A Reverse Bucket List

It seems to me that each day we do a lot of things that are normal, even boring for us but that might seem extraordinary to someone else. Seeking out the unusual in the seemingly everyday was the goal of this excercise.


I have...

  • loved someone
  • visited all 50 states in the US
  • read original copies of the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, and US Constitution
  • met four different US surgeons general
  • graduated from high school and college
  • composed a melody
  • written a book (ISBN-13 978-1462067510)
  • designed a telecom protocol (RFC 2516)
  • patented a process (USPTO 7617133)
  • questioned- defied- and been- an authority
  • been a bully, and been bullied
  • lived beyond, and within, my means

    • medicine

  • had an ER nurse tell me "We can hope it's a blood clot in your lung."
  • contracted mononucleosis the traditional way
  • given blood
  • gotten stitches
  • been in shock
  • suffered a mental illness

    • modes of travel

  • ridden on a train, parasail and hovercraft
  • piloted a sailboat
  • flown an airplane
  • driven a car
  • ridden a bicycle, skateboard, and moped
  • skiied and ice skated
  • caught a wave on a boogie board
  • ridden a bosun's chair in a storm

    • activities and sports

  • SCUBA dived in the Pacific and Caribbean
  • done a foward 1-1/2 from a one meter diving board
  • fired a pistol and rifle
  • danced a tango, swing, waltz, cha-cha, foxtrot, and jig
  • made and launched a model rocket
  • been to Pennsics XXVII, XXVIII and XXIX

    • sights (I have seen...)

  • 4th of July fireworks at the capitol mall
  • the sun rise over the Atlantic, and set over the Pacific
  • the Aurora Borealis
  • a rainbow over Stonehenge
  • the Crown Jewels of England
  • a whale breach

    • crafts

  • smelted copper from malachite
  • fired clay
  • caught, cleaned, cooked and eaten a fish
  • shot the sun with a sextant
  • used slight of hand to do "magic"
  • juggled
  • baked a pie

    • food (I have eaten...)

  • a raw scallop while 40' underwater
  • haggis
  • Welsh Rarebit in Wales
  • a Full English Breakfast in England
  • lamb stew and Guiness in Ireland
  • baked beans in Boston
  • crabcakes in Maryland
  • a Denver omelet in Denver
  • a California Roll in California
  • quiche, but I'm still a Real Man

    • professional things

  • programmed a computer
  • had the "would rehire" box checked at a job
  • started a business
  • owned a stock
  • destroyed a small industry (Carrier class web caching)
  • quit, been fired, and even fired myself

    • learned the phrase "Thank You" in the following languages:

  • learned the difference between there their and they're
  • donated to charity
  • helped the homeless
  • driven every mile of I-5 and I-40
  • thrown and gotten a suprise party
  • memorized the first 21 powers of 2
  • voted for conservative, liberal, and independent candidates
  • contacted my congressperson
  • voted with my my feet, my dollars, and my remote control
  • edited and authored articles on Wikipedia

    • travel (I have been to...)

    I may yet...

  • help build a castle
  • visit all 7 continents (Still To go: South America, Africa, Antarctica)
  • see the greenflash
  • find a meteorite
  • eat fugu
  • visit Germany
  • set a world record