2011 is going to be a busy year!

Here it is, the (long!) To Do list for 2011: 

1. Process the 12+ boxes of David E. Lewis papers that have been sitting in my storeroom for years. Arrangements have been made for the records to go to the Esther Clark Wright Archives at Acadia Univiersity, where DEL did his undergraduate degree and teacher's degree. However, I've committed to archivally processing the records first (being that I'm an archivist by profession). The records consist mainly of magnetic albums (remember those albums with the sticky pages? Yeah, those...) with newspaper and magazine clippings, greeting cards, correspondence, photographs, publisher's correspondence, and other bits and bobs. "Processing" will involve taking digital images of the albums, page-by-page, to record the original context of how the documents were kept by David Lewis, then disassembling the albums and rehousing the documents in archival folders. It'll be a labour intensive process and, quite frankly, not one I relish to do. The only reason I'm doing it is because this happens to be a research interest of mine, and I'd like to have first crack at the research potential. It may, or may not go anywhere, but at least I'll know what's there. I plan to keep a blog about this process, with the hope that the blog will keep me accountable to making progress and getting it done. Also, I fully realise that this project may require more than a year, though it'd be great if it didn't.   
2. Participate in the Victorian Literature Reading Challenge.  I'm going to aim for the "Sense & Sensibility" track -- to read 1-4 Victorian books. And I'm totally counting Anna Karenina as one of the four books; even though it's Russian, it was written in the Victorian time period. I know AK is a carry-over from 2010, but I'm determined to finish it in 2011. I'll save the details for another post later. 
3. Finish knitting the sock I started knitting in 2010 + its mate.  
4. Find 100 geocaches. I think this is a reasonable expectation. I'm up to 15 now. And there are thousands in Nova Scotia (more than 500 in HRM alone). If I find roughly 2 a week, I'll meet my goal. Keeping in mind, of course, that I don't always FIND the caches I'm looking for.  
5. Experiment with Ethiopian cooking (5a) and learn to make sushi (5b), not necessarily at the same time.  
6. Go on more daytrips. I should make a point of seeing more of the province. There's still a lot of places I've never explored, mostly on the Eastern side of the province. I should take advantage of having a car and do more sightseeing trips, which can work well with Goal #4. 
7. Get my files in order. It's shameful to admit, but my paper files are atrocious (bad archivist!). I seriously need to go through them and weed out the unnecessary bits of paper and get a proper filing cabinet. Due to space constraints, I can only do this once I've eliminated about half of the 12 boxes from Goal #1 (which is why getting those boxes processed _is_ Goal #1).  
8. Keep track of my steps. I have a pedometer thanks to Heart & Stroke's Walkabout program and I think it's a great way to measure my physical activity. I usually forget to wear it most of the time, but it would be great to get in the habit of wearing it and pushing myself to get in those 10000 steps daily, which sadly I don't usually make (unless I'm in Toronto, apparently). 
9. Donate blood. There is absolutely no reason why I can't, and shouldn't. I just never think about it, that's all. So my thought is, if I write it down, and be intentional about giving blood, I'll actually remember to do it.  
10. Get more experience in a kayak. I thoroughly enjoyed my kayaking experience last fall and think it's about high-time I learn to kayak properly. 2011 is going to be the year!

So, I've been planning to post more photos and links to go with this list, but haven't gotten around to actually doing it yet. I'm going to post this already and get started at working towards checking off some of the items on the list. 

2010's To Do List

Wow. It's been a while. The last couple of months have been busy, but mostly I fell out of the habit of blogging. That happens, I guess. I actually have a 2011 To Do List to post, but figured I should probably report on the progress I made with the 2010 To Do List first. Don't get your hopes up, my progress was minimal.

1. Print digital pictures and put them in photo albums.  Didn't get this done, however I did back-up my photos and sort the digital files/folders. That's a start right?

2. Knit a pair of socks. Thanks to Aunt S., I have a pair started - toe-up socks, even! I love the toe-up concept. You tackle the hardest parts first - the toe, then the heel - then the rest is clear sailing, plus you don't have to worry about running out of yarn! I've got the toe of one knit, when I get to the heel, I'll have to arrange another visit with Aunt S. to get good instructions.

3. Buy a GPS and go geocaching. Done! GPS purchased and 14 geocaches located by the end of 2010. It's very fun and there are caches in just about every corner of the province. I foresee getting a lot of use out of this gadget!

4. Make a fabric/ribbon memo board.  Scratched this one.  I haven't forgotten about it entirely. I'd like to have one at home and even at work, but it's not a high priority.

5. Read Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina Started!  As of the end of 2010, I got to page 237. I stalled after part of the second section due to life (actually, due to another book I was reading for my Small Group Bible Study).

6. Get involved in my church in Sept. Haven't yet, but will. I'm ashamed to admit that I've held back this long from getting involved. That's not exactly a good example of "living in community" is it? Part of the problem is shyness of all things. For some reason I find myself extremely timid at church. This is weirdness I have to overcome, and I'm sure it'll dissipate  the more I get involved.

7. Frame my gerbera print. Scratched from list. I still love the gerbera print, but noticed that it's starting to lose some of the colour. The cost of framing just isn't worth it. Instead, I've repurposed it as a background image on my desk, which seems to work quite well.

8. Buy a headboard for my bed. Not done. I couldn't settle on any one bedframe, and also found them to be overpriced . I've been surfing Kijiji for potentials and have even considered making my own. Again, it's not a huge priority, just another one of those things it would be nice to have.

9. Attempt a pie crust (again!). Didn't do it. Should've done it. But do I really want to be trying to master pie crusts? Is that really a good idea?? 

10. Become a Host in the YMCA's Immigrant Host Program. Not done. I've held off from this because I'm a little concerned about the commitment. I don't want to sign-up for something and find I can't follow-up with it. Already I have the Big/Little commitment + pottery lessons this Winter. I still like the idea though.

11. Learn to kayak. Check!  This was an unofficial item on the To Do List. Actually, I added it in the summer. I was so pleased to have the chance to learn to kayak at the Becoming an Outdoor Woman weekend. It was definitely a highlight of the year, and I'd definitely like to get more practice in a kayak.

One last thing to add: While these were all things I aimed to do in 2010, I'm not terribly disappointed I was only able to check a couple things off the list. This year was a big year for other reasons (conference planning took up a good 6 months of it!) and mostly these are just things I'd like to get to eventually. Even still, my priorities shift from the beginning of the year to the end. Some of these just aren't really that important to worry about. Next year's list may be a bit more focussed, you'll have to wait and see.  ;)