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Saturday, February 3, 2007

100 Things

Nothing like insomnia to get the posts flowing . . . I'm not sure how I've avoided this in 2 1/2 years of blogging, and god knows you people must already know 100 things about me, but I've been inspired lately by finding some other people's lists, so here is mine:

1. I'll be 36 in March.
2. Aging is a bit of a dilemma for me.
3. I started my blog originally because I'd taken three exciting trips (Tokyo, Seoul, Bali) in a month (November of 2004) and wanted to share the pictures and experiences with friends and family. I thought I'd be taking lots of fun trips and I wanted a place to document them.
4. After those trips it was months and months before I took another exciting trip, so I just started writing about my everyday life, and I haven't shut up since.
5. I grew up in Central Washington.
6. My kindergarten teacher constantly taught us that we were great. I used to walk around and tell strangers, “I like myself!"
7. What I wouldn’t give for a dose of that confidence now.
8. I went to college in Portland, Oregon.
9. Bible college. (I don’t recommend it - I got kicked out.) (I do recommend getting kicked out if you're already there.)
10. I lived in Portland for thirteen years, and I love it there.

11. Then I moved to Japan for almost four years.
12. I'm in upstate New York now. Sometimes I don't know why. I hope it will grow on me.
13. When I was little I sucked my fingers (pointer and middle) while holding onto a pillow case. When I went to kindergarten I would hide a pillow case in the arm of my coat (right sleeve) so I could have it with me all the time and feel it while walking to and from school.
14. I used to write letters to the priests and put them in the offering basket. When I was nine I wrote to President Carter to express my concerns. When I was ten I wrote to the local newspaper to thank them for their editorial column, and I wrote to the Pope asking why girls couldn't be Altar Boys.
15. Yes, I'm afraid I've always been a bit of an activist.
16. The Pope didn't write back. His assassination attempt happened a few weeks later, so that's probably why.
17. Every day brings with it a new existential dilemma to ponder.
18. I have a hard time being myself without worrying whether or not other people will accept me.
19. I have a sister who is 18 months older than I am and a brother 9 years younger.
20. In third grade I took my brother to school for show-and-tell.

21. I have an extremely sensitive bullshit detector. I can stand very, very little of it.
22. I have about three seconds for homophobia.
23. I've noticed there seems to be a direct relationship between personal difficulties and compassion, but an inverse relationship between religion and compassion.
24. Teaching was my favorite job ever. I wish teachers didn’t get paid jack.
25. Hand washing? Check. Obsessive flossing? Check. Lining papers up so they're parallel with the side of my desk? Check.
26. If Tyra Banks is fat, I just need to give up right now.
27. I volunteered for seven years as a Rape Victim Advocate in Portland. It was amazing work.
28. I've attended Al-Anon off and on for fifteen years.
29. I love it.
30. It’s like church but for people who are real.

31. I used to have a kitty named JJ who liked to hang out on top of open doors on that little space that is about 2" wide.
32. I had to give him to my brother when I moved to Japan. Trauma.
33. I applied for college on a dare in March of my senior year of high school. I was a bit of an underachiever in those days.
34. Now I am a sick workaholic.
35. What happened?
36. I really, really, really want to learn how to surf.
37. I have a loud laugh. You don't have to be around me very long to hear it.
38. I push myself all the time to do things outside of my comfort zone. It’s hard for me, but what's the other option?
39. I loathe the vile, heinous President.
40. I have no sense of direction. When I am trying to find something, I think of what my instinct would be and then go in the opposite direction. It almost always works.

41. Traveling internationally is my favorite thing to do. I feel most at home when I'm lost in a new city.
42. I've visited Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Guam, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and Vietnam, and most of those a few times each.
43. Yeah, they're alphabetized. So what?
44. I've been in three bank robberies. It's hard to remember to keep the note!
45. Dammit, Shoo Shoo, I love that piano bar!
46. I have a student loan that would make your dog weep.
47. I'm afraid of geckos. Don’t say geckos.
48. I think everyone has a story, and I'm genuinely interested in just about all of them.
49. I’m empathetic to an absolute fault. It can be a problem.
50. When my sister and I are together we frequently laugh until we can’t breathe. Actually, that happens with my brother, too, but we’re not together as often.

51. I'm often single on Valentine's Day.
52. I try to arrange something fun and memorable to do every year on Valentine's Day and my birthday so the years don't just run one into another without me having specific, fun memories.
53. It also helps one not get bitter about being single if one is, say, floating down the Rhine River, riding on an elephant in the jungle, or climbing the Great Wall on V-Day.
54. One year on my birthday morning I was snoozing away in Phuket, Thailand, and the resort staff woke me up singing "Happy Birthday." They brought me breakfast, champagne and a cake.
55. My sister and BIL had called ahead. I couldn't believe it!
56. I had my palm read that day in Thailand.
57. Nothing that he said has happened!
58. I am a little disappointed about it.
59. I believe in making my own luck. (As it turns out, I'm a very lucky person.)
60. I don't believe that everything happens for a reason. Most things, yes. But not everything. Deal with it.

61. I’m definitely shy, at least for a while.
62. I require a crazy amount of time alone. It’s how I recharge.
63. I’d work on that, however, if Anderson Cooper is the clingy type.
64. I’m barking up the wrong tree there, aren’t I?
65. I’m afraid to fly. I’m pretty sure I’m going to die every time I get on a plane.
66. I have a friend who tells me to write notes to loved ones and put them in zip-lock baggies in case the plane crashes over water.
67. I’m kinda into that type of dark humor.
68. I went to Hawaii for the first time last year.
69. It's unreal, I had no idea.
70. I went back again a month later. And again a month later.

71. I love, love, love to read. Books matter to me.
72. "And The Band Played On" by Randy Shilts, "Man's Search For Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo and “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver will always be in my top five.
73. In 2001 I gave all of my hair to Locks of Love.
74. I love my attitude problem.
75. I have a very, very soft heart.
76. I’ve been skydiving once.
77. When you pull your chute and stop free-falling, it’s so quiet you can hear birds flap their wings.
78. I was a vegetarian for five years. Nothing noble, just grossed out by eating flesh.
79. Since living in Japan, when I get tired I drive on the wrong side of the road.
80. Maybe I missed NPR more than anything while living overseas.

81. Although tirelessly introspective, I'm not really given to depression, even when things get very bad.
82. Trust me, that's: Nature - 0, Nurture - 1.
83. The person in the car next to you who is singing and dancing? That's me.
84. I've kept a diary since first grade, but I only wrote two entries that year.
85. One says, "I HATE MRS. GARRETT!!!!!!!" (That was my first grade teacher.)
86. The other says, "I HATE MY MOM!!!!!!!" (Not sure what that was about.)
87. I tend to journal mostly when things are bad.
88. I used to worry that someone would find my boxes and boxes of old journals and read them.
89. I went through some old journals in December while unpacking from my move.
90. They bored me to tears. (I'm not that worried about people finding them anymore.)

91. I think I Just Want To Be a Tugboat Captain and I Thought There Would Be Real Dogs & Ponies are two of the funniest blogs out there right now. Very funny, sharp writing.
92. But I bet they never wrote to the Pope.
93. Caveat Emptor is definitely the most original writing. It's such a surprise and a pleasure to read. (I shouldn’t have started this. Now I want to explain what I love about every blog that I read.)
94. What’s not fun about karaoke?
95. Maybe pay-it-forward should be the only religion.
96. It's just a thought.
97. Ice cream is my favorite food.
98. A grad school professor once named my study group "Most fun to party with."
99. We wanted an A on a group paper, but we got that comment instead.
100. I was pretty much ok with it.

15 comments:

  1. Hey! Thanks.

    I would never have the stamina to complete one of these lists and I'm always impressed when someone does.

    Hello, LSL.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 3. I started/continued my blog for very much the same reasons (except I went to the Dominican Republic and Haiti).

    36. Surfing is really, really, really hard. Not that I'm trying to discourage you.

    39. Me too.

    40. Me too, again.

    41. Hey, me too, again again! That's three in a row.

    46. We have so much in common it's starting to scare me a little.

    53. Awesome idea. Being freshly dumped, I'm single this year for V-day and I'm actually going to spend it touring the Angola Penitentiary. No, seriously.

    64. From all reports I've heard (and I've heard quite a few), yes you are. Sorry.

    65. Oh my god, ME TOO!

    91. Wow, thanks for the shout-out. Now I'm even more glad I read this far.

    92. I've never written directly to the Pope, but if you've read my blog then you know I do like to talk a lot of shit about him.

    ReplyDelete
  3. awesome list! :)

    there is this open mic thing here in seattle where people go up and read from their childhood journals/diaries. isn't that a hoot? i really want to go.

    i am 120% behind the pay it forward religion. consider me a follower!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great Post...
    I love getting glimpses of you...
    It reminds me of all the reasons i think you're so great...
    You still inspire me.

    Nothing But Love for ya....

    ReplyDelete
  5. 101: Super Bowl -- football game, or advertising showcase?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey, Scott - no pressure, but you should totally do a list. It would be so funny. Include that whole thing how you like to meet people from the Internet and then murder them.

    Dave - thanks for your fun reply. You have a rockin' V-day coming up, don't you? (I looked at the website and it does say it's "a worthwhile visit".) We do have a lot in common. I forgot to list that I hate throwing up. Do we have that in common, too? I have to say one of my favorite posts from you was when you said, "If someone would have told me a few years ago . . . (crazy parade) . . . well, I probably would have believed them." I also appreciated that "Update: I'll be damned . . . " (BTW, that guy's a total loser.) Last night it was Durban Bud (hilarious, awesome), but the next time I have insomnia I'm going to catch up on your archives.

    Hey Sizzle - I learned about getmortified.com from NPR (the Giver of All Good Things) and have loved listening to the stories. Who can't relate to a little adolescent humiliation? Maybe in Seattle it's something similar? Thanks for reading!

    Little Star – You're always so nice to me, ever since I got locked out that night and slept on your couch. (Actually, since way before that.) We go back, don’t we? Good times. Please tell me you’re coming by TequilaCon for a drink next month, right?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey Postmodern! You forgot option C: Excuse to eat chips and dip to your heart's content without remorse. That's my choice.

    ACTUALLY (here comes a Japan story) - for the past four years it's been Superbowl Monday, as the SB is one of the very few things (the only thing?) that military TV broadcasts live overseas. The pre-game parties start at 5:00 AM in Japan, and everyone gets the day off (except for bankers). There are your tax dollars hard at work :) - although I guess those marines, airmen, sailors and soldiers have earned it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. OK so ... here is my comparison to you .....

    9) Wish I was kicked out , I actually finished , then went to the gay bars to celebrate after graduation!! Mine was in Bama though.

    10)Me too but I was only there for 5 years.

    12)I have a cousin who owns a B&B with her hubby in Upstate NY , alas I do not know it's name or location.

    18) I used to be a friendship chameleon when I was in my 20's whatever thet needed me to be I became. Now I am just me like it or not.

    22) even less here.

    23) Patrick says the same thing about me . I am always at work so I guess he is right, but I never saw it coming.

    39) AMEN

    42)Uh...Hello...Type A

    51) Patrick and I met on Feb 6th and got married last Feb 15 I will no longer be alone on VD ( Not to rub it in of course).

    61)Me Too.

    68) Me too but I liked it so much I moved here 1 year later.

    71) Me too ...duh I am sure you read my post.

    94) Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter and Sweet Transvestite are all a part of my repitoire.

    95) Amen again.

    97) Patrick too ...me not so much except for in the summer.

    So there you have it. I loved your list !!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey, Scottk! Thanks, it's fun to read this kind of comparison. Love your Bible college story. If they only knew! I love your comment about being a friendship chameleon, and about V-day - rub it in all you want! You deserve it. Maybe we can karaoke together sometime. I'm terrible, but it doesn't stop me from having fun :)

    Dave - snap. I totally walked into that, and you totally keep coming up with the goods. Awesome. I almost fell out of my chair at this one.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's true. I've never written to a Pope. But I did write to Jimmy Carter too. And my first grade teacher was named Mrs. Garra and I hated her too. It's a long story that involved a urologist. Mrs. Garra will always be on my standby list when I'm between current villains.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey Gabe, thank you for visiting. There's no Lawrence Welk Fridays, but I do my best. Don't you think it's a bit of a coincidence about the whole writing Jimmy Carter and our first grade teacher's names thing? I'm just sayin. At some point, please share the story . . . I can't imagine why a first grader should even know what a urologist is!

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  12. you are so precious. i'm not sure what happened to my link to you. it's been there for weeks and weeks. i think i've fixed it now so all will be well. you are precious, truly.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 16. Does that mean Carter *did* write back???

    18. I *so* relate!

    20. :)

    37. :) ...You have an *awesome* laugh!

    42. You are *so* my hero.

    45. LMAO!!!! When are we goin back???!!

    47. GECKO-GECKO-GECKO!! Sorry, couldn't help myself. They are so Cool though! ;)

    76. You've been skydiving?????? (Again I need to say) Dude! How did I not know this??!! Is it possible that I knew and forgot?!!

    83. :) Ditto.

    85. Was that before or after she was headmaster for the Facts of Life girls?? ;)

    92. LOL ..I bet yours is better (Though I just quickly peeked at Dave/Tugboat Captn's, and his profile pic alone just about made me fall down laughing!)! :)

    94. We *so* have to do that together one day. Maybe they have a karaoke bar in the NY, NY????

    I LOVE this list. :) I so need to do one too... And I even got a mention in yours! AWWWWWW! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Randomly found your blog (I'm sure I was clicking from someone's blogroll...). Just want to say it's a great 100 things! Love your sense of humor! :D

    ReplyDelete