100 things

1. I keep reading these "100 things" lists, and it just seems like a great way to get to know yourself - in a stream of consciousness kind of way.
2. I don't think I'll make it to 100.
3. I'm going to try not to list anything about my son on this "100 things" (except this, of course). I'd like to think that there are still at least 100 things about me that don't pertain AT ALL to being a parent. Maybe next I'll make "100 things about being a mom" list or something.
4. I've been with the same man for ten years and married for five. I don't regret a single day. I literally love him more today than the day we married.
5. I won't apologize for the sappiness of #4.
6. I love board games. But I hate Monopoly. Mostly I like obscure German games or games most people have never heard of. But I also like silly party games like Pictionary.
7. One of the saddest times in my life was when my grandmother died. I miss her more than I do my dad. Sometimes that makes me feel guilty.
8. I don't know if I believe in God or not. The logical side of me says "Uh-uh - no way!" But the dreamer side of me says "how can there NOT be?"
9. Even though I'm back and forth on the whole God thing, I definitely believe in ghosts. Not only that, but I talk to the people that have died in my life, as if praying to them. For example, "Dad, I have a big interview today. I really need you by my side. Thanks for giving me the skills that I need to accomplish this."
10. I love to do arts and crafts, but I rarely like the finished product. Most of those hobby-type of crafts look so "grandma". But I've dabbled in several - pottery, stained glass, bead-work, quilting and I'm pretty good embroidery.
11. I am a vehement and outspoken Pinko-commie, left-wing, liberal democrat. I know, I know that makes me no better than the holier-than-thou, my-way-or-the-highway, morality pushing conservative republicans. But those "W" stickers really stick in my craw!
12. I love television and I won't apologize for that either.
13. I don't read books. I wish I did. I'd like to be That Kind of Person. But I read so slowly that I lose interest before I even hardly get started.
14. I read Newsweek cover-to-cover every week, mostly in the bathroom. I really love Anna Quindlin.
15. Even though I'm not gay, I'm very outspoken on the subject of gay rights. I just feel like it's hard enough to find love and happiness - why try to take that away from someone?
16. I don't exercise. Again I wish I were That Kind of Person. But it always seems to get pushed aside in lieu of some other activity. Like list-making.
17. I like red wine and I like beer. Not so much the rest of the alcohols. Except sometimes I love me a Bloody Mary!
18. I spent a large portion of my life cussing like a sailor. I don't really remember starting cussing, and I never made a conscious decision to quit. But I have noticed a drastic decline in the profanities that fling themselves from my open mouth these days.
19. I kinda like getting my period every month. The lighter cramps sorta remind me that I'm alive! Of course, the heavier cramps still suck.
20. I like my mom. She's the most socially adept person I know. She's funny, talented, intelligent and open-minded. And I beam with pride when I tell someone that she's as liberal as me.
21. If we are going on a road trip, YOU can drive.
22. I love getting lost in the details. From writing computer code, to coloring in the lines. Paying attention to the details puts me in a trance and I lose all track of time.
23. I have insomnia. I've battled it all my life. I do all the things you're supposed to do, but some nights sleep just totally evades me.
24. I go to the grocery store almost every day.
25. I love jewelry that is a family heirloom. Really good stories always seem to surround "Grandma's ring". I also love the idea of giving it to someone special one day when I'm old.
26. I'm not a car person. I really don't care what kind of car you drive. I don't recognize cars on the road. I can't tell the difference between a Honda, Toyota and Mazda. If you ask me what kind of car I drive, I'll tell you "white".
27. I hate cleaning floors. I don't like mopping, sweeping or vacuuming.
28. I am a geek and I wholeheartedly embrace it!
29. I love video games, but not the sports kind.
30. I do not like sports (see #14 and #27). I can't think of anything more boring than watching a sporting event on TV.
31. I'm neither a cat nor a dog person. I could take or leave either. Right now I have two cats, but used to have a dog. But I don't need a pet to make my life complete.
32. My favorite time of year changes with the seasons.
33. I love Christmas! I love the lights, smells, sounds... I love the family and the tree and the presents... I love the magic and the Santa and the crisp air. I love it all!
34. We used to see snow at least once a year. Now I don't think it'll ever snow again.
35. Chewing gum is trashy and uncouth. But I do it anyway. A lot.
36. I don't like wearing skirts because I have ugly legs.
37. While I don't like sports, and I don't exercise, I do love to swim! I especially love skinny-dipping, although I don't get to do it very often.
38. There are very few foods that I do not like. I'll even eat those things that I am not particularly fond of. Like mushrooms and brussels sprouts. The only thing I can't abide is organ-meat. *Shiver*
39. I never had a security blanket, a teddy bear or a pacifier. I don't know why - I guess I just never needed it.
40. I'm not real big on birthdays. I mean, I like to be recognized and all that, but there's no need to make a big to-do over it.
41. I hardly ever buy new undergarments. It just slips my mind.
42. I've always wanted to live somewhere besides here. Anywhere - another state, another country, whatever. But I've always been too afraid to do it.
43. I love crime-drama shows. I watch every variety of CSI and Law and Order that they have. I also love forensic shows on the Discovery Channel. It amazes me that anyone gets away with murder these days!
44. I love to laugh! Things that are funny just positively make my day! One of my favorite things in the whole world is when I get in one of those laugh-so-hard-you-cry fits. You know, where you just can't stop? I love that! But I do not find most sit-coms or "comedy" movies very funny.
45. I know I should be more patient, but stupid people really irk me. I don't mind people that don't know something - I'm talking about the people that just don't want to learn.
46. I hate guilt. I don't like guilt-trips, sob stories, passive-aggression or silent treatments. If you ever catch me doing that, call me out!
47. I don't get angry very often but when I do I need some time to cool off before I discuss it. I don't like yelling, and I prefer to figure out why I'm really mad before I go off on something irrelevant.
48. When I was a kid, the very first career goal I had was to be a nurse. That's changed a lot over the course of my life, and I still haven't settled on one yet.
49. I don't have any interest in being rich, per se, but I would like to have a little more money. Please?
50. I like office supplies a lot. Like, almost to the point of being weird. Sometimes I order new pens from the supply catalog, even if I don't need them. I know - I'm wily like that.
51. I don't particularly care for sweets, but I LOVE salts. Mmmm... cheese curls!
52. I am not a germophone, and I should probably wash my hands more often.
53. I think I look really cute with short hair.
54. I love to listen to music, but I'm incessantly "tired of everything I have".
55. I can't remember a time in my life that I've ever been disappointed with a gift that I've received. Even if it's something that I'm not that in to I think, "well, this might be interesting to explore"
56. I love getting new clothes but I hate shopping for them. I always feel guilty about spending the money.
57. I love getting my hair washed at the salon.
58. My kind and loving husband rubs my back at least once a week.
59. If there were absolutely no consequences from it (health or otherwise), I'd be a smoker.
60. I don't really like cooking. I think it's because nothing I ever cook tastes as good as the food that you get from a restaurant or from my mom's house.
61. I'm not scared of them myself, but I can see how clowns could be creepy.
62. I am a horrible sunbather. I get so hot and bored.
63. I still have secret fantasies about being a movie star.
64. If I tell you, "don't get me anything" I really, truly mean it. I'm not giving you a guilt trip and I'm not going to be disappointed when you actually DON'T.
65. I don't really think I need cosmetic surgery, but if there were a reliable, permanent way to get rid of body hair I'd totally do that.
66. The first concert I ever went to was the Beach Boys at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater. I was in eight grade and one of my dad's friends took me and a couple of my girlfriends. He let us sit by ourselves. It rained. We thought we were sooooo cool!
67. I wish I had spent a little more time in school actually listening and learning.
68. I spent the first eight grades in self-contained gifted classes. Since I was around other smart kids I never realized how smart I was until I got to high school. By then it was too late.
69. One of my sisters was the Smart One. The other sister was the Athlete. I was always the One With So Much Potential. I used to think of that as a bad thing, but now I know they were right - I did - and still I do - have So Much Potential!
70. I love a good cry. Sometimes I'll watch a sad movie just to get the cry. The Color Purple always makes me cry.
71. I don't play a musical instrument but I wish I did.
72. I really have no interest in skydiving, but thanks for asking. And no, I don't think I'd love it if I just tried it. And I don't think it's something I really should try before I die. That doesn't make me boring, it makes YOU crazy. I can be just as exhilarated right here on the ground.
73. I love the beach. It's one of the few places that I can totally lose myself. The beach air is so very cleansing. And the ambient noise is hypnotizing. The ocean is so vast - you can’t help realizing how small and insignificant you are. But in a good way.
74. My friends mean the world to me. They have carried me through so many rough times. As long as I live I'll never be able to make it up to them.
75. I just can't get into Coldplay.
76. People who talk on the cell phone in public don't really bother me all that much.
77. I really like being married and not having to negotiate the perils of single-dom. That craziness if for the birds.
78. Going to bars just doesn't hold the same appeal as it used to. I can get a cheaper drink at home, in my PJ's, on a comfortable sofa (not a barstool or worse yet - STANDING), turn on music that I like, at a reasonable volume so I can enjoy a nice, leisurely conversation with my beloved. Now, doesn't that sound nice? As an added bonus I don't have to worry about being or having a Designated Driver.
79. I can't think of anything weird that my body does. I don't have double-joints or special ear-wiggling abilities.
80. I love doing yoga, but alas, that's fallen by the wayside lately. Yes, I AM one of those obnoxious people that professes that it really makes you feel better if you just do it for a while!
81. My schoolgirl crushes change all the time, but right now here are the five men on my Laminated List: Brad Pitt (shows no sign of falling off in the near future), Matt Damon (shut up - you know he’s better than Ben Afflek!), Antonio Banderis (yes, I know he's short in real life. So am I), Joaquin Phoenix (everyone welcome the newest member to this exclusive club), and Johnny Depp (a hold-over from my Teenage Angst days)
82. Speaking of which, I was a Teenager in Angst. I wore black, moped, and listened to The Smiths - the whole nine yards. Looking back, I don't even know why I did all that. I guess to me it was better than being a silly, peppy cheerleader type. Ya, I guess I'd still make the same decision today, if those were my only two options.
83. I hate shaving. It's itchy and oppressive. I keep up with my armpits pretty well, but my legs sometimes get neglected.
84. I love the term "whore's bath"
85. I don't have a favorite color. I like different colors for different situations. For example, my favorite wall color is red. My favorite clothing color is brown. My favorite flower color is purple. Sticky notes - orange.
86. I'm very selfish when it comes to my time. I think it's very important to make time for yourself. So I quit doing everything by 9:00 every night (sometimes earlier). 9:00 - 10:00 is MY time to sit on the sofa and relax. Even if there are dishes in the sink and clothes in the dryer.
87. I love ghost stories. They scare the bejesus out of me, but I can't get enough of them. I have always loved them - even as a kid. They are fascinating!
88. I love foreign food. Thai is probably my favorite, but I also love Japanese. And I can't go a whole week without a Mexican fix. I also love Italian, but only if it's done really well. When I was growing up my favorite "special meal" was always spaghetti.
89. My parents never rewarded good grades with money, like a lot of parents did. Instead, we got to pick the meal that night. My sisters and I would never choose typical favorites of young people (except for my spaghetti fondness). Never something easy for my parents, like pizza. Oh no! It was always something crazy, like filet mignon with béarnaise sauce, or shrimp linguini or prime rib or something like that.
90. It took me several years to learn to drive a stick shift car. Everyone kept telling me to think of it as a balance, but I didn't get it. I'd stall out every time. Then a friend told me to think of the clutch as a gas pedal. After that it just clicked! That's all it took and I never stalled again.
91. We have a computer room/study in our house that I have not used since we moved in. Since we have had laptops there's just no need. We should turn that room into something COOL, like a disco or something!
92. There are absolutely no decent radio stations where I live, unless you count NPR.
93. Having a fire in the fireplace is just soothing, ya know?
94. I often dream about flying and that's pretty cool. But my coolest recurring dream is about swimming, but without having to come up for air.
95. Having braces really sucks. Don't let anyone tell you "it's not that bad".
96. I'm not real big on smelly lotions. I like the idea of them, but never end up using them once I have them. But we go through TONS of Udder Balm in our house!
97. Although I'm not a germaphobe (see #52), there are some things that I find kinda gross and germ-ridden that most people find mundane. Like birds and carpet.
98. I don't think that the low-carb diet is healthy. Sure, it's knocks off the pounds, and there are some aspects that are healthy. We could all do with fewer French fries in our lives. But I can't get behind a diet that limits fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains as a lifestyle.
99. Themes in this list: food, sports/athletics, money, cars and ghosts/dead people.
100. It took me as long to do the first forty as it did to do the last ten.