You know I love a good Never Have I Ever list! Elisabeth has some good ones and I actually got a 10 out of 10 on one of hers (meaning that I HAD done everything on her NHIE list!) and am striving to do it again one day! Today, however, I have my own list of things that I HAVE done, as this is easier to think up (note that I will be doing a real NHIE later in this series, so stay tuned)! As always, crowd participation is welcomed and I have pasted the list at the bottom so you can copy and paste (Ernie, it is CTRL-C, CTRL-V,😊) and add your answers to the comments! Also, don't forget to fill out --> THE QUESTIONNAIRE!
You can see other posts in the Twenty Questions series here.
1. Eaten at a three star Michelin restaurant. I have actually been lucky enough to have gone to a few of them! Quince, Benu, Atelier Crenn, Single Thread, Eleven Madison Park. I have been to a few two stars (Commis, Aquerello) and one stars (State Bird Provisions) also. However, my favorite are the Bib Gourmands, which are fancy but more affordable places that have not quite made it to one star yet. Often after they get a star the price goes WAY up and it much harder to get a reservation, but the Bib Gourmands are still more reasonable.
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| Benu menu |
2. Been to Alaska. After having this on my list for years and years, I finally went in 2023 with my hiking pal Bugsy, and we had a good time hiking, seeing the mountains, looking at the sea, and sleeping in the car (haha) which was quite expensive to rent (it was about $1,500 for 12 days!) but was kind of necessary with the distances covered. There is a train that goes from Seward to Fairbanks, but we wanted to get out into nature, naturally (ha!)
3. Driven a tractor. Well, it was a backhoe, but I am counting it!
4. Competed in a Giant Slalom ski race. I was on the ski team in High School and we also did slalom, but my favorite was the GS where you can tuck and go very fast. I am more about speed than technique!
5. Kissed someone of the same gender. I was with a group of guys and one woman and we got dared, and I did it, but it didn't do anything for me. I guess I am no Katy Perry.
6. Met a celebrity. This obviously depends on what you think of as "meet" and "celebrity" but when I worked at Nordstrom, people would come in all the time. I saw (did not meet) Danny Glover, Vladi Divak, Cindy Crawford (she has big feet!) and helped Kristy Yamiguchi, and Benjamin Bratt (who I think was with Julia Roberts at the time). I also went over to the men's suits department when I got a tip from a friend, and I shook the hand of one of the main SF Giant's players, which of course I cannot remember which now (I think it was Jason Schmidt, but don't quote me on that).
7. Swam with sharks. I did the great white cage dive in South Africa and also swam with a lot of harmless sharks while diving in Australia and Thailand.
8. Drank moonshine. Every country has their version, so I have had some rocket fuel in many countries. In Ireland, it's Poitín (not to be confused with poutine), in Bolivia you have to pour a little on the ground in an offering to Pachamama. In Georgia, everyone and their uncle make homemade ChaCha and in Serbia you may burn off your tongue with the Rakija. The list goes on, but if I am offered it, I always say yes.
9. Learned how to use a map and compass. Obviously, and luckily, it has been a while since I have had to use this skill, but it is there just in case!
10. Played Frogger on a ColecoVision. Oh the good ol' days! My friend had maybe three games, and one of them was Frogger. A few years later, my uncle gave us a Nintendo, and I would challenge any of you to a game of Duck Hunt or Mario!
11. Been to a heavy metal concert. Oh the 90s were great, weren't they? My first concert ever was Bryan Adams, who obviously is not heavy metal, but after that, I saw the Scorpions, and I was hooked. Since then, I have seen Metallica, The Deftones, Korn, Rage Against the Machine (if that counts?) and more. Two that I am sad that I did not see due to people dying were Nirvana and Alice in Chains, and I had a Guns n Roses concert booked for April 2020, but we all know how that turned out.
12. Ridden in a helicopter. When I was in Nepal near Mt. Everest, Mr. Lovely got injured, and we had to get helicoptered out to Kathmandu. Of course, he paid for it (P.S. he did not have insurance and that ride cost about $6,000), and had to stay strapped to a gurney, while I got to enjoy the (very good!) mountain views.
13. Walked on a glacier. See above: Alaska. Also I have done this in New Zealand at the Franz Joseph glacier which was very cool. I have also done it in several other places over the years.
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| Alaska |
14. Ridden a camel. If you are newer to this space, you may not know that in 2010, I did a trip around the world with my then boyfriend, Mr. Lovely. We did a camel ride in India, but it was not the greatest, as we felt basically cheated by the companies, or should I say, "taken for a ride?" and I hate that feeling. It spurred Mr. Lovely to compare India and Nepal, and he talked so much about it that I made him do a guest post about why Nepal is better than India. Enjoy!
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| India |
15. Used a bike to commute to work. In Oakland, I would ride Bertha (the bike) to the BART train several times a week! I miss that ol' broad.
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| Bertha |
16. Eaten dog food. When I was a kid, I figured I'd try it. If the dog enjoyed it, maybe I would too. To be honest, it was not that bad. I wouldn't make a habit of it, but if there is an apocalypse, don't turn your back on pet food!
17. Put a body part into each of the five Great Lakes. On my trip across the US and Canada last year, I made sure to do this. I even swam in a couple of them!
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| Lake Huron |
18. Dehydrated my own food. As a hiker, this has been a fun thing to learn. I also enjoy making jerky or dehydrated fruit, and this came in very handy when I was harvesting my fruit and could not keep up!
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| Dehydrating chicken curry |
19. Run an ultramarathon (more than 26.2 miles). Several of them! You can find more about that here.
20. Been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Although I lived off and on in NOLA for about 6 years, I only went to one! Pro tip: the lead up to Mardi Gras is more fun than the week of, as the week of is chaos. However, there are a ton of parades in the weeks before that and they are much more low key!
Your turn!
1. Eaten at a three star Michelin restaurant
2. Been to Alaska
3. Driven a tractor
4. Competed in a Giant Slalom ski race
5. Kissed someone of the same gender
6. Met a celebrity
7. Swam with sharks
8. Drank moonshine
9. Learned how to use a map and compass
10. Played Frogger on an Atari
11. Been to a heavy metal concert
12. Ridden in a helicopter
13. Walked on a glacier
14. Ridden a camel
15. Used a bike to commute to work
16. Eaten dog food
17. Put a body part into each of the five Great Lakes
18. Dehydrated my own food
19. Run an ultramarathon (more than 26.2 miles)
20. Been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Bonus question: have you ever felt ripped off when traveling?
Well I haven't done too many here:
ReplyDeleteI have:
3. Driven a tractor - definitely
6. Met a celebrity - quite a few! My fave was Jim Cuddy.
9. Learned how to use a map and compass - school orienteering class
10. Played Frogger on an Atari - also Donkey Kong
11. Been to a heavy metal concert
13. Walked on a glacier - yes! I'm from western Canada!
14. Ridden a camel - in Egypt
18. Dehydrated my own food - all the time!
Bonus question: of course! Doesn't that happen to everyone?
Nicole, I need details! I found India and Egypt to be the two places that I felt the most ripped off, or cautious about being ripped off.
DeleteI love Donkey Kong. My parents had a bar and they had one of those sit down DK machines in the 80s and 90s. That was great. I can rock some Donkey Kong!
I've got a low score today. Here's where I stand:
ReplyDelete- I have not been to Alaska, but I plan to go there in the next few years.
- lol I am old enough that I've used a paper map, and also old enough to know that it is unlikely that I will ever use one again. I recently threw out the US atlas that had been in the trunk of my car since the 90s.
- as a kid I tried a teeny tiny dab of cat food. It did not go well.
- my body part in Great Lake score is 2/5 (Erie and Michigan). I've been to 3/5 in the past year, but I don't think I dipped into Lake Ontario. Give me another year and I'll be 5/5. We took Doggo to the Lake Erie earlier this summer, and her score is only 1/5 but she got her entire belly in the lake which I think that should count more than me wading in to my knees.
KYRIA. You have an amazing list of ultras on your running page!!!!!!! I knew you ran them in the past but had no idea you had run so many, and some incredible distances as well. I need more details!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway. I haven't done many of these. Yes to:
2- although this is controversial. I once had a layover in the Anchorage airport. Maybe that doesn't count.
5- in college! Meh.
6- again, controversial. I was a cater waiter for a fancy part in NYC, and Derek Jeter asked me for more champagne. I'm counting it!
15- I rode my bike to work a few years ago when my car was being repaired.
18- I used to! My dehydrator is out in the garage now.
19- yes!
Re running, yes, I used to be an ultrarunner... 😊😒 I think that Derek Jeter TOTALLY counts; he talked to you! That is cool. Was he nice? He seems so huge. I think he was on SNL and he was pretty funny. I would love to hear about what you used to dehydrate! I love dried fruit (although I always eat too much and it gives me tummy rumbles) but it works great for many things!
DeleteI've ridden a bike to work. That is IT. So I'm 1/20. Ha. Rather pitiful...
ReplyDeleteI've SEEN multiple Michelin restaurants, but never eaten in one.
Oh man, you almost got a perfect 0/0! That would have been amazing! But 1/20 is pretty impressive. You now have 19 more things for your bucket list!
Delete
ReplyDelete2. Been to Alaska--in 2006...? It was our 25th anniversary trip. Outstanding.
5. Kissed someone of the same gender--Yep. Several times.
6. Met a celebrity--Toni Morrison and several Cleveland athletes. Iron Chef Michael Symon
8. Drank moonshine--Yes, and I don't care for it.
9. Learned how to use a map and compass--ages ago, and poorly
10. Played Frogger on an Atari--Yes! I can still hear the music. And I played it at a disco upstairs in their arcade.
13. Walked on a glacier--In Alaska, but only briefly.
14. Ridden a camel--Yes, twice, and in Cleveland!
16. Eaten dog food--Yes, on a dare from my sister. It was not good.
17. Put a body part into each of the five Great Lakes--Just Erie, Michigan, and Ontario that I know of. I was on a big caravan trip with my mother's side of the family when I was just 4 or 5, and I may have been in the other two as well. No way to know now.
18. Dehydrated my own food--Does making oven-dried tomatoes and herbs count? If so, yes.
You rode a camel in Ohio?
DeleteI think your list is impressive! Firstly, does anyone "enjoy" moonshine? Haha! I like trying new things but it definitely burns and I don't really think of it as something I drink for pleasure. Plus, don't tell all of the nationalists, but many of them pretty much taste the same! I feel the same about many things as you do about the Great Lakes...I can't really remember for sure if I did it or not! I could have, but I cannot definitively say that I did! And yes, oven dried tomatoes and herbs count! We used to make jerky in the oven all the time!
I have not done many of these!
ReplyDelete8. Drank moonshine - a college friend's dad let us try some apple pie moonshine. It tasted better than I thought it would.
12. Ridden in a helicopter - I did this in NZ
13. Walked on a glacier - I did this in NZ
15. Used a bike to commute to work - I did this during Apr-Oct when I lived downtown!
Oof - only 4!! But I have played Atari, just not frogger.
I think you can count the Atari as a yes then. I mean, it is still impressive that we played those games and loved them back in the day! I do miss Donkey Kong! I remember your bike share program. I think that MN was one of the first actually and I remember being impressed that you guys did it before San Francisco (if I am remembering right!)
Delete5. Kissed someone of the same gender - I mean, who hasn't?
ReplyDelete9. Learned how to use a map and compass - In sixth grade, we did a winter wilderness camp and they taught us.
14. Ridden a camel - At a zoo. Does that count?
15. Used a bike to commute to work - In Minneapolis, it was honestly the easiest way to get around the city.
17. Put a body part into each of the five Great Lakes - YES!!
Bonus question: Of course. As you know, I generally feel like traveling is overrated and I feel this way because so many things are absolute letdowns. The Grand Canyon is just a big hole with too many people around. New York City smells like piss, has trash everywhere, and costs too much. I mean...people think traveling is great, but I'm not 100% convinced.
Answer to number five, a few people who commented above you. I guess they haven't really lived! Haha. Camel at a zoo totally counts! Minneapolis is above and beyond with the biking infrastructure. I really love it, and YAY for number 17! You go girl!
DeleteRe your travel thoughts...for sure a lot of tourist stuff is a rip off from the get go! It feels like a lot of pressure to eat more, buy more, see more, do more. But if you can find the, to use a popular maybe overused term, off the beaten path place, it really can be fun to explore a new place and see new things, and you can often do it for free.