44

Today is the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama.
It is a significant day. A day that I hope will bring a new hope to this country. There cannot be any great changes quickly. There cannot be any miracle cure. But this country NEEDS hope. It needs the ability to change. It needs a sense of community. And these are the things I believe our new president will bring.
At least that is MY hope.

Cold. And Snow. And Cold. And Cold. And Snow. And Cold

That pretty much sums it up. It's freakin' cold. There is LOTS of snow.
I'm bitchy & crampy & generally unpleasant today, so it's probably a good thing that I'm here at work alone.

Inspire or Admire...your call

Happy New Year!

I love Swapbot. I forces my creativity. And I joined this swap "inspire or admire" as a way of assessing just a few things I've done in my life. Here is the list. Those listed in Red are things I've done. (I've added some commentary where necessary.) Feel free to comment...or post your own list.

Bought everyone in the bar a drink
Swam with wild dolphins
Climbed a mountain
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside the Great Pyramid
Held a tarantula
Taken a candlelit bath with someone
Said “I love you” and meant it
Hugged a tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game
Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg
Slept under the stars
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Watched a meteor shower
Gotten drunk on champagne
Given more than you can afford to charity
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Bet on a winning horse
Asked out a stranger
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Held a lamb
Seen a total eclipse
Ridden a roller coaster
Hit a home run
Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
Adopted an accent for an entire day (uh, on a regular basis...I do reenactments!)
Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
Had two hard drives for your computer
Visited all 50 states
Taken care of someone who was drunk
Had amazing friends
Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
Watched whales
Stolen a sign
Backpacked in Europe
Taken a road-trip
Gone rock climbing
Midnight walk on the beach
Gone sky diving
Visited Ireland
Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
Visited Japan
Milked a cow
Alphabetized your CDs
Pretended to be a superhero
Sung karaoke
Lounged around in bed all day
Played touch football
Gone scuba diving
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Played in the rain
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken (is that possible?) (YES!)
Toured ancient sites
Taken a martial arts class
Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (What's D&D? guess if I don't know I have not done it) (Does it count that it was EAU & not D&D specifically?)
Gotten married
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Gotten divorced
Gone without food for 5 days
Made cookies from scratch
Won first prize in a costume contest
Ridden a gondola in Venice
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Been on television news programs as an “expert”
Gotten flowers for no reason
Performed on stage
Been to Las Vegas
Recorded music
Eaten shark
Kissed on the first date
Gone to Thailand
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Buried one/both of your parents
Been on a cruise ship
Spoken more than one language fluently
Performed in Rocky Horror
Raised children (in the process)
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
Passed out cold
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
Had plastic surgery
Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
Wrote articles for a large publication
Lost over 100 pounds (I WANT TO!)
Held someone while they were having a flashback
Piloted an airplane
Touched a stingray
Broken someone’s heart
Helped an animal give birth
Won money on a T.V. game show
Broken a bone
Gone on an African photo safari
Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
Ridden a horse
Had major surgery
Had a snake as a pet
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
Visited all 7 continents
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
Eaten kangaroo meat
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the newspaper
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
Gone back to school
Parasailed
Touched a cockroach
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
Killed and prepared an animal for eating (do fish count?)
Skipped all your school reunions (technically none have been organised)
Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
Been elected to public office
Written your own computer language
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
Had to put someone you love into hospice care
Built your own PC from parts
Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
Had a booth at a street fair
Dyed your hair
Been a DJ
Shaved your head (not completely, just parts)
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life