program works but i cant seem to upload/save a screenshot to here... The models do not look nearly as impressive in just the 2d rendered form. haha
As I am most likely going to be learning Rhino throughout my classes, I've turned my attention to Adobe: Illustrator and Photoshop. Learning on my own seems like a daunting task so anyone have any suggestions on how best to get an overall understanding of how to use them? Suggestions are appreciated (yes, I bolded just so you won't skim over this part =])

Thanks!
<3 Meaghan

Contests, Contests, Contests! (Progress: 75)

I spent a very, very long time entering a bunch of contests today! A lot of random ones...everything from free cough drops for a year to a Jamaican vacation. I don't care what I win, I just want to win something!

Meaghan, I suggest these magazine websites to find contests:

- goodhousekeeping.com/win/

- elle.com/sweepstakes

- ellegirl.elle.com/win.html

- womansday.com/lifestyle/giveaways.html

-Cosmo (even though it only has like one)

Wish me luck!

<3,

Jillian

I'm really excited because... (Progress: 35)

Today Meaghan and I were super motivated, I guess, and went on a 101 spree! I asked Michael to pick a random number 1-101 for me to work on, and after a few tries he picked 35, which happens to be "Read a book in Spanish." So I googled a list of the best Spanish language books, and ended up ordering "El Amor en los Tiempos de Colera" from Amazon.com, which is really cool because it was made into a movie (Love in the Time of Cholera) in 2007! I can't wait to both read the book, and watch the movie!

And speaking of books, if you haven't done so already, please go down a couple blog posts and let us know what your favorite book is for our number 23! :) Thanks to those who already have.

<3,

Jillian

Progress: 75 (Contests)

Out of extreme procrastination I have decided to work on this instead of homework. yay!

I found this website www.contestblogger.com and entered probably about 15 contests. None were for anything big, but there were some cool organic t-shirts they were giving away and i found the website of this guy who wants to give away $1 million in $50 and $100 increments to a bunch of different people. Pretty cool.

Hopefully I win, or I'll have to go on another entering binge haha

<3 Meaghan

Survey! (Number 23)

Today marks the day we officially "release" this blog! We haven't said much about it so far just because we didn't want to show everyone a blog with just one or two posts, but now we have a little bit for people to read, so it's a little more interesting.

And by no coincidence at all, today also marks the day where we start Number 23: Ask 20 friends what their favorite book is, read every one! We've decided to just make a list of 20 of our friends and to then post it here, where you all can comment with what your favorite book is (please choose one) and we can start compiling a list of books to read.

So without further ado, here's our list of people! If your name is here, please comment with your favorite book and the author of that book. If you can't really think of a FAVORITE then go ahead and just pick one that you really enjoyed. If your name is not on the list, don't be offended please...you can feel free to post your favorite as well so we can have more books! :)

-Vincent

-Anaoshak

-Shawna

-Raghav

-Michael

-Ramon

-Kristen

-Katie

-Rose

-Gabe

-Kyle

-Matthew Park

-Daniel Taroy

-Daniel Lorey

-David

-Ramin

-Alex

-Simon

-Jake

-Frankie (Grogan)

Thanks ahead of time for doing this!

<3,

Jeaghan

Something new... (Progress: 17)

Yesterday I made some progress on Number 17: Try 10 new foods. I tried....(drumroll, please)...greek yogurt! Not that exciting, but something new nonetheless. I actually really liked it! It was almost cheesy in nature. The brand was called Fage pronounced (Fa-yeh) and I tried the 2% kind with Peach. I highly recommend getting the kind that comes with fruit. It's low on calories and fat, but it has a good amount of protein!

Yum, yum!

<3,

Jillian

Meaghan's List.

my list is constantly changing.

okay I'm finally getting around to doing this. most are the same, so i'll just bold the ones that are actually different.

101 in 1001

1. Get straight A's one semester
2. Fully understand my family history
3. Write a memoir/sketchbook
4. Get to 130 lbs
5. Do something athletic with my mom
6. Get a bikini wax
7. Learn to crochet or knit
8. Learn how to make 3 different dishes for 3 meals
9. Watch every move nominated for an Oscar one year.
10. Kiss in the rain
11. Have an hour-long "no holding back" conversation
12. Make an entire meal for my family
13. Be completely honest with someone
14. Finish my journal
15. Take a hip-hop dance class
16. Take a yoga class
17. Try 10 new/different things
18. Donate $100 to charity
19. Volunteer for something that really matters to me
20. Get something pierced/tattooed
21. Treat myself and three friends to dinner
22. Ask 20 friends what their favorite movie is, watch every one
23. Ask 20 friends what their favorite book is, read every one
24. Discover a new favorite band/singer from a genre I don't normally listen to
25. Make 3 new close friends...so close that I'd invite them to my wedding
26. Go to a spa for a day with a friend
27. Spend a weekend with just my sister
28. Dress up very formal to go to dinner at a not-so-nice place
29. Write a letter to a US soldier thanking him
30. Watch 4 foreign-language films
31. Spend a day speaking only a foreign language
32. Make lists of ten things I like about each of my family members and 7 friends, give them the lists
33. Read 10 "classic" novels
34. Ask a friend what they've always wanted to do, do it with them
35. Make a model I am truly proud of
36. Be a shoulder for someone to cry on (literally)
37. Use an earwax candle
38. Babysit (Kyden! ... This one's for Jillian too)
39. Observe a "random acts of kindness" month
40. Take part in a protest for something I care about
41. Learn to play guitar or piano
42. Learn about five interesting people in history (biography/documentary)
43. Eat 100% organic for one week
44. Learn how to use Photoshop/Illustrator/Rhino
45. Go camping in tents
46. Have a candle-lit dinner
47. Have a snowball fight
48. Dedicate a song to someone
49. Give 100 hugs in one day
50. Have a completely girly sleepover
51. Tell a stranger he's cute
52. Watch the sunrise with friends and a picnic at the beach
53. Road-trip sleeping in cars
54. Skinny dip
55. Eat In-n-out for every meal one day
56. Go garage-sale hunting
57. Give 5 strangers $5
58. Audition for something
59. Have a dance party in a parking lot
60. Attend a bible study meeting
61. Run through sprinklers fully clothed
62. Write a "why I'm beautiful reminder." Then do it for 3 friends
63. Spend a week studying at least one hour a day
64. Have a thrift-store make-over day/fashion show
65. Become an awesome cookie baker
66. Spend 3 days without my phone
67. Ride Superman at Six Flags
68. Give 5 people different handmade gifts
69. Go vegetarian for a week
70. Play in the park in the rain
71. Feed ducks while wearing a dress
72. Read one of my architecture books entirely
73. Select five random people from my high school yearbook, contact them
74. Camp out to watch the Perseids meteor shower
75. Enter a contest. Win a contest.
76. Make a scrapbook of our 101 things project
77. Go to 10 hole-in-the-wall restaurants
78. Do something awesome and make a video of it
79. Make 5 friendship bracelets
80. Have a video scavenger hunt
81. Go karaoke-ing
82. Watch a sunset and a sunrise in one hang-out
83. Get my fortune told/palm read
84. Eat something foreign and very weird and disgusting sounding
85. Watch movies for 24 hours straight
86. Stay in a hostel
87. Win money in a gamble
88. Get make-up done
89. Dare day
90. Say something to everyone on my buddy list
91. Do temporary hair dye
92. Go to the snow, beach, and desert in one day
93. Do my Christmas lights in July
94. Do something to show friends how much they're appreciated
95. Continue tradition of making dinner for friends once during the summer
96. Go on a cruise with friends
97. Speak in song lyrics for a day
98. Spend a day for myself
99. Make build-a-bears for each other (Meaghan/Jillian)
100. Re-enact a movie
101. Go streaking

Progress: 7

Over Winter Break, Meaghan and I started working on Number 7: Learn to crochet or knit! We picked up a book at Tall Mouse titled "Stitch 'N Bitch: The Happy Hooker" and some of the necessary materials, and gave crocheting a shot. We started working on this on December 31, 2008 technically, but we're going to say we waited until the New Year (and therefore, the start date of our 101 in 1001 project). 

I'd have to say that so far we've been pretty successful! :) Meaghan finished both a scarf and a hat over break, but it took me a little longer to get the hang of it, so I'm still working on my scarf. My dad is not impressed...he took one look at me and said "my daughter, the grandma." :P

Crocheting is definitely a good conversation starter...I had a lot of people approach me in the airport and on the airplane asking me what I was making, how long I'd been crocheting, and other questions along those lines.

We both decided that we'd also like to learn how to knit before we count Number 7 as "Accomplished." So I'm labeling it as "In Progress" for now.

We need to accomplish approximately one thing per ten days, so I guess we're making decent progress on our list!

<3,

Jillian

Accomplished: 101

Number 101 was crossed off of our list on 1/1/2009 at 12:30 am. That's all we can say about that...

<3,

Jeaghan

The List!

This blog was created to track the progress of Jillian and Meaghan's 101 in 1001 project. Instead of picking New Year's Resolutions that would most likely fall apart within a month or so, we have chosen 101 things that we would like to accomplish in the next 1001 days. More info on the project and its origins can be found at www.triplux.com/dayzero .

Jillian started creating the list on her own, so there will be a few differences between her version of the list and Meaghan's version. That said, here's Jillian's list (Meaghan will post her slight changes soon)!

Start Date:Thursday, January 1, 2009
End Date: Thursday, September 29, 2011

101 in 1001

1. Get straight A's one semester
2. Buy my sister a diamond
3. Write a memoir
4. Get to 130 lbs
5. Run a marathon
6. Get a bikini wax
7. Learn to crochet or knit
8. Learn how to make 3 different dishes for 3 meals
9. Read the whole Bible
10. Kiss a boy
11. Have an hour-long "no holding back" conversation
12. Make an entire meal for my family
13. Be completely honest with someone
14. Keep a journal, write at least once a week.
15. Take a hip-hop dance class
16. Take a yoga class
17. Try 10 new foods
18. Donate $100 to charity
19. Volunteer 50 hours
20. Get my cartilage re-pierced
21. Treat myself and three friends to dinner
22. Ask 20 friends what their favorite movie is, watch every one
23. Ask 20 friends what their favorite book is, read every one
24. Discover a new favorite band/singer from a genre I don't normally listen to
25. Make 3 new close friends...so close that I'd invite them to my wedding
26. Go to a spa for a day with a friend
27. Spend a weekend with just my sister
28. Dress up very formal to go to dinner at a not-so-nice place
29. Write a letter to a US soldier thanking him
30. Watch 4 foreign-language films
31. Spend a day speaking only Spanish
32. Make lists of ten things I like about each of my family members and 7 friends, give them the lists
33. Read 10 "classic" novels
34. Ask a friend what they've always wanted to do, do it with them
35. Read a book in Spanish
36. Be a shoulder for someone to cry on (literally)
37. Get some sort of recycling program set up in my house
38. Babysit
39. Observe a "random acts of kindness" month
40. Take part in a protest for something I care about
41. Learn to play guitar
42. Read biographies of 5 past presidents
43. Eat 100% organic for one week
44. Memorize President's song
45. Go camping in tents
46. Have a candle-lit dinner
47. Have a snowball fight
48. Dedicate a song to someone
49. Give 100 hugs in one day
50. Have a completely girly sleepover
51. Tell a stranger he's cute
52. Watch the sunrise with friends and a picnic at the beach
53. Road-trip sleeping in cars
54. Skinny dip
55. Eat In-n-out for every meal one day
56. Go garage-sale hunting
57. Give 5 strangers $5
58. Be in a play
59. Have a dance party in a parking lot
60. Attend a bible study meeting
61. Run through sprinklers fully clothed
62. Write a "why I'm beautiful reminder." Then do it for 3 friends
63. Spend a week studying at least one hour a day
64. Have a thrift-store make-over day/fashion show
65. Become an awesome cookie baker
66. Spend 3 days without my phone
67. Ride a roller-coaster
68. Go caroling in the summer
69. Go vegetarian for a week
70. Play in the park in the rain
71. Feed ducks while wearing a dress
72. Read my entire Enlightenment sourcebook
73. Select five random people from my high school yearbook, contact them
74. Camp out to watch the Perseids meteor shower
75. Enter a contest. Win a contest.
76. Make a scrapbook of our 101 things project
77. Go to 10 hole-in-the-wall restaurants
78. Do something awesome and make a video of it
79. Make 5 friendship bracelets
80. Have a video scavenger hunt
81. Go karaoke-ing
82. Watch a sunset and a sunrise in one hang-out
83. Get my fortune told/palm read
84. Eat something foreign and very weird and disgusting sounding
85. Watch movies for 24 hours straight
86. Stay in a hostel
87. Win money in a gamble
88. Get make-up done
89. Dare day
90. Say something to everyone on my buddy list
91. Do temporary hair dye
92. Go to the snow, beach, and desert in one day
93. Do my Christmas lights
94. Do something to show friends how much they're appreciated
95. Continue tradition of making dinner for friends once during the summer
96. Go on a cruise with friends
97. Speak in song lyrics for a day
98. Spend a day for myself
99. Make build-a-bears for each other (Meaghan/Jillian)
100. Re-enact a movie
101. Do something cool for New Year's.

Happy New Year! Wish us luck :)

<3,
Jeaghan