Friday, December 26, 2008

99 things meme

Found this on Stephen Downe's site, and like him, I just kind of felt like doing it.

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

I have to say that the font thing is a big fat hassle, you may want to skip that.

1. Started your own blog. Yes.
2. Slept under the stars. Slept in tents and on boats, but never out in the wide open with dew on my face in the morning....not sure I want that.
3. Played in a band. Never.
4. Visited Hawaii. Yes, one week, at the worst hotel I have ever been to and then the YWCA, a major improvement. I learned that if you arrive late in a city without a reservation, LIE.
5. Watched a meteor shower. Many many times, most memorably in Colorado one late dark night at high altitude with the man.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. Not that I can think of, which is kind of embarrassing honestly.
7. Been to Disneyland/world. Yes, as a child when I was scared witless by the haunted house, as a teen and in my twenties...each time different, I am looking forward to taking the kids. NOT to Eurodisney ever if I can help it.
8. Climbed a mountain. Yes indeed, never any that might have required mountain rescue or anything, but many...notably Mount Sinai in time for the sun to come up.
9. Held a praying mantis. No, inspected them at close range, but never held one, and I don't see the need to bug them.
10. Sang a solo. Many times. Most often with little kids, but I sing everywhere, much to the intense embarrassment of Eldest, most recently in Caixa Forum in Barcelona in a fascinating piece of installation art...a room entirely lined with lead....it had marvelous acoustics. Made anyone sound amazing.
11. Bungee jumped. No. Done lots of things like that, and I would consider it, but I generally think that if a sport requires duct tape to keep your clothing on...I'm not so sure.
12. Visited Paris. Yep, and going again next week.
13. Watched a lightening storm at sea. Yes. It was a terrible experience every time. Hate lightning when I am on a boat.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. This doesn't say levels of skill achieved and says taught yourself. I don't honestly know how many folks are truly auto-didacts, but I guess we could say yes, with some of the painting work I am doing...then there is the art of knot tying...sounds silly, but there are some lovely ornamental knots....
15. Adopted a child. Nope nope nope. Two is plenty.
16. Had food poisoning. Sadly yes. Horrible.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. No, but I sailed past it.
18. Grown your own vegetables. Yes, never very much, but yes.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. Yep, good thing I'm tall, the crowd is prodigious.
20. Slept on an overnight train.Yes indeed, saves on hotel fares...I also took a train from Hong Kong straight to Saint Malo France, by way of Beijing, Irkutsk, Moscow, Warsaw, Berlin yadda yadda yadda....Love it. Wish we were going to Paris on the overnight train, that would have been lovely. Next time.
21. Had a pillow fight. Yeah yeah yeah.
22. Hitch hiked. Possibly in the Bahamas where it is the norm in the out-islands, but I am not sure that I did.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. Duh.
24. Built a snow fort. Of course.
25. Held a lamb. Wrestled sheep for dagging in NZ, patted lambs, but actually picked one up, no.
26. Gone skinny dipping. Lots. The Bahamas were great for it.
27. Run a marathon. No, never ever ever.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice. When I was 18.
29. Seen a total eclipse. yes.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Almost daily for the last six years.
31. Hit a home run. Probably as a kid.
32. Been on a cruise. Does it count in your own boat?
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. I'm from Toronto.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Think so, hard to say.
35. Seen an Amish community. Yeah, I'm from Toronto.
36. Taught yourself a new language. Catalan, slowly. You've heard about that. Though I still think that the idea of teaching yourself in total isolation is bizarre.
37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied. Most of my life. Food? Check. Shelter? Check. Enough clothes? Check. Fine.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person. Yep, when you could still walk on it. I was 18.
39. Gone rock climbing. Yes, in Colorado and Ontario, as well as Australia. Sounds impressive, but I am not great.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person. Yes, made the hair on my neck stand up. He is amazing, so are the unfinished (deliberately?) statues that flank the entrance to the hall...Muscular Michelangelo-esque arms and bodies straining out of unfinished rock.
41. Sung Karaoke. No. Wait, yes...in a class.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. No.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. Honestly, not sure.
44. Visited Africa. Egypt counts I think, no?
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. Yes, but I like to be back to the boat by then when I can. Sand fleas. Ugh.
46. Been transported in an ambulance. Once, accompanying a friend with a breathing issue.
47. Had your portrait painted. Self-portrait (badly) yes, had it painted by someone else...well, a caricature when I was a kid, and my kids....
48. Gone deep sea fishing. Yes, off the boat, we let it go. Only once.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person. Yes indeed. Would love to go again now that it has been cleaned.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Yes, and hopefully we'll go again next week. Youngest really wants to.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. Snorkeled. Lots, love it.
52. Kissed in the rain. Certainly. So?
53. Played in the mud. Tons.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. Well, not in a car. You see there is this motel in Colorado where you can watch the movie with the sound from the room. That was pretty cool and way more comfortable.
55. Been in a movie. You can hear me scream in the background of David Cronenburg's Naked Lunch.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China. Sort of, I got miserably sick in Beijing, and had to forgo that side trip, but I saw it from the train....
57. Started a business. Yes, ran it for seven years, then went sailing.
58. Taken a martial arts class Karate. Adored it. I should do it again.
59. Visited Russia. Yes, see above. The Kremlin was closed for a meeting.
60. Served at a soup kitchen. Nope.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. With Eldest.
62. Gone whale watching. Saw whales from the boat, but never a tour.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason. The man brought me a rose the other day. Lovely fellow.
64. Donated blood. No, again with embarrassment.
65. Gone sky diving. Yes. Not as exciting as I thought it would be, and you approach the ground FAST.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. No, might one day, Visited Yad Vashem in Israel though.
67. Bounced a check. Probably, almost certainly in fact. Not for ages though.
68. Flown in a helicopter. Waiting for that one.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. Yes of course.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial. Yes.
71. Eaten Caviar. Yes, most notably in Moscow...it was cheaper than pop.
72. Pieced a quilt. Started a crazy quilt, it's packed in the basement in Toronto, and did a very small one once with Eldest.
73. Stood in Times Square. Yes.
74. Toured the Everglades. In a canoe, by car and on my boat.
75. Been fired from a job. No, thankfully.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London. Yes, again, it pays to be tall.
77. Broken a bone. Nose, I think, wrist yes.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. Thankfully no, and never ever want to.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. Yes.
80. Published a book. No, not sure I want to, though I'd like to book my blog at some point.
81. Visited the Vatican. Yes.
82. Bought a brand new car. No. I owned one car once, a used Ford Tempo. I don't like cars and don't want to own another ever again if I can help it.
83. Walked in Jerusalem. Yes, for weeks, it was astonishing and scary and amazing and and and....
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. yeah, a couple of times. Mostly small local papers.
85. Read the entire Bible. No, though once I was reduced to reading bedtime stories out of it, that was interesting.
86. Visited the White House. Looked at the outside. Does it count? I am not sure I care to get closer. It isn't what I want to do in Washington....
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Fish. Yes.
88. Had chickenpox. Barely remember it.
89. Saved someone’s life. Don't know. Poses interesting questions that one...In fact, I probably have, many times, I am a Mom...and youngest never paid much heed to traffic, but would they have died??? Hard to say.
90. Sat on a jury. Got called for Jury duty last year, due to geographic obstacles I was excused.
91. Met someone famous. Yeah, not something important though to do though... Mostly when I was a waitress. I had sushi for the very first time, indeed made sushi the night I had dinner with Max Ferguson.
92. Joined a book club. Sadly no.
93. Lost a loved one. Grand parents.
94. Had a child. Twice. At home.
95. Seen the Alamo in person. It was freaky. We went through with a Mexican family, I cannot imagine what they were thinking.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake. No. The Dead Sea? Yes.
97. Been involved in a law suit. Thankfully, no.
98. Owned a cell phone. Ummm, yeah.
99. Been stung by a bee. yes.

5 comments:

Beth said...

What fun to read. Thanks for going to the trouble. That's quite a list!

Beth said...

This calls for another "Whew!" from me. I am so impressed. You've led (lead) quite a life!

Jason, as himself said...

This is a long one! And now I know you so much better. I think I'm going to copy....

Hula Girl at Heart said...

I'm with Beth. what a great life!

oreneta said...

Beth...it was a hassle with the bolds and italics, but was cool to try out otherwise..

Beth, whew indeed....thanks for reading itall.

Jason, copying is the idea...looking forward to reading it.

Hula, it has been fun so far.