AmyL's Xanga

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 11:34:39 GMT

I've moved to a new blog:

Monday, December 13, 2004

Mon, 13 Dec 2004 19:09:58 GMT

I'm so neglectful of this blog. My plan was to transfer this to my domain on my own server and get my own design up with some new content management software before posting again ... but that just hasn't happened yet and I'm not sure when it will, so here we are again. Me and Xanga. And you, too, of course. So to update you somewhat...

We went to NYC on Saturday and had a really great trip, but DAMN did it tire us out!!! There was nine of us total taking the trip, so we decided to take the train... which turned out to be an excellent idea. At the train station in Trenton, I found a $100 bill on the floor! I couldn't believe it! I did look around and waited for people in line ahead of me to look like they were missing money, etc., but no one seemed distressed. I decided to take that money and pay for everyone's ticket. That was a great way to get the day started.

It was so, so, so, so, sooooooo crowded in the city - it made getting anything done a nightmare. We had a good plan outlined, but we ended up not being able to do much of what was on there due to the crowds.

When we first got there, we went out to lunch and then we decided to split up because my mom and sister wanted to go to this ice cream place called Serendipity and we didn't really want to do that. So, me, Rob, the kids and my friend Liz walked for a while and first stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral. That place is HUGE and very gorgeous and awe-inspiring.

After that, we walked some more and stopped at FAO Schwartz. My friend Liz got her picture taken with the live-action princess. Then we took a bus up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When we got there it was daylight and then I went into the gift shop with Connor. When we came out, it was dark already! We all met up here before heading to our next destination.

We were headed to Rockefeller Center to see the tree, but we had to take 2 cabs to do so. My mom, Jen, Ed and the boys all got in one cab while we waited for the 2nd one. We ended up having to walk about 8 blocks and it was at least 1/2 hour later before we actually caught the 2nd cab! Major pain in the ass. It started to get really cold and a little rainy. Not fun. We all zoned out in the cab ride back to midtown, that took forever because of traffic.

So we went and did the tree thing and that was nice. Some guy proposed to his girlfriend on the ice. Awww. The tree looked the same as it does every other year. LOL By this time, it was time for dinner and so we scrambled, along with at least a million other people (LOL) to go find a place to eat.

Every year we do this - get stuck in the Times Square area looking for a place to eat with no previous plan. I found out today that we were right by restaurant row and there are some nice restaurants to be found there, but where did we end up? TGI Friday's. Woo hoo. Home of the $20 cheeseburgers!!!

2 1/2 hours later, we got out of there and did the square. It was pretty crowded (big surprise), but we still managed to get in a few good shots. The highlight of the night for me and Liz was finding Sephora. YEAH BUDDY! Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time in there because we had to catch the train, but it was enough to whet my appetite and to understand what everyone raves about. I found out there is one in King of Prussia - I am SO going there after the new year.

We were all so tired on the train ride home. Did I mention that we got to the train station at 9:12 to find that the next train was leaving at 9:14 and the train after that might not have gotten us to our connecting train in time? Yeah. So, picture us running through the station Home Alone style like fools. No wonder Aric still found time to be sillyon the ride home.

And everyone had a great laugh at my expense at the end of the night. When we got off the PATH train in Trenton to get on the Riverline, I went on to the 2nd car for some reason and everyone else went on the 1st car. I thought I'd just open the door and walk through to get to the 1st car, but I couldn't get the door open. I was afraid to leave that car to get on the other car because I thought the train would leave, but I didn't want to ride on the 2nd car all by myself the whole way home. So, I BOOKED out of there to the first car, completely panicked and absolutely certain the train was going to start moving while I was outside. That didn't happen, though. I got into the car where everyone was laughing so hard, they were practically crying. It took a minute before someone could catch their breath enough to tell me what a complete ass I looked like running as fast as I could from one car to the other. So we laughed, we hooped, we hollered. Woo! Then we settled down (finally!) and I checked the schedule... the train wasn't leaving for another 10 minutes! Of course, that was the funniest thing anyone there had ever heard.

It was after midnight by the time we got home... after starting the day at 9am, we were completely wiped out. Yesterday we got our Christmas tree... we'll do the decorations this week and I'll bestow upon you more pictures, I'm sure. I've still got tiny blisters on my feet and my legs are sore, so no walking/running for me today. I can't wait for work to be over so I can go home and rest!

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Tue, 09 Nov 2004 22:44:11 GMT

Finally getting a chance to get in here and blog something! I don't want to blog from work, so finding time to blog can be a challenge - it seems like I'm always on the go!

Rob and I celebrated our 12th anniversary this past weekend. It's hard to believe, in some ways, that we've been together that long. In other ways, it feels like it's been a hell of a lot longer than 12 years!

We had a fabulous weekend together. On Friday night we took the kids to see The Incredibles. If you haven't already seen it, go - all the hype is true - it's a great movie. Before dinner on Saturday, we dropped the kids off at Rob's parents' house so we could go on a date. We went out to eat, then to Barnes and Noble for some book browsing and coffee drinking before we headed to our final destination: George Carlin!

This is the second time we've been to the Tower to see a show. The neighborhood didn't get any better since the last time we were there. Mayor Street is doing wonders for Philadelphia, let me tell ya. So we got there a bit earlier than we expected and drove around for a while until we found the best parking spot. We always challenge ourselves to get good street parking, it's like a little game we play whenever we go into Philly or NYC. As we approached the theater, we saw two long lines in front of the building and soon figured out that the line for ticket holders stretched a full city block. By the time they let us in, that line had wrapped around the block and doubled. Incredible! The weather was absolutely gorgeous that night, though, so it was no big deal to stand out there waiting. Besides, it gave me a great opportunity to people watch.

Once we got into the theater and start looking for our seats, we noticed that our seats would be the two on the end. Yeah!! We were psyched! So we start walking forward, looking for our row - trying to figure out which one was ours by doing the alphabet in reverse. Since we're a little slow, it took us until we were about 4 rows away before we discovered where we were supposed to sit. There were our two empty seats, right on the end, just waiting for us. And right beside them was two occupied seats, with the closest one containing a woman who had to weigh at least 400 pounds. We looked at each other and both said, "Oh no." I was so disappointed - this girl was totally in my seat, spilling over from her seat. I don't know how she even fit into her seat and I felt really bad for her, she had to be completely uncomfortable!! I made the best of it, though, and just angled my body and legs towards Rob's seat and tried to ignore the seat pushing into me every time she made a movement.

The first comedian came on - Dennis Blair - and he did a bang-up job. He was really, really funny and we laughed our asses off listening to him. I think he performed for about 1/2 hour, then we had a 15 minute intermission. We both stood and next thing I knew, Rob said, "I'll be right back." I saw him approach an usher and knew what he was doing. A minute later, he waved me down and we both thanked the usher as we sat in the first row of the second section all by ourselves! That was really nice of the guy. I really felt bad for the fat girl, then, though!

So George Carlin comes out with this killer opening monologue. He was rhyming and spewing out all this stuff in time as he tapped his foot - it was really great. I thought, "Hot damn, we are in for a good show!" I thought wrong.

He basically stayed stuck on a rant about how stupid Americans are. If I wanted to hear that, I would have stayed home and read blogs all night. His other main bit, that went on for at least 1/2 an hour, was about suicide. That joke just wasn't working for me. I thought maybe I was just getting tired and cranky, but Rob leaned over and asked me if I was ready to leave at one point ... we decided to stick it out another ten minutes and then we high tailed it out of there. Very disappointing!

However, we had a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful time together ... and I think we both feel like our relationship is just so ... right, at this moment in time and it's a good feeling. It's been a long time.

In other news - who's heard the new U2 album? We have all the songs, but I haven't had a chance to listen to them all yet. I'm excited to check it out!

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Tue, 02 Nov 2004 23:49:33 GMT

You know you are officially losing your technology edge over the kids when your eight year old grabs a wireless card from the 10 year old's laptop so he can get online after you told him, "You'll have to wait until Dad gets home, it doesn't look like you can get online." D'oh!

Did everyone vote today? I went bright and early this morning. I was astounded at the number of people out at 7-something in the morning! So now we just play the waiting game.

We've had a busy few days with Halloween and also celebrating my dad's birthday. Here are some pictures: http://ariconstudios.com/pics/October/ Aren't the twins getting big?

Yeah, so I've got nothing ... just wanted to put something up here since I'm such a slacker at blogging lately.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 22:26:56 GMT

Funny how easy it is to get out of the posting habit once you miss a day or two.

I am seriously concerned tonight. We just went shoe shopping for the boys. Connor needed new shoes and Aric was just along for the ride, but being that he seems to have inherited his mother's shoe whore gene, he got a pair as well.

Anyway, I'm in the young men's aisle helping Aric pick out a pair while Connor went off on his own. The aisles are laid out according to size and the back wall ended in a men's 10 and continued down the next wall to the bigger sizes. I thought Connor was in a 10, so when he disappeared around the corner, I was unsure about what he was doing, exactly. After helping Aric, I went to find Connor - and found him at the very end of that last aisle trying on shoes. I looked up at the sizes and saw 12 and 13 on the wall. Hmmm.

"Connor, what are you doing down here?"

"Trying on shoes. Duh." Okay, he didn't say "Duh.", but it was implied. Believe me.

He says, "I think I need a 13 in these, I tried on the 12 but they were too tight."

"Uh... wah????"

I watched in complete disbelief as he tried on the 13's, immediately bending down to check his toe position. Damn! They fit! Then I quickly looked up at the wall. Oh no. 13 is the last size at this store.

What in the world are we going to do? Connor is 10 years old. And he's in a men's size 13 shoe. What size is he going to end up in? 38?? I am trying not to think too much about it, because I can't change it anyway... but I am seriously hoping I don't end up with some 7 foot giant on my hands.

Also, he has started to hit puberty, I think. He absolutely has to have a daily shower or he risks offending everyone within a 5 foot radius.

Who the hell said my kids could grow up so fast? And so big?

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Thu, 14 Oct 2004 21:30:16 GMT

Holy crap!!!!!!!! I just had the bejeezus scared out of me and I didn't even know I had bejeezus IN me!

I was downstairs doing the cat pans - it's pretty dark down there because the circuit for one of the lights isn't working right. So I'm in the semi-dark and just scooping up the cat piss and shit, having the time of my life ... when I notice one of the poop lumps is moving on its own. Up the side of the litter box. Being a fairly intelligent girl, I figured out it wasn't poop after all. But, what the hell was it?

I knew four things: it wasn't poop, it was dark, it was big and it was moving. Quickly.

So I quickly pushed the litter box with my foot out into the garage where there is a functioning, but dim light and set my sights on this large, hairy spider. O.M.G.

I'm thinking - what the hell is a spider doing in the litter box?? I didn't know spiders were into the scat scene? But more importantly, I'm thinking - KILL THE BASTARD, QUICK! I get the litter scooper and smush him ... still pretty panicked, but feeling more secure with a weapon in my hand until I noticed I didn't see him any more. Where did he go? Into the litter? I start digging... no spider... I turn the scooper over - he scurries out and heads toward my hand! AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Meanwhile, I'm scaring myself even further - imagining that a strange man is going to whisper into my ear as I'm trying to murder the spider, "What's wrong?" and when I turned around, he'd be the ugliest man I ever saw armed with a 6-inch dagger. Um, did I mention I'm home alone? Guess my imagination goes into overdrive at times. Didn't we just talk about this?

Anyway, I come to my senses after knocking the spider back into the litter and impaling him at least 5 times until he was no longer in one piece. Yet he still moved. What is up with that? Ugh!

Okay, so the spider is dead. But, I'm still home alone. Hold me.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Wed, 13 Oct 2004 10:27:26 GMT

I feel like I'm returning from the dead. I have been one sick puppy for the last 5 days. I'm on an antibiotic now and I'm starting to feel better. Thank God! You know what's funny, when I took the antibiotic, I instantly thought of the movie Osmosis Jones and I pictured this whole cartoon happening inside my body.

I often wonder if my thought life is seriously whacked. Like, I will watch my fish swimming in the tank and imagine conversations they're having with each other. There are a lot of times I'll be in deep thought about inanimate objects and then catch myself and go, "Whoa! Good thing that wasn't out loud." Ahem. Moving right along...

So we've had an epidemic of disease break out in the fish tank. Of course, my first thought was - I fed them and they got sick from my sickness on my hands! I wonder if that's even possible? Anyway, I'm sad because one of my favorite fish, the silver molly, was in really bad shape last night and this morning: couldn't really swim, just holding onto the tank with her mouth and staying in a vertical position, mouth all red and swollen, tail eaten up. It was awful. I wanted to put her out of her misery, but I didn't want to flush her because I read somewhere that they can still survive down there, but it's an awful existance and an inhumane way to kill a fish. So, I thought she was in bad enough shape, I'd just net her out and hold her in the net for a few minutes while she suffocated to death. My other option (from the site I read) was chopping her head off. I just couldn't bring myself to put this 3 inch fish on my butcher block and bring down the knife. Ya know? So I'm standing there, holding her in the net - feeling awful about her plight when I feel like she takes her last breath. I don't see her moving or breathing... so I take her to the toilet and put the net in. Don't you know, she swam out of that net! I really had no choice at this point - so I flushed her. God! I felt awful.

Do ordinary people go through this much agony over aquarium fish? (Laura, don't answer that.)

I'm going to enjoy another day off... once the kids are off to school, I'm going to just take it easy and rest. But I'll probably be able to get a few things done since I am feeling a bit better. Getting your nails done isn't strenuous after all.

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Tue, 05 Oct 2004 13:20:34 GMT

My other nieces are getting big. Check them out:

That's Kate on the left and Sara on the right. Sara's birthmarks are mostly faded, but you can still see the one on her forehead.

Having all these babies around almost makes me want another one. I miss the infant stage at times. Then I remember how much freedom I have now with an 8 and 10 year old and I smack myself upside the head for having such foolish thoughts.

I keep seeing this meme around bloggerville where people ask for picture requests then they post the pictures... I'd love to do that, but I think I'm too lazy. It seems like a lot of work, especially if I got a lot of requests.

I think I am going to start blogging on a "real domain" again. I've been doing some design work at my regular job, my side job and just for pleasure - I've been bitten by the bug. We'll see how long it lasts...

Last night when I got home, I went in to say goodnight to the boys. I noticed Aric was chewing gum, so I asked him to give it to me. He said he swallowed it and I went on about my business. A few minutes later, Connor called me in to ask a question and I noticed Aric was chewing gum again. I said, "I thought you swallowed it?" He informed me that he swallowed the OTHER piece, but this was a new piece. I remembered then that he got a package of Big League Chew for his birthday. (Thank you, Christopher!) So, he swallows the second piece and I go on my merry way. Again.

I'm sitting in my room and Aric walks down the hallway; says, "Hey, Mom? ... nevermind.", and walks back to his room.

Two minutes later, Connor is howling, crying, hyperventilating and whining all at the same time. It didn't take a great deal of mother's intuition to realize that Aric had hurt Connor in some way. I waited a minute to see if Connor could settle himself down while calling out an exasperated and lame, "What happened?", but he didn't seem to be improving so I got up to go check on him.

The boys sleep in loft-style bunk beds, so Connor's bed is directly under Aric's bed - which we really need to re-think considering how many "accidents" occur with this set-up. This time Aric's basketball just happened to "fall" off of Aric's bed and landed directly on Connor's stomach. I am sure a ball dropping from 3 feet could not build up enough force to warrant the amount of hooping and hollering that was occuring in Connor's bed. And somehow the ball was already back in Aric's bed - I still haven't figured that one out.

Anyway, I take the ball away and while Aric is protesting, I see his little lips smacking - he's STILL chewing gum! The little shit. So now I ask for the package of gum as well. Here's how that conversation went:

Me: Give me the package of gum. NOW!

Aric: It's all gone.

Me: Where is the empty package then?

Aric: I threw it away.

Me: When?

Aric: (thinking fast) When I came to ask you a question.

Me: (starting to actually believe him - but not quite THAT dumb) Where did you throw it away?

Aric: In the trash.

Me: Which trash, Aric (smart-ass!) ?

Aric: (looks around frantically) Um. The kitchen.

Me: Okay, let's go see.

By this point, Rob is up and in the room, too, and joins the conversation. He had fallen asleep early - I think it was the KC- Baltimore game that did it to him.

Rob: Go show your mother (you know you're in trouble when dad says your mother) the package in the trash.

Aric: (climbs down from his bed and goes into the kitchen, ruffles through the trash) I can't find it in here.

Me: Wow, that's a surprise. Maybe because you never put it there?!

Aric: ...

Meanwhile, Rob starts taking Aric's bed apart. I walk in and see his pillow case is half off his pillow and go to fix it ... when I feel something. Sure enough, there is the (not empty) package of gum.

I'm sure you can figure out what happens from here.

The funny thing is we just watched Bill Cosby - Himself the night before - you'd think this child would have retained some of it; but nope - he just proved Cosby's theory right: all kids have brain damage!

Friday, October 01, 2004

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 16:03:40 GMT

Today is my youngest son's 8th birthday. Hard to believe in a lot of ways!

Rob's sister gave birth on Friday to a little girl. I think she looks very similar to what Aric looked like when he was born. It's hard to tell from these pictures, but you can sort of see the similiarities. It's funny because Rob's sister looks a lot like her dad and when Aric was born, he looked EXACTLY like their dad. I guess it's only natural that the new baby looks similar, too.

Here's Cheyenne Marie:

And here's Aric's passport photo:

Cheynne weighed 8lb, 5oz and was 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing fine and are going home today already.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Tue, 28 Sep 2004 19:37:47 GMT

I'm still alive - thanks for the inquiries!

I've just been busy - we went on vacation to Virginia Beach a few weeks ago, kids are having birthdays, and going back to school, work is crazier than ever, etc., etc.

Our company split into two companies yesterday and things are beyond interesting there. It's like the NFL draft with all the execs picking which employees will be going to which company. The last I heard, I'm such a valuable commodity that I'll be working for both companies. That could all change in an instant, though. The second I forget the new cover sheets on the TPS reports, I'm screwed.

Hey, want to see our vacation photos? Of course you do. They're here.

I've been seeing this meme all over the place (because even though I haven't posted here, I'm still reading other blogs. Let that be a warning to you all. Muhahaha.) ... anyway, I'm going to do the 200 things meme, just because I can. Also, I know you're dying to know which of these things I've done and not done. Rest easy and sleep well; the answers are below (things done are in bold) - and woo! just realized a benefit to Xanga after all - I don't have to go into someone's source code and c/p to get all the line breaks, I can do it right from the blog:

01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
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. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg

20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath (hello pneumonia!)
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse

41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Loved your job for all accounts
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice

61. Midnight walk on the beach
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers (do webcams count?)
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it

81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest (hehe - Quiz Whiz in 5th grade!)
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice

101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage (Well, Hello, Dolly.... woo boy!)
110. Been to Las Vegas (but I don't remember it, since I wasn't quite 2)
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship

121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children (well, it's a work in progress)
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (even though it was the military, we chose to move each time)
134. ...more than once? - More than thrice?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
140. Wrote articles for a large publication

141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet

161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school (non-accredited course work, though)
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name (which name? I changed my last name when I got married.)
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Read The Iliad

181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read,
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions (not on purpose)
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
199: Written your own role playing game
200: Been arrested