Say! I forgot to tell you that I checked another item off my Mighty Life List.

It was a good day. How are you doing on your lists?

Jen of The Good Life with Jen is going to:
“Get to the top of a lighthouse.”

Amy Gravis is going to:
“Go cave spelunking in Hawaii.”

Jessica Eiden Smedley of Pleased to Meet You is going to:
“Buy Spices in Morocco.”

Kate Wolin is going to:
“Speak at TED.”

Natasha of Becoming Something is going to:
“Learn to can my own fruits and veggies and then actually do it.”

Weirdo Mom is going to:
“Take a mechanics class/learn about engines.”

Emily of Lucy’s Spleen is going to:
“Volunteer, full-throttle, for a political campaign.”

Jennifer June of Cowboy Boots is going to:
“Start a cowboy boot museum.”

Ella Dorband is going to:
“Go night SCUBA diving”

Lesley Watson is going to:
“Tell more stories – live more stories.”

Jacque is going to:
“Pose nude.”

Sara Krafft of Misfit in Any Space is going to:
“Learn every word in the dictionary.”

Christina Gambino of the Lovesome is going to:
“Develop/write my own recipes from scratch.”

Samantha Wedelich of Dwell Deep is going to:
“Learn to linocut.”

Patricia Williams is going to:
“Put myself through nursing school.”

Kendra Bentle Rainey of Southern Constitutional is going to:
“Take trumpet lessons.”

Carly Fornabio is going to:
“Attend Brimfield Fair in Massachusetts.”

Christina Larsen of The Me Show is going to:
“Go to Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico.”

Amber of Strocel is going to:
“Create a ‘Balancing Motherhood’ workshop.”

Mary of The Adventures of Benmar is going to:
“Try to never buy another bottle of water again! ”

Torrie of Shifting Life is going to:
“Learn how to operate a boat.”

Luna Pie is going to:
“Hold a snake.”

Martha of mVelope will:
“Never say, ‘I’m too old for that’”

The Psycho Mama is going to:
“Try hot buttered rum.”

Sarah Brown of Que Sera Sera is going to:
“Go to Svalbard in February when it’s always blue and never light.”

If you’re looking for even more inspiration, here’s where you can find more reader lists: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Cribbing is strongly encouraged.

A couple weeks ago, Bryan surprised me with a ticket to see a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. I’ve been watching Oprah since I was little, and as I’ve mentioned before, it inspires me:

“I cannot stop talking about the things I saw on Oprah. As I will myself to shut up, I can hear my mouth charging ahead with enthralling anecdotes about the Olsen twins’ business philosophies (shut up!), extending your passion to the world (shut! up!), and S-shaped bowel movements (ohmydeargod, shut up!). It’s gotten so bad that I decided I had to stop mentioning Oprah’s name in conversation. So now I say, “I saw this thing on… TV about how your poop is supposed to be S-shaped?” And all the women around me nod knowingly.”

You’re nodding right now, aren’t you? Yeah. That’s why you’re on my team.

I signed a contract saying I wouldn’t blog about behind-the-scenes stuff, so I thought I’d tell you how much it meant to be at the Harpo Studios.

Meeting Oprah is on my Mighty List, so when I found out I’d get to see a show taping, it was an oddly emotional week. On the plane ride, I kept tearing up thinking of how much I’ve been influenced by the show, and then pretending to be asleep so the flight attendant wouldn’t see my eyes misting “Oh, no no! It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about… TV.”

I knew I wouldn’t get to meet Oprah this time around, but I figured it would be enough to sit in the audience and radiate gratitude. And you know what? It was.

The crew was taping three shows that day, and I’m sure Oprah was up at 4 a.m. to work out, do some reading, then hair and makeup, then tend to the tedium of world domination. Seeing her at work, I realized I never, ever want to be yet another thing on her to-do list. What I want is to bring her a glass of wine. Bryan used to work in politics, and he said he feels the same way about getting photos with presidents. You see how hard they’re working for the things you believe in, and you just want to do something to ease their lives, instead of inserting yourself in their paths.

Sitting in that studio, I realized that I don’t need to meet Oprah. What I need to do is thank her. So here it is, my very first thank you note to a teacher:

Dear Oprah,

With thanks,
Maggie Mason

We’ll start with Elly, who changed her first flat tire.

Daffodil Campbell quit a job she needed because she wasn’t being treated with respect, joined a roller derby team (yes, yes she did), and sent out her first ever query to a magazine. Daffodil Campbell also made me cry. Seriously girl? Nice job.

Almost Kinda Sorta took her newborn baby to see her grandparents home.

Tamera commissioned a piece of custom artwork by Julie Lewis. She also organized a blood drive, signed up for a dance class, and started working toward her fitness goals.

JJ is staying offline one day per week, and got a mammogram. She is cancer free. Suck it, cancer!

Sandy wrote down her list for the first time — huge. She saw Kevin Smith live and learned to cook really good steak, signed up for a sushi-making class, and looked into joining the cast of the local Renaissance Faire.

Nancy King finished three chapters in her Head First Guide to Programming, met up with friends from her grade school, and started Bikram yoga.

Dana Says:
“I’m working toward one proper pull-up with lots of practice, push ups and other strength training. I’ve made progress but when I get my chin about three quarters of an inch from the bar, my arms turn to concrete. And I simply CANNOT go any further. I’m so insanely frustrated because I can’t imagine how I’m ever going to cross this from my list. ARGH!”

This is on my list too, and I have deep-seated Presidential Fitness test flashbacks whenever I attempt it. You can do it, Dana. Maybe this will help? We’re rooting for you.

Dottie booked a massage for herself.

Suzanne started running trails in the hills above where she lives. She decided to “be happy where I am, while I’m here, while working toward being somewhere else in three months.” She also started on her resume so she can find a new job.

Stephanie made a soufflé, bought a lottery ticket, and was the first to borrow a new book from the library.

That’s it for now, but I’m coming for the rest of you soon. If you didn’t cross anything off in March, go ahead and get started now. This is officially a rolling project, but we’ll do another group push in May.

This project started over here, but you can jump in anytime. If you’ve made a Mighty List and started crossing goals off, please let us know in comments.

(Amazing Mars Travel poster by Steve Thomas.)

Jenifer Hanen of Black Phoebe is going to:
“Go into space.”

Tamera Steele of Calling All Fairy Godmothers is going to:
“Eat only homemade meals for 100 days in a row.”

Abby Poulette is going to:
“Make my own mozzarella cheese.”

R Preston of Monster Goldfish is going to:
“Get a play produced.”

Rachel Krueger of On The Intrawebs is going to:
“Get PhD.”

(Beer Club “Tree Fort” by Brad Kayal.)

Kate Bouchard is going to:
“Brew my own beer.”

Carly Machado is going to:
“Learn to shoot a bow and arrow.”

Tasha Haley is going to:
“Learn common and latin tree names for those in my area.”

Krissa Corbett Cavouras of Petit Hiboux is going to:
“Take a knife-skills class.”

Laura Perlman is going to:
“Get onstage with Wilco.”

Annie Sorrensen is going to:
“Decide on Monday to take a fabulous vacation on Friday to somewhere I’ve never been…and go.”

Melinda Stacer of Days Like This is going to:
“Make baklava from scratch.”

Valeri Estrada of 29 to 30 is going to:
“Cook dinner every night for a week.”

Marisa is going to:
“Read a book a week for a year.” (starting in 2010!)

Danielle of Salaam wa Hubb is going to:
“Walk on hot coals.”

Michelle of The Metamorph is going to:
“Eat Sushi in Japan.”

Olivia of Powered by Tofu is going to:
“Learn to play poker.”

Lauren Cribbs is going to:
“Play Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor almost as well as Chopin did.”

Cameron Barrett is going to:
“See Michelangelo’s David.”

Amanda of The Living Room is going to:
“Help plant a church.”

Kelly of Bachelor Girl is going to:
“Take part in a political protest.”

Corin McLean Boyko of Travels with Darwin is going to:
“Read all of Darwin’s books.”

Tessa of Call Your Courage is going to:
“Re-upholster a chair.”

Therese of Shoeism is going to:
“Visit 5 fashion capitals of the world (Paris, Tokyo, London, Milan, NYC).”

Heather Meagher of Featherweights is going to:
“Get my passport.”

If you’re looking for even more inspiration, check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

And a big thank you to Verizon Wireless for sponsoring my Mighty List. They’re helping me cross off a few goals, and giving me the time I need to dedicate to this project. They also gave me a Palm Pre Plus, which has turned out to be helpful in keeping the site updated. Thanks, guys.

Yesterday was so good. It was gorgeous, I got dressed up cute to celebrate the sunshine, and Karen was in from Houston. I met her and a few friends downtown for breakfast, and afterward I called Jordan for a quick coffee at the St. Francis while I waited to take my first city tour.

It was the Market Street tour thorough San Francisco City Guides, a non-profit that hosts dozens of free walking tours. If you live here or plan to visit, I recommend them; I learned a lot.

For example, San Francisco is the second most densely populated American city after NYC. It’s mostly built on sand, and half the Financial District used to be underwater. When they do construction downtown, they sometimes unearth ships. This city is like a fairy tale.

Also, I had no idea that this view of the Ferry Building was blocked by the Embarcadero Freeway until 1989. The Loma Prieta earthquake made it unstable, and it was demolished. Farewell freeway.

Some of the buildings on Market Street are triangular because Market cuts across the city street grid on a diagonal, creating triangular lots and confusing the hell out of newcomers trying to get oriented.

I’d never noticed this plaque several blocks up from the bay that indicates where the shoreline used to be. During the rush, the bay was filling with abandoned ships and garbage, so the city began to sell “water lots” with the understanding that they’d eventually be filled in with dirt atop the rubbish.

The Shell Building was erected in 1939. After its construction, the war precluded plans for any new skyscrapers for thirty years. The next one went up in 1959 right across the street:

It was at 1 Bush Street, and it was the city’s first glass shell building. Look at how dramatically architecture changed in those thirty years. You can see the Shell Building’s reflection in 1 Bush’s panes. Neat, huh?

The De Young Building was San Francisco’s first skyscraper, and it was built in 1890. In 1962, it was covered with a glass “skin” to modernize it, sort of like the building at 1 Bush. In 2007 it was restored, and the architect who revealed the original face called it the architectural equivalent of raising the Titanic, which is awesome, if a little self congratulatory.

In 1875, a Shirley Temple-type child star named Lotta Crabtree dedicated Lotta’s Fountain as a thank you gift to the city. After the 1906 earthquake, San Franciscans gathered here to find loved ones. Now survivors and San Franciscans gather every year at 5:12 a.m. on April 18th to commemorate the date and celebrate the city’s survival. That’s just a few weeks away, so set your alarm clocks.

One tour down, four to go. This is fun.

As always, a big thank you to Verizon Wireless for sponsoring my Mighty Life List. They’re helping me work toward “Knowing San Francisco like the back of my hand,” and they also gave me a Palm Pre Plus. I used it to take notes on this tour and to take a bunch of the photos, including the one of the Shell Building, which is my favorite. Thanks, guys.

As for me, I’ve done three things, but one of them wasn’t part of my campaign with Verizon, which means I get to do one more thing with a benefactor on my side. Sweet. As I mentioned, Verizon has been great about supporting long-term, better-life projects, so the last goal I’m working on for the campaign is:

Get to know San Francisco like the back of my hand.

This could take a while. In fact, how will I know when I’m done? I’ve attended the Black and White Ball, but I’ve never done something untoward in the Transamerica pyramid. I’ve visited Alcatraz, but I’ve never mooned tourists on the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a tough one to check off decisively.

So I did what any good list maker does in this situation. I made a sublist. I decided I’ll “Know San Francisco like the back of my hand” when I:

1. Crown a favorite burrito.
2. Take five tours.
3. Finish 7×7’s Big Eats Top 100.
4. Make my own list of the hundred best things to eat.
5. Choose the fifty best cocktails.
6. Choose my fifty favorite shops.
7. Photograph all the public libraries.
8. See the view from Coit Tower.
9. Write up mini guides to the main neighborhoods.
10. Choose my top ten things to do when you visit.

That’s right. I’ve begun to make lists about making lists. (Take that, Escher!) It’s a lot to tackle, but I’m getting started in these last couple weeks of March.

And what about you? How are your projects coming along? Tell us in comments so we can cheer for you, because you are great.

A huge thanks to Verizon Wireless for sponsoring my Mighty Life List. They’re helping me cross off a few goals, and they also gave me a Palm Pre Plus. I’m using it to take photos and video of my escapades, and to make actual phone calls that don’t disconnect unexpectedly at awkward moments. Thanks, guys.

This is my new friend Amber. Also pictured, Amber’s red glasses. Hello there, cute glasses.

A few months ago Amber emailed me her Life List, you may remember her as the one who wants to gallop on a horse. I read her list, started clicking around her site, and decided I liked her very much. She was baking pies for homeless people, saving up for a trip to Paris, and trying to break the world record for Most Checkers Stacked in the Palm of One’s Hand. Since I’d had a couple glasses of wine, I obviously sent her a note:

Hello,

Best,
Maggie

To which Amber replied:

Hello!

Amber

(Actually, the original notes included some fear-based Christopher Reeves references as well, which are not amusing in a public forum, but you get the jist.)

Thus began our email courtship and life-list plotting. We called some Austin riding instructors who informed us that we didn’t have time to acquire galloping skills, so we decided to try parasailing (#60 on Amber’s list).

As you may recall, parasailing is also on my list, and I had some misgivings about attempting it again. We decided that if parasailing didn’t work out, Amber would give birth instead (#51).

We both arrived at SxSW having never even spoken on the phone, so we met up in the lobby to assess any latent serial killer vibes before finalizing our plans.

As it turns out, both Amber and her husband Rob are lovely, and gave no signs of verging on murderous rampage.

See?

And so we took a cab out to the lake where we met the folks from Airscape Parasail. The drove the boat out, strapped us in to our harnesses and…

Wheeeeeeeee!

Parasailing is incredible. You just float up from the back of the boat like Superman! In a life vest! With your new friend Amber!

Everything was so peaceful, it didn’t even occur to me to worry that we were nearly a thousand feet up. The feeling was the opposite of zip lining. It was slow and quiet, like floating in space.

They reeled us in so gently that we just set our feet on the back of the boat and walked onboard. I liked it.

And it turns out I was right about liking Amber too.

Am I the only one who thought you have to go to the Arctic Tundra for dogsledding? The idea is so exotic to me, I expected to be shrouded in seal pelts and lunching on whale blubber. Then again, having grown up in California, windshield ice scrapers are exotic to me, so I may not be the best judge. Turns out there’s a dogsledding operation called Wilderness Adventures in Truckee, California, just a few hours north of my home town. Score!

This is our family riding in a dogsled, you guys. Hank is covering his face because I gave him my sunglasses so snow chips wouldn’t hit him in the eyes. He loved them and got very screechy when I tried to uncover his face. I thought about fighting him, because I was attached to the idea of a crazy-awesome dogsledding Christmas card, until I realized I was in danger of turning a magical day into a Perfectionist v. Toddler screamfest. So you’ll just have to trust me that he’s looking pretty cute under there.

Sledding was a little scary in the beginning because the dogs were so excited to get going, and also because this life list project has made me afraid of going fast without an adult helmet. Bryan asked if we should be prepared for the sled to tip. On the bridge, for example.

Yikes.

Our guide assured us that there was too much weight in the sled. So he basically called us fat. Take that, huskies!

For the most part, dogsledding was sort of like an amusement park ride, only the the bumper cars can poop. Speaking of which, the dogs do let loose while they’re running, sometimes without even breaking stride. So it was nice to have front row tickets for that.

Apparently the motion of the sled is so soothing that it often puts kids to sleep, and Hank was no exception. It was so cozy to have him dozing in my lap while I snuggled up with Bryan. Dog sledding is fun for the whole family!

After the run was over, we got to go play with the dogs, which made Hank delirious with joy and slightly terrified. He’s a little nervous around big dogs, so he kept saying, “These doggies are so nice to me. They will not bite me.”

And he was right.

We rewarded Hank for his bravery by finding him a pair of his very own sunglasses.

Christmas card secured.

A huge thanks to Verizon Wireless for sponsoring my Mighty Life List and helping me achieve my dreams. They gave me a Palm Pre Plus, which I used to find my way to the dogsledding place because it has GPS, and we were totally lost. Our guide also used it to take the first photo of this post, which I frankly would not have believed was from a camera phone if I hadn’t been there. Well done, everyone.

So, one of the items on my Mighty Life List is “Be conversational in seven languages.” I studied Spanish for years, and I think language really shapes how I think. Knowing another language besides my native tongue has given me an alternate way of looking at the world. Knowing Spanish specifically makes me sometimes want to cry when I hear a guitar playing at night, and makes me more willing to be the first one dancing at parties. That could also be the tequila of course, but I digress.

When I first made my list, some part of me thought the simple act of writing things down would magically make them happen. Like once I realized that I wanted to pick blackberries and make pies, I’d just find myself passing blackberry bramble on a walk one Sunday with a bucket in hand.

As I’ve started to cross things off, it has genuinely surprised me that I have to plan fun. I guess some part of me thinks that fun will just happen, even very specific types of fun, and that I shouldn’t have to actively put aside time for that stuff.

It took around three years of lessons before I could get the gist of most conversations in Spanish. So if I start now, it will be about fifteen years before I can cross off this goal.

On Wednesday night, I got started. Verizon is sponsoring French classes with Bryan, which we’ll be attending until we can speak French. I’ll keep you posted.

Merci beaucoup to Verizon Wireless for sponsoring my Mighty Life List and helping me achieve my dreams. They’re making my site more interesting by helping me cross off few more goals, and they also gave me a Palm Pre Plus. One that completes calls. Thanks, guys.