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Friday, April 6, 2012

My Un-Bucket Un-Lists

Sometimes I think I'm just plain ornery because I seem to avoid things that everybody else really wants to do. I decided to make a list of them just to show myself what a contrarian I am. This is not a bucket list of things I would like to do, it's a list of things I don't care if I never do no matter how close I come to getting the chance.

Things I had the opportunity to do but didn’t and don’t regret:

1. Visit the Eiffel Tower.

2. See a production of an Andrew Lloyd Weber show.

3. Go to Disney World.

4. Sit through a symphony.

5. Go skiing in the Alps.

6. Go to a rock concert.

These are wonderful projects, things that anybody should want to do I suppose, but for the life of me I don't really want to do any of them. Before I began to feel bad about myself I decided to make another list, a list of things I'm pleased to say I have done and have treasured memories of.

Things I have done that make me happy to think about:

1. Read all of Don Quixote.

2. Visited Stonehenge.

3. Walked through Roman ruins in Switzerland.

4. Saw Ralph Bellamy in Sunrise at Campobello, Andy Griffin in No Time for Sergeants, Jack Lemmon in Tribute, John Lithgow in M. Butterfly, Kevin Kline in Cyrano de Bergerac, Ian McKellan in Wild Honey, Jane Fonda in 33 Variations, Sutton Foster in Anything Goes, Bernadette Peters in A Little Night Music and Follies, Carrie Fisher in Wishful Drinking, and the original production of The Book of Mormon.

5. Heard jazz at Tivoli Gardens.

6. Chatted with Ellis Larkins at the Carnegie Tavern.

7. Had cocktails with Ralph Bellamy and his wife.

8. Watched the fireworks at the annual Fête de Genève from a friend's balcony.

9. Learned to use a computer.

10. Wrote a novel.

11. Saw JFK in person on the Senate floor.

12. Started two theatre companies.

13. Dined at Lutece, Taillevent, and Commander’s Palace (when Emeril Lagasse was chef).

14. Shook Jacqueline Kennedy’s soft hand at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

15. Visited Rome and London by myself.

16. Flew to Paris for a weekend with a lover I hadn’t seen in 30 years.

17. Interviewed two American Ambassadors to Switzerland.

18. Started three blogs.

19. Raised a beautiful daughter who is one of my favorite people in the world.

20. Created a character called "Grandmama" for two really special young men.

So it's mostly coming down on the plus side of the ledger. I'm not finished yet, not by a long shot, but as I started on the lists the good stuff kept coming to me. I can continue the lists, but let me suggest something to you, my reader: Make a list or two of your own, and share them with us on the comment page here. I'd love to hear what you've done in your life, what you've avoided doing, and which you're proudest of.

5 comments:

Howard Coward said...

Wow. I'm in the middle of a letter to you and thought I'd refresh myself on your latest blog post (the theater review, or so I thought) and instead run face first into this wall of wisdom. That's a heady list, young woman, and a brilliant bit of contrast.

Jerry Andersen said...

Oddly, I have done all the things you have on your not to do list.....except skiing in the Alps. You can be proud of your other achievements. I am drawing a blank on mine at the moment except that I met, and had conversations, with both Regis Philbin and Donald Trump.

jacques mullet said...

>finish andfly my homebuilt airplane
>write (or co-write)a southern script and see it produced
>invent something desireable
>turn fantasy into reality without
harm
>be able to use holographics on stage live
>drive a funny car..once?
>live only until I can't do interesting stuff any longer
>learn until I die
...
some are general, yes, but not too hi-falootin'. For me all
folks are just folks, each with some talent or other.
...
'Done list' is long and a bother. Best is having retired at 50, my own way.

Mary Lois said...

Looks like you have an actual Bucket List, Jacques. That's okay, but mine was an un-bucket un-list.

jacques mullet said...

ah, UNbucket list (rufused opportunities) , maybe this is more to your liking. Mostly
mundane by some standard.

> go to NYC as set designer
> employment at various Univ.
> cheat on income tax
> go deep sea fishing, again
> touch Jose Greco's shoes
> hand Hal Holbrook his make-up
> put a Gov.Staff tag on my car
> go on a cruise
> design set at Bergin Nat. Theatre
> serve in Viet Nam
> attend another rock concert
> be member of local symohony
> sit in George Wallace Gov. office chair
> be member of Mardi Gras assoc.
> join FB or other social media
> join stage hand union
> 'jacklight' a deer
> buy more real estate
> kill the armadillos in my yard
> own car with all bells and whistles
> call plumber
> have brain surgery.. HA!
> do no more X word puzzles

I just don't do stuff I do not like, I guess...?