51(ish) More Things

51. Whenever I need to take a cup or plate from a stack (a la buffet style), I almost always “cut the deck” and take one from the middle. Never do I take the top or bottom one.
52. It surprises me that I haven’t outgrown my appreciation for bathroom humor.
53. It also surprises me that I have outgrown my enthusiasm for snow and winter. That makes me feel old.
54. Thinking about raising a kid scares me.
55. I used to think that I wasn't good at making decisions, but I'm coming to realize that actually, in the important decisions that I've had to make, I've known the "right" course of action, it just took me a long time to have the self-confidence to follow my heart.
56. I'm afraid of thunderstorms. The lightning I don't mind so much, and sometimes find it quite lovely to watch, but I hate those claps of thunder that come suddenly, loudly, and out of nowhere. They make me wake up with a start in the middle of the night.
57. I started this list awhile ago, and I think its interesting that a few of these points have already come up in blog posts I've since written. It makes me think that there are some things that I have a need to express, and if I miss one chance to do so, they still come out one way or another.
58. I really hate the word noo-kyoo-ler.
59. I often pick up rocks, shells, and assorted debris I come upon on walks and hikes.
60. I can be quite sentimental about physical things. I closely tie memories and feelings to the objects. I think this might not be normal among people who move around as much as I do.
61. I think it kind of surprises me sometimes when I realize that I actually do like myself quite a bit. I think I'm a pretty cool person.
62. But I'm still generally self-conscious about my appearance. I guess my body image could be better.
63. I generally shun fast food, but I used to really go ga-ga for the McRib sandwich. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that.
64. I'm a certified scuba diver. The last dive I did was almost two years ago in a pretty disappointing quarry in the boonies of western Northern Virginia. The last good diving I did was over Christmas break 96/97. It makes me sad to realize that that was ten years ago. Its something that I really, really enjoy. Really.
65. I often have very vivid, sometimes disturbing dreams. I wish I could derive helpful meaning from them.
66. I believe I have seen, heard and felt supernatural presences.
67. I really enjoy amusement parks and roller coasters.
68. One of the worst sunburns I ever got was the weekend before my high school senior prom. I fell asleep with my hands behind my head and got pretty badly burned on my fish-belly white stomach and sub-mammary area. It gave me a pretty bad case of sun poisoning. And I couldn't wear a bra for about two weeks.
69. I have fainted only once. I was riding a bike and my front tire aligned exactly with a sewer grate in the road, causing it to fall in and the bike to flip. Coming to, I had the sensation that my alarm clock was going off, and I really didn't want to wake up. When I opened my eyes and saw the stars in the night sky, something registered as a bit odd.
70. The only time I've worn a cast was when I severely sprained/broke the four fingers of my left hand. The front tire of my bike got caught in a groove in the road and I wasn't able to maneuver out of it.
71. I do not currently own a road bike because riding on the skinny tires makes me feel a bit out of control.
72. I have never roller-bladed.
73. I enjoy acting in plays, but haven't done so since college. I keep thinking that I should get involved with a community theatre group.
74. I also enjoy singing, but am more comfortable doing so as part of a group than solo.
75. I don't like most condiments, including: mayonnaise, mustard, raw onions, pickles, tomatoes, sour cream, and salad dressing.
76. I have a sweet tooth.
77. I really like ethnic foods.
78. I also play with my food a lot. I don't realize how much I do this until I dine with someone and try to behave myself.
79. Its usually pretty easy to make me laugh.
80. I seek attention and take it very personally when I feel ignored.
81. I don't blush often, but when I do, I go all the way -- bright red! Last time I blushed was July last year. I made a really stupid and somewhat inconvenient mistake in front of someone I liked. The time before that was October two years ago. My coworkers took me out for lunch on my birthday, and they had the waiters sing me Happy Birthday, complete with straw sombrero and jiggly, single-candled flan.
82. I'm quite a good shot with a handgun and with a BB gun. I don't know why, but I'm proud of this.
83. I tend to be impetuous in thought and conservative in action.
84. "Fruit-on-the-bottom" yogurt grosses me out. It never mixes completely, and so you end up eating alternating spoonfuls of plain yogurt (ugh!) and ultra sweet gloppy-dairy-jam food product.
85. I pee in the ocean (often), (occasionally) in pools, and (sometimes) in the shower. But (almost) never if someone else is in the shower with me.
86. I enjoy coloring.
87. I wish I had room to set up my little keyboard so that it would be more convenient for me to play piano.
88. I have been in a: hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake, fire.
89. I have never seen a glacier or a lava flow.
90. I have not seen most "classic" movies, including: The Godfather(s), Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, and Weekend at Bernie's.
91. I hate looking through a dusty computer or tv screen.
92. Dusting and vacuuming are probably my favorite household chores. I also like folding laundry - which I do quite well.
93. I learned how to fold laundry, including underwear, from watching our maid in El Salvador.
94. I don't fold my underwear anymore.
95. I think that people who haven't lived overseas get an inaccurate impression of my family if I mention that we had a maid.
95. I have an obnoxious/annoying streak.
97. Most people don't "get" me.
98. I'm not very comfortable wearing clothes that show a lot of skin. I think this is because I spent time in the middle east.
99. One of the hardest adjustments I had when I lived in Cairo was learning not to make eye contact with people. I generally look people in the eye and smile when I meet them or talk with them. This made local people very uncomfortable.
100. Wow! I got to -- and past -- 100. Guess that means I can delete some!
(this was #105 before I went back and censored myself.) :)
101. I like bread pudding. But I also think its kinda gross.

Alms for the Sore

My friend Brian is swimbikerunning a half-Ironman triathlon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A half Ironman tri is comprised of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run. Seventy-point-three miles of heart-pumping, sweat-dripping, muscle-cramping goodness. Yee-ha!

He's almost halfway to his goal of $4400, which I think is pretty cool.

Please consider throwing a couple bucks his way. I determined that one dollar donated karmically negates one minute of self-indulgent or health-jeopardizing behavior.

Y'know what they say .... those who can't do, donate.

Click on the logo to link to his fund-raising page.

(PS - If you click the link, you can find out his real, live, mother-given Beach-Boyeriffic name. And once you access the site, you can make a donation. And when you make the donation, you can add snarky comments about his name.)

(Please note that I am not condoning such juvenile behavior.)

(I'm just presenting it as an option.)

Mutterings 211

1. Threshold ::
2. Jason ::
3. Suspicion ::
4. Tender ::
5. Tempted ::
6. Crimson ::
7. Repulsive ::
8. Bulldog ::
9. Garage ::
10. Racket ::




1. Threshold :: of activation
2. Jason :: and the Argonauts
3. Suspicion :: is usually founded
4. Tender :: love me
5. Tempted :: by you
6. Crimson :: blood (stained the wall, making morbid art)
7. Repulsive :: vomit
8. Bulldog :: Marine Corps
9. Garage :: storage
10. Racket :: ball




















You're never fully dressed without a smi-- ...er, helmet.

Jeune Fille Se Defendant Contre L'amour

-William Bouguereau

Happy heart day!

I am playing hooky from work. I'm wearing warm fleecy lounge clothes, and I've lit a fire and some candles. I'm alternating reading my book with shoveling the sidewalks. Later, I shall walk and play with the huskies in the snow. After that, I plan to take a warm, sudsy bath.

Life is pretty good.

Friday Five Follow-up

A more thorough answer to question #2:

What Color Crayon Are You?
Take this quiz!

You are Ocean Blue

You're both warm and practical. You're very driven, but you're also very well rounded. You tend to see both sides to every issue, and people consider you a natural diplomat.

What Color Blue Are You?

Friday Five : Color the World

1. If you were a crayon, which color would you want to be?
I think that fancy "indigo," deep, not-quite-blue-not-quite-purple color. Second choice is bright emerald green. The color of Irish eyes. And of the tropical rain forest.

2. Which color do you think you would be regardless of what you wanted?
Huh?

3. Would you rather be used and get blunt, broken and lose your wrapper, or not be used and stay pristine?
To be lovingly used. Blunted down, but resharpened. My wrapper torn off a bit at a time, when necessary to reveal more crayon. And tucked in the box at the end of the day, not abandoned to get stepped on, or melted, or lost. Phhbbblt on pristine.

4. Would you rather be in a small set of crayons or a large set?
Large set. I like the variety of colors.

5. Would you rather be Crayola, or a different brand?
I don't especially care what my brand name is, but I want to be high quality and smooth. Not too waxy, not too scratchy. Juuuust right.

click on the picture to see other people's answers

Royal Gametes, Batman!

One of my colleagues was called out of the country unexpectedly, so I am taking over for him in the lab. The last time this happened, I got to take his place at our satellite lab in sunny southern California. In January. And I got to drive his rental car - an awesome red convertible.

No such luck this time 'round. I'm still in northern Virginia. No beach. No 70 degree weather. No sporty Solara.

But I did get to spend the day in the lab, where I worked with the sperm of a real, live prince! Under the microscope, it looked much the same as all the other sperm I work with. Although, I almost thought I saw some of the cells holding tiny, jewelled scepters.

Mutterings 209

1. Plaster ::
2. Cabbage ::
3. Jazz ::
4. Darts ::
5. Poke ::
6. Bribe ::
7. Whale ::
8. Receipt ::
9. Answer ::
10. Dentist ::







1. Plaster :: of paris
2. Cabbage :: pH indicator
3. Jazz :: saxaphone
4. Darts :: bullseye
5. Poke :: -y little puppy
6. Bribe :: bakshish
7. Whale :: of a tale
8. Receipt :: of goods
9. Answer :: question
10. Dentist :: appointment (I really need to make one)

Friday Five Follow-up

I found some old photos of my 3-year-old self choring with grandad. Unfortunately, he isn't in any of these shots. But I'm glad I clearly remember the day I spent "helping" him.














Nothing runs like a Deere



Damn - I'm cute!
















Walk softly [wearing hideously-printed pants, faux-fur and polyester mittens] and carry a big stick.















It's interesting that this photo of me playing with Blake is dated 3/82, considering that he wasn't born until a month later. Maybe we borrowed a baby to help acclimate me to Blake's upcoming arrival. That must be it.

Friday Five: Firsts

(Just for the record, I wrote a funny post yesterday, but Blogger ate it.)

1. What was your first job?
Off the books - babysitting in El Salvador.
That Uncle Sam took a cut of - Embassy summer hire in the Procurement Department at USAID/Cairo.
2. Do you remember your first crush?
Sam in 7th grade. We "dated" (which, in 7th grade, meant we regularly ate lunch sitting next to each other) until we were evacuated from the country. I saw him three years later. He was a jerk. I was disappointed.
3. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Get out of bed, duh!
Then pee.
4. What is your first memory?
I remember bits and pieces of staying at my grandparents' house for about a month when I was 3. My parents whisked me off to Nairobi shortly after I was born, so when we returned to the States, my grandparents were eager to interact with me. I think my parents drove the whole fam up to Missouri sometime around my birthday in October, and when they drove back to Virginia, I got to stay behind and hang out with grandma and grandad until Thanksgiving, when we were all getting together again. I remember "choring" with my grandad, who raised hogs at the time. I was a super big help. I got to thwack the huge boars on the butt to get 'em to go in the pen.
I also remember playing with infant-Blake in the Alexandria house. Mom would put him in his baby seat on top of the kitchen table after dinner, and I'd play peek-a-boo with him. He would chuckle and laugh a deep belly laugh.
I know I listed two memories, but I hate passing up a good opportunity to mention Blake in my posts.
5. Where is the first place you visited on the net today?
The uber-ridiculous electronic timesheet that my division started using to clock our attendance. CEO got sick of people complaining that "so-and-so is always late" or "that person always leaves early" so he's making us do this now. So stupid!! Obviously, the people who were complaining didn't have siblings growing up. Anyone who did knows that trying to get other people in trouble often ends up biting you in the ass.

others are playing here