Number 38: Create your own holiday and celebrate it every year

The American people celebrate a number of obscure, non-nationally recognized holidays each year. Some I've heard of, for instance, December 1 is World AIDS Day. Some are far more bizarre. A simple google search produced the following finds for the month of December alone, December 4: Wear Brown Shoes Day, December 8: Take It In the Ear Day (it doesn't specify what "it" is), and my personal favorite, December 30: National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, which celebrates the many uses of baking soda.

So Sunday night marked the night of a new holiday in Allston. I know the blog says to celebrate the holiday every year, but we like it so much we'll probably celebrate it every month. And my holiday is... drumroll please...

CHAMPAGNE SUNDAY!!!

Champagne Sunday is pretty easy holiday to celebrate and I encourage you to try this one at home. Here's what you need for it to be successful:

- At least one (1) bottle of cheap champagne. For our inaugural event, we chose a bottle of Peach Passion Andre, valued at around $6.

- Some friends. This event consisted of myself and my two lovely roommates.

- Pre or post champagne food. (I'll be honest, we chose both.) But seriously, if you want to avoid what a friend cleverly called Hangover Monday, pick up some snacks to compliment the champagne. We chose Red Velvet Cupcakes. :)

The result? A lovely, buzzy, peach tasting evening of laughs, sing-a-longs and sugar highs. I declare the first, ever Champagne Sunday to be a success. I look forward to next month's!

Number 13: Dye Your Hair Blonde And See If They Really Do Have More Fun

As a small child, I had bright blonde ringlets. Today, I am more of what you would call a dirty blonde. My brother would say I'm a brunette. Either way, my hair has blonde tones to it but is NOT THAT LIGHT. So this is kind of a scary step for me. I like my hair. But I'm also not terrified to alter it. As I do when I dye my hair, I summoned Danielle with me to the "Hair Coloring" isle at CVS. (We almost took a detour at the candy corn section but we ended up making it to hair coloring.) We chose a Superior Preference color called "Golden Blonde." Here is me trying to look like the model on the box:

I think the lighting in our living room makes my hair look rather dark. Here's another photo of my coloring JUST so you can get an idea of what it really looks like:

And post-blondifying:

Here are the things I've done post-hair dying: spent a weekend in NYC, started rehearsals for a play, thrown a house party, gone on a date, had a fabulous halloween, made new friends, cuddled with old friends, visited my parents, trained for a 5K. Would I have done these things anyways? YES.

The verdict? Blondes don't have more fun. Being 20-something and living in Boston though? Super fun. Stay tuned for more adventures.

Number 1: Make Up An Alias

Have you ever been out a bar and started receiving some very unwanted attention? It's usually from someone waaaay to drunk to even be stringing a coherent sentence together like this guy:

Or someone decidedly creepy (preferably minus the hair doll) like this guy:

ANYWAYS!!! Regardless of the situation, you are CORNERED without a friend in sight to save you. This guy (or girl - I'm not saying women can't be creepy) starts chatting you up and asking you asinine questions which include, "What's your name?" What would you do? Well, I'll tell you what I do. Whenever I'm in a situation like this I become (DA, DA, DAHHH!) ALISHA. Alisha is a recent graduate of Boston University, hailing from New Jersey, and is (of all things) an actress/waitress. She enjoys margaritas and long walks on the beach and IS ALWAYS LEAVING. (Side note: This is the key ingredient for those of you wanting to try this at home - always be leaving the bar. Even if you're just on your way back from the bathroom. It's the easiest way out of a conversation with an unwanted suitor. That and, "Sorry, I'm trying to find my boyfriend!" But even then, sometimes they try and help you and then things just get messy. Especially if you're out with your girlfriends.) Anyways, Alisha makes a lot of friends at bars but she meets them quickly and then mosies on her way. She's also an excellent wing woman, should you ever need one. Oh - and if anyone ever doubts that Alisha is my actual name? BAM! Right there on my wrist courtesy of my lovely roommate.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, has been a lesson in making up an alias. Any questions?

Number 26: Go Skydiving, Part 1

Greetings Fellow Adventurers!!

Thanks for the feedback that I've been getting about starting this blog. I know that a lot of you are saying "how the f*&$ is she going to do some of this stuff?" Well, I'm trying to do AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE and maybe molding a few to my lifestyle. Plus, I've already accomplished some of them, so there's that. But some of the items, I really am dead set on accomplishing. And here goes my baby steps towards one that SCARES ME WORSE THAN MOST THINGS IN MY LIFE (read: Canadian geese, things with tentacles dragging me under water, life without chocolate, etc.) This item is, drumroll please...

SKYDIVING.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.skyjump.com/ - That's NOT me by the way. :)

So, as a firm believer in fate, when Groupon announced a skydiving deal this morning in my inbox, I said to myself, "Self, this is the perfect opportunity to capitalize on this deal. You should do it." So I bought it. Today was the first step in my skydiving adventure. I was thinking though, those of you who are reading my blog, are you reading because you like hearing about my adventures or because a part of you wants to adventure as well? Is this calling to you too? JOIN ME. The Groupon link is listed below. Buy it. I dare you.

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu5162471

Number 53: Kiss A Guy From Every State

This is a tough one. SO, I'm going to try it this way. I have locked lips with at least one gentleman who originates from each of the following *ed states (and you better believe that I'm counting stage kisses). BUT, the non-starred states consist of men that have lived there for an extended enough period of time to call it home. Fair? Fair. Here's the list:

1. Alaska*

2. Massachusetts*

3. New York*

4. Maine*

5. Nevada*

6. New Jersey*

7. Maryland*

8. Pennsylvania*

9. California*

10. Virginia*

11. Illinois*

12. Iowa

13. Ohio

14. Connecticut*

15. Oregon

16. Texas

17. Rhode Island

18. Vermont
19. New Hampshire
20. Indiana
21. Wisconsin
22. Florida
23. Michigan
24. Arizona

States I have left to go are below. Anyone want to help me out? ;)

Alabama

Arkansas

Colorado

Delaware

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

New Mexico

North Carolina

North Dakota

Oklahoma

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Utah

Washington

West Virginia

Wyoming

Number 10: Date A Guy You Met on the Internet

This past winter, I found out that a bunch of my friends were members of this free online dating site called okcupid. I've always been pretty much against the whole these things but as I watched one of my close friends set-up her account, I suddenly became intrigued. She was taking so many fun quizzes, I decided to make a profile JUST FOR FUN to see what it's like.

So, I created a profile.

At first, it was fun to flirt with people online in a no pressure situation. Unlike at a bar, if people get too creepy for you you can simply block them. Plus, since I work such crazy hours with my job I hadn't been meeting too many people and I thought it would be a good way to expand my horizons. Anyways, long story short, I started talking with this really nice guy named "Jeremy*." We happened to share a few mutual friends whom I respected so I decided that he was safe to meet in person and we set up a date. We decided to make it a group date to ease pressure. I'd bring some of my friends and he'd bring some of his and we'd hang out a bar. Fine. Great. I show up with my friends and he's already there with one of his friends, "Mike." The first thing I notice is that there is a half empty pitcher of beer on the table. The second thing I notice is that Jeremy doesn't stand up to say hi to me. The reason? He and Mike have been drinking since 5 p.m. (it was around 9:45 p.m. when we got there) and he was WASTED. Over the course of the date he kept remarking on how shocked he was that I actually showed up to go out with him and he also repeated over and over how attractive he found me. While I was flattered, it was quite the turn off. He had no self confidence! The guy had been so nervous about meeting me, he had a few drinks to calm his nerves and ended up being so drunk he spilled a full beer all over himself and then brought that up every second he wasn't spending telling me how out of his league I was. After awhile it became quite apparent to me and my friends that it wasn't going to work out so we decided to go. As my friends were saying goodbye to the group, Mike pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to go out for a cigarette. I told him that I was leaving and he instantly responded with, "Well, then can I have your number?" The wing man asked for my number! I call this, OK Cupid FAIL.

I'm not saying that I'm totally against online dating. I know people who enjoy and people who have had luck with it. (And if you're interested in online dating - I would actually recommend okcupid. It's a really easy site to use!) I actually even went on a few very positive dates with a different guy that I met on the site, but I'm pretty sure that's it for me. I'm more of a face-to-face kind of a girl. And from now on I'm definitely leaving the internet out of it.

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent... or something like that. :)

...only 64 items to go!

The List

Here's the list! I'll cross them off as I blog about them. :)
Completed missions: 30/66. Have an idea for something I should do? Comment below!

1. Make up an alias

2. Skinny dip

3. Insist on being called "Your Majesty"

4. Sleep out under the stars

5. Start with dessert

6. Be a diva for a night at a karaoke bar

7. Act out a page of the Kama Sutra

8. Call in sick and spend a whole day shopping with your best friend

9. Own something leather, besides a coat or gloves

10. Date a guy you met on the internet

11. Give someone famous your autograph

12. Write your acceptance speech for your "Woman of the Year" award

13. Dye your hair blonde (or in my case - blonder) and see if they really do have more fun

14. Rent a convertible and go where the wind blows

15. Have an anonymous encounter

16. Adopt a pet

17. Go commando

18. Dance on top of a bar

19. Forget about what your mother would think

20. Try on engagement rings, even if you're not in a relationship

21. Ask a man out

22. Buy a really racy piece of lingerie

23. Invest in a high risk stock

24. Send yourself a dozen roses

25. Audition for a Broadway musical or a TV Reality Show

26a. Go skydiving: Part One
    26b. Go skydiving: Part Two

27. Bet it all on black in Vegas - and let it ride

28. Go on a carriage ride through Central Park

29. Be the boss

30. Try on very expensive clothes in a boutique you know you can't afford

31. Invent An Interesting Past... Or Work On Creating An Even Better Future
   31b. Be Better October: Recap, Part One

32. Talk in a foreign accent all day

33. Write a Scathing Letter to the Editor
    33b. Write a Scathing Letter to the Editor OR An Ode To An Idiot

34. Smoke a cigar

35. Run for a worthy cause

36. Pamper yourself at an all day spa

37. Have a three martini lunch and go back to work more refreshed

38. Create your own holiday and celebrate it every year

39. Go without electricity for a night (Or Facebook For a Week!)
     39b. The Facebook Fast - Day One Recap
     39c. The Facebook Fast - Day Two Recap

40. Wear fake eyelashes and send him come hither looks

41. Learn to tango

42. Pretend you're a food critic at a trendy restaurant

43. Make snow angels

44. Blame everything on your evil twin

45. Eat fast food all day

46. Hire a personal shopper

47. Wear a feather boa and movie star glasses to the grocery store

48. Borrow a motorcycle and take the driver's seat
     48b. Borrow a motorcycle and take the driver's seat: One year later

49. Invest in a piece of art

50. Flirt your way through a traffic jam

51. Try an extreme sport

52. Taste every variety of margarita

53. Kiss a guy from every state

54. Throw a silk pajama party and greet guests with a glass of champagne

55. Go on two dates in one night

56. Volunteer at a homeless shelter

57. Take the credit, and the compliments, and say thanks!

58. Start a campaign

59. Send a thank you letter to a mentor

60. Tell a man you love him, first

61. Resist saying, "I told you so," even when you're right

62. Head to the airport and fly - anywhere

63. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes

64. Ask your boyfriend to paint your toenails in exchange for the remote

65. Remember the "a la mode" (Or Remember Why You Started This Blog in the First Place)
    65b. Remember the "a la mode" - A Summer Reflection
66. Rebrand Yourself

My Boyfriend Thinks I'm Beautiful, My Trainer Thinks I'm Fat
Episode 1: 10 Weeks to the Half 
Episode 2: Runaway Baby
Episode 3: ...And so does Mike Jeffries

#ActorProblems
The Onion Was Right About Me

Welcome.. To My (Sort Of) Bucket List

The Subject:

I'm not one of those people who makes lists entitled, The Top 100 Things I MUST Do Before I Die or even The Top 10 Places I Want to See in My Life. I makes lists of things I need to do by the end of the week. They usually go something like this: laundry, bank, GYM, memorize lines, do dishes, GO TO THE GYM, send birthday card, SERIOUSLY WHY ARE YOU STILL MAKING THIS LIST AND NOT AT THE GYM. And even then most of these things don't get done. I stick post-its notes of reminders everywhere and just hope I get to most of them by the end of the week.

The Impetus:

Today I came home to find a package waiting from my aunt. It contained a few fun odds and ends, including a book entitled What Every Woman Should Do Once. It's just one of those little books that they sell at the check out at places like Barnes and Noble. So I opened it. And I flipped through. And I laughed at some of the suggestions, fervently agreed with some of the suggestions, and WISHED I had the guts for some of them. And that got me thinking...

The Mission:

What if I tried to complete all 65 items by the end of the year? I'm young. I'm single, I'm ready for action. So that's my new plan. 65 "To Dos" in 365 Days. You think I won't give my autograph to someone famous? Go ahead and watch me. Or... you know, at least read about it afterwards.

xoxo.

- Amerikan Girl