A few days ago, John Scalzi posted an entry on his blog called 10 Things I’ve Done You Probably Haven’t. As he explained, this is another of those LiveJournal triggers, or “memes,” that are supposed to get you thinking about your life. In this case, you’re supposed to list ten experiences or accomplishments that are unique to you. Presumably this exercise is intended to help you realize how cool you really are, or at least give you something to write about.

Since I’m always on the lookout for new blogging inspirations — that is, I’m a copycat — I figured I’d take a stab at this one myself. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. It turns out that a lot of the cool things I’ve done aren’t so very different from things I know my friends have done themselves. For example, most of my really memorable experiences are somehow related to travelling, and I know that several of the folks who read this blog have travelled to the same or similar places that I have. In some cases, my friends were actually with me and shared my most memorable experiences, so I can’t really say that all of the things on my list are unique to me. But I gave it my best effort and I think I came up with a few items that most of my readers probably haven’t experienced. In any event, here’s my list, presented in no particular order:

1. I’ve ridden on the last B-24 Liberator bomber still in flyable condition.
2. I’ve gotten drunk at the Hofbrauhaus, the Munich beer hall where the Nazi Party was formed. (These days it’s a huge tourist trap that doesn’t advertise this particular aspect of its history.)
3. I’ve seen inside the tomb of Sir Richard Francis Burton, a Victorian explorer and the first to translate the Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra into English.
4. I’ve punted on the Cam River in Cambridge, England.
5. I’ve visited the infamous Mustang Ranch brothel near Reno, Nevada. (No, I didn’t partake of the services; I just had a drink and bought a t-shirt.)
6. I’ve shaken hands with Anthony Daniels, Bruce Campbell, and four of the seven cast members from the original Star Trek. (Specifically, William Shatner, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and James Doohan.)
7. I’ve helped my father restore a classic automobile (a 1963 Ford Galaxie convertible).
8. I’ve hitchhiked alone in the Middle of Nowhere, Arizona, on a very dark night.
9. I’ve stood on top of both the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building.
10. I’ve high-fived Rick Springfield during a Las Vegas stage show.

I guess that’s not such a bad list after all…