Your life list, non-sportswriting version

I've been to 25 states and D.C. - not bad considering I was almost 18 the first time I got on an airplane.

 

My official-state standard is one meal there, non-airport variety.
I lack only Hawaii, North Dakota, and New Mexico.

Other parts of my list:
-- Saw a polar bear on the Main Street of Churchill, Manitoba.
-- Saw The Who perform Tommy, all the way through, on the debut tour in 1969.
-- Kissed Lady Bird Johnson on the cheek.
-- Had my picture taken with Alderman Jerry (The Iceman) Butler at the first night game at Wrigley.
-- Saw the Aurora Borealis, twice.
-- Saw the Shuttle go up.
-- Went to Qatar before it was an aircraft carrier, where I met the emir's snooker coach whose skiffle band once beat The Quarrymen in a contest in Liverpool. Also saw the stars in the desert sky.
-- Bought Levon Helm a beer while he was onstage, to which he replied, "Thank 'ee, neighbor."
-- Took a cruise with my son on one of the surviving WWII Liberty ships, which happened to have been one my Dad did convoy duty on.

 

Forgot to mention:

* Have visited 27 states and D.C.
* Have visited four major league ballparks and seven minor league ballparks.
* Have watched Michael Jordan play minor league baseball.
* Got Cal Ripken Jr.'s autograph at a spring training game.

 

I was good enough to work for The Plain Dealer. Once.

 

One more:

* Have swum in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico (not on the same day -- that would be a record).

 

What doesn't kill ya, makes ya stronger.

Thanks for sharing Handsome.

 

I like being called Handsome by you better than Songbird (assuming Songbird IS a guy). :

 

Ran up Stone Mountain.
Been chased by an alligator (while I was in a boat).
Got to be on good terms with one of Clinton's sub-cabinet people.
Been in a helicopter and a C-141.
Have visited one of our embassies (out of necessity, no less)
Survived live interview on CNN. Survived taped segment on MSNBC. Survived live interview on the BBC. Survived two interviews for documentaries.
Had a good friend and commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad do something for me one day that to this day brings tears to my eyes.
Had dinner with the governor of my home state (OK, he was a couple of tables over, but still...)
Was one of 50 people at a private Aaron Neville show. (Right after dinner with the governor).
Got introduced to the wonders of Scotch by the mayor of my hometown.
Have been run over by a Bradley fighting vehicle.
Have seen the purest form of unbridled joy when a formation of soldiers marches across the field to their loved ones after a year or more in the shit overseas.

 

Let's see:

-- 31 states and DC
-- skated with Brad Marsh when he was coming back from an injury
-- Mark LaForest used my water bottle
-- played a game at the Spectrum
-- had my photo taken with Wayne Gretzky
-- led my team in goals scored my senior year
-- hit an even .500 my last year playing baseball (and it wasn't 1-for-2)
-- met 2 Senators (US, not Ottawa)
-- two degrees of separation from President Clinton, which makes me three degress from all the other living Presidents
-- met David Gilmour
-- watched the front half of the Elton John/Billy Joel show on opening night with members of Billy's band
-- had a Hall of Famer congratulate me on my wedding

 

Ha! I ran up Stone Mountain once, with my little brother. Didn't want to do it, felt I owed it to him. ... Actually, we told our parents we were walking down (they took the tram) and would meet them in time for the laser show. So we walked down the trail, got turned around or otherwise lost and, instead of asking for help, being boys, we decided the best solution was to run back up the trail and see if we could catch the final tram down instead. We did, barely.

Good times.

 

Age 6 months—kidnapped at gunpoint by father
Age 12—hit game-winning home run for team that hadn't won all season
Age 14—successfully convinced mom to file for divorce
Age 15—scored
Age 16—drank a beer. It was non-alcoholic
Age 17—drank a real beer
Age 18—Saluki-bound, more beer
Age 21—Saluki dropout, too much beer
Age 25—marriage, no more beer
Age 27—newspaper job
Age 28—first sportswriting award
Age 30—I'm a father
Age 32—Moved away from hometown
Age 33—I'm a father all over again
Age 34—stayed up too late telling people things about myself I probably shouldn't

 

As of this minute I've been up for 29 hours and 35 minutes.