In an Opal Hearted Country: Day Zero Has Arrived

My Day Zero Project came to an end on April 10th. I am amazed that it has been almost three years since I started. I made the list when I was home in Georgia between coming to Oz on a 3 month tourist visa and returning for good on my fiancee visa. Life has changed immeasurably since then.

In the end, I completed 55 goals. If Day Zero had been a class, I would not have passed, but I'm rather happy of myself (like my favorite motivational speaker), nonetheless.

Since my last update, here are the goals I completed:

Have a baby - This one kid of trumps the rest. It also explains why most of the remaining goals I achieved were about watching things.
Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet - I won't list them all, but a few highlights - The Artist, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The September Issue, and Undefeated. The worst? My desperate choice for X was a terrible low budget romantic comedy (I think?) called Xs & Os. Terrible.
Watch 15 TED Talks - I really enjoy the pithy wisdom in Ted Talks, but I always forget about watching them. This goal helped me get back on the bandwagon. Again, I won't list them all, but I'd recommend William Ury - "The Walk from No to Yes," Deb Roy - "The Birth of a Word," David Damberger - "What Happens When an NGO Admits Failure," and Sarah Kay - "If I Should Have a Daughter."
See 15 movies from 15 different countries - I loved this goal. I watch my fair share of foreign films, but I discovered that most of the foreign films I watch are usually from just a couple of countries. This was a great way to expand my horizons a bit and get a sense of storytelling and aesthetic from other countries. Again, I won't list them all, but would highly suggest Kolya (Czech Republic), Pina (Germany), and for something on the darker side The Return (Russia) and Biutiful (Spain)
Buy a crock pot and master 5 recipes - I actually bought the crock pot ages ago, but particularly put it to use after having the baby. Pre-birth, I'd made up a whole bunch of recipes that could be frozen in Zip Lock bags, thawed, and then tossed into the crock pot, which was great for getting us through the first few weeks. They were (mostly) good, but my favorite thing to make in the crock pot is still apple sauce.
Put aside $1 for each goal completed and donate it to charity - I took my $55 and used it to make two micro-loans through Kiva. I have wanted to do this for awhile, so having a few dollars to give away seemed like the perfect chance. I plan to continue to re-invest the money as long as the loans get repaid.

Under honorable mention, I should give credit to a few that were well underway, but not completed:

Cook 10 vegetarian meals that don't just substitute fake meat - I counted 9 meals and feel certain that I made more that I just didn't make note of.
Get a blender, food processor and mixing bowls - I got the blender and the mixing bowls, but never bit the bullet and got the food processor
Learn to drive on the left side of the road - I don't drive in Sydney, but I have driven on the left side of the road, so this is a sort-of.
Go for a week without buying anything but groceries - I'm sure that I did this at some point (probably more than once), but didn't do it consciously, so can't count it
Have a professional headshot taken - I never had a headshot taken, but I did manage a photo that I've been happy enough with for using for professional purposes for the time being (like this).
Fill in a map of the world with at least 150 countries - I'm up to 100 on my map.

My favorite accomplishments -

Get married and have a baby are obvious choices. In addition,

Pay off credit cards
Travels to Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji
Walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge - this isn't such a great accomplishment in and of itself, in fact, I've walked across the bridge dozens of times, but this goal reminds me of the first time I walked across the bridge and checked it off my list, which was my first meeting with Mimi, who became one of my closest friends.
Donate blood

Goals that I just could not have cared any less about by the end -

Finish knitting my blanket - I think I was knitting because I feel like I'm supposed to be crafty. I've given myself permission to just not be. I have other good qualities.
Drink only water for one week - I get headaches when I don't drink coffee. And, frankly, I'm fine with my daily one cup coffee habit. Next time, I'm not making goals about depriving myself.
Buy a surf board - I never really liked surfing as much as I wanted to. I made this list hot off my surfing lessons, full of ambition but I can't say that I felt compelled to keep it up. I'm awfully glad that I don't have a surf board collecting dust in the garage!
Research PhD programs - Getting a PhD just isn't where my interest is any longer. I'm still deciding (again) what I want to be when I grow up.
Memorize one of the sonnets - Why I wanted to do this is beyond me.

I'm getting to work on another list, which I'll post about when I'm finished. I have to give some thought to what life is going to be like for this next stretch of 1001 days - very different from the last now that we're settled in Australia, married and have a baby. I think it will be a combination of some of those little things that are on my "I'll get to it one day" mental list and some more ambitious goals. And, a few that I didn't get to this time will carry over, including: