30 November, 2005

100 things

Seems like everybody's posting a list of 100 things about themselves on their blogs. And I think it's a completely hackneyed, sophmoric idea. Yet I get a guilty pleasure out of reading them for some reason, and I find myself reading them. all the way through. Go figure.

So here's mine. Apologies in advance. Feel free to close the window whenever you realize you've got better things to do. (like scrub the tub or shave the cat...)

  1. The first “100 things” list I read was posted by a friend who died in October
  2. The rest I’ve seen are from people who are still alive
  3. I am a dog person.
  4. I had to go through four cats before I figured this out
  5. I’d like to have a virtual kid so that I could name her after my dad (and kill two birds with one stone. :-))
  6. I have fulfilled my quota for real children
  7. Even after 12+ years I still think my husband is the best thing since sliced bread!
  8. I am my own paradox: I can read books on Buddhism and listen to gangsta rap within the same 24 hour period
  9. Some days I think this is a sign of open-mindedness
  10. Some days I’m convinced this is a sign of a mental disorder
  11. I am fanatic about nutrition—haven’t bought anything in 10 years without reading the label
  12. I eat peanut butter at least twice a day
  13. There’s nothing sweeter in life than a sleepy kid who smells like lavender
  14. I have read (and enjoyed) most of the books on the Brooker prize list
  15. I was raised in Florida and have made 4 major moves since graduating college
  16. Might have to make another one in the next couple of months
  17. I definitely do not miss living in Florida
  18. The Royal Tenenbaums is my favorite movie
  19. I am grateful to whoever decided that dark chocolate and red wine are healthy and should be enjoyed often
  20. I love warm, sunny days
  21. I love camping—especially in our camper
  22. I love to go running
  23. I am the slowest runner on earth
  24. I hate worthless shows like MTV’s Trailer Fabulous
  25. I can’t help but watch worthless shows like Trailer Fabulous
  26. That said, I probably watch less than 10 hours of TV a week
  27. But I spend waaaaaay too much time on the internet
  28. I’m trying to be better about buying organic food
  29. I get suckered into spending too much money in health food stores
  30. I want to be doing yoga at 93 like my great Aunt Irene
  31. I wish I was a better photographer
  32. I wish I could finally (magically) become proficient in French!
  33. I am a bleeding heart liberal Democrat
  34. My brother is a hard-core Republican
  35. He’s still one of my favorite people on the planet
  36. I can’t stand uncomfortable shoes—I change my shoes every day before I leave work to walk to the train station
  37. I have a hard time dealing with conflict, even other people’s
  38. I am left-handed
  39. I can type almost as fast as I can think
  40. Which is amazing since I cheated my way through typing in 10th grade
  41. I met my best friend in 10th grade—caught her eye by tripping and falling over in front of her.
  42. Have I mentioned yet that I’m not exactly light on my feet? Probably should have started this list with that one…
  43. I don’t understand how Matthew McConaghy won “sexiest man alive” this year! (Can someone please explain this to me!?)
  44. I subscribe to Newsweek and Nutrition Action Newsletter
  45. Halloween is my favorite holiday
  46. One of my grandmas came from Transylvania… (and I am Count Dracula!)
  47. I love the smell of freshly mown grass
  48. I am not a city person— I need to see a whole lotta green every day
  49. Bread: as dark as possible
  50. Coffee: as light as possible
  51. Milk: as much as possible
  52. Cheese: as stinky / sharp as possible
  53. I have three bare lightbulbs hanging from my ceilings because I’m indecisive and overwhelmed in lamp stores
  54. Daily goal #1: I try my best to be a good person
  55. Daily goal #2: I am trying to learn to be more patient
  56. I stopped drinking soda when I graduated college
  57. I am now 15 – 20 pounds lighter than when I was in college
  58. I try to alternate between books in English and in Dutch
  59. Pig Latin was my first “foreign” language ;-)
  60. I am not a gadget person
  61. The one exception is my iPod mini which I looooove
  62. I do not have a green thumb but wish I did
  63. My next house will definitely not be one with “character”
  64. My cousin is married to my brother-in-law
  65. I use my kids as an excuse to read Dr. Seuss books over and over again
  66. I am addicted to blogs and blogging
  67. Favorite artist lately: Abigail Washburn—she plays the banjo and sings in Chinese!
  68. According to Meyers Briggs I am an introverted extrovert
  69. I am an NPR addict and consider streaming media to be a gift from the gods
  70. I left the US in December 1992
  71. And went back temporarily to live in Michigan from 2001 - 2004
  72. I really enjoy living overseas and do not plan to move back to the States
  73. I actually feel more American when I’m over here than I do when I’m back in the States
  74. I have trouble staying awake past 10pm
  75. I’ve recently finished an online web design degree with Baker College
  76. I often had to stay awake past 10 to do it! :-)
  77. I am a cautious optimist
  78. My star sign is Gemini
  79. I think astrology is ridiculous
  80. Have I mentioned that I love to read? (real books. eBooks will never replace real ones because you can’t smell them!)
  81. The two places that top my wish list to visit are Thailand and Australia
  82. My ideal job would be as a part-time webmaster for a heart foundation or other health-related organization
  83. My cat just threw up on the carpet while I was typing this
  84. At UF I wrote a 50 page thesis on “A Socio-political Definition of Women’s Status in Russian Society and Its Reflection in Literature”
  85. Based on the title I probably would put it back on the shelf and ignore it if I ran across it in the library
  86. I love the library—have great memories of doing activities there as a kid
  87. I am utterly amazed that you’ve made it this far!
  88. I love clementines. I could eat a half kilo of them at one sitting
  89. I don’t like marzipan but I try it again every year because they can make it look so pretty!
  90. I love to go hiking out in the woods or the fields near our house
  91. I have had 5 (paying) jobs since college
  92. Dixieland jazz makes me evil
  93. I actually enjoy working with HTML
  94. I got my certification for Microsoft Office User Specialist for Word and Excel
  95. This is completely nerdy, but I needed a backup in case I couldn’t find a job when we moved back here
  96. I’m glad I found a job, because I think I would hate having to teach Word or Excel to people
  97. Like I said, I should probably work on patience.
  98. I am trying to morph into a soccer mom but am having a hard time with it
  99. I love my PT Cruiser (little bit of product placement / marketing for Chrysler in there)
  100. I am so glad to be finished with this!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Regarding point 11, I don't think we read the label on the ham flavored potato chips we bought last time I was there. I think it is best that we didn’t.

Betsy said...

You just think I didn't read the label on those. I actually did a two-week detox program after you left... ;-)

Carol said...

Hi Betsy,

I agree with you on the weirdness of compiling such a list (and I felt that way about writing mine), but I'm SO glad you did! It's great because it really does give us a glimpse of who you are.

A few things I can really relate to: bleeding heart liberal: check! Not a garderer (but wish you were): check! Hates conflict: check! OK, the Matthew McConaghy thing: I think he's adorable! The Microsoft thing: I yawn with you, m'friend (and I sit right now in my office within the walls of said compound...er, campus!). And as far as webmaster for a health-related org goes -- contact me; I might be able to help. I just left a non-profit health education organization after 5 years there. Have some great connections -- and that population is WAY behind technologically, so they'd likely love you!

Carol