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.