Greg McElhatton » Uberlist http://www.gregmce.com mack - el - hat - ton Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:05:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Uberlist 2008 http://www.gregmce.com/2008/01/03/uberlist-2008/ http://www.gregmce.com/2008/01/03/uberlist-2008/#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:15:55 +0000 Greg McElhatton http://www.gregmce.com/2008/01/03/uberlist-2008/ As it’s a new year, it’s time for a new Uberlist. I first heard about this via the far-cleverer-than-I Kelly Sue DeConnick. She and her old roommate Nikol Lohr made New Year’s To Do Lists back in 1998 instead of New Year’s Resolutions, which is sheer brilliance. In 1998 they had 98 items on their lists (“98 Things To Do In 1998″), so since this is 2008, there are 108 items on the uberlist. My first attempt was back in 2003 and I’ve participated every year since then.

In the words of Kelly Sue:

I think I only accomplish about 30% of the list in any given year (one year, I didn’t finish MAKING THE LIST) and generally by June there are a good 10 items that are no longer applicable or even desireable, but it’s a fun thing to have nonetheless, and it keeps me focused for the first few months of the year. Then I forget all about it until about, oh, say, NOVEMBER, at which point I scramble about trying to remember where I put last year’s list.

I enjoy the process partially just for the making of the list; it lets me think about things I’d like to do as one year comes to a close and another one begins. I’m never too worried about what does and does not get done; in some ways it’s a list of wishes and desires, not of things that I simply must accomplish. And it’s fun at the end of the year to look back at what seemed important or enticing at the time. It’s simply not possible to do it all; I’d never expect myself to.

(That said, I pin it on my fridge so that I see it constantly.)

But, at any rate, here I go yet again. 

Exercise:

1. Complete a 5K in under 25:40
2. Complete a 5-miler/8K in under 44:19
3. Complete a 10K in under 57:30
4. Complete a 10-miler in under 1:26:09
5. Complete a half-marathon in under 1:58:17
6. Complete a marathon in under 4:29:06
7. Go to the gym on a regular basis
8. Keep my waist fitting in 30″ pants
9. Run an 8+ mile stretch regularly
10. Run regularly during the week
11. Run a non-DC area race
12. Use the Yoga DVD/cards at least three times

Local Attractions:

13. Attend a Smithsonian Associates event
14. Go to an exhibition at the Corcoran
15. Go to an exhibition at the Freer/Sackler Galleries
16. Go to DC Building Museum
17. Go to Fort Marcy
18. Go to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
19. Go to National Holocaust Museum
20. See a performance at the DC Opera
21. See a performance at the Shakespeare Theatre
22. See DC Nationals play a game
23. See DC United play a game
24. Walk through Rosslyn’s Freedom Park

Leisure:

25. Apply for the Amazing Race
26. Call Grammy on a regular basis
27. Finish reading China Mieville’s Iron Council
28. Get a tattoo
29. Get car serviced every 5000 miles
30. Go skiing
31. Go to a pub trivia night
32. Go to an allergist
33. Go to the dentist
34. Go to the dermatologist
35. Lead the discussion at Lambda Sci-Fi book club
36. Learn how to use an SLR camera.
37. Read at least 8 of Lambda Sci-Fi’s 11 book club books
38. Read China Mieville’s The Scar
39. Read James Joyce’s Dubliners
40. Read Storm Constantine’s The Way of Light
41. Read the shelf of Doctor Who novellas
42. Redesign MarathonGreg.com
43. Resist buying games until you’ve played the ones you have
44. Scan in and post at least 30 images from your wine book
45. Take a 2-stepping class
46. Take at least 30 photos (total) for 50 state street project
47. Try wax instead of shaving at least once
48. Watch all the rest of the Avengers ’67 Set 3
49. Watch Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru
50. Watch Akira Kurosawa’s Ran
51. Watch Batman Animated Volume 2 DVDs
52. Watch Batman Animated Volume 3 DVDs
53. Watch Fellowship of the Ring Extended from start to finish
54. Watch Prisoner Volume 1 DVDs
55. Watch Prisoner Volume 2 DVDs
56. Win Phoenix Wright 2
57. Win Rayman Raving Rabbids
58. Win Super Mario Galaxy

Travel:

59. Go on a small, local vacation
60. Go to Toronto
61. Visit Marc when you’re in Los Angeles
62. Visit Melissa and Sam in San Francisco
63. Visit my grandparents in Pennsylvania

Home:

64. Assemble a Go-Bag
65. Bake a cake
66. Bake something you’ve never made before
67. Clean out and organize linen closet
68. Cook new recipes regularly
69. Don’t buy so many frivolous things
70. Empty out the freezer and eat/discard what’s inside
71. Finish scanning all your books into a database
72. Floss your teeth every day
73. Get a Christmas tree
74. Get rid of things you hang onto but do not need
75. Go through books and donate ones I no longer want
76. Go to bed by 10:30pm on a regular basis
77. Hang more original art
78. Keep piles of stuff from forming
79. Make homemade pasta
80. Rearrange living room (desk & bookshelves)
81. Renew CostCo membership
82. Sell any original art that you are no longer interested in
83. Sell the Big Finish plays that you’ll never listen to again
84. Sell the DVDs you’ll never watch again
85. Soak in the tub and just relax at least once a month
86. Sort through the comics and weed out what you can
87. Spend less time on the computer
88. Sort through my CD singles and either store or sell them
89. Take unneeded clothes and appliances to Goodwill
90. Vacuum every week
91. Wear nicer clothing on a regular basis
92. Work on reducing debt

Work:

93. Bring your lunch more often than buying it
94. Find a home for the bag of old SF magazines and books
95. Get rid of the boxes piled under the table
96. Get to work by 9:30 on a regular basis
97. Learn Flash
98. Learn JavaScript
99. Spruce up the plants in my office

Writing:

100. Regularly backup and archive my documents folder
101. Start and finish a short story
102. Send the finished story to two markets (as necessary)
103. Stay on top of review submissions
104. Write a nice holiday letter and send with cards
105. Write an article for Enlightenment
106. Write comics reviews on regular basis
107. Write travel journals

Most Importantly:

108. Do not let yourself take on inappropriate guilt.

]]> http://www.gregmce.com/2008/01/03/uberlist-2008/feed/ 0 Uberlist 2007: Final Tally http://www.gregmce.com/2007/12/31/uberlist-2007-final-tally/ http://www.gregmce.com/2007/12/31/uberlist-2007-final-tally/#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2007 21:48:21 +0000 Greg McElhatton http://www.gregmce.com/2007/12/31/uberlist-2007-final-tally/ It’s the end of the year, and as such, time to look at what I accomplished on this year’s Uberlist. It’s a pretty good tally this year (45/107 completed), thanks in part to almost everything in my “exercise” category being completed. I’m still working on next year’s list (hopefully in a couple of days), but until then, this will tide things over.

Easiest item completed? Probably the aquarium, which I’d done a good job of maintaining but then got rid of halfway through the year.

Most recent item completed? As I type, I’m watching the last episode from Batman: The Animated Series Vol. 1 DVD set. Down to the wire!

Closest to completed, then failed? Seeing a performance at the Shakespeare Theatre, what the performance I had tickets for on the 27th being cancelled. Oh well, it’ll be easily tackled for next year’s list.

And now, the final tally.

Exercise:

1. Complete a 5K in under 26:23
3. Complete a 10-miler in under 1:32:38
4. Complete a half-marathon in under 2:06:08
5. Complete a marathon in under 4:46:48
7. Go to one gym class
8. Go to the gym on a regular basis
9. Keep my waist fitting in 30″ jeans
10. Learn how to properly use the weights at the gym
11. Quit Gold’s for Arlington Rec, or use Gold’s classes
12. Run regularly each week
13. Run for an 8-mile stretch or higher at least once a month
14. Run a non-DC area race

Local Attractions:

16. Go to an exhibition at the Freer/Sackler Galleries
17. Go up to the top of the Washington Monument
21. Visit the National Museum of the American Indian

Leisure:

23. Complete my 365pictures project
24. Continue to go to Dr. Phillips as needed
27. Get car serviced every 5000 miles
34. Lead the discussion in one of the Lambda Sci-Fi book club selections
35. Read at least 8 of Lambda Sci-Fi’s 11 book club books
40. Resist buying Nintendo games until you’ve thoroughly played the ones you have
41. Start the New Year in a way you want the rest to follow
47. Watch Batman Animated Volume 1 DVDs

Travel:

52. Go on a small, local vacation
55. Visit Marc when you’re in Los Angeles
56. Visit my grandparents in Pennsylvania

Home:

59. Clean aquarium and change filter & water regularly
62. Don’t buy so many frivolous things
66. Get a Christmas tree
67. Get a code for the front door
68. Go through books and donate ones I no longer want
71. Keep piles of stuff from forming
78. Sort through the comics and weed out what you can
79. Sort through file cabinets and shred as needed
82. Take unneeded clothes and appliances to Goodwill
83. Vacuum every week
84. Wear nicer clothing on a regular basis

Work:

86. Bring your lunch more often than buying it
87. Clean out and re-arrange my office bookshelves
88. Donate the box of action figures to Goodwill
90. Finish hanging art for the office

Writing:

96. Mail your marathon thank-you cards
98. Regularly backup and archive my documents folder
102. Write a nice holiday letter and send with cards
103. Write an article for Enlightenment

]]> http://www.gregmce.com/2007/12/31/uberlist-2007-final-tally/feed/ 6 Uberlist 2007: Four Months Later http://www.gregmce.com/2007/05/04/uberlist-2007-four-months-later/ http://www.gregmce.com/2007/05/04/uberlist-2007-four-months-later/#comments Fri, 04 May 2007 20:00:31 +0000 Greg McElhatton http://www.gregmce.com/2007/05/04/uberlist-2007-four-months-later/ So! Four months down, let’s see how this year’s Uberlist is coming along.

Completed!

3. Complete a 10-miler in under 1:32:38
4. Complete a half-marathon in under 2:06:08
7. Go to one gym class
10. Learn how to properly use the weights at the gym
11. Quit Gold’s for Arlington Rec, or use Gold’s classes
16. Go to an exhibition at the Freer/Sackler Galleries
17. Go up to the top of the Washington Monument (you’ve only lived here 32 years, Greg, it’s about time)
21. Visit the National Museum of the American Indian
41. Start the New Year in a way you want the rest to follow
55. Visit Marc when you’re in Los Angeles
67. Get a code for the front door (found out by accident but I don’t care! victory!)
96. Mail your marathon thank-you cards
103. Write an article for Enlightenment

So, not too bad, but I’ve done better at this point in time as well. Although I do have a bunch of ones that are partially done, or an ongoing process. That should help spruce up my feelings of getting things done a bit!

In Progress!/Ongoing

8. Go to the gym on a regular basis
9. Keep my waist fitting in 30″ jeans
12. Run regularly each week
13. Run for an 8-mile stretch or higher at least once a month
14. Run a non-DC area race (I’m in the NYC Marathon lottery, and if I don’t get in, probably Philly as a backup)
23. Complete my 365pictures project (as of today, 178 pictures done!)
24. Continue to go to Dr. Phillips as needed
27. Get car serviced every 5000 miles (scheduled the 15000 maintenance for next week, and 20000 should be it for this year)
34. Lead the discussion in one of the Lambda Sci-Fi book club selections (guess I should see if I’m on tap for July or not)
35. Read at least 8 of Lambda Sci-Fi’s 11 book club books (3 down!)
40. Resist buying Nintendo games until you’ve thoroughly played the ones you have
42. Take 20 pictures for my 50 state street photo project (15 down!)
47. Watch Batman Animated Volume 1 DVDs (almost done with this set, and it gets better and better)
56. Visit my grandparents in Pennsylvania (in theory, May 12-13)
68. Go through books and donate ones I no longer want
69. Go to bed by 10:30pm on a regular basis
71. Keep piles of stuff from forming
78. Sort through the comics and weed out what you can
82. Take unneeded clothes and appliances to Goodwill
83. Vacuum every week
84. Wear nicer clothing on a regular basis
85. Work on reducing debt
86. Bring your lunch more often than buying it
92. Get to work by 9:30 on a regular basis
95. Spruce up the plants in my office
98. Regularly backup and archive my documents folder (just brought in two DVDs worth of backups into the office)

Hmmmm. We’re getting somewhere! I think!

]]> http://www.gregmce.com/2007/05/04/uberlist-2007-four-months-later/feed/ 2 Uberlist 2007 http://www.gregmce.com/2007/01/02/uberlist-2007/ http://www.gregmce.com/2007/01/02/uberlist-2007/#comments Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:57:19 +0000 Greg McElhatton http://www.gregmce.com/2007/01/02/uberlist-2007/ Ok, it’s time for Uberlist 2007. I first heard about this via the far-cooler-and-neater-than-I Kelly Sue DeConnick. She and her old roommate Nikol Lohr made New Year’s To Do Lists back in 1998 instead of New Year’s Resolutions, which is sheer brilliance. In 1998 they had 98 items on their lists (98 things to do in 1998), so since this is 2007, there are 107 items on the uberlist. My first attempt was back in 2003 and I’ve done it ever since.

In the words of Kelly Sue:

I think I only accomplish about 30% of the list in any given year (one year, I didn’t finish MAKING THE LIST) and generally by June there are a good 10 items that are no longer applicable or even desireable, but it’s a fun thing to have nonetheless, and it keeps me focused for the first few months of the year. Then I forget all about it until about, oh, say, NOVEMBER, at which point I scramble about trying to remember where I put last year’s list.

I enjoy the process partially just for the making of the list; it lets me think about things I’d like to do as one year comes to a close and another one begins. I’m never too worried about what does and does not get done; in some ways it’s a list of wishes and desires, not of things that I simply must accomplish. And it’s fun at the end of the year to look back at what seemed important or enticing at the time. It’s simply not possible to do it all; I’d never expect myself to.

But, at any rate, here I go yet again. 

Exercise:

1. Complete a 5K in under 26:23
2. Complete a 10K in under 57:30
3. Complete a 10-miler in under 1:32:38
4. Complete a half-marathon in under 2:06:08
5. Complete a marathon in under 4:46:48
6. Get a session with a personal trainer
7. Go to one gym class
8. Go to the gym on a regular basis
9. Keep my waist fitting in 30″ jeans
10. Learn how to properly use the weights at the gym
11. Quit Gold’s for Arlington Rec, or use Gold’s classes
12. Run regularly each week
13. Run for an 8-mile stretch or higher at least once a month
14. Run a non-DC area race
15. Use the Yoga DVD/cards at least three times

Local Attractions:

16. Go to an exhibition at the Freer/Sackler Galleries
17. Go up to the top of the Washington Monument
18. See a performance at the Shakespeare Theatre
19. See DC Nationals play a game
20. See DC United play a game
21. Visit the National Museum of the American Indian
22. Walk through Rosslyn’s Freedom Park

Leisure:

23. Complete my 365pictures project
24. Continue to go to Dr. Phillips as needed
25. Finish reading China Mieville’s Iron Council
26. Get a tattoo
27. Get car serviced every 5000 miles
28. Go skiing
29. Go to a pub trivia night
30. Go to an allergist
31. Go to the dentist
32. Have my Netflix queue down to under 20 discs by the end of the year
33. Have nothing older than six months on my “least listened to” iTunes playlist at the end of the year
34. Lead the discussion in one of the Lambda Sci-Fi book club selections
35. Read at least 8 of Lambda Sci-Fi’s 11 book club books
36. Read China Mieville’s The Scar
37. Read Storm Constantine’s The Way of Light
38. Read Tanith Lee’s Saint Fire
39. Read the shelf of Doctor Who novellas
40. Resist buying Nintendo games until you’ve thoroughly played the ones you have
41. Start the New Year in a way you want the rest to follow
42. Take 20 pictures for my 50 state street photo project
43. Try wax instead of shaving at least once
44. Watch all the rest of the Avengers ’67 Set 3
45. Watch Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru
46. Watch Akira Kurosawa’s Ran
47. Watch Batman Animated Volume 1 DVDs
48. Watch Batman Animated Volume 2 DVDs
49. Watch LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring extended edition DVD from start to finish
50. Watch Prisoner DVDs Volumes 1-2
51. Watch the rest of Boogiepop Phantom

Travel:

52. Go on a small, local vacation
53. Go to Las Vegas
54. Go to Toronto
55. Visit Marc when you’re in Los Angeles
56. Visit my grandparents in Pennsylvania

Home:

57. Bake a cake
58. Bake something you’ve never made before
59. Clean aquarium and change filter & water regularly
60. Cook dinner for friends
61. Cook new recipes regularly
62. Don’t buy so many frivolous things
63. Empty out the freezer and eat/discard what’s inside
64. Finish scanning all your books into a database
65. Floss your teeth every day
66. Get a Christmas tree
67. Get a code for the front door
68. Go through books and donate ones I no longer want
69. Go to bed by 10:30pm on a regular basis
70. Hang more original art
71. Keep piles of stuff from forming
72. Make a new curried chocolate dessert
73. Make homemade pasta
74. Sell any original art that you are no longer interested in
75. Sell the Big Finish plays that you’ll never listen to again
76. Sell the DVDs you’ll never watch again
77. Soak in the tub and just relax at least once a month
78. Sort through the comics and weed out what you can
79. Sort through file cabinets and shred as needed
80. Spend less time on the computer
81. Sort through my CD singles and either store or sell them
82. Take unneeded clothes and appliances to Goodwill
83. Vacuum every week
84. Wear nicer clothing on a regular basis
85. Work on reducing debt

Work:

86. Bring your lunch more often than buying it
87. Clean out and re-arrange my office bookshelves
88. Donate the box of action figures to Goodwill
89. Find a home for the bag of old SF magazines and books
90. Finish hanging art for the office
91. Get rid of the boxes piled under the table
92. Get to work by 9:30 on a regular basis
93. Learn Flash
94. Learn JavaScript
95. Spruce up the plants in my office

Writing:

96. Mail your marathon thank-you cards
97. Participate in NaNoWriMo
98. Regularly backup and archive my documents folder
99. Start and finish a short story
100. Send the finished story to two markets
101. Stay on top of review submissions
102. Write a nice holiday letter and send with cards
103. Write an article for Enlightenment
104. Write comics reviews on regular basis
105. Write travel journals
106. Write a comic book pitch

107. Stay on top of new projects I start and don’t let them linger in limbo.

]]> http://www.gregmce.com/2007/01/02/uberlist-2007/feed/ 4