Happy 25th Birthday, baby.
I love you.
Friday, November 6, 2009
That Darn Cat
So Tuesday night, I'm getting ready to go to bed and my mom calls and tells me a story about how there's a little kitten wandering around the neighborhood. My mom, sister and our neighbors were trying to catch the cat, and it jumped into a window well.
My 16 year old sister, was the only one small enough to get into the well, but she was terrified that she wouldn't be able to get out (it was a tall one). Well, she gets in, and the cat freaks and makes terrible noises and my sister leaps out like a piece of toast from the toaster. At this point my mom is laughing her ass off. The cat eventually got out of the window well (by climbing over our neighbors head) and got away.
Wednesday, I come by my parents to pick up Maddie, and my mom comes in to let us know that the kitten is back and eating some cat food we left out for it. So my 16 year old sister (Cailey) and I go outside to see him. When we get there, he's gone, but we can hear him meowing...so we follow the noise and he's under the neighbors deck.
For a good 30 minutes my sister and I are on either side of the deck watching the little cat. He's just a little guy (looks to be 8-9 weeks) and scared as shit. He's not feral because he KNOWs people...he's just scared of them. So we bust 0ut some tuna, put it in a cage and hope that he walks right into our little trap.
Before I proceed, our neighborhood is a well populated suburb, we don't get many strays. One of the other neighbors said there were more kittens and it looks like they were dumped (by assholes), but we haven't seen any others. And it is very obvious that this kitten will not survive if he's outside for much longer. We're looking down the barrel of frosty nights, and this little kitty isn't big enough to stay warm.
Back to the story...eventually the cat starts moving towards the tuna and out from under the deck, but he gets about 4-5feet from a person and won't come any closer. So I start meowing (sometimes one of my mom's cats will respond when I meow) and what do you know? Little Orphan Kitty starts talking to me. For 45 goddamn minutes, I am laying in the grass in 40 degree weather, in my work clothes meowing at a stray cat. He keeps walking towards me, but just as quickly backs up.
After a while, he sees his escape, runs past me and through the fence and bolts down the street. At this point we're like "screw it, lets pack it in", but as we get ready to go in the house, we see kitty coming back towards the house, meowing.
We lure him closer with tuna, and eventually he comes into the garage, and me, Mike and my sister are on the floor trying to keep him in the garage so we can close the door. SUCCESS. Kitty is now trapped in the garage.
At this point, we decide to leave him alone to recover from the course of the evening and let him eat some food, and drink some water. We're all relieved because now we know we won't find a dead orange cat in our front yard.
We have dinner, and strategize about how to get kitty into the cage (we can't let him roam around the garage with the cars in there). To make a long story short, we traumatize the cat further by using push brooms to corner him into the cage.
(I'm sorry this sounds terrible! But this cat is scared and hungry and thinks we're going to eat it - we really couldn't get near it)
As it stands, we have this adorable 8-9ish week old, orange tabby sitting in a cage in our garage. He's already adapting pretty well, yesterday he let me pet him, and went into the little kitty trance when you find just the right spot under his chin. I've contacted a couple of local vets about getting him/her spayed/neutered and basic vaccinations, but haven't heard back from any yet.
Mike and I have talked about keeping him (especially if we throw down beaucoup bucks getting him vetted), but our priority is Maddie. If we can't get kitty to get along with - or at least be ambivalent towards - Maddie, then we can't keep it.
Our master plan for the moment is to call the vet (probably our normal vet, if we don't hear back from anyone), and take him in, get him a clean bill of health and then move him to me/Mike's house so we can keep him in our spare bathroom. Once he's inside it will be a lot easier to socialize him. After that, we'll have either fallen in love with him and become unable to bear the thought of parting with him, or we will find a new home for him.
Any words of wisdom? Any advice?
OH YEAH: I also meant to post a link to a description of Guy Fawkes Day yesterday in the title...that has since been fixed.
My 16 year old sister, was the only one small enough to get into the well, but she was terrified that she wouldn't be able to get out (it was a tall one). Well, she gets in, and the cat freaks and makes terrible noises and my sister leaps out like a piece of toast from the toaster. At this point my mom is laughing her ass off. The cat eventually got out of the window well (by climbing over our neighbors head) and got away.
Wednesday, I come by my parents to pick up Maddie, and my mom comes in to let us know that the kitten is back and eating some cat food we left out for it. So my 16 year old sister (Cailey) and I go outside to see him. When we get there, he's gone, but we can hear him meowing...so we follow the noise and he's under the neighbors deck.
For a good 30 minutes my sister and I are on either side of the deck watching the little cat. He's just a little guy (looks to be 8-9 weeks) and scared as shit. He's not feral because he KNOWs people...he's just scared of them. So we bust 0ut some tuna, put it in a cage and hope that he walks right into our little trap.
Before I proceed, our neighborhood is a well populated suburb, we don't get many strays. One of the other neighbors said there were more kittens and it looks like they were dumped (by assholes), but we haven't seen any others. And it is very obvious that this kitten will not survive if he's outside for much longer. We're looking down the barrel of frosty nights, and this little kitty isn't big enough to stay warm.
Back to the story...eventually the cat starts moving towards the tuna and out from under the deck, but he gets about 4-5feet from a person and won't come any closer. So I start meowing (sometimes one of my mom's cats will respond when I meow) and what do you know? Little Orphan Kitty starts talking to me. For 45 goddamn minutes, I am laying in the grass in 40 degree weather, in my work clothes meowing at a stray cat. He keeps walking towards me, but just as quickly backs up.
After a while, he sees his escape, runs past me and through the fence and bolts down the street. At this point we're like "screw it, lets pack it in", but as we get ready to go in the house, we see kitty coming back towards the house, meowing.
We lure him closer with tuna, and eventually he comes into the garage, and me, Mike and my sister are on the floor trying to keep him in the garage so we can close the door. SUCCESS. Kitty is now trapped in the garage.
At this point, we decide to leave him alone to recover from the course of the evening and let him eat some food, and drink some water. We're all relieved because now we know we won't find a dead orange cat in our front yard.
We have dinner, and strategize about how to get kitty into the cage (we can't let him roam around the garage with the cars in there). To make a long story short, we traumatize the cat further by using push brooms to corner him into the cage.
(I'm sorry this sounds terrible! But this cat is scared and hungry and thinks we're going to eat it - we really couldn't get near it)
As it stands, we have this adorable 8-9ish week old, orange tabby sitting in a cage in our garage. He's already adapting pretty well, yesterday he let me pet him, and went into the little kitty trance when you find just the right spot under his chin. I've contacted a couple of local vets about getting him/her spayed/neutered and basic vaccinations, but haven't heard back from any yet.
Mike and I have talked about keeping him (especially if we throw down beaucoup bucks getting him vetted), but our priority is Maddie. If we can't get kitty to get along with - or at least be ambivalent towards - Maddie, then we can't keep it.
Our master plan for the moment is to call the vet (probably our normal vet, if we don't hear back from anyone), and take him in, get him a clean bill of health and then move him to me/Mike's house so we can keep him in our spare bathroom. Once he's inside it will be a lot easier to socialize him. After that, we'll have either fallen in love with him and become unable to bear the thought of parting with him, or we will find a new home for him.
Any words of wisdom? Any advice?
OH YEAH: I also meant to post a link to a description of Guy Fawkes Day yesterday in the title...that has since been fixed.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Halloween WIN!
So, Mike and I had planned to let fate decide our Halloween costumes by going to the store Saturday morning and letting the HUGE SAVINGS AND DISCOUNTS decide for us. But when we arrived at said store, everything was 50% off...starting NOVEMBER 1st.
Sadness overwhelmed us, we got irritated with each other, and ended up having a not-so-whispered argument in the middle of the store. But eventually we found $8 angel wings and a halo, and $9 devil horns that are applied with spirit gum. Our costumes were simple (I wore jeans, a white shirt, and sparkly makeup; Mike wore jeans, a white dress shirt and a red tie) and life was good.
Mike's family came over for about an hour, then our friends came over. No one get hideously drunk, we played Apples to Apples, they ate my chili and cut up vegetables. I was complimented on being a good hostess (which was a huge point of pride for me). We did a community shot of tequilia...you know, for solidarity. And life was good.
But, sometime between 8pm and midnight (four hours...remember this) I drank 3 drinks (including the tequila). I was never drunk, I felt fine, but at 2am, I got a hangover and yaked my guts out. Three times...presumably once for each drink?
Really, stomach...liver? Three drinks and you've had it?
That pretty much sealed the deal for me, I'm not even going to bother drinking. Maybe one beer, but beyond that we get stranded on Headache Island, and occasionally we'll wander through Yak City, which is a bad part of town.
Oh yeah! Remember how I said we were going to get internet on Saturday? I lied.
We planned on going through a small, local provider, and we found out that there is a line of large, mature trees that obstructs the line of sight between our house and their tower. The internet guy couldn't get a signal. So now, the only way we can get internet through them is if we install a 6-8ft tower on our roof. No, thank you. So now we have to look into something bigger like Comcast or AT&T. Any suggestions?
Sadness overwhelmed us, we got irritated with each other, and ended up having a not-so-whispered argument in the middle of the store. But eventually we found $8 angel wings and a halo, and $9 devil horns that are applied with spirit gum. Our costumes were simple (I wore jeans, a white shirt, and sparkly makeup; Mike wore jeans, a white dress shirt and a red tie) and life was good.
Mike's family came over for about an hour, then our friends came over. No one get hideously drunk, we played Apples to Apples, they ate my chili and cut up vegetables. I was complimented on being a good hostess (which was a huge point of pride for me). We did a community shot of tequilia...you know, for solidarity. And life was good.
But, sometime between 8pm and midnight (four hours...remember this) I drank 3 drinks (including the tequila). I was never drunk, I felt fine, but at 2am, I got a hangover and yaked my guts out. Three times...presumably once for each drink?
Really, stomach...liver? Three drinks and you've had it?
That pretty much sealed the deal for me, I'm not even going to bother drinking. Maybe one beer, but beyond that we get stranded on Headache Island, and occasionally we'll wander through Yak City, which is a bad part of town.
Oh yeah! Remember how I said we were going to get internet on Saturday? I lied.
We planned on going through a small, local provider, and we found out that there is a line of large, mature trees that obstructs the line of sight between our house and their tower. The internet guy couldn't get a signal. So now, the only way we can get internet through them is if we install a 6-8ft tower on our roof. No, thank you. So now we have to look into something bigger like Comcast or AT&T. Any suggestions?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Books and Halloween
Amen.
Saturday we're getting internet. So you will get inundated with pictures and posts and whatnot. Hooray. I was getting lonely without it.
On a different note, I finished reading Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It was spectacular. It follows the Binewski Fabulon, a family of carnies and their uprising and demise. The Binewski children (Arty, Elly and Iphy, Oly and Chick) were all "created" by their parents using dangerous chemical cocktails to have unique genetic mutations. Arty, the Aqua Boy, Elly and Iphy the siamese twins, Oly the albino, hunchback dwarf and Chick... I'm not very good at writing summaries, and I couldn't find a good one that didn't give away plot points.
Be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. It's gross at times, shocking at others, but absolutely fascinating.
I wrapped this book up on Tuesday, I think, and then decided to re-read New Moon because my mom, sisters, Mike and I are planning to see the movie in the theaters after Thanksgiving.
My God, what a horrible transition.
Geek Love was a well written, compelling and intelligent novel, with a strong female narrator.
And then there's Bella. OMG, BARF.
I have a weird relationship with the Twilight series. I cruised through all four books last year, and the entire time I was reading it left a baaaaad taste in my mouth. I didn't like Edward, I REALLY didn't like Bella, the writing was poor, and their relationship was unhealthy. But I still read them.
I have no idea why I am putting myself through it again. But I am.
Barf.
I'm probably going to complain about it the whole time.
I'm fascinated by the Twi-hards and the fanaticism for the series.
I'm going to power through, guys.
Unrelated to reading, the house is quickly getting into order - at least every room except our "office" (it's just a storage space for boxes right now), and the garage. The good thing about this get-together on Saturday is that it is forcing me to get my house in order. I needed a kick in the ass.
But, Mike and I STILL don't have costumes. We're planning to go to the Halloween store to see what we can find for 50-70% off. Any ideas for easy/cheap couples costumes?
Saturday we're getting internet. So you will get inundated with pictures and posts and whatnot. Hooray. I was getting lonely without it.
On a different note, I finished reading Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It was spectacular. It follows the Binewski Fabulon, a family of carnies and their uprising and demise. The Binewski children (Arty, Elly and Iphy, Oly and Chick) were all "created" by their parents using dangerous chemical cocktails to have unique genetic mutations. Arty, the Aqua Boy, Elly and Iphy the siamese twins, Oly the albino, hunchback dwarf and Chick... I'm not very good at writing summaries, and I couldn't find a good one that didn't give away plot points.
Be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. It's gross at times, shocking at others, but absolutely fascinating.
I wrapped this book up on Tuesday, I think, and then decided to re-read New Moon because my mom, sisters, Mike and I are planning to see the movie in the theaters after Thanksgiving.
My God, what a horrible transition.
Geek Love was a well written, compelling and intelligent novel, with a strong female narrator.
And then there's Bella. OMG, BARF.
I have a weird relationship with the Twilight series. I cruised through all four books last year, and the entire time I was reading it left a baaaaad taste in my mouth. I didn't like Edward, I REALLY didn't like Bella, the writing was poor, and their relationship was unhealthy. But I still read them.
I have no idea why I am putting myself through it again. But I am.
Barf.
I'm probably going to complain about it the whole time.
I'm fascinated by the Twi-hards and the fanaticism for the series.
I'm going to power through, guys.
Unrelated to reading, the house is quickly getting into order - at least every room except our "office" (it's just a storage space for boxes right now), and the garage. The good thing about this get-together on Saturday is that it is forcing me to get my house in order. I needed a kick in the ass.
But, Mike and I STILL don't have costumes. We're planning to go to the Halloween store to see what we can find for 50-70% off. Any ideas for easy/cheap couples costumes?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Stressed
I am terrible.
And unmotivated.
And totally overwhelmed.
This house + commuting + work + cooking dinner + getting ready for our Halloween "party" on Saturday = misery.
Ugh. You guys. Seriously.
Mike and I have agreed to have people over on Halloween, because we're the only ones with our own place. Recently, most of our friends have moved back in with their parents to save money - so, logically our house is the place to be.
BUT, DUDE! I didn't think it would take this long for me to get my act together. (I know - DUH, Ashley - moving is hard) But I really thought I would be better off than I am now.
Regardless, I've sent out an email invitation with the disclaimer that they need to come over prepared to overlook our mess. If they don't like it - they can pound sand.
So there's that.
In other news, I love my little dog, and it pains me to say anything bad about her, (because we DID uproot her little life by moving) but I am ready to light her doggie head on fire.
She's already needy and neurotic, but this move has turned up the volume on her anxiety. She's nervous, so she gets underfoot, and then she gets stepped on, and then she gets more anxious so she gets closer to your and your feet, and gets stepped on and yelled at again, so she gets more nervous and follows you up and down the stairs and into the bathroom, and stares at you. A horrible, soul-wrenching stare. This dog could make angels cry with her stupid, deep doggie eyes.
So...around Christmas...we're getting another dog. Maddie does very well when she has a doggie friend to hang around with, and she bonded really well with my mom's dog (who she still sees daily). A doggie friend will help keep her entertained and maybe chill her out?
We're planning to adopt from a shelter and have looked at some in our area. And I just found out that one of the girls who works with me (well, not with me, but in the same building) volunteers at an animal shelter, and we could tell her what we are looking for in terms of personality, temperament, size, breed and she could help us out. We feel pretty good about this.
We're getting internet on Saturday! So my internet presence (and pictures of the house) will be up and running. We were planning to do without internet/cable, but we realized that trying to live without internet, while not impossible, is dreadfully impractical. I pay all our bills online, gmail has all my recipes, we need to be able to check our bank accounts (because I've gotten lazy and rely on online banking to balance my checkbook. I KNOW, bad habit. We just got new checks, so we're also reevaluating our banking systems)
So - clearly there's a lot of reorganization/reevaluation going on in our lives.
It's kind of a mess.
And unmotivated.
And totally overwhelmed.
This house + commuting + work + cooking dinner + getting ready for our Halloween "party" on Saturday = misery.
Ugh. You guys. Seriously.
Mike and I have agreed to have people over on Halloween, because we're the only ones with our own place. Recently, most of our friends have moved back in with their parents to save money - so, logically our house is the place to be.
BUT, DUDE! I didn't think it would take this long for me to get my act together. (I know - DUH, Ashley - moving is hard) But I really thought I would be better off than I am now.
Regardless, I've sent out an email invitation with the disclaimer that they need to come over prepared to overlook our mess. If they don't like it - they can pound sand.
So there's that.
In other news, I love my little dog, and it pains me to say anything bad about her, (because we DID uproot her little life by moving) but I am ready to light her doggie head on fire.
She's already needy and neurotic, but this move has turned up the volume on her anxiety. She's nervous, so she gets underfoot, and then she gets stepped on, and then she gets more anxious so she gets closer to your and your feet, and gets stepped on and yelled at again, so she gets more nervous and follows you up and down the stairs and into the bathroom, and stares at you. A horrible, soul-wrenching stare. This dog could make angels cry with her stupid, deep doggie eyes.
So...around Christmas...we're getting another dog. Maddie does very well when she has a doggie friend to hang around with, and she bonded really well with my mom's dog (who she still sees daily). A doggie friend will help keep her entertained and maybe chill her out?
We're planning to adopt from a shelter and have looked at some in our area. And I just found out that one of the girls who works with me (well, not with me, but in the same building) volunteers at an animal shelter, and we could tell her what we are looking for in terms of personality, temperament, size, breed and she could help us out. We feel pretty good about this.
We're getting internet on Saturday! So my internet presence (and pictures of the house) will be up and running. We were planning to do without internet/cable, but we realized that trying to live without internet, while not impossible, is dreadfully impractical. I pay all our bills online, gmail has all my recipes, we need to be able to check our bank accounts (because I've gotten lazy and rely on online banking to balance my checkbook. I KNOW, bad habit. We just got new checks, so we're also reevaluating our banking systems)
So - clearly there's a lot of reorganization/reevaluation going on in our lives.
It's kind of a mess.
Friday, October 23, 2009
101 Things About Me
Friday!
I started this list way back in July, and I've just now gotten around to finishing it up. Many of you feature this list on your blogs, and I find them fascinating, so I've created my own.
Plus it's Friday, which translates to "Slacker Day" and that applies to blogs too.
1. My hair is naturally red. I've only dyed it once, and I went brown,
2. I was voted Homecoming Princess my junior year of high school.
3. I gave Hot Topic the idea for the "I Make Boys Cry" t-shirt. I still have printouts of the emails.
4. I spent a semester as a housekeeper for a eccentric recluse who was apparently a semi-famous author. He created gumball machines, was a boxer for UCLA, and was incredibly lonely. I think the only reason he hired me was so he would have someone to talk to.
5. Once upon a time I was a hardcore feminist, now I lean more towards more traditional gender roles. Mainly because I hate working, don't mind cleaning, and want to raise my own kids.
6. I missed my professional calling. I'm hoping to remedy that. Someday.
7. I love video game culture, in theory. In practice, not so much.
8. I am fascinated by pin-up culture. I think I'll always be an outside observer rather than an active participant.
9. Mike and I have the best dog we could have asked for, and I am a huge advocate of adopting from shelters.
10. I always carry water and chapstick. If I am ever without those two things I feel very anxious and will often go to the closest gas station to purchase them. Leaving my phone behind doesn't usually bother me.
11. I can't sleep in anymore.
12. I feel strangely adult now because I have a lawyer, and Mike and I are looking over contracts. But. getting a Costco membership made me feel more adult than buying a house
13. I'm a reformed Internet creep. When I was in 7th grade and we FIRST got the Internet, I used to lurk around chatrooms, stay on AIM all night. As I got older, I trolled craigstlist rants and raves. I used to make online friends.
14. I have trouble dressing myself and I wear black so often that I look like a mourner.
15. I didn't expect to miss living with my parents once we got the house...but I do.
16. Planning the wedding made me really uncomfortable. I felt really awkward and guilty planning a big party that's supposed to focus on me and Mike and OUR LOVE. Who cares? I feel super strange about having people buy dresses or suits or travel out here BECAUSE I SAID SO.
17. However - the wedding was amazing. And I'm glad I went through with the whole production of it. Everyone I love was there, and happy.
18. I'm adore etsy.com. I'm obsessed with handmade items and trinkets. I hope to someday go back to my crafty roots and start a shop of my own.
19. I wish my life was greener...though currently, it's not so bad. I plan to someday have a compost heap, and be totally rid of traditional cleaning products. It's not much, but a step...
20. I have a love/hate relationship with TV. I love it. But I hate how much I love it. Sometimes I feel akin to Homer Simpson.
21. I love scarves. I haven't decided if they are a fashion statement, or a type of security blanket.
22. I hope, deep down, that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is real. Even if that DOES mean that I'm a Muggle. I just want our world to have magic in it somewhere.
23. I would love to be Ana Pascal from Stranger Than Fiction. If you haven't seen it, DO. I want to make people happy in this world.
24. I want to go to Japan. Not yet, though. I want to prepare by learning a little Japanese, and making sure that we have enough money to go and make sure no expense is spared.
25. I don't want to be boring...but I think I am already there.
26. I would love to get a tattoo sleeve. But unfortunately, I don't think that's in the cards for me.
27. I wish I were more feminine. I think girls that are ladylike are neat. I feel like wearing dresses is a step in the right direction.
28. I desperately want to exercise. My body wants to be in shape, but my motivation by the time I get home (after my near 2hr commute) is nonexistent. I would really like to run a 5K in the next few years.
29. I think cemeteries are beautiful. Especially when they are old, and it's Spring.
30. I love to read. Anything. Right now I'm reading Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.
31. I want to be a well-known and respected member of my community.
32. I also want to be a Stay-at-Home-Mom, when the time comes. I hope that Michael and I have the means to make this happen. My mom did it, and his mom did it, and it was nice to know that there was someone waiting for you
33. Mike and I are actually really excited about hosting dinner parties, having people over, and cooking.
34. I hope someday my life pans out just as I imagine it will.
35. I am married to my best friend and High School sweetheart, which is pretty sweet.
36. I'm realizing more and more that I am a very private person. It really never dawned on me before.
37. I am an extreme homebody. To the maxxxxx.
38. I'm terrible at staying up late. I'm perfectly happy to be asleep by 10pm.
39. I have a pretty awesome family, and I prefer their company to anyone's.
40. My mom is my best friend and and most trusted confidante. She's a pretty awesome lady.
41. I have two younger sisters, one is 21, the other is 16. We all have different natural hair colors, and our names are alphabetical - A, B, and C.
42. My 21 year old sister is hilarious. And blonde, and B.
43. My 16 year old sister is the nicest person I have ever met. She'll do anything for you. She's a brunette, and C.
44. My dad and I are very much alike. We butt heads constantly because of this.
45. I was a nude model for a life drawing class for a semester of college. It was a strange and interesting experience.
46. I love to try different shampoos. If I am staying over at someone's house, I am so excited to try their hair products.
47. I've recently learned that I am like a FURNACE when I sleep. We figured this out when Mike and I were napping in the car on a cool, rainy day. When we woke up, my side of the car was all steamed up.
48. I love sugary kids cereal. Reeses Puffs. Cap'n Crunch. Cocoa Puffs. You name it, and I'm all over it.
49. I also love kids' cartoons. So does Mike, and nothing pleases us more then finding out that there are 6 episodes of The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack on a Sunday morning.
50. I am clean, but not always neat. And I really like to have my living space in order before I get ready to relax for the night.
51. The smell of lilacs and clean laundry will forever remind me of being a kid and playing in the backyard.
52. I am very fortunate to have the in-laws that I have. They're really awesome people, who tend to forgive Mike and I despite our shortcomings.
53. I can't wait for Halloween, every year. But then it usually comes and goes without much acknowledgment from me.
54. I get the worst hangovers in the world. In college I managed to escape them, but since I don't drink regularly anymore, approximately Tthree beers can make me violently ill for an entire day. If I only have one drink, I need to chase it with glasses and glasses of water or I will have a headache for hours.
55. My friends were convinced I was allergic to alcohol the first time I drank. Sometimes they still think I am. I just think I'm unlucky.
56. I am an exceptionally fun drunk.
57. I am a terrible dancer. I won a "Worst Dancer" award in High School.
58. I enjoy Daiquiris with my mom and sister. Rum makes everyone loud and festive.
59. I am extraordinarily clumsy. I walk into doorways, kick chairs, and always wind up with mysterious bruises. Mike gets nervous if I get too rambunctious because I am apt to accidentally punch him in the mouth.
60. Driving terrifies me. I am not a very confident driver and have been in too many accidents. I've been rear ended 3 times in the last year, and none of the other drivers were very nice about it.
61. I've just recently developed a taste for coffee. But I still put loads of sugar (or Splenda) and creamer in it. Though drinking it black isn't the worst thing in the world.
62. I have 4 tattoos. I got my first when I was 18 (4 stars on my hip), my 2nd when I was 20 (a cricket on my right foot), my third when I was 23 (a swallow the right side of my lower back) and my fourth when I was 24 (a band around my left forearm and the word "always"). I am enamored with tattoos - my own and those belonging to others.
63. Legally changing my name caused me to have a mini identity crisis. Just a little one. I'm still working on my signature
64. I enjoy doing bills. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and control.
65. I have a strange relationship with the blog-world. I want to be part of it, and I follow bunches of blogs for periods of time, but once a blogger starts constantly linking to their blog friends' blogs, then I feel alienated - I feel outside of a clique.
66. I love celebrity gossip. I shouldn't, but I do.
67. I also love terrible, terrible reality TV shows. Again, I shouldn't but I do.
68. On the flip side, I read classic literature, and watch intelligent movies and brilliant (but cancelled) TV shows. I just needed to clear the air...
69. On that topic, the saga revolving around Jon and Kate Plus 8 makes me so sad for those kids. Seriously. Stop exploiting your children.
70. My favorite bloggers are The Pioneer Woman and Dooce. They sort of embody what I want to be.
71. I'm still unsure about Twitter. I'm trying to use it, but really, who care that I went for a run? Or that my dog's breath smells? Or that I'm baking cookies? I'm going to keep at it.
72. I. Love. Harry. Potter. I am a devoted fan, and have been for about 10 years. It's the longest love affair I've ever had.
73. I DON'T LIKE TO EXERCISE. I just don't. I will, because I know it is good for me and it makes my legs look awesome. But I'm going to complain about it the WHOLE TIME.
74. Now that we've moved, I don't think I want to go without cable/internet. While I acknowledge that TV isn't the best thing for me, it's REALLY nice to shut down and zone out at the end of the day.
75. I'm going to live in Illinois for almost my entire life. My family moved here when I was two, and I lived in Iowa for about a year total. My family is here, my friends are here, and I know this place. When I have kids I want to make sure they know their grandparents and relatives (I never really did).
76. Singing Happy Birthday makes me feel so incredibly awkward
77. I am not good at long-distance relationships.
78. I used to play World of Warcraft. I loved it, a lot. I never got very far, but I had to stop playing because it became a time-suck.
79. I've been using the alias SilentA for nearly 10 years. It started after a weekend of watching Kevin Smith movies, and decided to create a persona after Silent Bob.
80. I've been blogging for nearly the same amount of time (10 years). I started out on OpenDiary.com, moved over to Livejournal, and here I find myself on Blogger. Hopefully the next step is my own site.
81. I have a really soft spot for Iowa. Particularly Des Moines. Mike went to school there, I temporarily went to school in Iowa City, and that's where Mike and I had our first apartment together.
82. I played the flute for 8 years. I never really liked it much, but I wasn't half bad. My teachers were always encouraging, but I was lazy and never practiced.
83. During my 4 years of High School, I was an active member of the marching band. It was totally nerdy, but the kids I hung around with (who weren't hardcore into it) dubbed ourselves the "Anti-Band".
84. That said, I have a soft spot for every member of that marching band.
85. I like making lists like these. They make me feel like I am learning things about myself.
86. I never in a million years thought I would be a girl who loved shoes...yet here I am.
87. Conversely, I still occasionally wear slippers out in public, and I don't care how sloppy I look.
88. I wrote a speech about my moccasin slippers my sophomore year of college. I didn't graded as well as I hoped I would.
89. I sometimes wish I had tried harder and focused more while I was in college. I think part of the reason I didn't stemmed from the fact that I went to 3 different colleges.
90. Attending community college was the best thing I could have done for my education. I saved myself a bunch of money while finishing general education classes. I wish community college didn't have such a bad stigma attached to it.
91. I love dreary weather. I could gladly live in a place like Seattle with limited sunshine. I avoid hot temperatures and sun because I am very fair and prone to sunburn.
92. I actually react very badly to sunburns...I get insatiably itchy, and freak out. I can't describe the feeling and how awful it is. My dad has the same thing, and when he was in Vietnam he had to be hospitalized because the itching was so terrible.
93. I have had the same group of friends since I was 12 years old. It's very bizarre to realize that I've known them half my life. But I love them.
94. Physical contact with people (other than Mike) weirds me out. But with Mike, I like to be discreetly touching him as often as possible.
95. I used to REALLY want to be interested in professional sports. I wanted to be cool like that. But I tried...I really did...and it holds no appeal for me, and I've accepted that.
96. I wish I was more interested in music. I have a couple bands/CDs that I listen to, but otherwise I'm sort of eh about it.
97. I'm not really sure what I want to be when I grow up. Some days it's a personal trainer, baker or teacher. Other days it's a stay at home mom, independent crafter, or entrepreneur.
98. I have no tolerance for radio commercials that use the sound of an alarm clock, squealing breaks, or emergency vehicle sirens of ANY kind.
99. Someday I want to be the type of cook that people are clamoring to get recipes from.
100. I'm extremely well-intentioned, but I severely lack on follow-through. Hobbies I pick up, ideas for gifts and costumes. Most of these things never come to fruition.
101. I also lack will power. I don't deny myself much. But I'm working on it. I'm working on a lot of things.
I started this list way back in July, and I've just now gotten around to finishing it up. Many of you feature this list on your blogs, and I find them fascinating, so I've created my own.
Plus it's Friday, which translates to "Slacker Day" and that applies to blogs too.
1. My hair is naturally red. I've only dyed it once, and I went brown,
2. I was voted Homecoming Princess my junior year of high school.
3. I gave Hot Topic the idea for the "I Make Boys Cry" t-shirt. I still have printouts of the emails.
4. I spent a semester as a housekeeper for a eccentric recluse who was apparently a semi-famous author. He created gumball machines, was a boxer for UCLA, and was incredibly lonely. I think the only reason he hired me was so he would have someone to talk to.
5. Once upon a time I was a hardcore feminist, now I lean more towards more traditional gender roles. Mainly because I hate working, don't mind cleaning, and want to raise my own kids.
6. I missed my professional calling. I'm hoping to remedy that. Someday.
7. I love video game culture, in theory. In practice, not so much.
8. I am fascinated by pin-up culture. I think I'll always be an outside observer rather than an active participant.
9. Mike and I have the best dog we could have asked for, and I am a huge advocate of adopting from shelters.
10. I always carry water and chapstick. If I am ever without those two things I feel very anxious and will often go to the closest gas station to purchase them. Leaving my phone behind doesn't usually bother me.
11. I can't sleep in anymore.
12. I feel strangely adult now because I have a lawyer, and Mike and I are looking over contracts. But. getting a Costco membership made me feel more adult than buying a house
13. I'm a reformed Internet creep. When I was in 7th grade and we FIRST got the Internet, I used to lurk around chatrooms, stay on AIM all night. As I got older, I trolled craigstlist rants and raves. I used to make online friends.
14. I have trouble dressing myself and I wear black so often that I look like a mourner.
15. I didn't expect to miss living with my parents once we got the house...but I do.
16. Planning the wedding made me really uncomfortable. I felt really awkward and guilty planning a big party that's supposed to focus on me and Mike and OUR LOVE. Who cares? I feel super strange about having people buy dresses or suits or travel out here BECAUSE I SAID SO.
17. However - the wedding was amazing. And I'm glad I went through with the whole production of it. Everyone I love was there, and happy.
18. I'm adore etsy.com. I'm obsessed with handmade items and trinkets. I hope to someday go back to my crafty roots and start a shop of my own.
19. I wish my life was greener...though currently, it's not so bad. I plan to someday have a compost heap, and be totally rid of traditional cleaning products. It's not much, but a step...
20. I have a love/hate relationship with TV. I love it. But I hate how much I love it. Sometimes I feel akin to Homer Simpson.
21. I love scarves. I haven't decided if they are a fashion statement, or a type of security blanket.
22. I hope, deep down, that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is real. Even if that DOES mean that I'm a Muggle. I just want our world to have magic in it somewhere.
23. I would love to be Ana Pascal from Stranger Than Fiction. If you haven't seen it, DO. I want to make people happy in this world.
24. I want to go to Japan. Not yet, though. I want to prepare by learning a little Japanese, and making sure that we have enough money to go and make sure no expense is spared.
25. I don't want to be boring...but I think I am already there.
26. I would love to get a tattoo sleeve. But unfortunately, I don't think that's in the cards for me.
27. I wish I were more feminine. I think girls that are ladylike are neat. I feel like wearing dresses is a step in the right direction.
28. I desperately want to exercise. My body wants to be in shape, but my motivation by the time I get home (after my near 2hr commute) is nonexistent. I would really like to run a 5K in the next few years.
29. I think cemeteries are beautiful. Especially when they are old, and it's Spring.
30. I love to read. Anything. Right now I'm reading Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.
31. I want to be a well-known and respected member of my community.
32. I also want to be a Stay-at-Home-Mom, when the time comes. I hope that Michael and I have the means to make this happen. My mom did it, and his mom did it, and it was nice to know that there was someone waiting for you
33. Mike and I are actually really excited about hosting dinner parties, having people over, and cooking.
34. I hope someday my life pans out just as I imagine it will.
35. I am married to my best friend and High School sweetheart, which is pretty sweet.
36. I'm realizing more and more that I am a very private person. It really never dawned on me before.
37. I am an extreme homebody. To the maxxxxx.
38. I'm terrible at staying up late. I'm perfectly happy to be asleep by 10pm.
39. I have a pretty awesome family, and I prefer their company to anyone's.
40. My mom is my best friend and and most trusted confidante. She's a pretty awesome lady.
41. I have two younger sisters, one is 21, the other is 16. We all have different natural hair colors, and our names are alphabetical - A, B, and C.
42. My 21 year old sister is hilarious. And blonde, and B.
43. My 16 year old sister is the nicest person I have ever met. She'll do anything for you. She's a brunette, and C.
44. My dad and I are very much alike. We butt heads constantly because of this.
45. I was a nude model for a life drawing class for a semester of college. It was a strange and interesting experience.
46. I love to try different shampoos. If I am staying over at someone's house, I am so excited to try their hair products.
47. I've recently learned that I am like a FURNACE when I sleep. We figured this out when Mike and I were napping in the car on a cool, rainy day. When we woke up, my side of the car was all steamed up.
48. I love sugary kids cereal. Reeses Puffs. Cap'n Crunch. Cocoa Puffs. You name it, and I'm all over it.
49. I also love kids' cartoons. So does Mike, and nothing pleases us more then finding out that there are 6 episodes of The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack on a Sunday morning.
50. I am clean, but not always neat. And I really like to have my living space in order before I get ready to relax for the night.
51. The smell of lilacs and clean laundry will forever remind me of being a kid and playing in the backyard.
52. I am very fortunate to have the in-laws that I have. They're really awesome people, who tend to forgive Mike and I despite our shortcomings.
53. I can't wait for Halloween, every year. But then it usually comes and goes without much acknowledgment from me.
54. I get the worst hangovers in the world. In college I managed to escape them, but since I don't drink regularly anymore, approximately Tthree beers can make me violently ill for an entire day. If I only have one drink, I need to chase it with glasses and glasses of water or I will have a headache for hours.
55. My friends were convinced I was allergic to alcohol the first time I drank. Sometimes they still think I am. I just think I'm unlucky.
56. I am an exceptionally fun drunk.
57. I am a terrible dancer. I won a "Worst Dancer" award in High School.
58. I enjoy Daiquiris with my mom and sister. Rum makes everyone loud and festive.
59. I am extraordinarily clumsy. I walk into doorways, kick chairs, and always wind up with mysterious bruises. Mike gets nervous if I get too rambunctious because I am apt to accidentally punch him in the mouth.
60. Driving terrifies me. I am not a very confident driver and have been in too many accidents. I've been rear ended 3 times in the last year, and none of the other drivers were very nice about it.
61. I've just recently developed a taste for coffee. But I still put loads of sugar (or Splenda) and creamer in it. Though drinking it black isn't the worst thing in the world.
62. I have 4 tattoos. I got my first when I was 18 (4 stars on my hip), my 2nd when I was 20 (a cricket on my right foot), my third when I was 23 (a swallow the right side of my lower back) and my fourth when I was 24 (a band around my left forearm and the word "always"). I am enamored with tattoos - my own and those belonging to others.
63. Legally changing my name caused me to have a mini identity crisis. Just a little one. I'm still working on my signature
64. I enjoy doing bills. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and control.
65. I have a strange relationship with the blog-world. I want to be part of it, and I follow bunches of blogs for periods of time, but once a blogger starts constantly linking to their blog friends' blogs, then I feel alienated - I feel outside of a clique.
66. I love celebrity gossip. I shouldn't, but I do.
67. I also love terrible, terrible reality TV shows. Again, I shouldn't but I do.
68. On the flip side, I read classic literature, and watch intelligent movies and brilliant (but cancelled) TV shows. I just needed to clear the air...
69. On that topic, the saga revolving around Jon and Kate Plus 8 makes me so sad for those kids. Seriously. Stop exploiting your children.
70. My favorite bloggers are The Pioneer Woman and Dooce. They sort of embody what I want to be.
71. I'm still unsure about Twitter. I'm trying to use it, but really, who care that I went for a run? Or that my dog's breath smells? Or that I'm baking cookies? I'm going to keep at it.
72. I. Love. Harry. Potter. I am a devoted fan, and have been for about 10 years. It's the longest love affair I've ever had.
73. I DON'T LIKE TO EXERCISE. I just don't. I will, because I know it is good for me and it makes my legs look awesome. But I'm going to complain about it the WHOLE TIME.
74. Now that we've moved, I don't think I want to go without cable/internet. While I acknowledge that TV isn't the best thing for me, it's REALLY nice to shut down and zone out at the end of the day.
75. I'm going to live in Illinois for almost my entire life. My family moved here when I was two, and I lived in Iowa for about a year total. My family is here, my friends are here, and I know this place. When I have kids I want to make sure they know their grandparents and relatives (I never really did).
76. Singing Happy Birthday makes me feel so incredibly awkward
77. I am not good at long-distance relationships.
78. I used to play World of Warcraft. I loved it, a lot. I never got very far, but I had to stop playing because it became a time-suck.
79. I've been using the alias SilentA for nearly 10 years. It started after a weekend of watching Kevin Smith movies, and decided to create a persona after Silent Bob.
80. I've been blogging for nearly the same amount of time (10 years). I started out on OpenDiary.com, moved over to Livejournal, and here I find myself on Blogger. Hopefully the next step is my own site.
81. I have a really soft spot for Iowa. Particularly Des Moines. Mike went to school there, I temporarily went to school in Iowa City, and that's where Mike and I had our first apartment together.
82. I played the flute for 8 years. I never really liked it much, but I wasn't half bad. My teachers were always encouraging, but I was lazy and never practiced.
83. During my 4 years of High School, I was an active member of the marching band. It was totally nerdy, but the kids I hung around with (who weren't hardcore into it) dubbed ourselves the "Anti-Band".
84. That said, I have a soft spot for every member of that marching band.
85. I like making lists like these. They make me feel like I am learning things about myself.
86. I never in a million years thought I would be a girl who loved shoes...yet here I am.
87. Conversely, I still occasionally wear slippers out in public, and I don't care how sloppy I look.
88. I wrote a speech about my moccasin slippers my sophomore year of college. I didn't graded as well as I hoped I would.
89. I sometimes wish I had tried harder and focused more while I was in college. I think part of the reason I didn't stemmed from the fact that I went to 3 different colleges.
90. Attending community college was the best thing I could have done for my education. I saved myself a bunch of money while finishing general education classes. I wish community college didn't have such a bad stigma attached to it.
91. I love dreary weather. I could gladly live in a place like Seattle with limited sunshine. I avoid hot temperatures and sun because I am very fair and prone to sunburn.
92. I actually react very badly to sunburns...I get insatiably itchy, and freak out. I can't describe the feeling and how awful it is. My dad has the same thing, and when he was in Vietnam he had to be hospitalized because the itching was so terrible.
93. I have had the same group of friends since I was 12 years old. It's very bizarre to realize that I've known them half my life. But I love them.
94. Physical contact with people (other than Mike) weirds me out. But with Mike, I like to be discreetly touching him as often as possible.
95. I used to REALLY want to be interested in professional sports. I wanted to be cool like that. But I tried...I really did...and it holds no appeal for me, and I've accepted that.
96. I wish I was more interested in music. I have a couple bands/CDs that I listen to, but otherwise I'm sort of eh about it.
97. I'm not really sure what I want to be when I grow up. Some days it's a personal trainer, baker or teacher. Other days it's a stay at home mom, independent crafter, or entrepreneur.
98. I have no tolerance for radio commercials that use the sound of an alarm clock, squealing breaks, or emergency vehicle sirens of ANY kind.
99. Someday I want to be the type of cook that people are clamoring to get recipes from.
100. I'm extremely well-intentioned, but I severely lack on follow-through. Hobbies I pick up, ideas for gifts and costumes. Most of these things never come to fruition.
101. I also lack will power. I don't deny myself much. But I'm working on it. I'm working on a lot of things.
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