99 things

Ok, so I’ve been an incredibly lax blogger these days. There are only so many things I can write about the fact that:

I still don’t have a job (although I had my second interview in almost a year this past week)
we aren’t currently cycling and don’t know exactly when we will
we still haven’t sold the house (although we had TWO showings today…our first since listing with the new agent three weeks ago)
I’ve turned into a crocheting fool!

I have had some entry ideas tossing around in my head, but they never seem to make it to the “paper” so to speak.
In the meantime, I haven’t done any annoying memes in awhile, so I googled around until I found one that interested me. Here ya go. If you are reading, consider yourself tagged but only if you want to be.

THE 99 THINGS MEME

1. Started your own blog.
Um…
2. Slept under the stars.
Yes, quite a few times at summer camp
3. Played in a band.
Not unless you count Guitar Hero
4. Visited Hawaii.
Not yet
5. Watched a meteor shower.
Yes. One summer I drove up to an outlook point on the Blue Ridge Parkway to watch the Perseid meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
Well, that would be a bit irresponsible. I do donate regularly to several charities though.
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
I’ve been to Disney World at least twice. The only thing I remember about the first visit was getting separated from my parents
8. Climbed a mountain.
Yes, although it’s a much simpler process when you are in the Appalachian Mountains than, say the Himalayas
9. Held a praying mantis.
Just the other day, in fact. A huge one was hanging around on our front door and I thought it would be happier in the flower bed.
10. Sang a solo.
Only when alone in my car. Trust me, it’s better that way.
11. Bungee jumped.
Yes! Virginia Beach, summer of 1989.
12. Visited Paris.
Yes, and it was one of those moments I’d dreamed of for years come true.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
Well, we got caught in a lightning storm while out boating one July near Boston. At the time, it was the most
terrifying thing I’d ever been through.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
Calligraphy, knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch, upholstery, sewing
15. Adopted a child.
Not yet, but it might happen
16. Had food poisoning.
Oh, yes. Definitely. Someday I might be able to eat lobster again.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
Several times in the same day! Take four girls ages about 10-13 to the Statue of Liberty and see how many times they can run up
those stairs!
18. Grown your own vegetables.
Yes, and it’s something I’ve missed being able to do these past years.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
Yes. I was more blown away by Michelangelo’s David in Florence, though.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
I don’t know that what I did was sleep. I napped on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
Are there people who haven’t had pillow fights? Go, have one right now if that’s the case. I’ll wait.
22. Hitch hiked.
No, because while I’m kinda crazy I’m NOT batshit insane.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
I’m gonna plead the fifth on this one.
24. Built a snow fort.
Raleigh, NC isn’t really known for its prodigious snows, but when we had them, I played in them. I’m sure there were attempts at
snow forts.
25. Held a lamb.
Not that I remember. Baby goats, sure. There may have been lambs at one of those petting zoos….
26. Gone skinny dipping.
Yeppers.
27. Run a marathon.
I can only imagine what that would do to my flat feet.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
No, because by the time I got to Venice I didn’t have much money, but I rode on the vaporetto several times.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
A couple
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
How could you not watch a sunset? Vampire? Yes, I’ve watched both.
31. Hit a home run.
No. I have a huge fear of hard objects being thrown at me at high speeds.
32. Been on a cruise.
Nope.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
Yes. Rode the Maid of the Mists even.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
Well, I went to Italy, but didn’t make it to Sicily. I haven’t been to Hungary or Germany or Ireland. So, that’s a sort-of-but-not-quite.
35. Seen an Amish community.
On the same trip that took me to Niagara Falls, we went to Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania and were going to visit a working Amish
farm but at the last minute I got a serious case of the creeps about touring the farm because it felt too much like seeing this
family in a zoo and I refused to go. We drove around quite a bit though.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
I started teaching myself Mandarin, then took classes. Then, I took some Japanese classes and have been studying on my own
(and with Shannon) since.
37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
If I understand the spirit behind this one, then yes. When I was working we had reached an income level at which we were happy
and able to live the way we wanted.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
Not yet.
39. Gone rock climbing.
I’m going to have to do a LOT more work on the pull-up machine at the gym before I could even consider this one.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
Yes and it was one of those moments in life that I will never forget.
41. Sung Karaoke.
I’m embarassed to admit that, yes, I have sung karaoke…at a pub…in Edinburgh. We sang The Beach Boy’s “California Girls”….badly.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
Nope.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
No, but I have paid for someone else’s coffee, given a woman money for a DART pass, and filled random parking meters.
44. Visited Africa.
No, but I’d like to.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
Yes.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
Yes, when I was transferred from the hospital I checked into when Lennox’s membrane ruptured to the hospital with the trauma
NICU.
47. Had your portrait painted.
I had my portrait done in oil pastels when I was in 3rd grade, I think.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
I’ve been fishing on the ocean, many, many, many years ago (and by fishing I mean I probably had my hands on the fishing pole
while my father held it and then I went back to playing with my friend) but I don’t think you’d consider it deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
No, I didn’t make it to Rome.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The day I spent walking around Paris, the Eiffel Tower was closed. I went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe instead.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
No.
52. Kissed in the rain.
I’m sure at some point in the past ten years, I’ve kissed in the rain. I mean, hell, it just rained here every day for 10 days and I’m
pretty sure I kissed Shannon at least once in that time. Oh…do you mean out IN the rain? Well, that I’m not as sure about. I
usually come in out of the rain!
53. Played in the mud.
Yeah.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
Yes! More than once.
55. Been in a movie.
Yes, but I was crowd-filler so I can’t really prove it. It was that cinematic masterpiece, “Heavyweights”
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
No and I’m still bitter about it. I was going to China after my high school graduation, but just before we were supposed to leave,
the tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square.
57. Started a business.
Yes. I had a VERY small landscaping business briefly.
58. Taken a martial arts class
No, but I’ve thought about it often.
59. Visited Russia.
No.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
I didn’t serve at a soup kitchen, but I volunteered at an overnight shelter.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
No, I was never a Girl Scout or an Indian Princess or any of that sort of thing. I don’t think I would have been very good at that.
62. Gone whale watching.
Yes, we did that not long before we left Massachusetts. That was a great fun day.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
Yes, because I have a sweet guy!
64. Donated blood.
Once, then I promptly passed out. I tried to do it again a couple of years ago, but my pulse rate was too high and they wouldn’t
let me.
65. Gone sky diving.
No and Shannon says I’m not allowed to.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
No.
67. Bounced a check.
Unfortunately, yes.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
No and I’m not sure I ever will. I’m pretty sure I’d hurl.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
I have quite a few of my childhood toys…my Mrs. Beezley doll (complete with the, um, custom haircut), Noodles the stuffed
dog-bear, my red cash register, my toy phones…there’s at least one box in my garage and one or two more in my parents’ garage.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
Not that I remember. I haven’t been to DC with time to play tourist in a very long time. I’m hoping to change that once we move
back east.
71. Eaten Caviar.
I’ve had fish roe on sushi, and I don’t care for it, but I haven’t ever had Beluga/Sevruga/Osetra Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
One or two.
73. Stood in Times Square.
On New Year’s Eve, even.
74. Toured the Everglades.
Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ve been in the Everglades or not. We traveled to lots of places when I was younger and I’ve forgotten a
great many of them sadly.
75. Been fired from a job.
No. Laid-off, yes.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
Yes.
77. Broken a bone.
Officially, like it is listed in my medical record somewhere? No, but I’m pretty sure I’ve broken a toe in the past.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
Yes
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
Only from the airplane as we flew home from Vegas.
80. Published a book.
No.
81. Visited the Vatican.
Didn’t I answer this earlier? Isn’t the Sistine Chapel part of the Vatican?
82. Bought a brand new car.
Yes.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
No, but I’d really like to some day.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
Yeah, a couple of times
85. Read the entire Bible.
I’ve read large portions of it, but not the entire thing.
86. Visited the White House.
No.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
No.
88. Had chickenpox.
If I did, it was a very mild case. We’ve always gone on the assumption that I never had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
Not that I’m aware of.
90. Sat on a jury.
Yep. I was the jury foreman on a drug possession trial.
91. Met someone famous.
I met Andy Griffith and Charles Kuralt.
92. Joined a book club.
A book club as in a group of people who get together to discuss books or a we’ll-send-you-a-book-every-month-unless-you-tell-us-not-to book club? No to the former, yes to the latter. Although, I was a literature major so you could make the argument that college was a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
I suppose there are a great many people who go through this list and get to this item and don’t get a huge, painful empty ache
in their chests. I am not one of them. The list of loved ones I’ve lost is longer than I wish to consider right now.
94. Had a baby.
I had two beautiful, perfect babies. I miss them very much.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
Urgh, after the last two items, this seems rather silly. But, yes, I’ve seen the Alamo. It wouldn’t be that hard to forget it, honestly.
It’s much smaller than you anticipate it being.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
No.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
Yes. I was deposed as a witness for the defense in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
One or two. :eyeroll:
99. Been stung by a bee.
Bees, wasps, yellow jackets, fire ants, nettles…
so far no jellyfish or scorpions.

So, there ya go. 99 things about me. Who’s next?