Wednesday 19 November 2008

99 things to do

Stole this from the ever-entertaining Mr Farty. As he rightly points out, it is hugely USA-centric, but still.

Let's see how many of the 99 activities below I can highlight as having done.



1. Started your own blog - Yes. This one. Look, right here.
2. Slept under the stars - Yes. Under canvas, under a tree, in several ruined castles, between cars, oh, so many outdoor sleeping times. And it was always bloody freezing.
3. Played in a band - Yes! Hurrah! A lifelong ambition fulfilled.
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower - Yes, many times. Lovely.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world - Over my cold dead body.
8. Climbed a mountain - Hills. Small ones.
9. Held a praying mantis - Yes...the album "Time Tells No Lies" by Praying Mantis.
10. Sang a solo - Yes. In choirs, in pubs, in clubs and even on stage with aforementioned band.
11. Bungee jumped - nope, too attached to my retinas, thanks
12. Visited Paris - Yes, loved it.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - No but saw a doozy of a storm in Bavaria. Which is like the sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - yes if you count embroidery as an art
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning Hell yes.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - No, but went up to the top of the big park in Barcelona which was pretty high.
18. Grown your own vegetables - Potatoes, carrots and parsnips.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - Yes, and which other Mona Lisas are there??
20. Slept on an overnight train - never been on a long enough train journey. Sleep quite a lot on the train into Waterloo though.
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked - Winchester to Durham when I was a student. Took 14 hours.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - heh, not these days, but when I was young and crazy
24. Built a snow fort - seldom enough snow. Did make a fantastic snowman a few times though
25. Held a lamb - Yes, it was smelly and greasy
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - no, am not American
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - see no. 31 above
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - Yes, Wales
35. Seen an Amish community - no, but have re-enacted seventeenth century life in all its glory many times
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - Intermittently. But there's always something else you could spend 20 quid on.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - Once. Carved my name on the Cow and Calf rocks on Ilkley Moor as a teenager. How environmentally reprehensible.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - yes, won a bottle of champagne once
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - no, see 31 above
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa - Yes! Forgot this one - went to Morocco on a day trip when we went to a mate's wedding in Gibraltar. Was v smelly and intimidating and hot.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - yes, was lovely
46. Been transported in an ambulance - no, but did do a mercy dash to Casualty when Mr Withay was bleeding like a stuck pig and had to have a transfusion.
47. Had your portrait painted - yes! By the artist Mick Cawston, in a pub.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - Scuba diving off the Turkish coast. Was interesting.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud - Usually with gunpowder
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre - We don't have those over here
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class - Yes, the instructor took the piss out of me for "obviously liking cake". I complained and got my money back. Bastard.
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching - Yes, saw humpbacks, off the coast of Massachussetts
63. Got flowers for no reason -Yes, have been sent them by others, and also bought them for myself.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - blood. Am A negative, if anyone needs any.
65. Gone sky diving - Are you insane? No.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - see No 31 above
71. Eaten caviar - Mmmm fish jam
72. Pieced a quilt - I think my Mum still has the bits in her attic
73. Stood in Times Square - see 31 above
74. Toured the Everglades - see 31 above
75. Been fired from a job - Yep, barmaiding...so the landlord could give his horrible girlfriend my job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - Often.
77. Broken a bone - right collarbone, left elbow, right little toe (not at the same time) - all from falling downstairs though. Am a clumsy oaf.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - yep (Mum stop reading now) Was doing 110mph on the motorway on the back; when we slowed down to 50 I stood up on the footpegs cos it felt like we'd stopped. Eep.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - no, see 31 above
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - many times, usually dressed as a scraggy seventeenth century re-enactor
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - well, have watched someone else do it, and helped out a bit.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life - Yep, see Mercy Dash at no 46. Also dragged Dutch woman out of the river when we almost died in the Turkish Ravine Incident.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Several, Lorraine Chase tipped me a quid in 1983 when I was waitressing. Which was a lot then.
92. Joined a book club - Yes, left again though
93. Lost a loved one - too many.
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person - again, see no.31
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - yadda yadda yadda no. 31
97. Been involved in a law suit - yep, sued a nutter who wrote my car off and had no insurance. Git.
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

What a rich and full life.

8 comments:

Gone said...

That's a big list, I couldn't help note the comment about Praying Mantis, were you a fan.
Excellent band I saw them live when they were supporting some band called Gamma (i think) must have been c1982. They had a great EP with Cheated and other tracks which I think came from that album. Then there was a B side to an earlier single can't remember the name but it was a brilliant track written by one of the original members. Sorry i'm going on aren't I....

livesbythewoods said...

I liked that album, and especially their version of the Kinks' "All Day and All of The Night".

Ah, how long ago that was...how old we are now.

I didn't used to go out with you, did I?

Anonymous said...

I only got 23...but then there are a stack on there I don't want to do, so I reckon that would raise my percentage to 50%....which isn't bad because I have some time left....unless you consider adding in my own achievements to replace those I removed....I suspect I am overthinking this....

livesbythewoods said...

Spencer, if we took out all the "Visit places in the USA we have no interest in" I'm sure the percentage success rate would be far higher.

And yes, you are giving it way too much analysis, and we both know that's *my* job.

Anonymous said...

Also I have no desire to run down an animal, kill it and then eat it either. Perhaps if that was 'Hunt and slay a selection of root vegetables, wear their skins and eat them' it would be more appealing :) Reminds me of that Larson cartoon 'Early vegetarians returning from a kill' hehe.

Gone said...

Er, dont think so can't remember a Lucy but don't take that as a definitive no, I was a bit of a Jack the lad, although if there is any paternity testing involved it couldnt possobly have been, I mean I was in Sheffield at the time.

Mr Farty said...

Oooh, Turkish Ravine Incident sounds exciting! Do tell, please?

livesbythewoods said...

Spence, you're just not trying. anyway, with your tiny Tyrannasaurus Rex forearms you'd be no use.

Mr Grocer, I think we can both rest assured that we don't need to worry.

Mr Farty, I wrote the whole tale down in a much earlier post. Honest.