Bandwagon!

[fenchurch]

Ten things that I have done that people on my friendslist may not have done (gakked from nearly everyone).

Off the top of my head, because I'm not really in the mood to think about this deeply:

1. Seen the movie "Star Wars" 142 times in the theater.

2. Ran the largest academic symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy in the world (or at least it was at the time, not sure about now).

3. Flew in a small plane over the Twelve Apostles in Australia (I'm assuming I can still count it if rackham has done it too, otherwise this list could be considerably shorter).

4. Hiked to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah while barefoot.

5. Took a vacation on the island of Saipan (I was thinking of just naming something specific I did there, when it occurred to me most people would likely never have been). For that matter, I've visited the island of Tinian.

6. Been in a blizzard, a tornado, a typhoon, an earthquake, a flood, and fallout from a volcanic eruption -- all by the age of ten (some of them, multiple times).

7. Been on a road trip all the way around the island of Guam (which usually took around two and a half hours, with lots of stops)

8. I got the Babelfish, though I didn't get the t-shirt. (Taking a bit of a chance on this one, I think it's possible someone other than rackham may have done this, too -- although he actually got the t-shirt.)

9. Ridden on a Giant Tortoise (when I was four years old).

10. Ran a BBS for six years. I actually have the name of my old BBS registered as a domain (randomlunacy.com) and I've got the old login screen up there now. One of these days, I'm thinking of pulling the BBS out of the archive and jury-rigging it to work on the internet. That is, assuming I can remember my password.

Comments

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Well, I've never done any of these things. Unless getting the Babelfish in the old HHG computer game counts. *g*

[corellian-sugar.livejournal.com]

Wow. I've actually done some of your list...

I saw Star Wars 142+ times in the theater (I believe the actually tally was 181) because I was a sad child with no life who wanted a lightsaber really, really bad.

I can't say I ran the LARGEST academic symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy in the world, but I have been on the committees of far too many Orycons, Norwescons, and WesterCons. All done now. I quit.

Does flying over the Twelve Apostles in a BIG plane count? ;)

Been in a blizzard, tornado, earthquake, flood, and volcanic eruption fallout. I seem to be missing that pesky typhoon, though. Hmmm.

:)

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

I've ridden on a giant tortoise, but I don't remember if I was three or four or five. I'd have to check the family photo album. :)

But you have me on all the rest!

...

[krrayn.livejournal.com]

...

A hundred and...

A HUNDRED AND FOR...

...

A HUNDRED AND FORTY TWO TIMES???

A hundred and...

fort...

A hun...


I am SO not worthy.

[bquinlan.livejournal.com]

It always amazes me how much overlap there can be.

6) I'm also missing only the typhoon...

9) I have ridden on a Giant Tortoise, although I was probably closer to six at the time.

10) I ran a BBS for something like eight years. Better yet, I also have the name (Red October) registered as a domain (october.com) and still use it for my web site and email. I registered the domain because I did rig it to work on the internet (via telnet, ftp, and http) for its last several years of operation and that was its address.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Yep! That's it! I was taking a gamble that there wouldn't be anyone on my flist who used to play Infocom games.

Technically, I did it over the telephone... when I was in high school, we couldn't afford a computer, but one of my friends had one (okay, several of my friends did, but they're not important to the story :-). So he'd call around 11:00pm when his mom headed off for work, and we'd play HHG all night over the phone. He'd read off the screen and we'd hash out what we wanted to try... Ah, those were the days.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I saw Star Wars 142+ times in the theater (I believe the actually tally was 181) because I was a sad child with no life who wanted a lightsaber really, really bad.

Wow. I've never met anyone who'd gone more than I had! I was actually trying for an even 150 during the last release, but wasn't able to get to the theater that often (I'd been at 137 prior to that).

I was lucky when the movie first came out in '77 -- we were living on an Air Force Base on Guam. I was seven years old and movies cost 35cents... I'd go nearly every day after school.

I can't say I ran the LARGEST academic symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy in the world, but I have been on the committees of far too many Orycons, Norwescons, and WesterCons. All done now. I quit.

It was not an experience I would like to repeat... but I'd still say it was worth doing. Being the one in charge of something like that was possibly the scariest thing I've ever done.

Speaking of NorWesCon... are you planning to go this year? I've been thinking about it, if we don't wind up going out of town for rackham's birthday.

Re: ...

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

LOL! Well, I was a bit obsessed as a child.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

10) I ran a BBS for something like eight years. Better yet, I also have the name (Red October) registered as a domain (october.com) and still use it for my web site and email. I registered the domain because I did rig it to work on the internet (via telnet, ftp, and http) for its last several years of operation and that was its address.

Very cool! What software did you run? I had a Telegard board and could make that software jump through hoops it was NEVER meant to do... just call me Queen of the Batch File. I've been looking into the idea of rigging mine up via telnet off our servers... I understand it can be done, just not sure of the process yet. Of course, I doubt I'd be able to run some of my doors that way. Hmm... you know, I think my copy of Operation Overkill II is around here somewhere, I may just have to install it and play it locally, for nostalgia's sake.

[taradaktyl.livejournal.com]

OK - why are we friends? I think we have done *none* of the same things. :-) With the possible exception of watching "Buffy"...

In thinking of your list in general, I can't think of ANYTHING I've done that no one else has. I don't lead a particularly interesting or adventuresome life, apparently.

I totally want to go to Norwestcom this year. Let me know if if you guys are!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

LOL! Sure we do! They're just not as obvious...

As for finding something you've done that no one else has, well, it's not as wide open as that... you've just got to think of things you've done that no one else on your friendslist as done. Pretty easy, actually... I can think of a few things for you, right off the top of my head. I mean, I've never had any illustrations published in "Highlights" magazine... nor have I had any artwork on display at a major university...

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I think it was all the rage back in the early '70s or something. Somewhere around here, I've got pictures of me on the back of a giant tortoise at Reptile Gardens in South Dakota. You know, it really is a strange world.

[tomte.livejournal.com]

You know, every time I see that particular avatar, I think to myself, "Yeah, but is he tasty AND versatile?"

Oh, and BTW, there are also family pix of me riding on a giant tortoise. I think I was about three at the time.

[corellian-sugar.livejournal.com]

Alas, I had to make a choice. It was either Celebration 3 or Norwescon. C3 won, obviously.

[typographer.livejournal.com]

You have an old fogey fan on your flist now. I got the Babelfish (and built the finite probability drive, and saved the fleet by offering the dog a sandwisch...).

I was assistant sysop on two different BBSs, not sure if that counts as running one. ^_^

Haven't been in a typhoon yet, and I was 18 when Mt. St. Helens blew, so I can't quite say I've done #6.

[sunnyd-lite.livejournal.com]

Hm 3 almost *Saw* the Twelve Apostles but didn't get that far West in Oz. Read HGG, but while I'd heard about the game, have never played it. Fun list!

Band Wagon

[taradaktyl.livejournal.com]

Well.... OK.... Maybe I'm not entirely lame.... :-)

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

Mine was probably the Denver Zoo; I know we went there, and if I'm remembering the pictures right, my brother was there and walking, so he had to be at least two, which would have made me five, so you rode it younger than I. :)

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Whee! I'm so proud. My ex-husband loved those games, but the only two I ever played were HHG and the Nord and Bert (I think those were their names) one. I never made it all the way through HHG, though. I lent it to someone, and after that it wouldn't play on my computer anymore. :-(

[bquinlan.livejournal.com]

I started out using GT Power, but switched to Maximus after a year or two. I also went from running under DOS with DESQview to OS/2. For a local two-line system I had a huge caller base (around 3000 at its peak) spread over an amazingly wide area (60% non-local, 20% outside of the US).

In the last few years, after usage had already begun to decline, I was able to get a permanent dial-up internet connection and network the system. You could telnet in and have a session just like over a modem. There was also a simple web interface for viewing/downloading files and an ftp server.

Maximus was tremendously configurable and I pushed it fairly hard. I didn't have a lot of game-oriented doors, but with so many remote users I had some very sophisticated tools for working with off-line readers of various flavors. Regulars could even schedule the bundling of their message pickups for when they were off-line, so they could just hit the system and immediately begin downloading the package. I also wrote a dozen or so extension utilities for Maximus and made them available as freeware along with the source code.

I sometimes miss the old Red October, but mailing lists and web-based forums had rendered it obsolete by the time I finally took it down.