My 100 Things

Doubled Up, 2008, Oil on Gessobord, 5x7

I first saw this on Lisa Call's blog, then I saw it again on Tina Mammoser's blog and decided to get in on the action. Plus, it seems like a really good way to fill up another day here in Tracyland.

Of course, I can't just let most of these statements just sit, so I have included some super fascinating explanations.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (I don't specifically recall sleeping outside but as a kid in the 70's there were a lot of sleepovers in friend's backyards.)
3. Played in a band (I played flute in the school band for several years but I was terrible and was always last chair. I quit in 8th grade)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (You couldn't pay me enough.)
8. Climbed a mountain (Going up might be ok, um after intensive physical training of course, getting back down would definitely be an issue for me.)
9. Held a praying mantis (My oldest son is an avid bug/critter type and there have been many great finds over the years. I have held all of them, um, except for the snakes.)
10. Sang a solo (Audiences everywhere should be rejoicing that this one is NOT highlighted.)
11. Bungee jumped (No way.)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I consider knitting an art.)
15. Adopted a child (We don't do things in order around here. Our first kid was our nephew who came to live with us when he was 4. We then had 2 babies, adopted Kurtis when he was nine, then oops, one more sort-of-a-surprise-not-sure-about-another-one-but-no-one-is-running-to-get-the-birth-control-either baby.)
16. Had food poisoning (This one is probably a yes, never been so sick as to be hospitalized, but vomiting and diarrhea after eating a suspicious dinner in a restaurant? Definitely. Diarrhea for a whole week while in Mexico? I think that should count too.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (Every summer and am hoping to extend the season with a cold frame next year.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (I slept in a seat on a 4 day train ride from Minneapolis to Philadelphia. I was on a budget, no sleeper car for me.))
21. Had a pillow fight (Teenage slumber party style pillow fight.)
22. Hitch hiked (Another maybe. I have definitely asked people that I did not know, for a ride home. Not exactly hitch hiking but similar concept.)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (Shh. Don't tell Doug, who was my boss when we met.)
24. Built a snow fort (We built awesome snow TOWNS back in Minnesota when I was a kid!)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (This one is probably a yes. I don't think I would have gotten completely naked, but there were a few drunken nights at a lake during high school, so I guess skinny dipping could have happened.)
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 (Softball. 5th and 6th grade. I was an awesome hitter, not such a good runner. But I was able to haul my butt around the bases a few times at least.)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (On my list of things to do! It's only a day trip from my home.)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (Visited Lancaster County once and there is a substantial community near us here in NY. We buy cheese and raw milk from a local Amish farmer.)
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (We had plenty of money once and while it was a lot of fun, it did not make us happier or satisfied, and in fact it caused us more than a few problems.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karoke (Again, with the audience. Bad.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (When we lived in Utah, we took the family to Yellowstone several times and saw Old Faithful every time. Got some great photos of it too!)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I have always wanted to, but could never figure out the logistics of how to go about it.)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (Does drunkenly staggering along a lake beach count?)
46. Been transported in an ambulance (I had terrible stomach pains once, Doug called 911 and while I was doubled over in pain, I actually told him to tell them NOT to use the sirens and lights because I didn't want the neighbors to see. It was not diagnosed that night but later found out I had an ulcer, which perforated about a year later and I had to have emergency surgery. Doug drove me to the hospital that time.)
47. Had your portrait painted (Self portraits and a few by other students in college, although I didn't encourage that.)
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 (Did some snorkeling in Cozumel once.)
52. Kissed in the rain (Nothing dramatic or romantic here but I guess Doug and I have kissed a few times during a drizzle as he was getting in the car to go on a business trip.)
53. Played in the mud (NOT as an adult, thank you.)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (In high school and then when we lived in Utah there was one that we went to several times when the kids were babies. We saw The Crow there on a really rainy night once and we might have kissed that night too, which combines 52 and 54. Anyway, it was the perfect place to see that movie.)
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 (As a kid and now as a parent.)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (Doug is the only person I have ever gotten flowers from, but it's always for a reason. Birthday, Valentine's etc. I am thankful for this but a no reason bunch WOULD be nice sometime.)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I have tried to donate, but my veins are small and no one really wants to go to all the trouble. My blood type is pretty common so no loss really.)
65. Gone sky diving (HA, not a chance in hell!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (Sadly, more times than a I can recall, mostly in college.)
68. Flown in a helicopter (Again, no way!)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (In high school I went on a school trip to Washington DC and we did the whole tour.)
71. Eaten Caviar (yuck.)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square (Kinda wished I could have done that when it was all sleazy and full of strip clubs, drug addicts and hookers, but when I was last there, I just bought a few books in a mega bookstore and walked around a little bit. heh.)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (This could be a yes, I had a job once assembling jewelry and the owners let go two of the most recent employees of which I was one, because they were having financial issues. Maybe if I had been a more awesome employee they might have kept me, but whatever. I wasn't fired for doing a crappy job or anything.)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (I broke my left wrist in 10th grade when I fell down while skating at the local roller rink, Skate Country.)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. (I hate motorcycles.)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (Would like to and it is on my list of things to do.)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (Actually this may be a gray area. We have leased new cars, then have ended up buying them after the initial lease expired. Not sure if that counts, maybe the blog police can let me know:))
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (A few times, though I try to avoid it because I generally look stupid somehow.)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (Again, high school trip.)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (This a good story and perhaps the topic of another blog post. How's THAT for a teaser?)
88. Had chickenpox (I was fourteen and out of school for 2 weeks. Still can see a few scars.)
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury! (Got called last year but the case settled and so won't have to go back again for several years.)
91. Met someone famous (Bonnie Raitt in a bead store in Philadelphia in 1989. She was disguised dressed up as a society lady wearing a big white hat and flowery dress and I never would have recognized her if Doug hadn't pointed her out to me. I went to tell her how much I loved her music, (very original) and she was very nice while I went on to hyperventilate. Also I once met and chatted with Fred Gwynne,(he and his son were touring the art school I attended in Philly-we talked on the elevators) but didn't know it was him until some friends clued me in later.)
92. Joined a book club (One of my real life friends has asked me but it's on a night that Doug is usually in NYC so I said no.)
93. Lost a loved one (More than a few, I am afraid.)
94. Had a baby (Three!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (I don't know why anyone would want to, unless they want to be able to highlight it on a list like this someday. It's a smelly, very salty lake, not an appealing place for a swim at all.)
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (Many times.)
100. Read an entire book in one day (I used to all the time, but so many others things to do now to just sit and read anymore. Plus I get all stiff and sore when I sit too long these days:))

So there you go. Obviously, I have not traveled much, in fact except for a week long vacation in Cozumel, Mexico, I have never been outside of North America. I imagine I will someday, but frankly, I am not terribly interested in traveling and would prefer to spend my time trying to accomplish a few other things (like publishing a book), first.

Also, I do not like to do risky activities. I had enough of that when I was a kid (living in a small town, pretty much unsupervised, was like being close to death every day) and then as a college student who drank way too much while living in gang infested neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

And you should all be very, VERY happy that I do not sing in public.