THE LAST FIVE ...

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101 in 1001
American Road Trip, 1998


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Monday, Sept. 8, 2003 - 7:31 p.m.

Chasing records

There's a guy who has been surfing every single day I've been alive (and more). This other dude rides roller coasters like it's his job.

And we all know about Bobby and Cindy's quest.

But it occurred to me the other day that I just don't have the personal fortitude, the inner drive, the ... time to waste to set a world record of my own.

Where would I start? I have a job that I like well enough and where it lacks in enjoyment it, at the moment, makes up for it in the unknown and possibility for new responsibilities and career opportunities. So I'm not about to lose my job over some record attempt. And I'm not about to be that guy who never misses a day of work. Back when Cal Ripken broke major league baseball's consecutive games played streak, you heard all those stories about mailmen and dozens of other workers in various fields who also hadn't missed work in 15 or 20 years.

Sorry, but I enjoy my vacation time too much.

Really, how the heck could I pinpoint one particular attempt? I can't collect anything because, as big as my apartment is, it's still an apartment � and if I started filling it up with something I was collecting for a world record, I'd eventually have more space ... but I'd lose Casey and her half of the rent (thereby eventually forcing me out of the apartment).

When you think about it � or when I thought about it the other day � I could probably come up with 40 different possibilities for a world record attempt before I found one relatively new or unattempted in the last 15 years or so.

And then there are all the tiny little mundane things that, though maybe not officially recognized by Guinness or any other record-authenticating organization, either aren't worthwhile or probably have someone else closer than I am. There's probably some guy out there who's been eating nachos every day for like 20 years or something, right? And he's probably got the highest cholesterol count on record too.

When I was visiting mom's cousin Jeff in California years ago, we discussed some people he knows who do a lot of traveling in their spare time. There are groups who try to climb to the top of the highest point in each state. In places like Delaware, this means standing at an intersection. In California and Alaska, it requires quite a bit of technical skill in mountain climbing. Then there are those who visit the highest and lowest points in each state � probably crossing the street and walking down to the bay in Delaware. Jeff also knew someone who's quest was to visit every single county (and parish, in Louisiana) in the United States. Now this part I don't remember as accurately, but I also have a vague recollection that either Jeff's friend or someone the friend knew had completed the journey of setting foot in every county. But when he contacted Guinness about registering his feat, they told him they needed proof � such as the stamp from a notary in each county seat.

So he set out again to get them.

But visiting every county can't be done on 2,000 successive weekends (or however many counties there are) because, as I remember from Jeff's account, the notaries are not always easy to find. Especially on weekends. In small towns.

How does one decide he or she is going to go for a record, particularly the more obscure ones? Did Dale Webster think on his first day in the water back in the 70s that he was coming back for the next 10,000 days? Or was he somewhere around day 7,000 when someone said, "Dude, you must have set a record!"

Maybe if I keep this up and I outlive a bunch of other Diarylanders (or at least their desire to be here) I can someday hold the record for most entries or most words or something.

I mean, come on, 840 posts has got to at least be in contention.

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