After 30 Posts, My First Meme

Nicked from Samuraifrog (Who's blog is one of the most well written, insightful & funny out there. Do yourself a favour and check it out!), won't be a humorous as his, but what the hell.....

1. Started my own blog
I think this one is my 4^th since 1990 when I first started haunting the nets (I was 16 at the time, what the hell do 16 year old's have to say of interest on a weekly basis?) I find that if you don't get a theme that works for you, you lose interest pretty fast. Mine's of course my Interesting Bits posts and you can find my most recent here.

2. Slept under the stars
Who hasn't?

3. Played in a band
My Jr. High band I played Alto sax, but I hated the teacher so purposefully screwed up to see if he would have an aneurysm in class. Since during the recitals I'd practise my ass off to show him I did have talent, but that I just hated him. I know, such a sweet boy.

4. Visited Hawaii
The weirdest layover on my way to Australia. The airport's nice.

5. Watched a meteor shower
One of my first memories was my mom getting my sister and I out of bed at 4AM when I was 4 to see all the "falling stars."

6. Given more than I can afford to charity
Sometimes I reckon I qualify as a charity...

7. Been to Disneyland/world
Nope. Was giving a choice to go to DW when I was 6 or go see my Grandfather (who had only had 6 months to live since 1969. This was 1980, but I was the only male heir at the time to carry on the family name and he treated me like a little prince.)

8. Climbed a mountain
Sorta. We have Mt. Bonnell here in Austin, but as I've been told constantly by people in the East and Western US, "You only have sorta high hills in Texas, not mountains." Screw them it's called Mt.

9. Held a praying mantis
Yup. Thought they were one of the coolest bugs around the house I grew up in (in Houston).

10. Sung a solo
In the shower mostly, but I did sing Elvis Presley's Blue Christmas as a gift of everyone when I was 17 and had no money for presents.

11. Bungee jumped
With my knees? Are you outta yer freakin' mind?!? I always had a picture that if I did after the first fall there would just be feet, ankles, shins & the lower bits of my knees hanging from the bungee cords & the rest of me would be splattered on the ground.

12. Visited Paris
No, but I plan to once I have the cash and know a bit more French. I hear they're nicer to you if you just make the attempt to speak French, and generally your accent is so atrocious that they start speaking in English almost immediately thereafter.

13. Watched lightning at sea
Yup. The Gulf of Mexico, Galveston Bay to be more precise.

14. Taught myself an art from scratch
Never taken an art class because I could never stand to have people tell me what to draw. After I started to read comics I had to try penciling, which led to inking over my pencils, which led to watercolours & oils I've only attempted oils twice. I believe you really do need classes for those because they're terribly hard to work with.

15. Adopted a child
Nope. Reproduced with my ex-wife 19 months ago, and he's all I need. Plus, it's the only thing we agree on, the marriage was never a mistake because we got Hadrian out of it.

16. Had food poisoning
Several times in my life.

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
With my arthritis and everything. How could I go and not, you know?

18. Grown my own vegetables
One of my longest relationships, my ex grew them ,but I tended the garden and had to find an "earth friendly" bug killer.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
It doesn't tour that I know of, and as I answered above that I've never been to Paris. Unless you count Paris, TX and only a Texan or UFO Hunter would.

20. Slept on an overnight train
Wasn't overnight, but I slept on it on a trip from North Carolina to Westchester, NY.

21. Had a pillow fight
When I was just a wee tyke, but I used to try and decapitate my friends so they didn't want to too much. Funny that.

22. Hitchhiked
My cars used to have a penchant for breaking down right outside of BFE (Bum F*ck Egypt).

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
I've played hooky far too often for my own good. Most of High School if memory serves.

24. Built a snow fort
Lived in Texas most of my life and when it does snow a foot tall snowman is about the best you can do.

25. Held a lamb
Yup. My parents (Meaning my Mom, of course) would take me to "Petting Zoos," or the ones where they have wild animals running about and you can feed them from the car. Okay, okay it was because I cried at every "proper" zoo except the reptile/bat habitats. I just felt so bad for those majestic Big Cats trapped in cages.

26. Gone skinny dipping
Oh yes. When we moved from Houston, which had about 6 million people in it at the time, to a suburb of Austin that had about 4000 people. Lots of places to skinny dip in the dark. Plus, we had a river running right through town.

27. Run a Marathon
Walked a 10K when I was little for charity...you know like $.10 a kilometer. Muscular Dystrophy, I think.

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
Nope, only the continent I've been to is Australia.

29. Seen a total eclipse
Lunar. I don't ever recall having a "total" eclipse in Texas.

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
Both. Many a time. Once I hit puberty, puberty hit back hard by giving me a lifetime insomnia.

31. Hit a home run
The hard way. An infield HR. The centre fielder didn't have the arm to make it to home, and completely forgot using a cutoff man because, trust me, I wasn't that fast.

32. Been on a cruise
I don't like airplanes nor boats. Nothing I can't jump off of and run away from.

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
Been to upstate NY, but not that far upstate.

34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
Sorta, been at the ones of my father. His family lived there generations.

35. Seen an Amish community
We went through Ohio and Pennsylvania on family trips all the time, and it was hard not to go to an Amish community. Even with my lovely father constantly bitching about the horse drawn carriages on two lane roads with no passing.

36. Taught myself a new language
Enough to keep me out of jail in Mexico, Russia, France, Italy & Mainland China. Enough to have a meaningful conversation? Only in Mexico.

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Nope. Don't see it coming in the future either since I have no rich relatives and think that lotteries are a tax on stupid people.

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Yet again, MFer. Have YOU ever seen the Sydney Opera House?!?

39. Gone rock climbing
Even with my body that breaks if the wind blows too hard, even my my knees that have had 9 surgeries total, even with the arthritis....I had to at least once. Even practised

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
Not in person, No. I hear that it's in Europe somewhere you rubbing my nose in shit, bastard...

41. Sung karaoke
I was born with perfect pitch so hearing how far my voice is from that, it's too painful

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Nope, but I did watch a documentary once that showed how it's possibly a ticking time-bomb and my explode taking half the state with it.

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Not the entire meal, but a teenager took his girlfriend to a place here in town, and while she was in the restroom the waiter came back saying his one and only bank card was declined. He was so upset that he was about to cry. I couldn't take it, I called his waiter and the boy over asking if he could pay half the bill, and he said he could. I paid for the rest on my CC and his tip. He wanted my address to pay me back, but I told him I needed the good karma. Plus, when his girlfriend arrived back, the dessert I'd ordered for them that they had turned down because he had to break down and tell her that he didn't think he had enough...they got the desert they both wanted, & she believed only that he was trying to surprise her (if she'd been looking closely she would have seen the utter shock on his face). He almost started crying again and made his excuses to go to the restroom. He stopped by our table and thanked me profusely. Meaning my girlfriend at the time heard part of the story (which I truly had no intention of telling her) and demanded to know the rest. I told since it was no big deal, but when I went to drop her off she invited me inside, and I truly believed in Instant Karma" after that night.

44. Visited Africa
AUSTRALIA, you ass clown. What part do you not understand? Are you Sarah Bloody Palin and think that Africa is a country?!?

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
Hard to live 2 and a 1/2 hours from the Texas coast in Houston and not go and stay overnight. Plus, I was incredibly luck that my Aunt in North Carolina had a beach house in Hilton Head. A moonlight walk with a special someone is one of the most romantic things you can do.

46. Been transported in an ambulance
With all my knee problems, yes.

47. Had my portrait painted
Sorta. I Used to make $15 an hour to model for nude sketches/painting for classes at school.

48. Gone deep sea fishing
I'm not that great of a fisherman to waste my money of the boat/actual fishermen rental to be taken out and catch nothing.

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Funny enough, the Sistine Bloody Chapel doesn't go on tour either!!!

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Did that go on tour and I missed it?

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
If you've been/lived in AU and not dove on The Great Barrier Reef you missed out on one of nature's most amazing living things

52. Kissed in the rain
Yes.

53. Played in the mud
As a kid....okay as an adult too, but for different reasons...

54. Gone to a drive-in theater
Yeah, they used to have heaps of these in Houston when I was tiny.

55. Been in a movie
Nope.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China
NOOOOOOOOOO!

57. Started a business
Yup. Had a Comic Book/Book Store for a while.

58. Taken a martial arts class
Nope...body was in too bad of shape by the time I could afford it myself.

59. Visited Russia
No, DAMMIT!

60. Served at a soup kitchen
A few Thanksgiving's at school.

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
No, I found out they weren't actually made from little girls and lost all interest.

62. Gone whale watching
No.

63. Got flowers for no reason
Nope.

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Yes, blood. I've have O neg that can be used for newborns and preemies because I didn't have some virus when I was little. So, the Blood Centre loves me and calls me every 6 weeks like clock work to tap a vein.

65. Gone sky diving
Yet again, I didn't think my knees would survive the end bit.

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
No.

67. Bounced a check
Nope, but my ex from college was a master (mistress) at it, and we had a joint account.

68. Flown in a helicopter
No.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
Some Star Wars stuff is still in storage....okay some Hot Wheels too ;)

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Yup. Got to go to DC when the Cherry blossoms were doing beautiful.

71. Eaten Caviar
Yup...really salty and kinda slimy.

72. Pieced a quilt
Nope.

73. Stood in Times Square
Yes, for a bit.

74. Toured the Everglades
No.

75. Been fired from a job
Nope. Quit after 2 1/2 weeks, but never fired.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
NO, EUROPE, ASS CLOWN!!!

77. Broken a bone
Quite a number of them.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
Drove one for years, and I may have sped a time or 10000.

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Nope.

80. Published a book
Nope.

81. Visited the Vatican
What is it with you and Europe, Dammit!?!

82. Bought a brand new car
No, sir.

83. Walked in Jerusalem
AUSTRALIA...Say it with me: ONLY CONTINENT other then N. America.

84. Had my picture in the newspaper
Yeah, a few times for cute kid stuff.

85. Read the entire Bible
Yup & the Torah & the Qu'ran

86. Visited the White House
No.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Does a fish count?

88. Had chickenpox
When I was a baby.

89. Saved someone’s life
Nope.

90. Sat on a jury
No, got out of jury duty twice though.

91. Met someone famous
Used to meet Movie, TV and Comic Book people at the Conventions I used to go to.

92. Joined a book club
Briefly the Sci-Fi and Mystery clubs, but I bought all the books I needed to because they were a pain in my ass

93. Lost a loved one
A few of them.

94. Had a baby
Not "had" one, but I'm a Dad.

95. Seen the Alamo in person
Hard to live an hour and a half away and not go on at least 1 school trip.

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
No, Utah frightens me. Okay, not the state so much as the residents.

97. Been involved in a law suit
I guess divorce counts....lawyers were involved and we were counter suing one another.

98. Owned a cell phone
Only phone I have.

99. Been stung by a bee
Yeah, but then my Gran did something cool and tore the cigarette she was smoking in half and spit on the unsmoked tobacco, then rubbed it on the sting & within seconds the pain was gone. It sucked all the venom out. Cool trick I've done it with someone too, course I let them spit on their own cig, but that's my Gran.

100. Ridden an elephant
Yup. Those non-zoo trips. One was to Safari Texas were we rode on a hairy, smelly elephant.