The Bucket List

Inspired by the movie of the same name. 

One of my students sent this to me on Facebook because they said I was the most interesting person they knew. 


Things you have done during your lifetime:

(x) Gone on a blind date

(x) Skipped school

(x) Been to Canada ... 5 provinces, a few to go

(x) Been to Mexico ... 4 states - haven't been to Acapulco or Cabo.

(x) Been to Florida ... my folks retired there

(x) Been to Hawaii ... 3 islands - 5 to go ... and I need to hike Kilaeua and Mauna Loa

(x) Been to Alaska ... wanna go back

(x) Been to Caribbean Islands ... Cayman, Jamaica, Bahamas ... but not that BIG one - Cuba ... and missing some others.

(x) Been on a plane ... over 500,000 miles

(x) Been on a helicopter ... from JFK to LGA

(X) Been lost

(x) Gone to Washington, DC - twice ... 44 years apart - that's gotta be some kinda record??? The first time I was there JFK was president!!!

(X) Swam in the ocean - Pacific, Atlantic

(x) Played cops and robbers

(x) Recently colored with crayons

(X) Sang Karaoke

(x) Paid for a meal with coins only ... this was before debit cards came along.

(x) Rode to the top of the St. Louis Arch ... kissed 3 different dates at the top - yes, the last one was my wife! Also been to the top of the Space Needle, HemisFair Tower, the Empire State Building and John Hancock Building. Watched my sister turn white on the 65th floor of the Chase Tower in Houston!

(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't ... yeah - let's not go there!

(x) Made prank phone calls ... is your refrigerator running?

(x) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans ... on a bicycle even!

(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose or elsewhere

(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

(x) Danced in the rain

(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus

(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe

(x) Watched the sunrise with someone ... and the sunset (Mt Rainer and Kona come to mind as the most special recent ones ... through the high rise on the honeymoon was fun, too)!

(X) Blown bubbles

(x) Gone ice-skating (outdoors even, on a pond!!!)

(X) Gone to the movies

(x) Been deep sea fishing

(x) Driven across the United States ... define "across"? Detroit to Houston 5 times ... Houston to Orlando about 20 times! Salt Lake City to Albuquerque

( ) Been in a hot air balloon*

( ) Been sky diving

(x) Gone snowmobiling ... and ice fishing!!!

( ) Lived in more than one country <<<>

So did them all except three. So let's make some comments and add some things that weren't sent ...

*I've tried the hot air balloon several times for anniversary but can't make it happen. Points for trying ... ???

How does riding in a restored B-24 bomber rate? I did that to take photos as a friends ashes were dropped over the Gulf of Mexico. Remember, the camera will take you places!!! I missed flying on the Concorde. Two great aviation thrills were riding the FIRST AA 747 out of Detroit to LAX. Then, we took a 747 transcontinent from JFK to LAX. No, not a member of the Mile High Club.

If you check out another post somewhere, I've ridden in all kinds of goofy things ... Goodyear Blimp, Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, SPAM Bus, Hershey Kissmobile ... but NOT the Batmobile!!! Been in a Chaparral in Midland, TX though.

Standing on the track and in the pits at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in 2008 was great. So was taking the tour of it and the Indy Motor Speedway ... even was at IMS for NASCAR tire testing, took a photo and had it published by the Indy Star. I have NEVER been to the Indy 500 - was close on 2 occasions. Gotta make a race at Indy or the 500 at Daytona.

live in another country might not happen ... but on the list is 4-10 weeks along the Mediterranean.

Hmmm ... sing with Neil Diamond, Don Henley or Glenn Frey, or Asleep at the Wheel live ... goodness knows I know the words to their songs. And something besides at a concert. In that regard, I sang the National Anthem with Luciano Pavarotti ... yeah, me, Neal and 37,000 others!!! Yeah, and Neal, Patty, Sally and I were there on Texas Independence Day 1986 - sesquicentennial - to sing Texas, Our Texas with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings! Coolness!

Ohhh ... I wanna sing the Canadian National Anthem before a sports event. I had something worked out with the Astros but then the Expos moved. My wife has sung the N/A at both the Astrodome and Minute Maid park. Yeah, family competition.

Ride the luge or bobsled at the Winter Olympic sites. Let's just set this for North America as I did Salt Lake (Park City) ... but if I get to Italy I'll try Turin and maybe even cross the border to Grenoble ... ???

Go to all 50 states! My folks did this and they've also been to Puerto Rico twice. My in-laws have almost done this, and they've been to the five states I'm currently missing on my list ... Montana, North dakota, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. There are a few states I need to "re do" ... like it spent maybe 47 seconds in Idaho in 2004 just taking a photo; I drove through Rhode Island and Delaware just to say I was there; the last time I was in NC and SC I was two-years-old - does it count if you don't remember it????

Go to all the MLB ball parks. I've been to a few (another post, another time) but I never made it to OLD Yankee Stadium. And while I have "been" to Camdem Yards, it was in November and there wasn't a game - does that count??? What about visiting the site of past parks that no longer exist? I went to the OLD OLD Busch Stadium and saw a drug deal! (my sister was thrilled!)

Go to all the Race Tracks. Again, something that keeps changing. And define "race track" ... Sprint Cup, Nationwide, defunct, drag strip, race going on, tour, Richard Petty Driving Experience ... ??? I've been to Gateway in STL but they weren't racing, so I'm hoping to go in a few weeks to see the Nationwide Series event.

Finally ... I've walked picket and protest lines ... but that wasn't why I almost got arrested!