Saturday, December 20, 2008

The List Meme

Care threw me over the edge; I've had such fun reading this meme at other blogs and just loved her answers, so I decided to join in.

The things I have done are in BOLD.

1. Started my own blog (rather obvious, eh?)
2. Slept under the stars (camping -- a tent counts, I assume)
3. Played in a band (not the good kind, the elementary-jr.high-high school variety)
4. Visited Hawaii (Oahu twice, the Big Island and Maui)
5. Watched a meteor shower (numerous times; they're amazing)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world (with a nursing baby in that heat -- miserable!)
8. Climbed a mountain (Flat-top mountain and some little bitty ones in Colo.)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (very non-fun; bad guacamole at the Mexican restaurant)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables (they were dinky and wrinkled)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (walked past the Louvre; didn't go in)
20. Slept on an overnight train (to Chicago, when young)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (if a 10K counts)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (I can see why the ancients were freaked)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (Hawaii and Oklahoma win "best sunset locations", IMHO . . . so far)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors (Where's that? My ancestors were from everywhere! I'm a mutt!)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Have enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (at home, not in public)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted (I have been sketched, though, by the daughter of one of my father's friends . . . in colored pencils . . . and she was quite talented)
48. Gone deep sea fishing (on the list of things I want to do, definitely)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (walked past it . . . sheesh)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (made little vases out of mud -- too fun)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (O, Brother, Where Art Thou?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (Maine and Alaska -- Alaska was particularly awesome)
63. Got flowers for no reason (but I got a cactus, cough, hack, weird)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (plus, I have one of my dad's childhood toys, which is a mess but I love it)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (um, a toe -- it still looks weird, like it's pregnant or hunchback)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (very, very young -- the north view)
80. Published a book (okay, sort of -- a short story in a book)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (I'm going for it, again, next year)
86. Visited the White House (exterior only -- didn't go inside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (hasn't every mother saved her kid from getting run over, shocked, or drowned, at some point?)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (director Alan Parker, now Sir Alan Parker, Willem Dafoe, Kevin Dunn -- all because Mississippi Burning was filmed here and the publicist mistook me for the set photographer, then introduced me to director and stars when I corrected him -- talked to Linda Howard on an elevator, took a workshop led by Nevada Barr . . . I saw the Queen of England from a distance and shared a table at Benihana's with Matt Dillon)
92. Joined a book club (online only)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

Wow, more than I expected! I need to spend more time bopping around Europe, apparently.

What the heck is that???? [below] A space on a bookshelf in Bookfool's house???

Don't worry. I fixed that problem really fast.

Happy Saturday!

22 comments:

  1. Now, wait a minute! You were IN a movie and you've MET Nevada Barr?

    I am jealous. Of the Nevada Barr thing. The movie is cool but not something I feel inclined to do. Of course, if some guy came running up to me and said "Hey! I wanna make you a star!" I wouldn't turn him down...

    cjh

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  2. Anonymous12:38 AM

    Yikes! I didn't know guacamole could go bad. Maybe that's because it never lasts long around me.

    I got food poisoning from chicken ala king. Dis.gust.ing.

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  3. CJ,

    I don't consider being an extra in a movie a bragging point, so I keep that one pretty quiet, but yes. I'm more comfortable behind a camera, but I was hoping to get my husband signed up and then sneak onto a set like I did with Mississippi Burning. Didn't work. They called me up, instead.

    Nevada Barr is a sweetheart and so, so funny. She's quite the raconteur. My friend John taught writing with her, when she was living in Clinton, and I assume they're still in touch. She lives in New Orleans, now.

    Softdrink,

    I think just about anything that sits out unchilled for long can go bad. The problem with guacamole is that it's hard to get the lemon just so; you can't be sure if it tastes off because it needs more lemon juice or it's been sitting out too long. My husband took one bite and said, "No, I don't think so." I ate the rest. He had a tummy ache for an hour or so. I had all the other stuff for about 8 hours.

    Ooh, chicken can back to cluck at you. Yep, it's never pretty. LOL

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  4. Anonymous7:23 AM

    OOoooo, bad karma to put the words 'bad' and 'guacamole' side by side! funny on #19 - did you just walk around Paris like we did? We didn't enter ANY buildings - no, we did go in the big church (I can't spell this morning. Notre Dame?) I'm off to go look up Nevada Barr (do I need to read something special?)

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  5. Anonymous7:58 AM

    Oh my gosh - the story about the publicist mistaking you for the photographer on Mississippi Burning is so cool. I think it deserves a post of it's own.

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  6. Wow! You have done a lot of things. I will not be posting this list because I have done very very few things on it. I have never traveled outside of the south. I want to go to England to see all of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens etc. places. No money and I am a scaredy cat! My Dad has been to Hawaii and Alaska and I have seen his pictures. They are beautiful. :)

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  7. Care,

    No kidding. Guacamole should be fresh, perfect, and delicious and never, ever poisonous. I will tell you that didn't put me off. I still love my guacamole. LOL

    Yep, we just walked around Paris (and took a bus ride, which included a side trip to Versailles). It was nice. I was in Paris with my childhood best friend, her father and his girlfriend. They knew their way around; I just tagged along. We ate in a couple of restaurants (one near Sacre Coeur (sp?), one with a rude waiter who practically threw our plates at us).

    Nevada Barr is a mystery writer whose protagonist, Anna Pigeon, is a park ranger. I haven't read all of her books, but my favorite was probably Firestorm, Ill Wind or Track of the Cat. I haven't ever finished Deep South, which is set on the Natchez Trace -- not far from us. She also has a nonfiction about her spiritual search for meaning, Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat. Haven't read it, but I have a copy.

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  8. Kathy,

    I don't know if it's worth a full post, but it was definitely a great day. I guess the publicist just kind of took to me. If I didn't go chat with him between takes, he wandered over to talk to me. He said I was better qualified for his job than he was, when we compared degrees. Somewhere, I have a rocking fine photo of Alan Parker squinting into a camera. So cool.

    Brittanie,

    When I first looked at it, the things I hadn't done really jumped out at me. And, then I looked a little harder. You should go to England!! Because they speak the language, have great public transportation and Brits are friendly, it's very, very easy to get around (you know, apart from the occasional missed bus -- I did have to call my husband for a rescue when I went off without him, once). Hawaii and Alaska are definitely awesome. Some of my favorite experiences have been in the U.K., though. I would never pass up a chance to go back.

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  9. Anonymous11:38 AM

    what????? Published a book (okay, sort of -- a short story in a book)

    and I don't know about it! which is that??? :)

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  10. Veens,

    Again, nothing major. I joined a group of writers who decided to write an anthology, we found a publisher, wrote our stories and voila! It didn't sell, but we were promised an Amazon listing and that never worked out. I would call the story a "romantic comedy." It was very fluffy.

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  11. I find these interesting - seeing what people have done, etc. Some of these are things I'd like to do but haven't done yet - visit the Grand Canyon, go on a cruise (Alaska, preferably). I've tried to donate blood twice (first time was shortly after being in Africa and had taken malaria medicine so couldn't qualify, 2nd time was too low on iron), but didn't work out either time. Will have to try again after a good iron-full meal.
    Can't be having those empty spaces on bookshelves now! Some of my shelves are double-stacked :-)

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  12. Me, too, Debi. Am I spelling your name right? I think it's really fun seeing what other people have gotten around to and finding which of those items I really want to accomplish, myself.

    Alaska is beyond words -- so, so beautiful. I've given blood quite a bit, but because of migraine medicines that thin your blood they've become somewhat less fond of my offers; I'm too low on platelets. They always tell me I have great iron and my blood pressure is too low -- it takes forever to get the blood out.

    We have some double and (hack) triple-shelved books (kiddo's shelves). We're working on thinning them down, actually, but those are the good shelves!!! Can't have space on the good shelves. :)

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  13. Anonymous6:32 PM

    I cannot believe you've never called in sick to work when you weren't. I am ashamed of you. :)

    Giving away all those books, so wonder there's space on your shelves! thank goodness that's fixed though.

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  14. Carrie,

    That's just 'cause with migraines I always had enough real sick days that a fake one would have made me feel guilty.

    I do give away a lot of books, don't I? Hmm, what else can I dump on Carrie? Need to get rid of more. After Christmas, I'll start some blog giveaways. Can't have a space on the good shelves, though. That's just wrong.

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  15. Wow! You were in Oh, Brother! I love the Coen brothers! How do I sign up for these gigs? No I haven't been to Hawaii or been an extre, but my grandmother was an extra in Hawaii-five-O in Hawaii! Trickle down effect work in this case?

    After reading your list it dawned on me, one of my friends did sketch me in pencil for a class. It hung on the fridge for a while then one morning it slipped and went upside dow. This was when hubby and I both realized it looked like his wife from that point of view! So you and I are even, 52! :P

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  16. Maggie,

    You had a cool grandmother. LOL You never know . . . maybe some of her fame will rub off on you.

    Tied at 52! You know what that means, right? I have to hurry up and plan a trip to Italy so you won't trump me before the end of 2009. Kidding, kidding. :)

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  17. Anonymous9:03 PM

    You've done lots of cool things! :)

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  18. J.Kaye,

    I suppose I have! :)

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  19. Been transported in an ambulance? Hope it wasn't terribly serious!

    Great meme. I may have to do it myself one of these days. I'm such a lazy blogger of late. Oops, time to head out to work. 'Tis the season and all that jazz. It's sure to be an insane day today! (12/24)

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  20. Les,

    It wasn't and I like to forget about it. :)

    It's a fun meme to read. I like seeing what other people have done. I wish you strength!!!

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  21. After that whole gorgeous list, the only thing I can think of saying is, "Didn't you love Paris?"

    And, I trust you'll fix that bookshelf space readily.

    XOXOX

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  22. Bellezza,

    Why, yes, I did love Paris. LOL I was only there for a weekend jaunt from London (where I stayed for a little over 3 weeks), but I loved every minute. Okay, not the bit where the waiter pretty much threw our sandwiches onto the table in a huff, but otherwise . . .

    The empty space is long gone. ;)

    Hugs to you!!

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