A Life More Ordinary

It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these blog memes.

This one is via the random Candice.

Bold means “Mission Accomplished”.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink – I did it once.  My two friends and I were the only two people there.  I made a big show of yelling “A round for the whole house!”  Bartender was not amused.
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula – it was a MN Zoo thing.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree – mainly to show that I was a uniter, not a divider.
10. Bungee jumped – Um, no.  I’ll parachute before I bungee jump.
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea – My time on the English Channel was cloudless and smooth as glass.  Indeed, every time I’ve been to a traditionally rainy, dank place – Seattle, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, London – it’s been unseasonably sunny.  It must be me.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg – Well, not at sea, anyway.
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
– I calculated that I changed about 9,000 of them.
21. Taken a trip on a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Got drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse – Sorta.  I had a system where if I figured a horse would win, I bet “place” just to be safe.   I made a bit of money at it.
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse – a partial one, anyway, back in tenth grade.
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run – In softball?  A few.  Including one against WCCO in media league softball back in 1986.  Glory days…
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking – It’s been a while.
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was s**tfaced – it may have been my college minor.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country – In a club in Köln, Germany.  And on a ferry between Harwich and Hoek Van Holland.  And in a bar in Edinburgh.  And at a party in a little village north of Amsterdam.  I should point out that I really discovered beer when I was in Europe…
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving – Someday!
51. Visited Ireland – my budget ran out before I could try.
52. Been heartbroken for longer than when you were in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke – “You’re the only guy I’ve met who has the b*lls to do “Born to Run”.”
59. Lounged around in bed all day – Never.
60. Posed nude in front of strangers – not that I remember.
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites – The Hjemkomst counts, right?  No, seriously – all sorts of ’em, including Augusta Raurica, near Basel (amazing Roman ruins) and a ton of ’em in the UK and Scotland.
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight – Have I mentioned the lengths we had to go to to kill time in college in North Dakota if you didn’t have a girlfriend or much of a social life?  Although in my defense, I haven’t played D&D since the summer after high school.  I’ve done Traveller and Twilight 2000, though…
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
  – I did audio for a really crummy indie production back in 1988.
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days – Once, I had some strange, nonspecific fever.  Between Sunday and Thursday, I had two enchiladas and four soda crackers.  I think that counts.
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo – never will.
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert” – Does radio count?
83. Got flowers for no reason – I’ve gotten ’em for a reason – twice, I think.
84. Performed on stage – dozens of times, maybe hundreds.  Many plays, many many bands, not a few solo gigs on guitar, and a ton of gigs with orchestras (cello)  and concert (percussion) and stage and pit (guitar) bands.
85. Been to Las Vegas – I have almost no interest in this.
86. Recorded music – Why, yes.  At home, and in the studio.
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
– people do lots of dumb things after they get divorced.
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship – I’m sure a North Sea ferry doesn’t count…
94. Spoken more than one language fluently   – “Fluently” is a big word – but I spoke German well enough that nobody made me as a Yank. I think they thought I was Dutch.  And I spoke bad Dutch and French with a German accent, so they thought I was German…
95. Performed in Rocky Horror – as in “yelled on cue for the various parts of the movie”, or “dressed up”?  I did the former.  But I bet that’s not what they’re talking about…
96. Live in a foreign country, even for a brief time
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country  – Dunno how “exotic” it was; I rode from Uitgeest to Haarlem and, later, from Grave to Nijmegen in the Netherlands.
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over –  Well, to “start” more than “start over”.
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication – Define “large”?
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback – Not a “flashback”, but while they were having a very dissociative episode, yes.
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced – never voluntarily.  Never will.
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol – many of them, including – twice – full-automatic.
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours – when I had the aforementioned fever.
123. Visited non-US foreign countries – Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, the UK and Canada.
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school – for a class or two.
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach – if by “pet” you mean “stomp”?
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions – Tough one.  I will crawl across broken glass to make my high school reunions.  But I haven’t been to any college ones.
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream – Briefly.
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ – KEYJ, KDAK, KQDJ, KDWB AM/FM, and a zillion crappy bars.
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life – Not sure that I’d be quite that dramatic.  I’ve called the ambulance for several people who were sick, had had accidents, or were passed out on the street over the years.

16 thoughts on “A Life More Ordinary

  1. Mitch, take some time to see the next lunar eclipse, #33.

    I’ve done #104 and I do not recommend it to anyone, not even AssClown. It usually leads to #113 & #119…

    Isn’t #106 covered under #75 divorce?

    Not much of a NoDak boy if ya haven’t done # 136. 😉

    Mitch, # 148 shouldn’t be too hard, eh?

  2. 149: Caused a car accident

    What, left-wing-liberals like Peevee refuse to listen to you on the radio while driving?

    *fade to Peev, foaming at the mouth, yelling at the radio… CRASH*

  3. Mitch, take some time to see the next lunar eclipse, #33.

    I always do.

    Isn’t #106 covered under #75 divorce?

    I think I lost like 25…

    Not much of a NoDak boy if ya haven’t done # 136.

    You haven’t hunted ’til you’ve hunted human.

    Mitch, # 148 shouldn’t be too hard, eh?

    Not while everyone is doing it.

    I mean, criminy – if I do it now, people will think I’m copying Morrissey

  4. Isn’t #106 covered under #75 divorce?

    I think I lost like 25…

    I think he meant as in you lost an appendage of more than 100 lbs.

    #03, New Years Eve, Vermont’s highest peak, under the full moon on a night that was -30 with wind over 50. Good prep for that attempt on Denali (which I won’t try again) and became a tradition for a New Years Day hike after that.

  5. 15. Gone to a huge sports game – I’d say the Hanshin Tigers’ baseball game in 2005 was pretty huge

    36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was lookingIt’s been a while.
    about 10 years ago at the Blue Nile- and my Japanese friend said I danced like a robot.

    37. Adopted an accent for an entire day-
    Yeah, I really annoyed people at Soviet Union language immersion camp in the mid-’80s…

    54. Visited Japan 何回も行ったことあるよ。

    66. Visited the Great Wall of China (万里长城!)
    Nah, but saw the First Emperor’s terra cotta army in Xi’an

    70. Taken a martial arts class
    Judo, Aikido, and I have a Green Belt with Purple Stripe in Tae Kwon Do

    84. Performed on stage – I used to sing in a Japanese ladies’ choir (they needed a baritone) and have performed air-guitar to Savatage’s “Hall . . .of the Mountain King”, like, three times, man.

    89. Gone to Thailand – almost- I made it to northern (peninsula) Malaysia but my allergies got to me

    93. Been on a cruise shipI’m sure a North Sea ferry doesn’t count…

    So the “Kintetsu Overnight Ferry” from Osaka to Beppu doesn’t count, either?

    96. Live in a foreign country, even for a brief time- Akita, (northern) Japan in the early 90s for a year

    123. Visited non-US foreign countriesNetherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, the UK and Canada.

    Me- Japan, China, Malaysia & Singapore

    148: Shaved your head- I did it for Tibet, man.

  6. 06. Held a tarantula – my niece and nephew kept them as pets; quite charming little critters actually, very gentle.

    42. Had amazing friends – and still have amazing friends

    43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country – on several different continents

    118. Ridden a horse — surely, coming from NoDak, you’ve ridden horses Mitch???????? My favorite – rough breaking ranch horses in Montana

    136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating – for human and for animal consumption. (and that would be in addition to fish, assuming most people have gone fishing at some time or other, cleaned and prepared their own)

    138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language – human and animal

    148: Shaved your head – I will kill someone or die first

    151. Seen the parthenon under a full moon in the company of greeks; one of my crazier side adventures, and one of the few times my parent would have happily strangled me during a family trip

  7. Oops. Yes, I have ridden a horse. In ND, and even one here in MN.

    I’ve only caught one fish in my life. It was with a bow and arrow. I never got the hang of fishing; the light shot skips off the water, and the heavy shot destroys too much meat.

  8. {{facepalm}}

    and

    I never got the hang of fishing; the light shot skips off the water, and the heavy shot destroys too much meat.

    ROTFL!!!

    Ok, my spam to follow.

  9. 42. Had amazing friends – and still have amazing friends (hope I have a few here)

    Mitch says:”I’ve only caught one fish in my life. It was with a bow and arrow. I never got the hang of fishing; the light shot skips off the water, and the heavy shot destroys too much meat. ”

    Not using the thrown handgrenade or dynamite method? Did you then clean and cook the fish – was there enough left after you caught it to be worth the effort, LOL?

    Never hunted any kind of bird either? duck, geese, grouse, pheasant?

    Other than fishing, which I don’t do often, I can’t actually say that I have gone off with any kind of rifle or shot gun to kill game.

    A leash or two is usual, although not essential. Voice and hand commands are enough.

  10. Mitch wrote:
    “Oops. Yes, I have ridden a horse. In ND, and even one here in MN.”

    We will not be calling you cowboy anytime soon, LOL.

  11. 01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink – I’ve never had that much disposable cash
    02. Swam with wild dolphins
    03. Climbed a mountain
    04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive – closest I’ve gotten to that is I drove a 328GTB on rollers (accelerated up to 30mph) when I worked at an emissions test station back in 1992
    05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
    06. Held a tarantula – my 10th grade biology classroom had a defanged one
    07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
    08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
    09. Hugged a tree
    10. Bungee jumped – someday…
    11. Visited Paris
    12. Watched a lightning storm at sea – never been “at sea”
    13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
    14. Seen the Northern Lights
    15. Gone to a huge sports game

    16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
    17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
    18. Touched an iceberg
    19. Slept under the stars
    20. Changed a baby’s diaper
    – 2 kids. yeah.
    21. Taken a trip on a hot air balloon
    22. Watched a meteor shower
    23. Got drunk on champagne
    24. Given more than you can afford to charity
    25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
    26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

    27. Had a food fight
    28. Bet on a winning horse – but I still left the track in the red that day.
    29. Asked out a stranger
    30. Had a snowball fight
    31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

    32. Held a lamb
    33. Seen a total eclipse
    34. Ridden a roller coaster

    35. Hit a home run
    36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking 14yo @ a wedding
    37. Adopted an accent for an entire day – I am not capable of doing accents except MNan. It sucks.
    38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
    39. Had two hard drives for your computer
    – 2 in one, 4 in the other
    40. Visited all 50 states
    41. Taken care of someone who was s**tfaced
    42. Had amazing friends
    43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
    44. Watched wild whales
    45. Stolen a sign
    46. Backpacked in Europe
    47. Taken a road-trip
    48. Gone rock climbing
    49. Midnight walk on the beach

    50. Gone sky diving – Someday!
    51. Visited Ireland
    52. Been heartbroken for longer than when you were in love
    53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
    54. Visited Japan
    55. Milked a cow
    56. Alphabetized your cds
    57. Pretended to be a superhero
    58. Sung karaoke
    59. Lounged around in bed all day
    60. Posed nude in front of strangers
    61. Gone scuba diving
    62. Kissed in the rain
    63. Played in the mud
    64. Played in the rain
    65. Gone to a drive-in theater
    66. Visited the Great Wall of China
    67. Started a business
    68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

    69. Toured ancient sites – Jewel Cave in the SoDak Badlands?
    70. Taken a martial arts class
    71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight – never got into RPGs
    72. Gotten married
    73. Been in a movie
    74. Crashed a party
    75. Gotten divorced
    76. Gone without food for 5 days
    77. Made cookies from scratch – not by myself
    78. Won first prize in a costume contest
    79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
    80. Gotten a tattoo – never will.
    81. Rafted the Snake River
    82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
    83. Got flowers for no reason
    84. Performed on stage – was one of four people in a piano recital in college (Chopin Op. 53)
    85. Been to Las Vegas
    86. Recorded music – Why, yes. At home, and in the studio.
    87. Eaten shark
    88. Had a one-night stand – I have 2 nightstands
    89. Gone to Thailand
    90. Bought a house – inherited it
    91. Been in a combat zone
    92. Buried one/both of your parents
    93. Been on a cruise ship
    94. Spoken more than one language fluently
    95. Performed in Rocky Horror
    96. Live in a foreign country, even for a brief time
    97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
    98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
    99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
    100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
    101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge – driven
    102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
    103. Had plastic surgery
    104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived. – 13 in ICU
    , 6 weeks in the hospital total
    105. Wrote articles for a large publication
    106. Lost over 100 pounds
    107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
    108. Piloted an airplane – I had the stick and pedals, but I was not pilot in command
    109. Petted a stingray – petted?
    110. Broken someone’s heart
    111. Helped an animal give birth
    112. Won money on a T.V. game show
    113. Broken a bone several, all at once
    114. Gone on an African photo safari
    115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced – never
    116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol – a couple .22 rifles and several pistols
    117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
    118. Ridden a horse
    119. Had major surgery
    – to repair #113 resulting from #104 as K-Rod suggested
    120. Had a snake as a pet
    121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon – been to the south rim, but never went down to the bottom
    122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
    123. Visited non-US foreign countries – Canada.
    124. Visited all 7 continents – just one.
    125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days – 2 separate week long BWCA trips
    126. Eaten kangaroo meat
    127. Eaten sushi
    128. Had your picture in the newspaper – twice
    129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
    showed my Chiropractor the facts about how drilling in ANWR would not destroy the entire park
    130. Gone back to school
    131. Parasailed

    132. Petted a cockroach – petted? (#2)
    133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
    134. Read The Iliad
    135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school – Ayn Rand
    136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
    137. Skipped all your school reunions
    138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
    139. Been elected to public office
    140. Written your own computer language
    141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
    142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
    143. Built your own PC from parts 3 of my own, 3 for others
    144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
    145. Had a booth at a street fair
    146: Dyed your hair
    147: Been a DJ
    148: Shaved your head
    149: Caused a car accident
    150: Saved someone’s life – gave the heimlich to my mom and caused her to spit up the cake she was choking on

  12. Pingback: EckerNet.Com » Blog Archive » Missions Accomplished….For Now

  13. You’ve never ridden a roller coaster?

    Your options, even here in the Twin Cities are open.

    Valley Fair! — Wild Thing, High Roller, Xcaliber, Corkscrew, Steel Venom, Renegade are all open to you.

    Nickelodeon park @ MoA — Orange Streak, Rock Bottom Plunge.

    Minnesota State Fair — Usually has 2 adult coasters available. (I think you will be there soon)

    Get on and ride one! It’s OK to hang on to the bar.

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