101/1001
Why cephalopod? Why nameless?
Why cephalopod? Well, the reason for that is simple. Squid rock. They're smart, they have tentacles and they can change the colour of their skin. What more could you want?
Why nameless is a bit more tricky. Obviously, I have a name. Unfortunately, it's a rather common name, and so to deal with the number of people sharing it amongst my friends, we all gained prefixes. Mine was nameless, and as a name, it's kind of stuck.
Archive
So, my 101/1001 list expired today. Looking back over the list, I didn’t do very well. I completed 26/101 tasks. And thats counting some which ceased to become relevant as completed.
Why? I think my biggest reason for failing to complete tasks was not looking at the list more often. That allowed it to slip from my mind all too easily. Then I’d miss an opportunity to complete an item, or not make an effort towards the things which didn’t have much chance of just happening out of the blue. Also, I’m not entirely sure trying to complete a 101/1001 list and a PhD thesis at the same time was a great idea. The things you learn … *grin*. Looking back over them, I’m also not sure how relevant some of them are, to me right now.
It isn’t all bad news though. Some of the tasks that I failed still inspired me to do things. Baking (#13) encouraged me to make both Christmas Cake and Christmas pudding for Christmas, which is very tasty. Losing Weight (#11) and running (#7) both got me making efforts in that direction; I am a lot fitter and with lower weight than I had. Reading a new author (#48) has encouraged me to try new authors in the shops. And, of course, I did complete the most important task on the list (#1); My Thesis.
I think I am going to make another 101/1001 list. But I’m not sure what will go on it yet. Some parts will move over from the old list, others will be new tasks.
Stay posted!
“A seaside town hardly conjours up images of evil spirits. But a priest was so scared of dark forces in Portishead, Sommerset, he warned his flock to pray for it and fled to another town. ‘I believe there are spiritual forces of wickedness in this place,’ Rev Clive Laws, 58, wrote in the parish magazine. One churchgoer said: ‘Well, I don’t think there is an underbelly of evil. It’s a lovely place’”
Source: ‘… and finally’, the Metro on Monday, August 11, 2008
The Diamond Age, by Neal Stephenson
This doesn’t count for my 101, as I have read Neal Stephenson before, but still, I was enthralled by the book and the way it is part science fiction, part fantasy.
The book itself is set in a future world that was once ours and is now both different and very much the same. The book itself is an extrapolation of what living in a relatively advanced nanotech society is like. Or rather, societies. The world presented in The Diamond Age is split not along the lines of countries, but along more philosophical lines. There is less talk about what can be done, and rather what what should be done, or not done.
What I would very much like to do now is read it again and gather quotes, and try to understand it a little deeper.
So, I successfully completed #41 on my list. I gave up coffee for the whole month of May, and then rewarded myself with a drink of the stuff this afternoon. It was an interesting experience as it really emphasised to me when I drink coffee and also perhaps when I shouldn’t. Whilst I will continue to drink coffee with people, or while reading in a cafe I am going to try and keep off the coffee in the mornings.
In other 101 related news, I have started work on both #2 and #52, so links will followfor them when they are more complete. And, of course, the eventual migration of all the tasks to #2.
I once again failed to swim and I failed to write anything of any significance to people this month, but otherwise my ‘continuous improvement’ tasks seem to be going well.
