Here are a few of the stats at the end of my 1001.

• 49 Completed 101s (almost 50% done!)
• 7 in progress
• 2 Freebies remaining

In progress:

• 3. Pay off my credit cards
• 6. Prepare my will
• 22. Learn to play one great song on the guitar
• 28. Find a French handwriting guide and use it
• 63. Make a household inventory (with pictures!)
• 85. Organize my photos
• 37. Visit Miami

Things I’m surprised I didn’t finish:

• 20. Learn to salsa dance
• 43. Go away for the weekend with a friend
• 58. Give up sugar for a week
• 65. Build a fort
• 76. Give a toast
• 77. Wear false eyelashes to an event or dinner
• 91. Pay for the person behind me at a fast food drive-thru

Last but not least, #101… “Start a new list of 101 Things on August 24, 2008.”

Sadly, it’s just not going to happen. The 101 in 1001 was a fun challenge, but I don’t think I’m up for another. Many of these things will make it onto a goals list. Some of them, like “Attend a taping of Oprah,” are going to be dropped.

If you’d like to see what I’m up to now, check out my personal site or my new project, Going Girly.

Thanks for reading!

• My 101 list will be moving over to Flickr for its last month or two (already!)
• Daily Guilt will house all of my old posts, but I’ll no longer be posting new things
• If you’d like to continue following me, you can check out my lifestream at MelanieOrndorff.com
• I’ll also be blogging on the recently re-launched GoingGirly.com and another site (launching soon!)

This past Sunday, my friend Rizwan (pictured above) and I stopped by MINI of Universal City to test drive some Minis. Rizwan’s car shopping, so it was the perfect excuse.

We were met by Timothy Carr, who did an amazing job of answering our questions. It’s hard to find a car salesman who actually knows his stuff, but Tim gave us a thorough background on the cars. When I told him I’d be blogging the test drives, he gave me the blog URL of another Mini aficionado who runs an all-girl Mini rally club (theminiskirts.com). Cool!

I tried out the Mini Cooper S Clubman model, which just became available about a week ago. It’s a little bit larger than the standard Mini Cooper, but the performance doesn’t suffer for it. Bottom line: I waaaannnt it!

Rizwan drove the Mini Cooper with an automatic shifter. Even with the automatic transmission, that car flew. Of course, on his test drive, I got a chance to see just how teeny tiny the backseat of the car is. I don’t recommend it.

I’m not in the market for a new car now, but when I do buy my next one, I’ll definitely stop by MINI of Universal City. It can’t hurt to go for another spin…

For my birthday a couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend, Dave, took me to dinner at Shutters in Santa Monica. It was a little dark and rainy, but the view of the Santa Monica Pier was gorgeous. Yes, we were right by the ocean.

The food was fantastic. I highly recommend the prosciutto and fig appetizer. Our fish was very nicely done, and the dessert was delicious. Best of all, the restaurant was very quiet… just the way I like it.

By the way, none of our restaurant pix turned out, but I’ve included one of us right before we left for dinner. (Thanks, Dave!)

Happy New Year! Now that it’s the end of the year, I suppose it’s time I blogged again…

This December, I finally completed the UJ’s Intro to Judaism class. I started in October of 2006, and it took me just over a year to complete the 18 classes, multiple extracurricular assignments, and final exam. In that time, I learned more than I ever thought possible about Jewish history, language, and culture.

I’d highly recommend the class to anyone interested in an in-depth look at Judaism. I’m planning to convert in a few weeks, but that’s certainly not a requirement of the class. (By the way, the UJ’s now the AJU).

Last weekend, I headed over to LACMA with my friend Rizwan to check out the Dali exhibit. In hindsight, we probably should have walked, since I live about 10 blocks away. (That’s LA for you!)

The exhibit was pretty cool. I got a chance to see “Un Chien Andalou” all the way through, instead of just the 5 minutes I saw in film school. They presented a fairly thorough history of Dali’s work, including his collaborations with Disney and Hitchcock. I’d highly recommend checking it out before it leaves in January. One hint, though: once you get into the exhibit, don’t stand in the line along the wall to see his paintings… you can skip around and avoid the wait.

I didn’t get a chance to see much more of the museum, but I’m definitely going to go back at some point. Heck, it’s right around the corner!

I’ve been reading a lot lately about the food we eat, and the impact it has on the planet. It’s prompted me to make some changes… maybe not “hardcore” changes, but definitely a start.

• Cutting down on processed, prepackaged food: Not only is prepackaged food generally pretty unhealthful, it’s also wasteful. The bags, boxes, and packets add up, and not all of them are recyclable. I’ve started eliminating a lot of frozen or shelf-stable boxed meals, and I’ve substituted items with minimal packaging and/or items in bulk or larger sizes.
• Vegetarian at home: I’m too much of a meat-eater to go back to vegetarianism full-time. Recently, I tried a month of keeping kosher at home, though, and made it a lot easier on myself by sticking to vegetarian foods. The habit’s kind of stuck with me. What better incentive is there for cutting back than knowing that you’re cutting back on some serious carbon emissions?
• Eating locally: The two things that made me stop keeping kosher are good cheese (animal rennet just doesn’t cut it) and locally baked bread. I’ve started to look for more local products: produce from local growers, artisanal cheeses, and locally baked bread. It tastes better, supports Californians, and reduces carbon emissions because the food didn’t have to travel so far. I’d love your suggestions for local food sources I should try!
• Drinking less Diet Coke: I know it’s bad for me. It’s a can full of chemicals! I set out to cut out Diet Coke completely a few weeks ago, and since then I’ve only had a few cans here and there. Baby steps.

• Kiva allows people to lend money to entrepreneurs “in the developing world.” I love this concept for two reasons… It’s a loan, so you’re likely to get your money back, which means the same $50, $200, or $500 could help numerous people. Plus, it’s not a hand-out. It encourages entrepreneurs to create sustainable businesses and develop skills to provide for themselves.
• The Burrito Project gets locals together to make hot burritos and bike around Downtown LA (or other cities), handing them out to the homeless. This seems like a simple, inexpensive way to make a difference, but it also gives the burrito giver a real connection with the people he or she is helping. Check out their videos for some real inspiration.
• UnderShare is a local organization that one of my friends is involved in. They accept and donate new underwear, socks, and toiletries to those in need, including homeless and women’s shelters. They’re having a Bachelors and Bachelorettes Party on October 17th, and you can bet I’ll be there!

This past Thursday night was Simchat Torah, the day in the Jewish calendar when we celebrate another year of reading Torah and start all over again. Although I missed my synagogue’s celebration, I’m excited about this year’s Simchat Torah, because it means I’ve finished reading the Torah, all the way through, in order!

Now that I’ve got the basic structure down, I’m looking forward to reading more Torah commentaries this year. I’m also thinking about starting in on the Talmud. Anyone have any English translations or guides they’d recommend?