101 Things in 1001 Days: February and March 2024 (3/33)

 

It really shouldn’t come as a shock to any of us that there has been limited progress on my 101 Things in 1001 Days project since starting my brand new job this year.  The conditions over the past 8 weeks haven’t allowed for much outside of getting used to my new routine, and cramming as much information into my very tiny brain as possible.  I really miss that feeling of knowing everything about my job and the organisation, of understanding what information to retain and what can be safely ignored.  I hope that I can hit that point in my new job soon so that there is capacity for living properly outside of work again.

Having said that, I’m pretty pleased with myself for keeping the fire burning on a few of my longer term goals while I’ve been juggling this new career of mine – especially since March was also a busy and social birthday month.  This update will be short, but I am still giving myself some kind of participation award for not grinding to a halt with these goals.

 

COMPLETED

#047 – Make a very fancy cake
This cake turned out to be so fancy that I’ve decided to devote an entire post to it later this week.  I chose Natalie Paull’s Pistachio and Lemon Curd Layer Cake from her magnificent book Beatrix Bakes, and for my underequipped kitchen this was a real marathon.  More on that later, but just know that the end result was extremely worth it (even if I did invent a few new combinations of swear words).  A special thank you to my pal Bene for having a birthday / giving me a good reason!

 

IN PROGRESS

#001 – Track my health and fitness goals for 12 months
It’s been easy to track the little I’m doing right now, but I’m still keeping my records up to date.  Big plans for this one in April!

#020 – Distance challenge: Hume Highway (Melbourne to Sydney – 840km)
I wasn’t very good at wearing my Apple Watch in February and March, often forgetting to put it on before heading into the office.  As a result my steps and distances are much lower than actual figures, but for the sake of this goal I’ll just use what was actually recorded and try harder to wear my watch next month. Even without the watch issue, my distances have been pretty abysmal since becoming a fulltime desk worker again.  It’s a good reminder that I need to up my game in April.

 

#044 – Record a tiny video every day for a year
This daily habit has turned out to be a true joy in my day, and it’s one that I think I’ll continue once this 12 months is up.  It reminds me to look up from my feet, notice the beauty around me and pause for a moment on something that deserves attention or gratitude.  My February video is at the top of this post, and here’s one for March.

#055 – Cook a recipe from 25 different cookbooks from my bookshelf
My epic Natalie Paull / Beatrix Bakes Pistachio and Lemon Curd Layer Cake is the first of many discoveries from my own cook book collection.

#057 – Maintain Duolingo streak (follow me @elzxbth)
As at 31 March 2024, my Duolingo streak is 818 days.

#071 – See live music in 20 different venues
In GREAT news for me (but terrible news for this project) I have a stack of gigs lined up at The Forum this year.  Fortunately it’s one of my most favourite venues for live music, so I don’t mind.  I did branch out in February to see Taylor Swift play at The MCG – perhaps you’ve heard of her?  She’s pretty good, I think she’s on Spotify…

APRIL PLANS

I loved February and March for so many reasons, but if I’m honest, improvising my way through the past couple of months has left me feeling kind of sluggish.  I want to finish this month feeling better than I do at the start, so I’ve written up a plan of attack to make sure that it happens.

It looks a bit like this:

MOVE – I’ve thrown together a 30 day challenge to strengthen my core and arms.  I’m also tracking my cardio for the next 30 days to make sure that I’m doing something most days.

PLAY – Guitar or piano, every day, even if it’s for 5 minutes.

READ – I am halfway through 4 books at the moment, and I want to finish at least 2 of them this month.

CREATE – I am never not thinking about drawing, but it’s been so long since I’ve picked up a pencil.  There are also a bunch of time lapses, photo projects and music challenges that I could be getting started on.  Either way, April is the month when I make a proper start.

Today is April 1st, and outside my window the leaves are just beginning to fall, right on cue.  April, you are such a babe.

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