A few minutes ago I began to make something like a life list (thanks, D!), expounding on my previous 101/1001 material and laying out goals by timeframe and year. I began with 2010, age 29, and started working my way forward, 2 years, 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, 15 years…

And as I added my respective ages, the numbers increasing, passing fleeting thoughts of goodness, I will be so much older then—I suddenly, inexplicably started to see the ages as levels. I’m pretty sure this happened because my dwarven hunter in World of Warcraft is level 33, getting closer and closer to 34. And 34 is the age I will become in January of 2015.

I stared at the page for awhile, realizing that thinking of aging as leveling up is an incredibly more positive way to think of aging. And I hadn’t even done it on purpose; it had just happened. All of a sudden I wasn’t dealing with a decline in youth… I was dealing with an incline, an increase, in experience and power and wisdom and vitality. All of a sudden, leveling up myself was the most coveted, most anticipated thing I could think to do.

I don’t know how anyone else will feel about it. But I’m still feeling like… wow.

2. A bottle shelf for all the stuff in the shower!
10. A new computer (with a loan, or bought outright).
12. A new cell phone – one that will work overseas.
52. Go to the Buffy Sing-a-long at the Alamo.
55. Go to a SXSW conference!
59. Take the bus somewhere in Austin, on my own steam.
73. Redesign (and finish!) my voice site.

Look how good I’m doing! I just realized that I hadn’t updated in awhile, and without even realizing it, I’ve crossed off so many items. Awhile back I bought a neat cheapo thing that hangs on the showerhead and holds bottles. My laptop began to flag and I arranged to purchase a refurbished Macbook Pro, Core Duo processor. My Tmobile phone died a horrible death and I replaced it with a slick little RAZR V3t, which should work overseas, though I won’t have a chance to test it for at least another few months. Marty and I went to the Buffy Singalong with Vixen and Sean, and we’re going to Kyeli’s party on Saturday, where there will be a mini singalong! I just finished up my first ever SXSW Interactive conference, and for the most part, I got there and returned home by bus every day! How cool is that!

Plus, I recently redesigned and finished meganmezzo.com, where all my voice materials are. I even partially redid the MySpace page!

AND —you thought I was done!—AND, there are a lot of things in the works, besides these things that count as finished. For instance, I’m much closer to eating healthy, so the health items on the list won’t be nearly as difficult now as they would have been before. I attended a panel discussion that almost fulfills one of my private items this week, so I’m not going to cross that off… but I almost could have! I’ve made a point of slummin’ if I’m going to Walmart—going in my pajamas, going without a shower—so that I can feel extra horrible about shopping there on the rare occasions when I do. (Writing that here is kind of funny. I’m sure you’re interested in my occasional decision not to shower before leaving the house.) I’ve made a handful of particularly yummy friends here in Austin and it isn’t an incredible stretch to imagine getting involved with most of them. And I actually have a few items that I should really put up on eBay…

Virtual Magpie is about to get redesigned. And along with that is a plan to work only for preferred clients, which is what I should have been doing all along. I recently found a really great html/css person and if that works out I’ll be well on my way towards having that list of Go-To-Guys&Gals.

I won’t say any more than this, but I may have CD plans in the works… you didn’t hear that from me…

I really do need to call John, I found a great way to scrapbook old blog entries this weekend, and I’ve been thinking a lot about mediacasting—audio and video! (I even went to a panel all about indie video.)

So, as you can see… I’m doing frickin’ great! Aren’t you proud of me?

58. Travel somewhere by train.

Guess what! I completed another item!

In other news, Missy made a list, too! Go look at her fabulous, fabulous list!

I have made more accidental progress on mine that I wanted to record since getting to Wales, so let’s see where to start!

Number 54 is Make a new friend overseas – I haven’t done that yet but Welsh people are so nice and friendly, I’ve come very close many times! (And that’s pretty neat, considering for most of that time I was exhausted or sick or stinky or asleep or exhausted.) But I’m not marking it finished – it’s not really done yet!

Number 60 is Enjoy a coach flight overseas, and I just don’t think I can mark that finished yet – my flight was too icky. But I’m going to try hard to enjoy the flight home, so I can mark it off then!

Right before I left the country, I got books that should help me complete 70. Learn useable Ajax and use it for something neat! ...but not until I get back and settled again in Texas, I think.

So that’s my progress! There will be more before I come home, I bet. :P

I’ve eaten tapas like I’m supposed to, but it was on Thursday, so it doesn’t count!!

We have to go back. (Er, when my tapas budget expands.)

Teehee. :P

1. (7-15-06) Publish this list on worldmegan.net.
33. (7-15-06) (Private.)

Items 1 and 33 are complete – as my 101 / 1001 officially began an hour and four minutes ago. Squeal!

I want to start my 101 / 1001 list right now! But I won’t. I won’t start till Saturday. This is an organized process!

Saturday is so far away.

I’ve been thinking of doing this for a long time and something today gave me the impetus to get started. I know, I’ve already crossed something off – I don’t feel badly about it, so you shouldn’t either. It’s the kicker, anyway – pretend I did it on the fifteenth. ;}

Until the fifteenth, I may still do some tweaking… which is why my start date is the fifteenth, and not today. I want to have plenty of margin for new and fabulous ideas, just in case I have them.

Information on the rules I set for myself and the blogs from which I snatched the ideas are on the new 101 / 1001 page, so please go look if you’re interested. Also, if you decide to do it too, please link me! I think this is going to be fun. :}

PS - I may or may not have mentioned that my calendar page is working! Omg! So please go check it out and tell me what you think. :}