I really should do some more sciency stuff, but it’s almost Christmas, so instead I’ll let myself get sucked into a blog meme, as seen on VWXYNot (hang on, don’t I recognize her from somewhere?) and Grrlscientist.
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A Meme I Can Live With
- Date:
- Sunday, 21 Dec ember 2008 - 18:42 UTC
The meme lists 100 unusual experiences that one might have had in his lifetime. I’ve put those I’ve experienced in bold, and those I’d particularly like to experience someday in red (some of the others would be quite fun, but they don’t shout out “do this!” to me).
- Started my own blog
- Slept under the stars
- Played in a band
- Visited Hawaii
- Watched a meteor shower
- Given more than I can afford to charity
- Been to Disneyland/world
- Climbed a mountain
- Held a praying mantis
- Sung a solo
- Bungee jumped
- Visited Paris – unless you count waiting in an airport
- Watched lightning at sea
- Taught myself an art from scratch
- Adopted a child – I adopted a cat.
- Had food poisoning
- Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
- Grown my own vegetables
- Seen the Mona Lisa in France
- Slept on an overnight train
- Had a pillow fight
- Hitchhiked
- Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
- Built a snow fort – I grew up in Britain. ’nuff said.
- Held a lamb
- Gone skinny dipping
- Run a Marathon – Stockholm. 4hrs 15 min.
- Ridden in a gondola in Venice
- Seen a total eclipse
- Watched a sunrise or sunset – at this time of the year, easy.
- Hit a home run
- Been on a cruise – I guess the booze cruise to Stockholm and back doesn’t count.
- Seen Niagara Falls in person
- Visited the birthplace of my ancestors – on my mother’s side it’s South Yorkshire, not to far from Scunthorpe.
- Seen an Amish community
- Taught myself a new language
- Had enough money to be truly satisfied
- Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
- Gone rock climbing
- Seen Michelangelo’s David
- Sung karaoke
- Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
- Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
- Visited Africa
- Walked on a beach by moonlight – hmmm. Could be fun combined with 52. Depending on the climate.
- Been transported in an ambulance
- Had my portrait painted
- Gone deep sea fishing
- Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
- Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
- Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
- Kissed in the rain – Come on, in Britain or Finland?
- Played in the mud
- Gone to a drive-in theater – Ah, more Americana.
- Been in a movie
- Visited the Great Wall of China
- Started a business
- Taken a martial arts class
- Visited Russia
- served at a soup kitchen
- Sold Girl Scout Cookies
- Gone whale watching
- Got flowers for no reason
- Donated blood, platelets or plasma – A few times, but I kept on fainting afterwards, so I had to give up.
- Gone sky diving – I get vertigo, I shudder just thinking about it.
- Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
- Bounced a check
- Flown in a helicopter – once I got over my vertigo.
- Saved a favorite childhood toy
- Visited the Lincoln Memorial
- Eaten caviar – sorry, bad, bad, bad.
- Pieced a quilt
- Stood in Times Square
- Toured the Everglades
- Been fired from a job
- Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
- Broken a bone – yes, it was one of mine.
- Been on a speeding motorcycle
- Seen the Grand Canyon in person
- Published a book – I really should be writing it.
- Visited the Vatican
- Bought a brand new car
- Walked in Jerusalem
- Had my picture in the newspaper
- Read the entire Bible
- Visited the White House
- Killed and prepared an animal for eating
- Had chickenpox
- Saved someone’s life
- Sat on a jury
- Met someone famous
- Joined a book club
- Lost a loved one
- Had a baby – could be difficult.
- Seen the Alamo in person
- Swam in the Great Salt Lake
- Been involved in a law suit
- Owned a cell phone
- Been stung by a bee
- Ridden an elephant
Anyone else want to join in? Or just ridicule me for being boring.
Last updated: Sunday, 21 Dec 2008 - 18:42 UTC
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Comments
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Nah, I think I have Most Boring in the Meme Division wrapped up, Bob. Grrl has the meme by way of my pseudonymous blog, and I got it from Cath’s other blog. My version is here.
I don’t usually “do” memes, pseudonymously or otherwise, because they often remind me of the South Park episode Smug Alert!, in which everyone drives a Toyonda Pious, there’s a perfect storm of self-satisfaction, and San Francisco disappears up its own @$$hole. “Good for you ….”
Oh, that’s who you are! :-)
If I do enough memes, will Scunthorpe disappear up its own rear end too?
I think you’ll need to adapt this list to European standards.
I also wonder how you could visit Africa.
Well, I had lunch in Arabia today.
@ Bob – Regarding #71. Eaten caviar: I agree with you about the badness of eating sturgeon caviar, but the one kind I’ve eaten was Swedish caviar, which is taken from lumpfish (Cyclopterus spp.). Not evaluated by the IUCN, so potentially a threatened species, I guess.
And yes, ‘tis I behind that other blog. Since it’s almost exclusively non-controversial science posts, and I don’t whinge about my colleagues or place of employment, there’s little reason to be pseudonymous.
@ Raf – The meme is undeniably biased, as are all memes. Even though I live in the Alamo City, I think that visiting the Alamo is an odd thing to have on the list, as its cultural significance is pretty limited.
In a cynical moment, I might be inclined to write a medical school application meme.
Wait, what, you’ve lived in Europe all those years and never been to Paris?
@Kristi: Have a look at the Statement of Purpose contest and a few of the entries that FSP has posted since; you might find your cynicism insufficient.
@Bob: I’ll join in, as I’m feeling uninspired as well. But you can rectify the Paris bit anytime from next autumn on, when I will be moving back and we have a spare (sofa)bed.
I live on the other side of Europe from Paris, so it’s a bit difficult to hop on the train to see it.
And anyway, is their version of the Blackpool Tower really any better than ours?
Thanks for the offer, Heather. I might take you up on it, but I’ve no idea where I’ll be in the autumn as it is.