100 Things I've Done

While trying to come up with my list of "100 Things To Do Before I Die", I thought it would be interesting to create a list of "100 Things I've Done".

They range from the simple to the extravagant, the everyday to the uncommon, and the trivial to the significant. But going through this exercise showed me that I've BOTH experienced life AND also have much more to do.

Here it goes (in no particular order of importance):

1. Was interviewed on CLTV (Chicagoland Television) while attending a pink-slip party.
2. Donated money to a meaningful cause.
3. Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.
4. Saw the Pope in person at the Vatican.
5. Attended Lollapalooza '94 at Randalls Island when The Smashing Pumpkins and The Beastie Boys headlined.
6. Flew first-class.
7. Earned a bachelor's degree in English.
8. Lived in Chicago for nearly eight years.
9. Rode in a classic Rolls-Royce.
10. Had my wisdom teeth removed.
11. Shopped at the Mall of America.
12. Shot hoops with a City of Chicago sanitation worker.
13. Learned (and subsequently forgot) how to speak Ukrainian.
14. Learned (and subsequently forgot) how to speak Spanish.
15. Became an uncle.
16. Became a godfather.
17. Spoke words about a loved one at his funeral.
18. Gave toasts as a groomsman.
19. Was a groomsman 6 times but never a best man.
20. Got a fake tattoo.
21. Hiked up Mt. Snowdon, the tallest peak in Great Britain.
22. Stayed up all night in Hamburg, Germany.
23. Ran a now defunct "Guys' Weekend" among college friends.
24. Drove backwards down a road in Wessington Springs, SD.
25. Drove along the Pacific Coast Highway.
26. Sold items on Craigslist.
27. Got a fake tattoo.
28. Heard the U.S. Poet Laureate speak.
29. Spent college summers working at a law firm.
30. Commuted for different jobs via train, plane and automobile.
31. Attended a synchronized swimming competition.
32. Witnessed Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire battle it out at Wrigley Field.
33. Participated in a charity 5K Run/Walk (yeah, I walked).
34. Had a fake ID from Arizona. Had a fake ID from Florida.
35. Attended a wedding that traveled down the Willamette.
36. Played in a couple "Bookstore Basketball" tournament games.
37. Lived with roommates. Lived by myself.
38. Won a prize (an autographed Bloc Party album courtesy of Time Out Chicago).
39. Been to many a tailgater.
40. Participated in a snowball fight.
41. Spoke in front of large audiences.
42. Earned a Master's Degree.
43. Went to my high school prom.
44. Gambled in Vegas.
45. Fought with a landlord.
46. Was a political cartoonist in college.
47. Taught inner-city high school kids in Chicago through a volunteer program.
48. Attended the NBA Finals, the NCAA tournament, and regular season MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, MiLB games
49. Had a pint at the Guinness factory in Dublin.
50. Been pulled over 3x for speeding but never got a ticket.
51. Volunteered at a soup kitchen in SoHo.
52. Was a deejay on the campus radio station.
53. Had a long-distance relationship.
54. Drove across the Golden Gate Bridge.
55. Worked for a dot-com.
56. Got laid off from a dot-com.
57. Lived in 7 apartments including a high-rise, a mid-rise and a brownstone.
58. Watched the sun set in Aruba.
59. Went backstage at a Depeche Mode concert.
60. Watched some b-ball at the W. 4th Street Courts in West Village.
61. Drank a "forty".
62. Fell in love.
63. Proposed in Central Park.
64. Got married in Oak Park, IL.
65. Backpacked through Europe with friends.
66. Saw Big Ben, Abbey Road, Buckingham Palace, The Eiffel Tower, The Berlin Wall, The Vatican, etc.
67. Had a "non-speaking" part as a Roman Soldier in my grade school's rendition of "The Stations of the Cross".
68. Had a company fly me out for an interview.
69. Was high school valedictorian.
70. Was high school student body president.
71. Was an audience member at The Colbert Report, The Conan O'Brien Show, TalkBack Live on CNN, and The Jenny Jones Show.
72. Sent flowers to my mother.
73. Said goodbye to the home I grew up in.
74. Participated in a cooking class, skated at Rockefeller Center, and bowled at Chelsea Piers for different corporate outings.
75. Went to a movie by myself.
76. Went to a concert by myself.
77. Ate frogs legs, escargot, caviar and foie gras (though not all in the same meal).
78. Have been through 104 cities in 12 countries.
79. Visited the Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, The National Gallery, and The White House.
80. Had meals at Jean Georges, WD-50, Charlie Trotters, Georges at the Cove and L'Auberge.
81. Talked to one of my favorite artists (the band Ida) at Schubas in Chicago (I was drunk).
82. Volunteered at a hospital in Elizabeth, NJ. Volunteered at an elementary school and a food pantry in Chicago, IL.
83. Reviewed CDs and Concerts for the campus newspaper.
84. Wrote a poem about a girl.
85. Had a different girl write something about me (it wasn't favorable).
86. Seen many concerts from arenas to small venues, including R.E.M., U2, Beck, Oasis, Pavement, The Sundays, Matthew Sweet, The Lemonheads, Aimee Mann, Death Cab for Cutie, Elliott Smith, Ida, The New Pornographers, Belle and Sebastian, Badly Drawn Boy, Depeche Mode, etc.
87. Have laughed with friends at The Second City, The Improv Olympic, and Zanies.
88. Have seen the Louvre, The National Gallery (London), The Tate, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Guggenheim, The Museum of Natural History, The Met, Musee d' Orsay, SF Moma, etc.
89. Watched plays at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
90. Worked for a global financial services firm.
91. Worked for a cable television network.
92. Worked on product placements for different television programs.
93. Have seen some celebrities throughout NYC.
94. Have visited Belgium, Amsterdam, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy, France, The Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, and of course, Canada.
95. Blew off studying for an exam to go to a concert.
96. Performed many a skit at various corporate outings and retreats.
97. Earned a few "senior superlatives" in high school.
98. Stepped onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium.
99. Lived in NYC and realized that there's more life to be lived.
100. Started a blog.