Thursday, July 24, 2008

100 Things, Part 2

More about me.

26. I've never had an alcoholic drink. I grew up in a teetotaling house. My older brothers never experimented with alcohol or if they did they did an excellent job of sheltering me from it. The crowd I hung out with in high school was very straight-laced. And I never really got involved in that scene in college. I hate the smell of beer, I dislike being around drunk people - they're super annoying when you're the only sober one, and I hate loud, crowded clubs and parties. Now I'm just not that interested in it.

27. I'm fine with other people drinking in my presence however so don't worry if you're planning on hanging out some day. I do occasionally go sit at the bar across the street with some co-workers at the end of the week, I will never complain about people drinking beer at sporting events or fancy little drinks at restaurants, and I even went clubbing with some friends after a co-worker's wedding a couple of summers ago. I even had fun for the first hour or so. When you all start throwing up and groping me, however, I'm out.

28. I've never smoked a cigarette. My dad was a chain-smoker and the whole fatal heart-attack at 38 thing made an impression.

29. I've never done any kind of illegal drug, not even marijuana.

30. I'm really, really boring and always have been. I'm okay with that though.

31. I went through a brief shoplifting phase when I was a kid, probably 7 or 8. I wasn't very good at it though because I had a guilty conscience. I once stole a box of Mr. T crayons but was so worried that my mom would find them that I buried them in the backyard. For at least a month I got worried every time I heard a police siren.

I think it was the cool plastic case that caught my eye.

I'm not sure which one I like more: Brotherhood Black or Buckle Down Brown.

32. My little brother Lee once had a totally awesome Mr. T doll - I'm pretty sure it was this one - and one day my older brothers hid it in the oven. My mom, unaware of Mr. T's presence, turned the oven on to preheat it for dinner. It turns out Mr. T has no power over high heat and also smells really bad when melting. (This really has nothing to do with me, but I love that story and it followed so well from the previous thing.)

33. I find Larry Quinn attractive. Arrogant and pompous? Oh, sure. Terribly handsome? Yep. I also find him interesting to listen to even when he is blowing hot air.

34. I'm a pretty good speller, but the one word I always, always get wrong is "rhyme." If I didn't have Firefox's spell check, it would've been wrong in the previous sentence. I try to spell it differently every time and I still manage to never hit on the correct spelling.

35. If I could wake up in the morning with any talent I don't have right now, it would be the ability to tap dance.

36. I love classic musicals but outside of Singin' in the Rain, my favorite movie musical is The Muppet Movie. The Muppet Movie always makes me feel better about everything. Everything about it is perfect and the songs are to die for. Movin' Right Along? Can You Picture That? I Hope That Something Better Comes Along? And then you have the beautiful bookends of Kermit's hopeful, dreaming The Rainbow Connection at the beginning and the big "dreams come true!" Muppet sing-along finale. Life's like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending, we've done just what we set out to dooooo... Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and yoooooooooou. Ahhhhh... I feel better about life just thinking about it.

37. My favorite Muppet Show Muppet is Fozzie the Bear. My favorite Sesame Street Muppet is Oscar the Grouch.

38. I hate coffee.

39. I have terrible handwriting. I can't even read it sometimes. I have to fill out a communication form about each student for them to take home at the end of the day, describing how their day was and I have to be very careful to write legibly and it is not easy. I've had parents/grandparents complain about it a few times. My writing is small, cramped, and a weird combination of print and cursive. It's not really cursive, I just tend to connect random letters.


40. I unabashedly love the TV show CHiPs. It's a terrible, terrible show. The acting is pretty average, the writing is not good, things blow up way too easily, the wardrobe is hilarious, and I've seen every episode 5 or 6 times at least. But it has some kind of weird voodoo power over me. If I come across it on TV, I stop and watch it and the theme song is on my iPod. I'm a Jon girl though. Even as a kid, I thought Ponch seemed like a bit of a douchebag.

41. Speaking of my iPod, I love my iPod. I'm not a huge gadget person, but I'm not sure I could live without my iPod. If I get in the car to drive somewhere and realize I don't have it, I get the shakes. When we went on vacation last year I forgot my charger and it was miserable trying to make the battery last all week. The only other machines I feel that strongly about are my computer and my DVR.

42. I hate cell phones. I've refused them for years. After I broke my ankle Mark bought me one of those little pay-as-you-go Tracfones - in retrospect I was very fortunate that someone came out of the building across from us just in time to see me fall because I would've been screwed otherwise with the ice and ankle as bad as they were - but I don't have it with me most of the time (don't tell Mark!) and I don't even know what the number is.

43. I hate talking on the phone. I don't even like talking to people I like on the phone. Unfortunately Mark is the same way so our biggest arguments revolve around who's going to make necessary phone calls. I never answer the phone - I figure that's what voice mail is for - and if I have to call someone and I know when they're not going to be home, I will purposely call them so I can just leave a message on their voice mail. So if you need me, just email me, yo.

44. I don't do rides. If a roller coaster is simply fast, I can eventually talk myself into trying it, but if it goes upside down or spins around really quickly, I'm out. I'm a wuss.

45. I'm a total slob when it comes to clothes. I wear the same clothes to work every week and some of those clothes I've worn to work for literally years. I'm a jeans and t-shirt/hoodie girl. But I adore Project Runway. I don't know anything about fashion, but I love watching talented people do something so creative with crazy time and material constraints. I'm in awe.

46. I say I hate sports radio (and I do), but really I'm just not a talk radio person. I have a hard time focusing on people talking for very long when I can't see them. I can't listen to radio talk shows of any kind for more than a few minutes. I can't listen to books on tape. I can't listen to long podcasts in one sitting. Even when I pull up clips on WGR's website specifically to listen to them, I sometimes lose focus and have to come back to them. I need something to look at.

47. After I put the YouTube links in point number 36, I spent at least an hour watching them over and over. I can't quite decide if YouTube is a blessing or a curse.

48. All I want for Christmas is a St. Bernard puppy. I've made Mark promise me numerous times over the past few years that when we bought a house, I could get a dog. I once nannied for a family that had a St. Bernard named Folger and I loved that dog as much as I loved the kids. She was so sweet-natured and so patient with two preschoolers crawling all over her and pulling on her ears and lying all over her and when they were napping she'd curl up at my feet while I read. Plus I just adore big dogs.


49. Shows on my DVR Season Pass: Lost, Friday Night Lights, The Amazing Race, Project Runway, Top Chef, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, and Battlestar Galactica.

50. I should have been in bed an hour and a half ago at the very least but unfortunately, I'm a night owl and feel the most productive and clear-thinking late at night.

19 comments:

Katie said...

I feel like I'm late to the party, but I love this idea, Heather!

Mainly, I just wanted to say that I never thought I would find someone who liked The Muppet Movie as much as I do. I think it's in my top 10 favorite movies list.

Life's like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending

This was my Senior year yearbook quote in high school. I'm glad someone else appreciates it!

Heather B. said...

Katie, I just watched that scene ONE MORE TIME before signing off. And now I'm going to bed. Really. I am!

(But yeah, I love, love, love The Muppet Movie and feel very strongly that everyone else should too.)

Meg said...

I love, love, love big dogs. I've never known a St. Bernard well, but my aunt and uncle used to have a Bernese Mountain Dog who adorable. It was particularly cute after they had their kids and you'd have this hulking dog just being incredibly gentle with the little toddlers.:D

Anonymous said...

Mr. T...
You've got a real cool hair cut and a mean, mean look in his eyes.
He's got arms that move and a fist full of rings.
You can pretend that Mr. T is real tough and mean.

Mr. T.
R.I.P.

*sniff*

Anonymous said...

Wow! Me and you are totally talking on the phone hating twins. I always do that try to get the voice mail thing.

St. Bernards are awesome. I have a golden retreiver(the wors I can't spell is retriever apparently), which is maybe not quite a big dog. Medium sized, I guess.

Patty (in Dallas) said...

I pick Buckle-down Brown. I didn't even know there was such a thing as Mr. T colors and now I must have some!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Me and you are totally talking on the phone hating twins. I always do that try to get the voice mail thing.

I guess that means that you, Alix and I are phone-hating triplets. :P And I definitely hear you about needing some visual stimulation when listening to someone talk on the radio. The strange thing is that most of the hockey I get is radio. That probably says something about our radio guys.

Am I Really Grown Up? said...

For our 6 month dating anniversary (go ahead roll your eyes) my husband bought me the Muppet Movie CD and made me dinner. We slow danced to Rainbow Connection in his parents basement and then used that song as one of our dances when we got married.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, I hear you on the shoplifting front! During high school, I once went to a CVS with a friend who was pretty much the single coolest person in the universe. While we were walking around buying supplies for the production we were working on, she grabbed a loose caramel out of a bin and ate it. I was like, "Ooh, I can be cool, too!" and did the same thing. That was the worst candy I've ever had. It was dripping with the foul taste of crippling guilt. Seven years later I found myself back at the same CVS and I almost left 20 cents on the counter just to assuage the guilt I still feel. I was just not cut out for shoplifting!

S.A.M. said...


39. I have terrible handwriting. I can't even read it sometimes. I have to fill out a communication form about each student for them to take home at the end of the day, describing how their day was and I have to be very careful to write legibly and it is not easy. I've had parents/grandparents complain about it a few times. My writing is small, cramped, and a weird combination of print and cursive. It's not really cursive, I just tend to connect random letters.


Me too! My handwriting is rather sloppy, UNLESS I maake a serious effort to clean it up. However, when I was in high school, my friends and I would pass notes, and sometimes I'd write in THEIR handwriting to mess with them. I was pretty good at it. But one thing I never could forge was my mother's signature. lol

cool list! :)

and did you change the color scheme over here or is my computer being weird?

Anonymous said...

If you like Larry Quinn, then go to Nektar and (you'll probably have to imbibe booze) order the Crazy Larry - it's Poma, Hendrick's Gin and a frozen cucumber spear. So good. And it's named for Larry Quinn, because it's his favorite drink. Seriously. And he's always there, and always on the prowl.

Unknown said...

I have terrible handwriting. I can't even read it sometimes.

My handwriting has gotten worse since college. I think its because I spend so much time on the computer, that my brain works at typing speed, and not at writing speed. I have to really pay attention to what I write so its legible.

And those Muppet clips are so addicting.

Mark B said...

Wow, why'd you have to bring up that painful memory for Lee? Poor guy!

Anonymous said...

Let me get this straight... You like big dogs? That's +1. You've never had a drink, never smoked, never done a drug and you hate coffee? -5.

Thank God you like the Muppets, or I would have to stop reading your blog altogether. As a side note, I have only ever sung one piece of karaoke. Want to guess what it was?

Rainbow Connection.

I can't sing at all, but the whole place was with me. Very cool.

dani said...

" When you all start throwing up and groping me, however, I'm out."

I'm totally inviting you to my 21st birthday!!!! Haha. I love Fozzie, Friday Night Lights, and St. Bernard's. I love big dogs. I have a Newfie (Oh, and FYI I'm planning on doing a Project Runway Liveblog hopefully next Wednesday). I attmepted an "100 Things" post but I couldn't come up with 100 things. All the mommy bloggers had one and I wanted one too!

S.A.M. said...

now the colors are back to normal, guess my comp was on drugs.

I forgot to say how cool the Mr. T crayons are. I particularly enjoy the Learn-A-Lot yellow. madness.

I have been secretly putting together my 100 things entry for months now since I saw my best friend do one on facebook. I just haven't written any of them down. I'll get to it eventually, but then it will be in my livejournal, not my hockey blog. one day.

Heather B. said...

Jaime, I love that story. The Rainbow Connection is a great dance choice!

Anonymous, thanks for the info but I'm perfectly satisfied admiring Quinn a few times a year from afar during press conferences. I don't need to actually hook up with the guy :P

You've never had a drink, never smoked, never done a drug and you hate coffee? -5.

Hold up! I refuse to lose 5 points for four things. That's not fair!

Dani, I'm so delighted that someone else loves Friday Night Lights and if for some reason I don't get a St. Bernard, a Newfie is second on my list. And I'm a mommy blogger? I don't know why but that tickles me :-D Looking forward to your Project Runway live blog!

And Sam, the blue was gone for a few days so you and your computer are just fine! More on that in the next batch of things.

Anonymous said...

You've never had a drink, never smoked, never done a drug and you hate coffee? -5.

Hold up! I refuse to lose 5 points for four things. That's not fair!


Really, you lose 5 points for not liking coffee. The drinking/smoking/drugging absence is beyond my understanding, but I can respect it. You don't lose anything for those.

Anonymous said...

if for some reason I don't get a St. Bernard, a Newfie is second on my list.

Dammit. That just gave you a +3 too.

**grumbles**

I'm so conflicted!