The 99 Things Meme

I first read about The 99 Things Meme (a list of 99 things you can do, or have happen to you, during your lifetime) on the MoSGA Messenger blog Friday night and thought it was interesting but didn't take the time to post on it then. Anyway, it has dredged up some memories from the past, mostly good, and I've been mulling it over most of today while running errands.

So, I've just finished getting caught up on my blog reading for today and noticed quite a few bloggers had picked up on it, apparently from another blog, catching it and passing it on to others, rather like a virus. But a good one. Memes like this are nice. They give you an opportunity to learn just a little bit more about your fellow bloggers.

The list is annotated in the following manner:
Things you’ve already done: bold face type
Things you’d like to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t care to: plain type

1. Started your own blog. - - Two of them.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii. - - Spent a couple of hours in the Honolulu airport on the way to Japan in 1975. Not what you'd call a visit.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world. - - Visited Disneyland several times when I was stationed in California.
8. Climbed a mountain. - - Mount Fuji, Japan. 1977.
9. Held a praying mantis. - - Saw a twig move this past fall while walking in the Crooked Lake Nature Preserve and picked it up for a few minutes.
10. Sang a solo. - - Does singing to yourself in an empty house count? Chances of me singing a solo in public are slim to none.
11. Bungee jumped. - - One of my first cousins did. I'm not sure I could, though it's on my list.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. - - Wasn't at sea, but spent several hours watching a "heat lightning" storm from the second story of my house a few years back. It was absolutely fascinating.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.

16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. - - haven't done it and now I don't think anyone can.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight. - - too many to count, with my brothers
22. Hitch hiked. - - Back when I was dumb and young. I'm still dumb sometimes, but no longer young.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.

31. Hit a home run. - - Does neighborhood sandlot baseball count? Or how about softball. I played on the women's softball team while stationed in Japan and got lucky a few times.
32. Been on a cruise. - - Would like to go on at least one cruise, just to be able to say that I have.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. - - a couple, many more yet to visit.
35. Seen an Amish community. - - There are several Amish communities in Indiana. LaGrange and Elkhart counties (Shipshewana and Nappanee). Whitley county has a small community of Amish near South Whitley.
36. Taught yourself a new language. - - Spanish. Japanese. But definitely was not fluent in either one. Learned enough to get by when I needed it. Also BASIC, Visual Basic, html.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. - - Was almost there, until the recent economic crisis.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing. - - Have climbed on rocks. But that's probably not what they mean.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.

46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted. - - it's been sketched, photographed and caricatured, but never painted. And most likely never will be.
48. Gone deep sea fishing. - - Once. That was enough for me.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. - - We went all the time when I was much younger. I know of two drive-in theaters within 30 miles or so that are still open (in the summertime) so maybe I'll do it again sometime.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.

61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood. - - Tried to about 10 years ago but they wouldn't accept my blood. Haven't tried recently.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check. - - Nope, not ever. And hope I never have to.
68. Flown in a helicopter. - - Several times while I was in the Navy. Loved it.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. - - Rode on a motorcycle once, but it wasn't speeding. Have no desire to do it again.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. - - Twice. And it's on my list of places to return to.
80. Published a book. - - "The Phend Family : Some Ancestors and Descendants of Jacob and Louisa Fisher Phend" in July 1991. Compiled and edited about a dozen for the local genealogy society.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car. - - Three times so far. Drove each one for 8-10 years. Current car was bought used about 8 years ago. First two cars were used and didn't last long.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury. - - have been called several times but never selected.

91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club. -- Several. A long, long time ago. Still have some of the books I bought then.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person. -- Went on a trip to Mexico the summer before my junior year in high school with four other students and a teacher. One of our tourist stops along the way was the Alamo.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone. - - Have had one of those pay-as-you-go models for two years and still don't know how to use all of its features.
99. Been stung by a bee.

=+==+==+==+==+=

At the end of his post, the MoSGA Messenger wrote: "Note: Surely there’s a '99 Genealogy Things Meme' out there somewhere…"

I'm really surprised that someone hasn't come up with one yet! So, let's see if we can. Here's a start. . . some I've done, some I haven't. . . I know there's more that can be added but I'm nearly brain dead right now. Add to the list in comments, send me an email, or create a blog post of your own and let me know. Let's see where this takes us. Anyone game?

Updated at 3:30 pm: Thomas has added 13 items (31-43) and Donna came up with 30 more (44-73)! I've added four (74-77). Donna thinks the list can be done before the end of today. Anyone else care to add something?

Updated at 3:55 pm: Getting closer! Kathryn Doyle has contributed five items (78-83).

Updated at 4:50 pm: Only need 12 more to get to 99! LOOKING4ANCESTORS added five more items (83-87).

Updated at 5:45 pm: Bibliaugrapher (items 88-92) suggested that we should make the list international in scope. I agree. We (meaning those of us who live in the U.S.) forget that genealogy is global. And, as Thomas suggested that may take us over 99 items, but then, that's okay too. I've added 4 more items (93-96). Three more to 99. Or want to go until midnight tonight to see how many we get?

Updated at 7:15 pm: Done!

Updated at 7:56 pm: Greta Koehl left a comment with items 100-104, which I couldn't resist! How could we forget the Happy Dance! LOL.

1. Belong to a genealogical society.
2. Researched records onsite at a court house.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded tombstone pictures to Find-A-Grave.
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents)
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Cleaned up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference.
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
12. Been the editor of a genealogy society newsletter.
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
16. Talked to dead ancestors.
17. Researched outside the state in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants.
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board.
21. Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
22. Googled my name.
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. Have been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items (calendars, cookbooks, etc.).
33. Performed a record lookup.
34. Took a genealogy seminar cruise.
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
36. Found a disturbing family secret.
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
39. Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person (Unclaimed Persons).
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
45. Disproved a family myth through research.
46. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
47. Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
48. Translated a record from a foreign language.
49. Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
50. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
51. Used microfiche.
52. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
53. Visited more than one LDS Family History Center.
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
55. Taught a class in genealogy.
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
57. Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
60. Found an ancestor’s Social Security application.
61. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
62. Used Steve Morse’s One-Step searches.
63. Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
64. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
65. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
66. Visited the Library of Congress.
67. Have an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower.
68. Have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
69. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
70. Became a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits.
71. Can read a church record in Latin.
72. Have an ancestor who changed their name.
73. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
74. Created a family website.
75. Have more than one "genealogy" blog.
76. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone.
77. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
78. Visited the DAR Library in Washington D.C.
79. Borrowed microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center.
80. Have done indexing for Family Search Indexing or another genealogy project.
81. Visited the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
82. Had an amazing serendipitous find of the "Psychic Roots" variety.
83. Have an ancestor who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War.
84. Have an ancestor who was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War.
85. Have both Patriot & Loyalist ancestors.
86. Have used Border Crossing records to locate an ancestor.
87. Use maps in my genealogy research.
88. Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK.
89. Found a bigamist amongst the ancestors.
90. Visited the National Archives in Kew.
91. Visited St. Catherine's House in London to find family records.
92. Found a cousin in Australia (or other foreign country).
93. Consistently cite my sources.
94. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
95. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
96. Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
97. Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
98. Organized a family reunion.
99. Published a family history book (on one of my families).
100. Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
101. Have done the genealogy happy dance.
102. Sustained an injury doing the genealogy happy dance.
103. Offended a family member with my research.
104. Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.

My annotated list is at The 99+ Genealogy Things Meme...