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Fifty Things 2004-04-17, 8:58 p.m. Fifty Things About Me 1. I cannot stand eating outside. I will do anything to avoid picnics, outdoor potlucks, and having to eat outside when I go to barbecues. I purposefully choose restaurants for dates that do not have outdoor patios so that I can’t be forced to eat outdoors because it’s “romantic.” It is not romantic to eat where the birds have shat and where the bugs are swarming. 2. My birthday is during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Subsequently, I never had birthday parties because it was always during winter break from school. My friends threw me an awesome surprise birthday party for my 21st birthday when we came back from break and it remains my favorite birthday so far. 3. I could easily eat a pound of asparagus all by myself. It is my favorite vegetable. 4. In college, I drank about a six-pack of Diet Coke each day. In the two years since graduation, I’ve cut down to 2-3 cans per day, and even less on the weekends. I refuse to give it up completely. Yes, I know it is bad for me. I would rather die of Diet Coke Cancer, having lived life with caffeine flowing through my veins, than have headaches in the morning and be forced to wake up to crappy office water. 5. My initials are in alphabetical order. I do not find this amusing or cute like my parents apparently did. 6. My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo. The rest of the top five changes frequently, but right now they are: Interpreter of Maladies, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Virgin Suicides, and The Corrections. 7. I have two calico cats and both girls are just over two years old. Tubby came from a local humane society when she was about twelve weeks old. She is somewhat named after Tubby Smith and somewhat named because she was round when she came to live with me. She continues to live up to her name. Lucy was dumped in a co-worker’s backyard last summer and was abused by her previous owners. 8. I cannot look at vodka without my stomach churning. I must overcome this before JournalCon. 9. One of my best friends lives in the Pacific Northwest and we’ve never met in person. We met online when we were twelve and we were both doing our very first internet research for sixth-grade projects. He was the first boy I ever knew who hated Dave Matthews and liked classic rock. Now, we drunk-dial each other all the time, rely on each other for relationship advice, and he never stops trying to convince me to move to Seattle. 10. I am the oldest of three kids. My sister, Punk, will be 23 this year. My brother, Scoot, just turned 20. I’ll be 25 in December. Nearly everything they say about birth order traits is true in my family. 11. I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from a Big XII university. I earned enough credits for minors in women studies, black studies, and sociology (only because I took several classes that counted toward two of the three areas), but I didn’t file the paperwork in time to actually earn any minors. 12. The two classes in which I earned the worst grades in college (C- in both) were Advanced Calculus (for non-engineers) and an econ class called Money and Banking. I should have failed Calculus, but I talked the TA into passing me, and given my place of employment, I find the economics grade especially amusing. 13. I was a 4.0 student in high school and do very well on standardized tests. However, I never really learned how to study and I still struggle with managing my time on projects at work that require me to do a lot of reading/studying/reviewing ahead of time. 14. I grew up in a small town in Illinois. 15. My dad was a farmer for his entire life, until about five years ago. He now works in a manufacturing plant for one of the biggest food companies in the world. My mom is a music teacher. I could never do either of their jobs because I have no patience and very little tolerance for complete incompetence. 16. I think Chief Illiniwek should be the mascot for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini until the end of time. 17. I’m re-learning how to knit. I learned once when I was very wee and made several nice things as 4-H projects, but I have forgotten everything I ever knew. I’m going to take some community education classes this summer at a local high school. 18. I’m stressing out about Squish’s bridal shower. I have no idea how I can afford to throw a party for her AND move AND buy my expensive MOH dress AND do all this stuff for another wedding (but luckily I’m too far away to have to attend any showers or anything for that one) this fall. Her parents are Rich and I am not, so I’m trying to figure out how to have a classy shower for guests scattered all over Missouri that doesn’t involve sex toys and “I Never” (both suggestions of one of the bridesmaids) since I want to invite the bride’s grandmother. 19. My hair has never been longer than shoulder length. I got it cut really short in 4th grade, kept it short until junior year of high school when I HAD to have longer hair for the prom (and then my stylist didn’t even do an up-do, for which she will rue the day) and then I cut it short again because it looked horrible, and I grew it out again last year. Still a bad idea. So, it’s back to chin-length and my style needs some help. 20. I have big brown eyes that were once very dark brown and are slowly turning green. The same thing happened to my mom. 21. I have some pretty irrational and some reasonably normal fears: heights, climbing or standing on ladders, lighting regular size matches (kitchen length are okay), cigarette lighters (this fear is the only reason why I never started smoking), horses, big dogs, rodents, birds, clowns, walking in shoes with very thin, high heels (fear of falling down and exposing my underwear to the whole office), the dentist, the puff-test at the eye doctor, stepping on the scale at the doctor’s office and hearing the equally fat nurse “tsk-tsk” me, and I’m sure there’s more but that’s a start. 22. I have never been to Vegas and I’ve never visited any of the riverboat casinos here. I think gambling would be fun, but I’ve never done it before. 23. I rarely let the gas tank in my car slip below half-full. 24. I was in 4-H for twelve years, had an internship working for them in Washington, D.C., and am interested in pursuing graduate work so that I can go back to working in the youth development field. 4-H has very little to do with livestock and the fair, and everything to do with building leadership skills, strong character, and a sense of self-awareness in young people around the world. 25. I didn’t travel by plane until I was in college (about five years ago), and it was to attend a national 4-H leadership conference in Washington, D.C. I’ve flown over one hundred times since then. 26. I don’t have a landline phone anymore. I only got phone calls on that line from telemarketers, so I certainly don’t miss it. 27. I have an insatiable sweet tooth. I rarely get cravings for salty food. 28. I volunteer throughout the metro area – with the humane society, a crisis center for women and children who are victims of sexual and physical assault, with my church, and with a group that helps homeless families get back on their feet. I’ve been to some informational meetings about the Junyah League here, but since I’m moving this fall, I think I will postpone actually joining until I’ve relocated elsewhere. 29. I have no idea where I’m going to be a year from now. As a compulsive planner and anticipator-of-what’s-coming, this scares the crap out of me. 30. Even though I am not anticipating wanting a baby for at least five years, I keep a list of baby names that I like and I update it whenever a friend uses one of my names or I decide that I hate something on the list. My current favorite boys’ names are Nathan, Brian, Kyle, Mitchell, Owen, Max, and Sam. My current favorite girls’ names are Natalie, Jill, Leah, Claire, Mallory, Veronica, and some family names. 31. I unashamedly love fast food. I have a weakness for McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Burger King, you name it – but my true fast food love is Sonic. I can’t imagine living in a part of the country with no Sonic. I also really like Jack-in-the-Box. I’ve never had the chance to try In-and-Out or Whataburger, so I’m sure I’m really missing out on even more great fast food. 32. I don’t drink coffee or hot tea. 33. A list of foods I will not eat: tomatoes, pickles, horseradish, tartar sauce, sauerkraut, deep-fried fish, iced tea, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, weird meats like liver and tongue, cheesecake, and pumpkin. 34. I have a pretty cool collection of antique glass stuff. I want to have a built-in cabinet to display it in my future house. 35. I love kitchen gadgets and cookbooks and also seem to be collecting both. 36. I love red wine. I buy Yellowtail shiraz-cab by the case at World Market (Cost Plus). 37. I’m just barely 5’3”. In high school, my boyfriend was 6’6”. My college boyfriend was 6’4”. I don’t have a particular height preference since nearly every guy my age and older is at least an inch taller than me, but I do like the idea of giving my children a chance at good genetics. 38. However, once my best friend Reesie and I made a list of the characteristics of the perfect man, and my list had almost two hundred items on it. It started out with things like “understands conversational English” and among the nit-pickiest items were things like “knows how to match his belt to his shoes.” 39. My debit/ATM card number was stolen two months ago and the subsequent identity theft has made my life hell since then. 40. I subscribe to the following magazines: Real Simple, Martha Stewart Everyday Food, Marie Claire, Weight Watchers, Cooking Light, and Sports Illustrated. I recently let my subscriptions to Cosmo, Glamour, and Lucky expire, and I want to start subscribing to Cook’s Illustrated and The New Yorker. I also subscribe to the Kansas City Star on the weekends, primarily to see what’s on sale at Target each week. 41. My favorite TV shows are The Amazing Race and The Apprentice. T got me hooked on Alias as well. 42. I’m hoping to have much smaller boobs by this time next year. My doctor encouraged me to proceed with breast reduction after I get closer to my ultimate weight goal. I am not as freaked out since Lizard and Tyger told me their stories and said that everything was going to be all right. 43. I hate waking up in the mornings. I have a hard time forcing myself out of bed, and would be much happier if I could work from home regularly or if my workday would start at noon. 44. My busy season at work starts after Tax Day (but the two are not related) and goes through late June. I am dreading the 13-hour days already. 45. My favorite baseball team is the Cardinals but I also pay attention to the Cubs and the Royals. My favorite football team is the Bears, but I also pay attention to the Chiefs and the Rams. I hate the NBA and bandwagon fans. 46. I really wish I could afford a new, bigger car. 47. I hate wedding cake. 48. When I get married, I want to wear a pale pink or pale yellow dress that I buy off the rack somewhere. I do not want a big poufy white dress that has to be cryogenically frozen for storage that my future daughters will probably hate. I don’t want a big wedding. 49. I love makeup and beauty products. My bathroom is overflowing with them and I’m trying to quit buying everything that is ever recommended to me. 50. I worked at a country club for three summers as head lifeguard, then pool manager, then pool manager + beer girl (because I was FINALLY 18), and I have never played golf.
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