Autumn in Vancouver

How fitting is it that I'm am posting my Fall To-Do List just a few weeks before it's over?  I'm keeping this short and sweet since it's long overdue (as usual)...* denote those awesome activities that I've never done before =)

1. Attend one of the many Christmas themed fairs in Vancouver*
2. Go see Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge*
3. Visit Bright Nights in Stanley Park
4. See the Festival of Lights at Van Dusen Garden*
5. Watch the Santa Claus Parade*

There's so much more to be done around town, especially now that everyone's getting into the holiday spirit but I figured I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew since there are still presents to buy, treats to bake, and cards to write!  If I've got time, I might attempt one (or more) of the following:

• Skating at Robson Square*
• Watch a Christmas themed show (i.e. VSO's Traditional Christmas, The Nutcracker, The Santaland Diaries, It's a Wonderful Life)*
• See Luminesence at The Vancouver Aquarium

Summer To-Do - Update!

Since I adjusted the 30x30 list, my last seasonal To-Do list didn't get completed as planned.  Here is what the list was at the start of the summer:

1. Experience Hastings Racecourse*
2. Watch a Vancouver Canadians game
3. Bike the seawall*
4. Watch Titanic at Theatre Under the Stars
5. Watch a movie at a Drive-In*
6. Find a new job

And here's what I actually accomplished:

1. Watch a Vancouver Canadians game - we were massacred 11 - 6 but still managed an in the park home run that bagged 3 of our 6 points
2. Ran/Walked the seawall* - I had to bypass the bike since I had the dog with me.  This experience affirmed the truth that I am not a good long distance runner. 
3. Watched Taming of the Shrew on the last night of Bard on the Beach - This was a great night but I really do wish I had caught Titanic just to see how they managed to sink the damn thing!
4. Watch a movie at a Drive-In* - it was a rainy night but still fun.  Note for next time - pay better attention to the exit signs on the drive there and bring snacks!
5. Find a new job - one of the best moves I made all summer =)
6. Road trip to Portland - knocked 2 things off the 30x30 list in one weekend

Now that we're a month into Fall, check out my latest list =)

30x30 2.0

As promised, here is the updated list!  Is it alright to claim 'better late than never?'  I didn't think so.  In my defense, even though it's now been over a month and a half since my last post I am happy to report that my absence has been the result of having a life (and approximately 10% laziness).  Now that the cold, wet weather has returned, I'm recommitting to the list that has stayed buried for months.  Let's take a look at 30x30 version 2.0:

1. Get rid of at least 1/3 of my current possessions(ongoing =))
2. Plan my Dad's 60th Birthday Party (happened June 2nd)
3. Watch at least 1 NHL playoff game live (Game 2 of the LA series sweep)
4. See some relatives I've never met before (happened in May/June)
5. Attend at least 3 industry networking/educational events
6. Move into Vancouver
7. Plan my trip to Italy for 2013
8. Start learning basic Italian 
9. Take a creative writing class
10. Read at least 5 books from my 'must read list' (Finished: The Hunger Games, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Attempting: Moby Dick, Great Gatsby, On The Road)
11. Get my Serving it Right certificate
12. Go to Vegas
13. Visit a US city that I've never been to before (Portland, Oregon)
14. Cook a meal I've never made before from scratch
15. Take a bar tending or cooking class
16. Watch a movie at a Drive-In (Watched Brave at the Twilight Drive-In)
17. Go on a road trip (hello Oregon Coast!)
18. Eat at 1 restaurant listed in the Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants in America (2012) (#12 - Pok Pok  Thai Food)
19. Volunteer at a fundraising event (Canucks for Kids Telethon)
20. Finish either one of my short stories or 3 complete chapters of one of my currently unfinished books
21. Finish posting all my old photos (2010 - present) on Facebook
22. Guest Speak at an educational event (happened in July)
23. Watch a BC Lions or Vancouver Whitecaps Game
24. Actually complete a Pinterest DIY project
25. Attend a local Tradeshow/Market/Fair or Festival
26. Share a secret through Postsecret
27. Create and complete 4 seasonal To-Do lists for Vancouver (minimum 3 items/list that I've never done before) - 2 down, 2 to go!
28. Host at least one holiday party 
29. Plan my 30th Birthday bash!
30. Find a new job =) (Joined the A&B Partytime Team in July)

So I'm almost half way done which isn't that bad with 3 months to go.  On to the next post!

Spring To-Do - Update!

Summer is just around the corner which means it's time to update you all on how I did with my Spring Activities list!  At the start of Spring, the list looked like this:

1. Participate in Dining out for Life (March 29th)
2. Have a burger at Splitz Grill*
3. Go to the Vancouver Flea Market*
4. Check out an exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery
5. Watch a playoff game (which also happens to be #18 - yay for knocking off 2 birds with 1 stone!)
6. Host a garage sale*
7. Watch the Taming of the Shrew at Bard on the Beach

I'm happy to report that I managed to do all the activities =)  Here's the breakdown...

1. Dining out for Life - Dinner at Brown's Social House Brentwood with my sister - it's hard to beat $4 cocktails!

2. Splitz Grill - tried the bison burger...drool worthy indeed! 

Bison Burger & Fries @ Splitz

Treasure Hunt or Dumpster
Dive - it's all about perspective!

3. Vancouver Flea Market - It's definitely worth the $1 admission fee - I went for the experience, not to shop but I was definitely tempted!  It's an awesome mis-mash of stuff from antique china to high-tech gadgets but be warned, you might have to dig for treasures so be prepared to spend some time and effort in there.  Also, it's got a bit of a stale, unpleasant smell inside =s

4. VAG - explored the new Matisse exhibit and learned I'd rather pay the full price than go with everyone on donation Tuesday nights.  Way too crowded to really appreciate and examine the pieces.

5. PLAYOFFS! Game 2 was amazing as per usual...I don't think I'd ever get tired of experiencing live playoff hockey.  The losing isn't great but everything else is =)

Round 1, Game 2!

6. Garage Sale - I actually hosted two, neither of which went very well but nothing ventured, nothing gained!

7. Bard - This unfortunately has to be moved to the summer list as all the available dates in the spring conflicted with the millions of other stuff I was already committed to!

It's amazing what great things can come out of a simple list like the one above.  I didn't think my items were inspired but they led to some pretty fun moments.  Look out for the Summer list coming soon!

Face Lift

Clearly things haven't been going as planned here at Project 52.  I haven't been posting the requisite once a week as life continues to be a (somewhat) happy distraction from my obligation.  With some time away to think about what the future is bringing and a quick Magic 8 Ball consultation, I came to the conclusion that things needed to change, hence the re-name of the blog to 30x30.  It makes sense since this is what this is supposed to focus on anyway.  Now, instead of forcing myself to think of an inane topic to write about each week, I can dedicate my time to actually completing the things on this list!  Speaking of the list - because of the changes revealed in the previous post, I'm having to make some adjustments to be more realistic about what I can and cannot do over the next 7 months.  Look for an updated 30x30 list over the next week, along with the results from my Spring To-Do List and the reveal of my Summer List!

Spring Cleaning

Another busy couple of weeks means I wasn't able to get a post up last week!  I'm sure this makes you all sad but there's a long weekend coming up which means catch up time for me =)

Spring has started it's slow arrival here in Vancouver which means it's time for Spring Cleaning!  It's a bigger deal than usual this year since part of my 30x30 list is to get rid of at least 1/3 of my possessions.  It seems like a daunting task, especially if any of you have actually seen the amount of stuff I have crammed into my room.  I'd post a photo but I don't want to scare you =p  As I wade through my mountain of stuff, I've put together some Spring Cleaning tips in case anyone else is wondering where to start.

• The 2 Year Rule - if you haven't worn or used something in 2 years get rid of it!  Chances are you haven't even looked at it in the past 2 years so why are you letting it take up extra room?
• Make sure you have enough disposal/storage supplies - garbage bags, boxes, rubbermaid totes, and anything else you need to get rid of or pack away your stuff!
• Schedule a donation pick up (i.e. Big Brothers, Canadian Diabetes, etc.) - this will keep you on track and help out those in need
• Break it up by area, section, or whatever works for you - it's easier to sort through things when they are all similar.  I like to break my room up by section i.e closet, book cases, wardrobe, dresser, etc.
• Designate space - if you have too much stuff for the designated area (i.e. books on shelves) then make a rule that you need to get rid of more items to fit in the space.

Happy cleaning everyone!

30 x 30 - #28

It's the first day of Spring which has inspired me to do some work on my list.  Of the 30 tasks I've chosen for my 30 by 30 list, #28 is the one that is guaranteed to take me all the way to my January 27th deadline since it's really a four part task:

Create and complete 4 seasonal To-Do lists for Vancouver
(minimum 7 items/list including 3 that I've never done before)

I suppose it was a clever way to extend the list beyond 30 without having to specify what the actual tasks are.  To make sure I actually get this done, here is the Spring list (* marks tasks I've never done before):

1. Participate in Dining out for Life (March 29th)
2. Have a burger at Splitz Grill*
3. Go to the Vancouver Flea Market*
4. Check out an exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery
5. Watch a playoff game (which also happens to be #18 - yay for knocking off 2 birds with 1 stone!)
6. Host a garage sale*
7. Watch the Taming of the Shrew at Bard on the Beach

Once again, the list isn't too inspired but it's a good base to get me on my way and I have three months to complete it so I'm sure more things will get added as I go along.

30 x 30 - Update!

Last week I wrote about my goals for the rest of the year called 30x30.  Sadly, I only came up with 10 items.  Thankfully my friends have come through with some great ideas to add! Here they are in no particular order...

1. Book my trip to Italy for 2013
2. Learn basic Italian (for my trip next year)
3. Get a new (old) car
4. Sell my current car
5. Move into Vancouver
6. Take a creative writing class
7. Get my Serving it Right certificate
8. Plan my Dad's 60th Birthday Party (happening in June!)
9. Go to Vegas
10. Visit a Canadian city that I've never been to before
11. Go Zip-treking
12. Cook a meal I've never made before from scratch
13. Take a cooking class
14. Take a bartending class
15. See the Stanley Cup (hopefully in Vancouver!)
16. Get rid of at least 1/3 of my current possessions =s
17. Watch a movie at a Drive-In
18. Watch at least 1 NHL playoff game live
19. Go on a road trip to a BC location I've never visited before
20. See some relatives I've never met before (happening in May!)
21. Finish the go2 certification for Event Coordination
22. Eat at 3 restaurants listed in the Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants in America (2012)
23. Volunteer at a minimum of 3 fundraising events (non-work related) - 1 down 2 to go!
24. Attend at least 3 industry networking/educational events - 1 down 2 to go!
25. Finish either one of my short stories or 3 complete chapters of one of my currently unfinished books
26. Finish posting all my old photos (2010 - present) on Facebook
27. Sign a new client at work
28. Create and complete 4 seasonal To-Do lists for Vancouver (minimum 7 items/list including 3 that I've never done before)
29. Plan my 30th Birthday bash!
30. Complete this blog challenge =)

This is the the final list you'll see me work through over the next 11 months before I hit the big 3-0.  While some of these will be easier to accomplish than others, I'm 95% positive I'll get through them all!  For anyone facing a milestone or looking for a challenge, I really think you should come up with your own list - it's been an amazing way to think about what I want to do with myself and focus on the things that I've been putting off for so long.  And yes, there is still plenty of time before the year is up but we all know it'll be here before we know it so get going!

30 x 30

Last October, I read a post called 12 by 2012 written by the fabulous Danni over at her blog: Oh, hello friend.  It was a great idea to create a list of 12 things to do before the end of the year.  Clearly since I didn't even have enough time to blog every day during the last few months of 2011 there was no way I'd have time for an entire list!  However, it is a new year (hopefully one with a better time management plan!) so I figured it would be a good chance to give it a try.  We're only 2 months into the year so I figure I have plenty of time to work through a list of 30 things before I hit the big 3-0.  My only problem?  Figuring out which 30 things to do!  Here's what I have so far:

1. Book my trip to Italy for 2013
2. Learn basic Italian (for my trip!)
3. Get a new (old) car
4. Move into Vancouver
5. Take a creative writing class
6. Get my Serving it Right certificate
7. Plan my Dad's 60th Birthday Party!
8. Go to Vegas
9. Visit a Canadian city that I've never been to before
10. Go Zip-treking

Clearly not a very imaginative list but that's where you lovely readers (all 2 of you lol) come in!  Post your ideas below and if it's something I can actually accomplish in the next 10 months then it'll go on the list =)  Thanks in advance for your help!