I have to confess, I haven't completed another number as of yet. I'm certainly making good progress on a few, but they take a lot of time and energy. Like I said previously, I definitely don't want to start making excuses for myself. After having some time to look at my list a little more carefully, I know there are a couple of challenges ahead, beyond the actual challenges of completing the tasks themselves.
It was a little naive of me to assume that, in a little under 3 years time, my goals and aspirations wouldn't change. I look at this list 2 years later and a lot of the things that I wanted to accomplish are no longer an integral part of who I am anymore. Specifically, there are a bunch of acting-centric goals on my list and, while I do love acting and will continue to pursue it when time allows for it, I no longer am committed to it as a career. This doesn't make me sad or make me feel like I've failed in any respect. Theatre school introduced me to different elements of the arts; an interest in performing turned into an interest in writing, that turned into an interest in directing, that turned into an interest in casting. And while I'm sure the girl who was fresh out of Theatre & Drama Studies would have loved to #10 act in a one-woman show, #24 take an on-camera intensive workshop and #84 do a touring theatre show, there are many other new facets of life I'd like to explore beyond performing. It's funny to think that the reason I used to enjoy performing was because of the escapism it afforded me from my own skin. I've slowly become familiar with my quirks and neuroses and embraced them. In other words, while acting to me will always be fun, I no longer feel connected to it as I once did - perhaps because I no longer feel a need to be someone else.
Well, deep, huh?
Another apparent issue with the list is how relationship driven it is. There are a number of tasks that are steeped in romanticism or require a significant other. Some are innocent enough but I can remember the girl who wrote them and the context they were written in. Not so innocent! I have to remind myself that this list is not made to impress or attract anyone; these experiences are to be my own. That's not to say I wouldn't love to accomplish these tasks with others. For me, the best experiences are those with friends. So many things on my list would be made all the better if they were accomplished alongside a friend who shared that same goal or interest. I just want to remind myself that this list is for me; it is my inventory and evolution of self, no one else's. Especially not an attractive boy's. No matter how attractive he is. Even if he was...super...attractive.
Basically, I was single when I started the list, and it is more than okay to be single as I finish it. And 22 year old Marisa: shame on you for thinking you require a romantic interest for fun life experiences!
Now nothing's impossible and you never know what will happen in a year, but I've vowed that, due to evolving tastes, the wording of certain goals may need to be revised. Not eliminated, just updated.
But enough YAMMERING. What have I been up to?!
#56: WATCH A DOCUMENTARY EVERY OTHER WEEK
I LOVE a well-done documentary. I'm a big geek like that. I want to know more about the world and other cultures and other sub-cultures and people and places and things that normally I wouldn't have a chance to experience.Now, seeing as how I'm a year or so behind on my list, playing catch up on this is tricky. Especially when I actually counted out 1001 days worth of weeks....or maybe vice versa. That would be 62 documentaries! That's a lot of educational learning. Now, thank God they don't make documentaries like they used to. I remember in Grade 8, we actually sat down in Geography class to watch an educational series on a pencil factory. A pencil factory. Did I mention my elementary school didn't use coloured chalk in fear that it would promote creative thought?
Who needs pencil factory docs when you have HD cameras zooming around the world? Ladies and gentlemen, I have fallen in love with a series. Its name?
Yeah yeah yeah, I'm like EONS behind for just becoming obsessed with this now but...ah....bla....not to sound like a hippie, but our world is BEAUTIFUL and COMPLEX and FASCINATING! I am enthralled with this series and I love learning about places and creatures I never knew existed. Who knew glowworm mucas in caves could be so thrilling? I've currently watched 3 episodes, and I do believe there are 5 more to go. And if the education isn't enough, the series is chalk-full of adorable baby animals.
Warning: Sometimes they get slaughtered. Just sayin'.
Since I've made my list, I've also been following the documentaries of Louis Theroux, a British journalist and broadcaster who somehow manages to charm his interviewees, no matter how crazy they are, by his (perhaps put on) unassuming nature. There's a charming naivety to him and while I would guess it's partially an act, it shatters the defenses of many of his subjects, allowing Louis to get away with asking questions that most aren't brave enough to pose. I've watched all 16 episodes of his "Weird Weekends" series, where he immerses himself into a social sub-cultures - think "World of Jenks" for the millennium.
After that was a 5-episode series entitled "When Louis Met..." featuring prominent (and sometimes controversial) British figures who Louis would seemingly befriend. No matter what, I have always found Louis charming and delightfully geeky. I have watched 6 additional documentaries of his, including possibly the most jarring one where he interview the Phelps family, aka "The Most Hated Family in America". Of course, documentaries aren't necessarily intended to be pleasant, and there is often a lot to despise in Louis Theroux documentaries. I am grateful for the ability to watch something and be able to think on it as opposed to the mindless reality shlock that's churned out so easily on TV. Not that I'm above that by any means...in fact, I would love if there was a Louis Theroux doc on Jersey Shore.
I've recently re-watched two documentaries that upon first viewing, dug deep under my skin - Jesus Camp and Hell House. Now, I won't go into how I feel about these documentaries because this blog isn't necessarily meant to be a sounding board for certain opinions of mine. However I highly recommend that everyone see these two films for themselves. I also recently watched Capturing the Friedmans, which chronicled the devastation of a family after the patriarch and son have been accused of abuse. Very very dark, disturbing and heart-breaking, but rewarding in the sense that it's thought-provoking and stays with you long after it ends.
To sum up, with the help of http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ and the accumulating list of films I have seen and want to seem, this goal's end of 62 documentaries may be close in sight. So perhaps I shouldn't be so nervous about getting to the final number.
At the risk of writing a novel (I'm pretty sure that's on the list), I'll wrap this up. I'm focussed on a few other tasks at the moment but will blog on their update very, very soon. Thanks for reading!
<3,
m
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