Thursday, December 25, 2008

the me in meme


Memes.


Where on earth does the blogosphere come up with these words? The fact that the word is two "me"s stuck together gives me a rather good idea of its genetic makeup.


I try to avoid them. But Theresa has one on her blog that caught my eye and taught me a lot about her. I thought I would share mine with you. Why not give it a try yourself?


The idea is simple. A list of 100 activities trails off almost into infinity. Be patient. Read. Learn.


The items in bold are the ones I have done; the items in italics are things I would like to do; the items in italics with an * are things I really want to do. And then there are the items in regular font -- haven't done, don't care to. (Too bad "eat creamed corn" is not on the list. It would have been first in the "wish I hadn't, never will again" category.)


So, here goes. Remember, there are 100.


1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (see #2)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity (don't like the tone of this one)
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis (not a big deal)
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (fortunately, not -- for the child)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on a overnight train
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 (does a chop count?)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (why?)
29. Seen a total eclipse (of the moon and the sun)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the land of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (Donatello's Mary Magdalene is more impressive)
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful Geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger dinner
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris* (and I have no idea why not)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (might explain #94)
53. Played in the mud (after all, I am an attorney -- and a failed politician)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
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
63. Got flowers for no reason (have I ever got them for a reason?)
64. Donated blood,platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp* (as should everyone)
67. Bounced a check (there is a tale there I may share one day)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (everytime I am in DC; I like talking with Abe)
71. Eaten caviar (as often as I can)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (once; deserved it several other times)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London
77. Broken a bone (despite #65 and 78)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person*
80. Published 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 (annually, when I can)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (my cousin's son -- another story)
90. Sat on a jury (grand jury)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (see #15 above)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake*
97. Been involved in a law suit (lawyer, remember?)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant (I thought so; but cannot remember; too many questions)

OK. I have counted the list several times, but I think I have 69 items checked off -- and quite a few I would like to do.


My first observation is that the list was most likely designed by a woman for women. I will not bother pointing out the obvious biases. The Euro-scent of romanticism is one potential culprit.


What I discovered about myself is that I have visited a lot of the world, but I have failed to visit some of the most popular landmarks in America. And that is probably not going to change once I get to Mexico.


But there is my Rorschach test for all of you to see -- at least, through the prism of a third person's reality.


Do you want to share your own? Give it a try. It is more fun than a home run in Little League.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

# 37 negates # 6, but I doubt if any of have done # 6

Steve Cotton said...

37 and 6 could coexist during a lifetime, but in different temporal spans. The way 6 is written is an oxymoron. True charity can never be excessive.

Anonymous said...

Okay I only did 42. And I could make another list of all the things on the list I would never want to do -31 (sell Girl Guide Cookies) so that leaves 27 things to do. So my goal for today is to be in a movie leaving only 26 things

Steve Cotton said...

I considered adding: "Cash in life savings to hire someone to complete the list," but churlish is just not my style.

Brandon Smith said...

Wow, I've only done 40 of 100. Gotta get busy.

Steve Cotton said...

Brandon -- But I am a LOT older than you are.