Ripping off Victoria.

Alright, so I'm unabashedly plagiarizing from Victoria this time (visit her fine blog, Idle Thoughts and Random Links). And I feel fine about it. I had just found a couple of things I liked, so here they are for your viewing pleasure (and yes Victoria, you have already seen these somewhere...)

First, this to the right (--> that-a-way, silly) is just plain disturbing. But I want it. Sad. But where do I get it? Mr. Suicide bathtub Plug. Yike. For when you feel it's all going down the drain. When you're sinking (or tubbing, for that matter). Sort of a reverse hanging effect, bobbing away on the surface, waiting for Leonardo DiCaprio to say "I'm King of the world". Then ending it all forever to strains of Celine Dion.

The second thing, was a post listing life experiences where you bold the things you've done. In an effort to better get to know you, the readers, and for you to get to know me, the crackpot at the computer, here is my list (feel free to copy and leave yours in the comments section should you wish). Suddenly I don't feel so boring (though I AM sitting here on the computer. Still.) Discuss.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins (fudge number 1: not sure how wild they were)
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped (too anti-climactic after number 50)
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all nightlong and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights (have seen parts, but would love to see them up north)
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 (does a glacier count?)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (only when tethered, so no)
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten 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
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
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (only a part of a day, but then, I'm like that)
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 (working on it -- up to at least 27 by car)
41. Taken care of someone who was sh*t faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales (fudge number 2: it was only one Orca, but it was wild)
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip (see here)
48. Gone rock climbing (I'm told I'm going soon)
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually 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 (not to mention colour-coded closets)
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (mercifully, no)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers (again, mercifully, no)
61. Gone scuba diving (a dream, ahead -- bring on the reefs)
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
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced (Working on it, though still 'separated')
76. Gone without food for 5 days (riiiiight -- have you seen me?)
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert" (well, radio)
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas (Reno, the poor man's Vegas, though)
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
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
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children (in process)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour (one stop, many miles away...)
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 (no, but drove it, or sat on it in rush hour anyway)
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
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
109. Petted a stingray (RIP, Steve Irwin)
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth (Do people count?)
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
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery (how major?)
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
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (Yum, Wonder Sushi!)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (among others, ironically, while doing 32)
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school (soon)
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes (DVD was tougher to chew than the VHS though)
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey (bloomin' English degree)
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish)
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
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 (see above, right)
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

Updated: 12/18/2007

Unexpected Charlie Update! Nothing like the headline, "Charlie Attacks" to send Vietnam Veterans everywhere a-scurryin'. A case of the elevens (apparently cats tend to act all crazy around 11 p.m., hence 'the elevens' -- discuss amongst yourselves), albeit about a half hour early for the favorite feline. Random tearing around the house, pouncing on, let's see here -- air. Ever the fierce hunter. Nothing says Big Game Prey like, well, a prowling, green backpack. Charlie says he was able to subdue the beast, which he feared to be a giant turtle. But a fast-moving one. Really.



Now calm, he has been playing peek-a-boo from behind the chair for about ten minutes. Ever bashful, that cat. "Where's my darn treat, UD?" And now, the loudest purr, like a rattlesnake, pacing figure eights between my legs.