Californication

Living less than two miles from Ocean beach means that I have been going on night rides and runs there. There are few things more calming to me than being outside at night, under the moonlight. And, as the nights are now crisp, I don't have to worry about sweating up a storm from the lack of shape I'm in! Today, however, after having liberally indulged in libations all weekend long, I was seriously devoid of energy and in desperate need of motivation. I dragged my ass on a meandering bike ride along the beach, passing the throngs of tourists, weaving through the walkers and tots teetering on their bikes, dodging the new families proudly, exhaustedly pushing along their newborns, slowing to admire the wetsuited surfer boys, periodically stopping to inhale the beauty of the California coastline on a sunny, near-winter day.

When I am awestruck by nature, a feeling of complete tranquility washes over me, slowing my heartbeat, deepening my breath. I have to force myself to stay in the moment because my mind instantly wonders what the hell I am doing in my life that is more important than being able to appreciate sights like this every single day. I had to snap myself out of that today, but it made me realize that I probably won't go into corporate law like my dad. And it made me appreciate living in California, having so many climates at your command in no more than day's drive. Travelling far and wide is amazing, but so is wondering about right in your own backyard, California dreaming.

Make a 3D collage

I'm not gonna' lie--this kid is a HUGE fan of arts and crafts. But, part of growing up means less time for such fun activities. This goal allowed me to indulge in a more socially age appropriate version of that. I made a 3D collage installation for my wall, as I have no t.v. to stare at. My mum found the idea in a DIY magazine.

The background is made of metal gutter stoppers affixed to the wall with cup hooks. I was like a kid in a candy store wondering the aisles of the hardware store gathering supplies, distracted by all the cool gadgets, wing nut brethren and tools, going so far as to briefly fantasize about how awesome life as a contractor would be, vowing that my future husband must like building things with his hands--undeniably sexy.

The project was quite simple and hanging the gutter stoppers only took about 20 minutes. (It also compromised my complete security deposit, as there are now a series of holes in my wall, but we'll worry about that a year from now...) The more artistic part came in deciding how to arrange the postcards, paper scraps, stamps and magnets on the backdrop in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The piece is "organic" (whatever that means...) and "living," as I am free to add or detract from it at whim. I now want to make a contrasting wooden version on the opposite wall. (Saws and power tools may be involved!) I am even inspired to try my hand at a sculpture of sorts, medium t.b.d. Definitely glad I did this :)

(This picture fails to do adequate justice, but it is merely a simple piece.)

Call to Action

I have been in a super blah funk lately. I am not even excited about figuring out what to wear for Halloween. I have no friends at school and see other friends once a week, maybe. I have not been exercising nor eating any raw foods. I've been spending too much time at home, not my apartment. And, I have not started outlining yet. One or two of these problems would be fine, but swallowing the whole lot of it all at once is no good. Hence, this call to action. If I can at least go through the motions of getting of grip, perhaps I'll be able so swim to shore before a full-fledge rescue is in order.

I've printed a list of reasonable goals to accomplish in the next 2.5 months. First and foremost are exercise and outlining. If I can kick my ass into gear about exercising, feeling better, eating better and having more positive energy will naturally follow. I bought a desk calendar and input all of my upcoming deadlines and have planned out a schedule that will allow me to have my outlines significantly finished before reading period.

As for the social aspect, I am going to go to the school party this Friday. It'll be the first time all semester I've done so. I need to start getting to know people because I need to find a study group. As the event will be at a bar Friday and I only seem to make friends when drinking is involved (me sober is apparently too much to bear sober!), hopefully that'll get the ball rolling. I also need to do a better job of hanging out with my other friends. I will plan a game night soon. Not being at home some often would free up a lot of my time, so I'll have to be more firm about that. Always easier said than done though.

This all looks good on paper! Hopefully I'll be strong in my resolutions. I even feel a little better already :)

Run a marathon

Sometimes, when I get certain ideas into my head, for better or for worse, they materialize. Even though I only started outdoor distance running in April, I decided that I was going to run a marathon while I was 25. I started with the 12k Bay to Breakers in May, graduated to the San Francisco Half-Marathon in July, and decided to sign up for the Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon in October. In theory, this is ample time for someone who is reasonably athletic and diligent about training to do just fine. And I was, more or less, until after the half-marathon, when my lackadaisical training approach paid off surprisingly well with an easy, unwinded 2:15. I felt pretty good. I signed up for a full marathon and a trail one at that, which is harder. Then, in the inconsistency that consistently defines me, I stopped running.
Initially, I had hoped to finish in around 4:30. Didn't even sorta happen: 5:28. While disappointed, I readily recognize it could've been MUCH worse, considering I have only run nine times since July, the longest distance being the SF-half. Whoops!
The marathon was in Lassen National Park in Susanville, about 5.5 hours north of San Francisco. While a forgettable and vaguely sad little town that surely had its last heyday when Indians still roamed the frontier, the scenery for the run was gorgeous. Alanis Morrisette also ran the marathon! (Though she is pushing 40, she passed me before mile 1, but details, details.) The first 6 miles were a gradual uphill and the majority of the remaining 20 were a steady downhill.
As I have never run on a trail before, and had not trained AT ALL, I decided to run-walk. (Though by the end, it was mostly walk...) I was one of the youngest people running, the majority of the marathoners being at least in their 40s, but this did not stop most of them from passing me. My strategy was to pretend the race was only 13 long miles demarcated by the 2 mile apart aide stations. I walked through each one grabbing a gulp of water or Gatorade and an orange slice. I felt a little dizzy around mile 6 (couldn't tell if it was from the altitude or only having had an apple for breakfast [I can't do athletic activities on a full stomach)), but hit my wall around mile 11, where my right arch decided to bail and I limp-jogged along in a club-footed manner for a bit, cursing my abject stupidity for not training so that my muscles would be more acclimated to the tremendous endurance marathons require. I talked myself into continuing after passing the halfway mark, thinking if I could just make it to 16 miles, 10 more wouldn't seem so bad. I focused on not letting the people around me get too far out of range, forcing myself to jog until I caught up with or passed them if they did. At 17 miles, my right leg started randomly spasming, but I jogged on, determined to at least finish. I was really starting to regret running at this point and it didn't help that this 70 year old man in front of me was wearing a shirt that said "Start slow and taper off," which I had to force myself not to read as "just quit now." I made it to mile 20 in just under 4 hours, but then I hit another wall. My asthmatic lungs were doing just fine, despite constantly inhaling the dust of all the runners ahead of me, and the weather was perfect but my legs were not happy campers. Running a mile seemed to take FOREVER and willing myself to jog more instead of walk was a purely mental battle accomplished to varying degrees only by picking arbitrary points to jog to, admiring the beautiful scenery of rock ridges, colorful leaves, mountain springs, foot bridges and railroad tunnels, high-fiving trees close to the trail and passing people clearly over 50. The last 2 miles seemed never ending, my knees starting to ache, but I managed to sprint the .2 to the finish line, legs numb.
Every joint from my lower back down to my toes aches. I am limping around like I was ravished by a herd of elephants and I'm sure I won't be able to move or walk tomorrow. A Thai massage would be soooo nice right now! I was even considering some Bengay or Tiger Balm, but decided RICE and ibuprofen were better than smelling like an old Asian man. (I also kinda like feeling as if run over by an 18-wheeler. It makes me miss rugby!) I know I vowed never again, but I am curious too see how I can do if I allow myself adequate training... such is the price for my half-assedness!

Move into my very own apartment

Well, even though I am less than 4 miles from home, I am now out of the house! Because it really is a ridiculously small world, my mom's first apartment in San Francisco when she came here 35 years ago was the same one and same--she lived in the unit directly above me! Even the landlady is the same! Quite the circle of life and proof to the argument that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I am slowly starting to get used to having my own place and starting to feel less like I am playing pretend and more like a legitimate adult. The downside will be shopping for food (right now there is a only a case of Blue Moon and a pint of ice cream in the fridge...) and actually having to cook on a regular basis, but I feel there are infinitely more worthy things to complain about. I still plan on coming home to do laundry and pouching toiletry and some food supplies (because they are FREE), but I feel these are things that most young adults who have good relationships with their families and live close enough to home do.
While I still have some knick-knacks to pick up for my apartment, it is coming together quite nicely and I look forward to having people over for game nights (I have no t.v.) and cooking dinners (that way, I can shirk doing so!) Pleased with myself am I indeed =)

Do 50 sit-ups and 20 push ups everyday for one month

I have been quite the lazy mofo, setting foot in a gym to exercise a whooping 3 times in past 6 months. I embarked upon this goal to help tighten up my abs, tone up my arms and inject some self-discipline into my life through daily repetition of the same task. While I can do 50 sit-ups in my sleep, doing them daily has noticeably tightened my stomach. I have pitiful upper body strength, and have an irrational fear of ending up like this:

if I engage in more than minimal strengthening exercises, but, I figured 20 push ups probably wouldn't get me there. It was a sad struggle at first, but then became almost easier than doing the sit-ups. My arms feel stronger and look a little less wobbly. I plan to try and maintain these exercises on at least a tri-weekly basis, as they really only take less than 2 minutes before I hop into bed. Next stop, getting into some semblance of an exercise routine!

Read one full newspaper article daily for one month

This goal was actually a throw back my youthful potential, the time before I squandered my attention span and developed an unsettling addiction to instant gratification. I used to read the newspaper daily and then stopped, advanced adolescence and crippling indolence taking a mighty toll on my aspirations to be a well-informed and voracious reader.

I made this a goal to help combat my growing impatience with reading articles that required turning or clicking over to the next page. News snippets and headlines had become my sources of information, my depth of understanding of matters consequently plummeting to shocking shallows. While the ready availability of information makes news instantly accessible, it also led to my glossing over details and making snap decisions based on my own preconceived notions, not allowing for developed counter-arguments to ruminate, nor for anything more than superfluous analysis of relevant information. This only helped increase my self-induced ADD and further my path to becoming Jack of all trades, Master of none.

I allowed myself to read any article, so long as I read the entire thing. I started off on easy, entertainment/gossip nonsense, then worked my way up to financial, scientific and political articles. I found my ability to focus on the task at hand increased and was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed and comprehended what I was reading. It was also an excellent self-discipline exercise to do something consistently, for an extended period of time. While I haven't necessarily kept up with this practice daily, I do now read articles from start to finish.

Get a Blackberry, or similar device

I finally succumbed to the scorn and dismissal of others for having a phone without internet/photo/color capabilities and got a Blackberry Tour. (Though NOT T-Mobile, VERIZON. But, now is not the time to discuss my predilection for brand loyalty.) I will miss my cradle charger and being able to toss my phone into bags with reckless abandon, but I do enjoy having a mini computer at my beck and command. I'm sure it helps that I don't associate my Blackberry with employment, more pretending to be all grown up. However, they do say fake it till you make it...

Read "Factotum"

This book is a fairly quick read that chronicles the misadventures of Henry Chinaski, a chronic alcoholic who stumbles in and out of shitty jobs across America during WWII. He is an aspiring writer with zero life aspirations aside from nursing the bottle to help bear the cross of his existence. The writing is succinct and though Henry's trials are repetitive and predictable, Charles Bukowski maintains the reader's interest with enough humor to add variation. This is definitely not a novel you feel you've wasted your time reading, provided you find the storyline appealing.

Some memorable quotes:

"Her triangle of cunt hair was hidden by her dangling, bouncing stomach."

"I was given instructions by a toothless elf with a film over his left eye."

"[Y]oung Mexican girls with beautiful skin and dark eyes; they wore tight bluejeans and tight sweaters and gaudy earrings.... In fifteen years they'd weigh 185 pounds and it would be their daughters who were beautiful."

"Because I had claimed two years of college on my application, I got the job as Coconut Man."

Help out at Glide one day

As part of first-year orientation for law school, we had the option of volunteering with different community services around the city. I chose Glide, obviously. We helped prepare 1200 bagged lunches for the residents of the Tenderloin in the bowels of Glide Memorial Church. After donning ever fashionable plastic aprons, gloves and hairnets, my team made smoked turkey sandwiches. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to interact with the TL inhabitants more, save one lady who was having a full-blown conversation with her dog, but it was 9 to 10:30 am on a Saturday and most probably hadn't come to from their stupors yet. When leaving one did ask the girls what we were doing and when someone said "volunteering" he replied, "Well siiiign me up!" I certainly wouldn't mind doing this again.

In Progress: Go camping at least once a year

My oldest friend Marissa and I went camping in Hendy Woods with her friend. The weather was perfect, the drive sinuous and enjoyable. We got to the park a tad early, so we decided to stroll about Mendocino first, a quaint and charming town with a refined 1800's California feel to it. There are paths through the coastal flowers that meander along the bluffs overlooking the awesomeness of the Pacific Ocean. Blue sky met blue, blue sea and all was harmony.

After pizza at a joint where a frazzled mother of three all but accused us of stealing the $20 she almost immediately found in her own purse, we headed off to set up camp. Leave it to us (well I'll let the fault lie solely on Marissa here) to book a Disabled site. They let us keep it because it was after 5pm (but not after reselling it to us!) The people next to us would've been shoe-ins for first place at a trailer trash contest, flaccid, obese, stringy-haired members of an unbranched family tree and all. After taking pictures by our disabled sign and pitching tent, we hiked to and through the Ed Hendy Redwood Grove taking special pictures along the way. There is something almost sacred about tipping through throngs of ancient trees, humbled by the respect and grace they silently command.

Dinner consisted of S'mores and a sad attempt at a single can of vegetarian chili, spoons ripped and crackheadedly fashioned from a paper bag. We had to a remind a father, who was giving his poor offspring a haphazard ride on his shoulders whilst holding a cup of wine, not to traipse through our campsite--the paved path to the bathroom was for facilitating our wheelchair accessibility...

We awoke to the sound of a Mexican soap opera blaring from our neighbors who apparently can channel some barrio too. All they needed were some doo-rags, gold teeth and a rice cooker and all races could've been offended! Because my mind is oft my enemy, I forgot a sleeping pad and my own corpulence was apparently poor compensation. Next time! Post checking out we traveled down the road to Van Damme to trek their Fern Canyon and Pygmy Forest hikes. (The canyon had a Jurassic Park feel to it, the "pygmy" forest was a disappoint, as there were NOT any midget anythings to be found...) The ride back home was pleasant and the camping trip was a wonderful way to unwind before the madness that will be law school. I always forget how much I love camping, not showering, hiking, making fires, wondering through the wilderness, playing with sticks, wielding Swiss army knives, waking up happy. I am DEFINITELY looking forward to accomplishing this goal :)

In Progress: Contribute to all friends' charities

Marcus, a guy I play kickball with, is raising money for the the Lymphoma society in honor of his late mother, who was a two-time survivor of blood cancer. It goes without saying what an awesome cause this is. I couldn't make it to his Sports Basement fundraiser, but I donated online. http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf09/mronaldi I wish him the best on his noble endeaver :) I am grateful to have friends who care about the greater good and hope that piggybacking on their good karma will keep me afloat until I find the motivation to embrace a worthy cause myself!

Help plan Jess' bachelorette party

This was actually a lot of fun. The festivities took place in Hotlanta (because that place is HUMID), starting off with a mani-pedi, then a trip to the mall for shoes and such--the joys of estrogen-riddled pastimes... Next we dolled ourselves up for a delicious dinner at a Brazilian tapas bar. The decor had a great clean-cut Miami vibe and the waiters were very friendly. We strutted to the neighboring bakery for cupcakes, then abandoned the class act and loaded up at a liquor store to prepare for the prepartying. We all got awesome giant engagement rings that light up (so you can really bling out/find each other in the club...), drank, danced, one girl decided to sport some plastic cups over her boobs for a bit, concocted a list that Jess was to "accomplish" before night's end, then piled into a minivan (yep!) and hit the scene. The first place wanted $345 for VIP service, apparently not understanding that bachelorette parties should be comped these things. The second place did however, offering free entry and a bottle of champagne. We found a nice bachelor party that was more than willing to help Jess with her tasks. The bartender even comped the BJ shot Jess had to do. Good times. While driving to Waffle House we looked over and some old guy was honking his horn at us, smiling, and playing with his fully erect penis. Screams and speechlessness ensued. Jess' fiance's bachelor party decided to crash ours, so we stuck them with our bill and ran off, me and another bridesmaid literally sprinting back to the hotel. The night concluded with a foot soak in the hot tub. Jess had a blast, as did all the other ladies. Successful night :) If only the bridesmaids had been as behaved during the reception...!

Keeping in touch with Grandma

Since I only have one living grandparent, I should keep in touch with her as much as possible. My mom's mom is the sweetest woman in the world. The kind of person who tells me I look beautiful when I straggle into the kitchen, huge bags under my eyes, hair a hot mess, pajamas mismatched. (Or, maybe she's just getting senile?) She is kind, warm, has a wonderfully childlike curiosity and is always up for trying something new, despite only a high school education and having lived in Mississippi the whole of her 84 year life. I sent her a postcard from Thailand. She loves reading things and will be thrilled to get correspondence from abroad. This will be an enjoyable goal :)

Don't buy clothes for two months

I will admit that this goal was facilitated by a big shopping spree in April and a lack of time/appealing fashions the past two months. It actually wasn't that hard to accomplish, despite having a kickball theme party to attend and a first time trip to Asia. (Though I think that just means I seriously need to pear down my voluminous wardrobe.) I plan on doing this again. It sure saves money and also forces me to actually WEAR the clothes I have. I'm not going to take the high road about not ceding to consumerism, because I made other purchases, and that was not the intention of this goal. It was to demonstrate to myself that I have the self-control not to buy unnecessary apparel items. *pats self on back*

Go to south east Asia

I must say that having goals makes it easier to accomplish things. I was almost not going to go, my plans being truncated by work obligations and lack of travel companionship, but, as it was a goal, I bought my ticket, and that turned to to be the best personal decision I've made in a long time.

I went to Thailand, the Land of Smiles. It was AWESOME!! I flew into Bangkok, dirty, bustling, delightfully free of too much Westernization and spent two days wondering the city, getting taken by a tuk-tuk driver, but ending up on an amazing long boat ride through the back waterways of Bangkok, absorbing the daily life of the Thai people and indulging my romanticism of dilapidation, seeing the sights and walking across bridges and along the river.

Next was Krabi and Railay island, a loooong overnight bus ride from Bangkok. Seeing the rural countryside along the way was great. Parents dropping their uniformed kids off at school on scooters, red earth, green, green flora. Railay was absolutely STUNNING. Breathstopping horizons and sun rotations. Jungle covered krasts shooting up out of the warm, blue green sea, serenity abound. Went outdoor rockclimbing for the first time, cave trekking, repelling, jungle hiking. Sitting on the beach watching the sun lazily melt into the ocean was the most content I have been in a long, long, long time. Saw a live muay thai boxing match at a bar on the beach, preceeded by a fire show, punctuated by Michael Jackson songs in tribute. Almost made it to a lagoon, but tired arms and looming departure solidified my vow to return and conquer one day.

Back to Bangkok to catch a bus to Kanchanaburi. Wonderful small town. Stayed in a knarled wood bungalow on the Kwai river. Rented a bike and toured the town, attired in bright blue Thai men's pants, wristful of bangles, dark as a native and happy as a clam. Strolled the Death Railway Bridge, rented a motorbike up to Erawan falls. Simply GORGEOUS ride, peacefully following the gentle meandering of the river up through the verdant mountains. Then hiked the waterfalls and their swimming pools, scrambling gracefully over rocks and endlessly intertwined tree roots in my 40 baht flip flops, having a ball.

Another bus back to Bangkok to catch a overnight bus to Chiang Mai, including a thrilling motorcycle taxi ride through the night in Bangkok, whizzing between cars and trucks and disregarding street traffic directions. Chiang Mai was nice. It rained the whole time, dampening my enthusiasm some, but went to some markets and bazaars, went up to Doi Sutep in the mist, walked through the old city gates and saw some wats, didn't get my thai massage in the women's prison, but did find a lovely mother who gave me one that left me feeling tranquil and lightheaded. Rain detered me from going to Pai or Chiang Dao, but there is always next time. Chiang Mai wasn't my favorite, but it will forever have its mark on me :)

Back to Bangkok before home, a day side trip to Ayuthaya to make up for not getting to visit Cambodia. Ancient ruins strewn about a modern small town in a way much more charming than the ones in Rome. A striking blue sky providing a backdrop that was surreal.

Met up with Guddy on the last day and caught up. Saw some sights around the city, chilled out on Khao San Road for a bit, saw her cool HQ Hostel, which is all but across the street from the Pat Pong red light district, another deviant adventure that'll have to be saved for next time.

In short, Thailand was the perfect vacation. Two weeks is a wholly insufficient amount of time to travel there, and I must return, as well as venture into its surrounding countries. My travel bug is on fire again and I will now take a renewed interest in attempting to satiate it.

Return all calls and texts for one week

While this may not seem like a worthy goal, I am pretty bad about making it a reality. And then guilt will gnaw at me for months until I communicate with the person. It feels good not to make such an easily rectifiable thing a source of superfluous stress in my life. I definitely need to keep this up. Plus, it helps me stay more connected with my friends. (Some might say I should've picked a week where I had more than 8 people to respond to, but this is MY goal and I'll accomplish it however I wanna!)

Ass in Gear

Before June 23rd, I MUST do the following:

1) Outline itinerary for trip_x__
2) Book hotel/hostel for first night__x_
3) Find out if I need malaria pills _X__
4) Call Jess _X__
5) Contact other bridesmaids and begin planning bachelorette party_X__
6) Purchase ticket to ATL_X__
7) Research logistics of going to Ratanakiri_X__
8) Go to bank to get some baht__X_
9) Pay parking ticket_X__
10) Pay bills_X__
11) Set trip budget_X__
12) Research transportation options between Thailand and Cambodia_X__
13) Call Miwa___
14) Review itinerary with Parnell__X_
15) Pick up necessary travel supplies_X__
16) Look into apartments_X__
17) Get some books to read_X__
18) Make travel journal__X_
19) Get a guidebook_X__
20) Pack smart--only backpack__X_

Bike over to Sausalito

My life sometimes has way of happening despite me. I have a pin that says "I get enough exercise just pushing my luck." Hopefully by day 1001, more resolve and planning will be involved... Case in point would be this Memorial Day. I was sloppy the night before, popping awake at 6:30 am on a couch with a busted lip. Home and in bed by 8 am, the thought of physical exercise was the LAST thing on my mind, but I got a text at 10 am from Michelle saying to meet up at noon to bike over to Sausalito. Granted the whole excursion had been my idea, I had rendered myself incapable of setting it into motion, accomplishing this goal and an odd lack of hangover being the only things getting me out of the house to the rendezvous point. The ride wasn't as nearly as bad as it could've been, given my state. I was able to keep up with the other two triathletes we were biking with, low front tire air pressure and all. We met up with Lindsay (who had decided to run) in Sausalito and had lunch on the bay, lounging in the sun, glad to be distanced from the gray melancholy that shrouded the city. We found a bike shop to fill my tires, fix Michelle's stuck chain and grease Brian's gear cogs, then headed back. The hills weren't nearly as bad as I had feared, properly inflated tires and my having finally figured out how to shift gears surely to credit. (Yes, this kid still has not retained how to engage her gears for hills, every time forcing a new trial-by-almost-falling-off-her-bike-from-momentum-loss episode...) The bridge was relentlessly windy, the fog engulfing us in wet swirls, clearly spiteful of our afternoon abandonment. All in all, the day was quite pleasant. The biking was a welcomed changed of pace from running and a great cap to the holiday weekend.

Run Bay to Breakers

Having been born and raised here, I am sorry to say that prior to this year, I have not attended the true San Franciscan spectacle that is this event. Being all of 25, I figured I should be in some type of physical state to actually run the 7.46 miles. Training was facilitated by joining the Sports Basement and Niketown group runs, and a few friends who dragged me along on other days. Race day proved a departure from the typical gray, rain/fog weather, instead the sun deciding to shine and encourage all to frolic about, drunk, happy, and immodestly under-clothed. My official time was 80:04 minutes, slower than the pace I had hoped, but I was zapped by the heat, without my ipod to set a tempo, walked a couple blocks of the infamous Hayes Street hill, and walked another half mile portion before the park, shamed into jogging the remaining 4 miles when two spandexed water buffalo trundled past me. I met up with friends afterward, hung out, enjoyed copious libations, talked to nude people, ate, all the while marveling at the prime people watching to be done, then wondered off to a mini rave under a bridge in the park, chilled with kickball teammates, and eventually found my way home, sunburned to a crisp and in love with San Francisco all over again.

I have always been one to start off with the best of intentions and then taper off, failure to follow through punctuating my decline. In an effort to renew my consistency, I am embarking on an Odyssey to Moderation, 101 goals in 1001 days. Wish me luck!