Ray Butterworth — Things I have (never) done
This (still under construction) list comes from a
discussion about the various things one has done (or has never done)
that most other people have never (or have) done.
With the right group of people, it could make a good party game.
You might find making such a list a very useful exercise yourself.
- I have
crossed the Atlantic in a ship, twice.
- I have
flown across the Atlantic in a propeller plane.
- I have
flown around the world twice, and half way six times.
- I have
piloted a Cessna around
Niagara Falls.
- I have
earned a Canadian pilot licence.
- I have never
piloted a plane since getting my licence.
- I have
visited Singapore 7 times (April 1984, February 1987, February 1992, December 1998, December 2002, October 2016, February 2019).
- I have
transported an 8 inch folding knife in carry-on luggage
through airports in
Toronto,
Vancouver,
Washington (DC),
San Francisco,
Phoenix,
Los Angeles,
San Diego,
Honolulu,
Singapore,
Sydney (Australia),
Medan ,
Milano,
Frankfurt,
and Amsterdam.
- I have
taken chewing gum into Singapore.
- I have never
been a tourist in the country of my birth until I was nearly 58 years old
(and wasn't very impressed by it).
- I have
hitchhiked to Florida and back, the whole week costing under 10$.
- I have
spent two days motorcycling the direct route from
Waterloo to
Boston,
and one day taking the long way back, via
Sherbrooke Quebec.
- I have never
had an automobile collision due to my fault.
- I have
driven at 170 km/h on highway 401.
- I have
(not by my fault) had three cars totalled, and had a front bumper torn off.
- I have never
used the rear brake on my bicycle,
but have worn out the front brake and tire multiple times.
- I have
bought my own real roller skates,
which, until the recent destruction of the Phoenix by the KW Record,
I still used a couple of times a year.
- I have never
worn downhill skis.
- I have
real dance shoes, with brushed suede leather soles.
- I have never
watched a team sport game on television,
though I did sit in a room
where other people watched the 1972 Canada Cup game.
(Update: I did see some 2007 World Cup soccer games with my daughter.)
- I have never
participated in any organized sport or athletic activity
until 50, when I started fencing (épée).
- I have
visited the
Grand Canyon.
- I have
slept overnight at the
Ontario Science Centre.
- I have
visited
Disneyworld
once (2003),
nearly 33 years after having hitch-hiked past its
Future Site
sign.
- I have
visited
Disneyland
four times (1964, 1983, 1998-1999, 2002-2003).
- I have
visited Cuba and returned without any cigars.
- I have never
bought a lottery ticket.
- I have
visited Las Vegas,
when almost nowhere else had legal gambling,
and didn't bet a cent or take in any of the big entertainment shows.
- I have
visited London and not gone on the Eye.
- I have
visited Rome and not entered the Colosseum.
- I have
visited Pisa and not taken a photo of me trying to hold it up.
- I have
visited Venice and not ridden on a gondola.
- I have never
had any debts other than a house mortgage.
- I have never
wanted to buy anything I couldn't afford.
- I have
paid my credit card balances in full every month.
- I have never
paid service charges for a bank account, access card, debit card,
or credit card.
- I have
seen Mt. St. Helens, 5 months before it blew up.
- I have
flown the midnight flight out of Taipei, SQ006,
less than two years before it crashed on take off.
- I have
landed at
Pearson Airport (YYZ),
a few hours before Air France 358 crashed and burned during a severe
storm (2005-08-02).
- I have
visited
Quebec,
and actually liked their restrictive language laws.
- I have
visited
New Brunswick,
and disliked their version of bilingualism.
- I have
visited
Times Square,
and had a 20$ bill magically disappear
from my hand with no one else anywhere nearby.
- I have
attended a one-room schoolhouse,
with one teacher handling six grades at the same time.
- I have
successfully written the PhD comprehensives for C&O/PM.
- I have never
managed to get around to writing a PhD thesis.
- I have
had a summer job (literally shoveling shit)
immediately followed by a co-op job
(computer programming for an insurance company),
and enjoyed the former much more than the latter.
- I have
chased a cow around
University of Guelph's
central campus,
leaving a trail of terrified/amused studying/sunbathing students,
and eventually managed to return it whither it belonged.
- I have
lived in southern California at the time they shot JFK
(the president, not the movie).
- I have
visited
JFK's grave.
- I have
visited
the Kennedy Space Centre.
- I have
served on a jury for a week-long criminal trial.
- I have
explored
UW's
tunnel system very early on several Sunday mornings.
- I have
made and possessed master keys to
UW
and WCRI.
- I have
stood in a police ID lineup (Toronto's
52 Division).
- I have never
had anyone arrest me.
- I have
taken a bus from
Waterloo
to and from Toronto wearing a black dress,
high heels, and fish-net stockings.
(Page 12, 79/03/22)
- I have
(not counting pros) had more propositions from members of
the same sex than from members of the opposite sex.
- I have
always felt secure with my heterosexuality.
- I have
seen both my children born, from much closer than most people would want to.
- I have never
had a tattoo.
- I have
appeared as the
main feature on the cover
of Imprint.
- I have
had my words quoted out of context by the KW Record.
- I have never
had any heros or idols.
- I have never
hated anyone.
- I have
donated blood over 100 times.
- I have never
had non-bilaterally symmetric surgery.
- I have never
taken ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
- I have never,
until recently advised by a physician to do so,
taken acetylsalicylic acid (Asprin®) since my mid teens.
- I have never
eaten at McDonalds since the early 1970s.
- I have never
eaten shellfish.
- I have never
sworn (in any sense of the word).
- I have never
believed any religion.
- I have never
believed in extraterrestrial life.
- I have never
programmed in BASIC or C++.