One Hundred And One Things

What's this about?

Buy Nothing Day is a day where you challenge yourself, your family and friends to switch off from shopping and tune into life. The rules are simple, for 24 hours you will detox from shopping and anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!

Everything we buy has an impact on the environment, Buy Nothing Day highlights the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The developed countries - only 20% of the world population are consuming over 80% of the earth's natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage, and an unfair distribution of wealth.

As consumers we need to question the products we buy and challenge the companies who produce them. What are the true risks to the environment and developing countries? We all know recycling is OK for the the evironment, but consuming less is better and Buy Nothing Day is a great way to start.


Why do I want to do this?

Quite frankly, I have far too much stuff. It will be very good for me to remember what I used to know: that I can actually get along quite happily without spending a penny and without acquiring junk I don't need.


How will I know I've done this?

For a period of 24 hours on a date specified by whoever it is that organises Buy Nothing Day, I will have refrained from purchasing anything - in person, online, or whatever. I may or may not have taken part in an organised event associated with Buy Nothing Day.

Why do I want to do this?

Sheer idle curiosity, this. I have a perception that I don't dream much, and certainly I remember very few dreams. I think it would be interesting to keep a record of dreams for a while.


How will I know I've done this?

Either on paper or somewhere on the internet, I'll have a précis of one hundred and one distinct dreams, as accurate as I can manage within the limitations of the medium.


I'll record this on the dreams tag at el_staplador, though some may be under friends-lock, and some won't even get that far. You can keep track of this below:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 [in paper journal] / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 / 33 / 34 / 35 / 36 / 37 / 38 / 39 / 40 / 41 / 42 / 43 / 44 / 45 / 46 / 47 / 48 / 49 / 50 / 51 / 52 / 53 / 54 / 55 / 56 / 57 / 58 / 59 / 60 / 61 / 62 / 63 / 64 / 65 / 66 / 67 / 68 / 69 / 70 / 71 / 72 / 73 / 74 / 75 / 76 / 77 / 78 / 79 / 80 / 81 / 82 / 83 / 84 / 85 / 86 / 87 / 88 / 89 / 90 / 91 / 92 / 93 / 94 / 95 / 96 / 97 / 98 / 99 / 100 / 101

What's this about? Why do I want to do it?

I know I'm a snotty southerner, but I've got Yorkshire blood in me somewhere. Back in the nineteenth century, my family were wool merchants in Bradford. I'd like to learn more about that, and have a wander around.


How will I know I've done this?

I'll have spent at least a day in Bradford/Leeds. I'll have found at least one site with a family association, and I'll be able to explain my connection.


I'll record this in a post in this journal.

Why do I want to do this?

I went through a phase of wearing black because I loved it. Leather trousers, black nail varnish, very short black skirts, all that stuff. These days I wear black more because it's there. Because I can't think what else to wear. (The exception, funnily enough, being the black velvet jacket in the picture above - I love that.) I want to stop falling back on black, and find some other stuff I love. Make myself use my imagination a bit.


How will I know I've done it?

For a continuous period of seven days, I will have worn nothing black.


I'll record this in posts in this journal.

What's this about?

Back on my last list, I had the following goal: Articulate my opinions re. Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian creeds, Thirty-Nine Articles [pdf] and UCCF Doctrinal Basis. I got about five clauses into the Apostles' Creed. This goal is to complete the work I began there.


Why do I want to do this?

The creeds, we're told, summarise what I'm supposed to believe as a Christian. The Thirty-Nine Articles add to this, marking out what makes the Church of England distinctive, though unless I get ordained or similar I probably won't be asked to put my name to them. However, had I ever made it onto the committee of the Christian Union (you laugh, but it might have happened, had Symphony Orchestra not rehearsed on Tuesday nights), I would have been asked to sign the [Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship] Doctrinal Basis. I want to explore just how comfortable I am with all these things I'm meant to believe.


How will I know I've done it?

I'll have articulated my interpretation of and feelings about each clause of the five summaries of belief.


This can be tracked by following the credo tag at el_staplador.

Why do I want to do this?

The photograph is slightly misleading. The reason I've got a half bottle of wine lying around to photograph is... that I don't actually drink much. I hardly ever drink at home. I do drink socially, though, and I'm curious to see how I'll cope in social situations without that crutch.


How will I know I've done it?

Simple: no alcohol (bar communion wine) for one whole calendar month.


I'll record this in posts in this journal.

What's this about?

BookCrossing is the act of leaving books in a public place in the hope that somebody else will pick them up and enjoy them.


Why do I want to do this?

Several related reasons. Firstly, I have too many books. Admittedly, a large part of this problem is that I bought them with the intention of bookcrossing them, and haven't got round to it yet. Releasing 101 would be a good start, though.

Secondly, I have a tendency to get very attached to things, and this applies particularly to certain books. This isn't entirely healthy. Releasing one book - just one - that means something special to me in itself, not just the work in question but that particular copy, will be an exercise in letting go, and in trust. The thing with BookCrossing is that you never know whether or not you'll hear from your books again. Sometimes you do, and it's fantastic. Sometimes you don't.


How will I know when I've done it?

I will have left one hundred and one books in places where they are likely to be found by strangers. At least one of these will be a particular copy that is of sentimental value to me.


This can be tracked at my BookCrossing profile.




1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 / 33 / 34 / 35 / 36 / 37 / 38 / 39 / 40 / 41 / 42 / 43 / 44 / 45 / 46 / 47 / 48 / 49 / 50 / 51 / 52 / 53 / 54 / 55 / 56 / 57 / 58 / 59 / 60 / 61 / 62 / 63 / 64 / 65 / 66 / 67 / 68 / 69 / 70 / 71 / 72 / 73 / 74 / 75 / 76 / 77 / 78 / 79 / 80 / 81 / 82 / 83 / 84 / 85 / 86 / 87 / 88 / 89 / 90 / 91 / 92 / 93 / 94 / 95 / 96 / 97 / 98 / 99 / 100 / 101

Why do I want to do this?

I use 'swim' in its loosest sense here. Flapping around a bit and floating is also perfectly acceptable, as this isn't about physical fitness, it's about what sea-bathing does to my mind. The first sharp chill of the water having receded, I love the feeling of buoyancy, of calm, of not having to be in control. (Up to a point, obviously. I have no intention of drowning.)


How will I know when I've done it?

I'll have immersed myself in the sea at least once in 2011, at least once in 2012, and at least once in 2013. (I swam in the sea in July 2010, and I'm not going in again in December.)


I'll record this in posts in this journal.

What's this about?

I believe, and my GP agrees, that I have mild depression. It's not enough to e.g. put me or keep me out of work, but it does tend to make mountains out of molehills when it comes to certain everyday tasks. There are various checklists and scorecards around that are used to assess the severity of depression. I'll be making use of them.


Why do I want to do it?

Well, I'm a human being, and human beings like to find patterns in things. If I can link changes in my state of mind to external factors (the weather, the time I spend at work, whether I stay indoors, what I'm reading, etc.) that might give me some tools to help me deal with it better.


How will I know when it's done?

I'll have filled out a depression score checklist 100 times (that's once a week, with room for life happening), and have recorded the results.


This will be tracked on paper, probably, or possibly on locked posts at el_staplador. I don't really want to share it with the rest of the world. I'll post occasionally with a general overview of how progress has been going, though, and any useful insights.

What's this about?

Wii Fit is an exercise video game that uses the Wii console. It very helpfully tells you how long you've spent on it each day: "FitCash"


Why do I want to do this?

I find that physical exercise has the effect of making me more aware of my body, and more confident in it, as if the more I use it, the more it belongs to me. Therefore, I'd like to exercise regularly - say half an hour per day. But I might not have half an hour every single day. Half an hour per day for 1001 days would be 500.5 hours. I rounded it down to 500, then knocked off another hundred to account for the days when I'm out/ill/tired. I think 400 hours is ambitious but manageable.

I want to make one thing clear: this is not a weight loss thing, it's an activity thing. It doesn't matter whether I spend 400 hours jogging or 400 hours doing deep breathing. The point is that I'm aware of my body and that I'm using it.


How will I know when it's done?

The total number of hours on my FitPiggy will be at least 400 greater than it was on day 1.


I'll record this in occasional updates on this journal, and on Daytum.