I found this over on my friend Michele’s blog and it looked like something fun to do on a day I don’t feel like being overly funny as this is “hook up new computer day” which is always stressful. It’s best to stick to the easy stuff. The funny thing is, this took a lot longer than I had planned and it is some long reading – so be patient please.
The idea is to take this list of 99 items and BOLD the ones you have done and feel free to add comments. Here’s mine:
- Started your own blog- I have 3 now, 1 of which is about to go to bloggy heaven shortly
- Slept under the stars – yes as a youngster and an adult – love looking at a star-filled night but as an adult the sleeping on the air mattress in a tent part is not so much fun!
- Played in a band - for one gig during my ill-spent youth I played back-up singer & tambourine – that was all it took for them to realize I actually had no talent – it was an emergency situation for them but guess who never got invited back? LOL
- Visited Hawaii - I wish
- Watched a meteor shower – I’m married to an amateur astronomer and have seen my share of meteor showers (some were even outside…ba dum bum!) seriously, they are spectacular if you can get away from the city lights, otherwise I tend to fall asleep outside!
- Given more than you can afford to charity – Wow, I don’t like this one because it makes one sound proud – but yes, I have had a time or three when I gave and then wondered which bill would be late being paid. Fortunately I have found that God routinely rewards a charitable heart.
- Been to Disneyland – DisneyWorld in my twenties when it first opened. Would love to go back but not if they still play that stupid song It’s A Small World
- Climbed a mountain – Closest I’ve come is hiking Appalachian Trail and didn’t make it too far there!
- Held a praying mantis – I’ve taken photos, but holding one? I think not thank you.
- Sang a solo – I took voice lessons as a child and had to sing the theme from Exodus (This Land is Mine) during a recital. Google it and listen to the version by Andre Rieu and you will understand the range and the difficulty of singing this. After the recital I wisely decided a lifetime as a singer was not in my future. (If you download the Rieu version ignore the Crusader picture – that’s just dumber than dirt since Exodus was about the Jews coming out of slavery NOT the Crusaders running rampant through the Holy Land…but I digress..)
- Bungee jumped – I believe the phrase, “not only no but heck no” comes to mind. As Devoted Spouse is fond of saying…”Why do something you can only do wrong once?”
- Visited Paris – Several times while Devoted Spouse was stationed in Belgium – I took a cooking class, did the tourist thing – hit the museums and art galleries and loved the atmosphere but the prices were ridiculous and some of the people were a tad snarky
- Watched a thunder and lightning storm- Well, yeah, but I try and keep my distance
- Taught yourself an art from scratch – Depends on how you define art…is blogging an art? Then yes. I make greeting cards and taught myself stamping so I guess that qualifies – it wasn’t difficult to figure out how to decoupage. Some other artwork I had to take lessons such as tole work (which I no longer do). I can make some mean stuff w/elbow macaroni and Elmer’s glue)
- Adopted a child – not an “Angelina Jolie” bring-a-thousand-home but I have sponsored several through World Vision.
- Had food poisoning – Unfortunately this has happened to me more than once and it’s an awful way to diet lemme tell ya!
- Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - never been there, but on my list
- Grown your own vegetables – Every year I make a stab at gardening; some years are good, some not so much
- Seen the Mona Lisa in France- Yup – it was at the Louvre when I visited and I also caught it during a tour in (I believe) Washington DC. So I’ve seen it twice – and it’s much smaller than you think. Magnificent!
- Slept on an overnight train – nope not yet
- Had a pillow fight – But of course!
- Hitch hiked – Oh my - the things I did as a young completely stupid youth – really scary to look back now and realize just how often I hitched a ride with a total stranger. It’s how I got to that farmland in NY on that fateful weekend way back when…
- Taken a sick day when you’re not ill – Oh puhleeze show me one person who has not done this and I’ll show you the most boring person on the face of the earth and a liar to boot! LOL
- Built a snow fort – With heavy snowfalls in VA as a kid, a snow fort was a necessity! Needed someplace to store the iced snowball ammunition!
- Held a lamb – not technically, but I’ve petted one through a fence – our landlord at the Chateau we lived in when we were in Belgium rented out his fields and one year there were tons of sheep. Love sheep. Love them so much I simply cannot eat lamb. Can’t eat veal either – I think it’s a baby animal thing but again I’m getting off track
- Gone skinny dipping - Yes, but no comment
- Run a Marathon – You gotta be kidding me – I’m doing good to make it from my comfy chair to the kitchen
- Ridden in a gondola in Venice – never got to Venice unfortunately
- Seen a total eclipse – Yep – see amateur astronomer comment earlier! LOL
- Watched a sunrise or sunset- Of course – sunrise at a mountain cabin, sunset on a beach – both equally stunning!
- Hit a home run – as a child when we played softball at school but it was not my best sport – this was a fluke
- Been on a cruise – not sure about cruises although everyone I know raves about them. I’m more a let’s go on a road trip kinda gal.
- Seen Niagara Falls in person- on a childhood vacation – and as a kid I was not impressed that much – it was just a bunch of water. Think as an adult I might enjoy it more.
- Visited the birthplace of your ancestors – Some, yes – Germany, Scotland, and England but never got to Ireland (and to the American spots like southern VA – yawn…)
- Seen an Amish community - in PA, OH and also in IN
- Taught yourself a new language - I am fluent in pig Latin – I can understand some French, and Spanish but I was taught by someone else!
- Had enough money to be truly satisfied – Yes – you really only need so much money to be happy – true happiness comes from other things
- Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person – nope I was in Sicily for a few days w/Devoted Spouse and also saw the inside of the Rome airport and that’s as close as I got!
- Gone rock climbing – I am not good with heights so the answer here is a definite NO!
- Seen Michelangelo’s David – Not the original but I did see a replica of it at a museum in London
- Sung karaoke - You cannot get me drunk enough – nevah!!! Even people at church discourage me from singing.
- Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt – Yes several times in fact. Oh – you mean the one in that park… yes, seen that too… heh heh
- Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant – Yes I like to do this when I go out for breakfast at that chic restaurant Le Bob Evans – I often leave enough money and instructions w/hostess to pay for someone’s meal with leftover $ to the waitress. It’s fun!
- Visited Africa – only on tv and in books and hopefully one day in person!!
- Walked on a beach by moonlight – Ooh baby yeah and w/Devoted Spouse of course!
- Been transported in an ambulance -Yes – not my best time! Ahhh the Ice Incident of 2009 (shivers)
- Had your portrait painted – Nope no reason to since both Picasso and Dali are dead!
- Gone deep sea fishing- Yeah as a twenty-something and was talked into martinis on the boat…in the hot sun…as the boat rocked. I prayed I would die.
- Seen the Sistine Chapel in person – if only
- Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris- Saw it but never went up in it
- Gone scuba diving or snorkeling – Are u nutz? I won’t fill my bathtub very full – you think I’m going scuba diving? Not in this life baby.
- Kissed in the rain – A time or three…
- Played in the mud – All the time as a child and a couple of times as a quasi-adult…
- Gone to a drive-in theater – Yes, many times as a child and a few as an adult w/Devoted Spouse but drive-in theaters are almost extinct here in OH
- Been in a movie – Still waiting to be discovered. Hello? Spielberg? I’m here. Anyone? Hello? I’d make a great character actress or comic idiot in a sitcom – really – I would. Of course my co-star would have to be Simon Baker. ‘Nuff said
- Visited the Great Wall of China – couldn’t take the plane trip!
- Started a business – I’ve done the independent business route like Mary Kay, etc. but never for long – too much work!
- Taken a martial arts class – Good grief no, I could hurt myself
- Visited Russia – came very close – had a trip planned to visit the Pushkin Museum w/my German friend and then that pesky little business of Chernobyl happened – bummer
- Served at a soup kitchen – I’m embarrassed to say I have not done this
- Sold Girl Scout Cookies- Nah – I was never in Girl Scouts – I got kicked out of Brownies but we don’t talk about it…
- Gone whale watching – Definitely on the bucket list!
- Got flowers for no reason – Often Devoted Spouse comes in with flowers – I’m a spoiled princess!
- Donated blood, platelets or plasma – Unfortunately since I ate beef in the UK, and also contracted hepatitis as a youngster, I am not allowed to donate blood – I would if I could, though.
- Gone sky diving – Crap on a Crutch why jump out of a perfectly good airplane????
- Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp – no but I understand it is an overwhelming experience
- Bounced a check – Never
- Flown in a helicopter – Again Never and don’t plan on it either unless it’s a critical care flight and I hope that never happens either!
- Saved a favorite childhood toy – I managed to salvage my Barbie before she was tossed by the wicked stepmonster and a few of my original Nancy Drew books – all else is gone.
- Visited the Lincoln Memorial – Well, yeah, I spent the first 25 years of my life living in Northern VA and was a frequent visitor to DC!
- Eaten caviar – I tried it and put it on my don’t do that again list right up there with tasting Limburger cheese. Blechhh
- Pieced a quilt – No, I buy mine.
- Stood in Times Square. – Never been to NYC - can u believe that??
- Toured the Everglades – Yes it’s lovely and a tad creepy at the same time – love the boats!
- Been fired from a job – once
- Seen the Changing of the Guards in London – Absolutely – fantastic experience – so stately – love the bear hats!
- Broken a bone – Broke vertebra in my back in 2009. Broke several toes and one finger as a youngster
- Been a passenger on a motorcycle – A few times in my ill-spent youth
- Seen the Grand Canyon in person – No but would love to – the height thing might bother me
- Published a book – Not a chance although I think a book about EmmaLou, Golden Destroyer would have to be a bestseller!
- Visited the Vatican – If only – talk about art works!!
- Bought a brand new car – Quite a few actually – keep meaning to buy used, but get sucked in to that “new smell” thing and spend too much money. Gah…
- Walked in Jerusalem – Definitely on my list – should be fun trying to get me there!
- Had your picture in the newspaper - no, but I made it on the local news one night…
- Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve – A few times…
- Visited the White House – No – can you believe I lived not 10 miles away for 25 years and never visited?!
- Killed and prepared an animal for eating – Oh not a chance – I would starve first – I’m no hunter gatherer!
- Had chickenpox - I believe so.
- Saved someone’s life – No but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express…
- Sat on a jury - yes for a drug trial – it was an interesting experience
- Met someone famous – I’ve met several famous people actually including British royalty – wish one of them was Simon Baker…sigh
- Joined a book club - I keep joining but have never found one that worked out!
- Got a tattoo - Get out of town – I HATE needles – the closest I will come is a hand drawn piece of art w/ a Sharpie
- Had a baby – Not in the plans of my life I guess
- Seen the Alamo in person – Heck, I’ve never even been to TX!!
- Swam in the Great Salt Lake – Again, never been to UT either!
- Been involved in a law suit - If my divorce counts, then yes
- Owned a cell phone – more than a few of them.
- Been stung by a bee – Repeatedly and the scary part is I’m allergic to bee stings!!! Yikes! Hate those little buggers!
Wow – that took a lot longer than I thought it would. And I’m sure by now your eyes are bleeding so I’ll try not to play this type of game again for awhile – or ever – but it was fun doing something different. Feel free to copy mine and add your own answers!
Here’s hoping the next blog I post is from my new laptop! sigh…
