March madness.

Side note for today is that I hit the one-year mark for the 101 in 1001 challenge! I think I technically said I started March 15, 2009, but I began my CD March 14. In the interests of being a huge cheeseball, this is one of the greatest things I ever set out to do, and I've loved almost every minute of it. Oh wait, I've loved absolutely every minute of it. Things like taking my camera out, and working on my creative writing, visiting Savannah and Charleston, going hiking & being outside -- these are all things I love to do that I don't know that I would have been dedicated to if the 101 hadn't been encouraging me along. The blog has also been super fabulous because I can go back and remember everything I've accomplished. All together, very cool.

As for this past week...

3. Complete a 26 Things Challenge - in progress

I took nearly 300 pictures while on spring break in the Redwoods, but I'm still missing nearly half of the challenge. Oops? Maybe I'll finish that this weekend. Good news is that I used a handful of the Redwoods pictures, and I'm chugging along toward the finish.

7. Watch all movies on AFI's Top 100 (25/100) - in progress

Quarter of the way done! I watched "Goodfellas" in class the week before break, which I guess I forgot to say last Thursday. A lot of it was brutal, and I think I definitely liked the book better, but I can also see why this is one of everyone's favorite movies. Watching it in a film adaptations class definitely skewed my viewing because the movie was unable to include everything in the book, and I felt like some of the most interesting parts were missing. But overall, a good movie.

12. Keep Flickr updated - in progress

I have 40 or so pictures to edit & put up on my Flickr account from the Redwoods, which I plan to do tonight. My Photoshop has been quitting unexpectedly for quite some time because it's about four years old (CS2), so I downloaded a free photo editing program called Gimp a few weeks ago, and I'm still getting the hang of it.

14. Do a creative writing prompt once a week, 52 times (21/52) - in progress

I brought my journal with me to California, so I wrote four prompts during the week: Today I am excited about...; What is special about seeing something for the first time; Do you believe dark periods are the best opportunity for you to grow and learn; and Recall a time you panicked.

23. Join a new club at JMU - accomplished

Going on an Alternative Break Program (or Alternative Spring Break -- I used them interchangeably) was by far one of the best decisions I made this year. It was a relatively inexpensive trip, I was in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, I was active all week, and I met some of the most awesome people at JMU. I really want to stay connected to environmental service, the Farmers' Market, hiking around Harrisonburg & everyone who went on the trip.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (25/143) - in progress

Well, on the Debbie Downer side of things, I exercised less than half of the weeks in the past year. On the brighter side, I was active almost every day this past week except for traveling yesterday! We did a couple of hikes -- five or six miles on Sunday, seven or eight miles on Thursday -- and then the other days we were building seasonal bridges or raking trails or covering muddy spots with gravel. Pretty much getting the Wolf Creek Educational Center and the surrounding grounds & trails ready for the tourist season.

59. Go hiking three times. If I like it, go once a month (3/3) - accomplished

Hiking in the Redwoods is hella different than hiking around Connecticut, but I loved being outside and being around green things and seeing the views once you made it to the top of the canyon or trail. I would absolutely love to go hiking once a month.

-- Till next time.