A collection of lists. Take the challenge. 100 things about yourself. Streaming flow of consciousness, as personal or as general as you care to make it...but make it count. You might learn something about yourself and I promise it's better than 20 questions!
1. This speaks to how I am. I decided to do the 100 things list and before I could begin, I decided where I’d write it, formatted a page and made sure that it was in a font I liked.
2. I get paid to be this way – YES!!
3. When I was young, I was my mother’s human notepad. She’d tell me things she wanted to remember and would ask me to remind her when the time was appropriate. This was a good and a bad thing. Good because it trained me to remember stuff. Bad because it annoyed her when I remembered the stuff she wanted, but she didn’t remember wanting it, so the conflict created stress for her.
4. I have 3 siblings. Two sisters and a brother.
5. Our brother doesn’t talk to us anymore. He got annoyed that I continued my role as human notepad and made sure all the legal stuff was done when mom died. I’m not sure why he felt cheated. We all got the same thing. He turned on the three of us and has excommunicated himself.
6. These are his issues, not mine. I still love him and hope that he can work through whatever it is he needs to.
7. I love to learn, but have no interest in going to school. I want to learn what I want to learn, on my own terms and not be graded on my learning. It feels better that way.
8. I used to work in a Montessori school. I saw the processes and lessons there and realized I’d done most of the same thing with my own children without knowing I was teaching them in a Montessori fashion. This made me feel good.
9. I have 4 children. 2 girls and 2 boys. I tend to say that I started off right, messed up in the middle and finished correctly. (girl, boy, boy, girl) That’s silly. All of my children are “right”.
10. I also have 4 grandchildren – so far.
11. I was a teenage mother. I gave birth to a daughter when I was 17.
12. The father was never really involved unless there was something to gain. He’s still around, but mostly because my daughter followed him and inserted herself into his world. Or at least that’s how I see it. Those are her choices.
13. I don’t believe in trying to control my children. They are individuals that I helped keep safe and guide them into their own choices. It’s been great to watch them grow and change.
14. All of my children love me. They all regularly give me hugs and kisses and cuddles and call me to tell me that they are so happy with the way they were raised and that I did a good job. I love my children.
15. I ran a daycare for 14 years. Since I had 4 children by the time I was 26, it made sense to stay at home and watch other children as well. I always wanted 6 children anyway. I usually had 6-8 children with me at any time.
16. The neighbor’s children are my adoptive babies. They are all grown now with kids of their own, but while they grew up they were in my house all the time. I love those kids, too.
17. We used to go places in my big Suburban. We called it the Urban Burban. I’d pack up my kids, the twins, the neighbor’s kids and we’d go to the bay, Annapolis, the park, the drive in, the zoo… you name it. We liked to go do things.
18. Grocery shopping was a time to learn. With 8 helpers we would find items on the shelves by playing I spy. Rectangles, colors, letters… the world is a great schoolroom.
19. I love to grocery shop. Before I took the job I have now, I seriously considered starting a grocery delivery business. I’d even come put it away in your home.
20. Nutrition is a love of mine. A natural approach to medicine seems to stick in my head.
21. If I didn’t have the job that I do, I would have studied Nutrition. You are what you eat and what you eat affects everyone’s chemistry set (body) differently.
22. My job would allow – nay, encourage – me to study anything I wanted. Since I work for a well-known University that is big in the medicinal field you’d think I’d jump at the chance to get my degree for free. Nope. See number 7.
23. I’ve always wondered what my “passion” was. I’ve never felt that crazy focused attitude people have about sports teams or bands or anything of that nature. Sure, I’ve had my interest piqued at times, but nothing ever makes me feel like I need to buy a shirt that’s emblazoned with an emblem and I refuse to go visit someone for their birthday because a “game” was on TV.
24. I do love children and music. I guess that’s the closest thing to fandom I can think of.
25. I get a big kick out of watching babies eat in restaurants. I like to watch them focus on the food on the plate, and reach to get at mom’s potato, and attempt to master the art of pinching and getting the morsel to their mouths. I love the little crinkled brow they get while they are working and the legs kicking in joy when they achieve their goal. I wish adults would show this kind of enjoyment.
26. I also love watching children enjoying and dancing to music. The way they dance about, so carefree of how their bodies look and who might be looking and just letting the music move them no matter where they are. Love it.
27. I don’t like going to concerts in large venues. You can barely hear the music, the hooting and screaming hurts my ears and I’m just annoyed by it all. Seems so counter-intuitive when you read above that I like to watch children enjoy themselves. You’d think I’d be just as happy and tolerant about everyone else loving and showing appreciation for what they are witnessing. Nope. I think because the yelling and loud clapping and whistles and standing so no one can sit all impact my experience in a way I don’t care for. That and the music doesn’t sound the same as it did in the recording.
28. My favorite concert that hasn’t been one with the PCC would be Squeeze at the Senator Theater in Baltimore. Good band, comfy venue, just right.
29. My motto/tagline/saying/whatever you want to call it: Say what you mean and mean what you say. It’s about integrity and honor and clear communication.
30. The other day I pulled up to a convenience store nearby my home. The wall in front of me had a faint outline of two pay phones and the holes where they had been bolted to the wall. In some ways, this saddened me. It’s another sign of how insular life has become. More connected while less connected.
31. I know they are grown and harvested as a crop, but seeing the leftover trees that don’t get chosen to be someone’s Christmas tree always makes me feel sad. They ended their life as nothing more than mulch. Mulch has its purpose, too. I get that. But it’s just not the same. Along those same lines, I have troubles cutting down a tree. The one time we did it, I cried. (Hey! Stop laughing at me!!)
32. I’m allergic to onions, leeks, chives, scallions, onion powder- you name it – which all belong to the Lily family. I can eat small doses of cooked garlic, but not much and not too often. This makes mealtime quite interesting.
33. There is a proverb taped to my refrigerator that all my kids could recite. It reads, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22
34. I used to sculpt in polymer clay. I don’t play with clay so much anymore, but I have begun to dabble in sculpting with fondant. I like the thought of playing with my food.
35. I was never a big fan of choral music. I sang in the church chorus when I was younger and enjoyed it until…. See #36…. but listening to an adult chorus wasn’t something I’d choose to do. That was before my daughter started singing in a children’s chorus. I learned that treble choirs are different, and I love those. I now work for a Grammy nominated children’s chorus. (oh yeah!)
36. When I was in the church choir, there was a piece I really liked but couldn’t seem to get the lyrics right. I decided I’d take the piece home and work on the lyrics and return it on Sunday when we were supposed to sing. I didn’t ask anyone if I could do that, but didn’t see the harm in practicing. My mom saw the music in my hands and asked if I had permission to take the music. I told her I hadn’t asked. She said I was stealing from the church and then made me go back inside and tell the choral director that I was sorry for stealing. I don’t remember if she went with me to make sure I said those words or not, but I do remember feeling all kinds of horrible and crying because *I* knew that my intent was not to steal at all, but that’s not the way *she* saw it. I didn’t like that my mother thought I’d do something like that and I hated that I didn’t tell the director the real reason I was taking the piece instead of what my mom told me to say. I stopped going to choir practice after that.
37. My favorite colors are yellow and green and purple. I think I like them in that order as well.
38. I started listening to the teachings of Abraham (Hicks) about a year ago and so many things that I already knew clicked into place. At times I think it’s harder now that I understand the theory of manifesting instead of when I just used to do it as a matter of normal living, but the understanding is worth it, I think.
39. I was raised as a Methodist, but never really felt comfortable with religion. I always argued during group prayer in my head if what the preacher said was not what *I* wanted to say. I’d adjust my prayer instead. I NEVER wanted to shake the hand of the Pastor. That was just TOO uncomfortable for me… so I made sure I placed myself on the far side of my mother to avoid the event.
40. I’ve been married for 25 years and with that same man for 29 years. I love that man. He’s exactly what I asked for when I was 18 and had those prayer/conversations on my own. Coincidence?
41. I want to move. I’ve wanted to move for about 7 years now. Slowly, things have fallen into place and are making that more and more accessible. My goal is to put my house on the market in the Spring.
42. I’m traveling to Italy twice in 2011. Once to look at the venues and hotels the children will be staying in during our tour and the second time with the children. We toured England in 2009. We’ve got a few other fun things lined up, but I can’t really say anything about those yet! (darn!)
43. Long ago, when the children were young and I’d had a rough day, I’d bake. I found the measuring and mixing, the stirring and the smells very soothing. My husband would walk in the front door and inhale the delicious aroma of freshly baked something and then think, “Uh oh.” Poor guy.
44. I was born on the same day and just about the same time as Martin Luther King made his “I Have a Dream” speech, just a few miles from where it all occurred.
45. I broke my leg in a sledding accident when I was 7-8. I was bundled to the brim and on the sled behind my sister on an icy slope with my legs sticking out on either side. There was no way to tuck them in we were both so bundled. We started off down the icy hill and shortly were doing warp speed until WHAM, my left leg slammed head on with a chunk of concrete my dance teacher had used to help retain her front hill. My sister continued on down the hill while I slid a few feet further after being left behind by the sled. No one thought I was truly hurt, so I had to walk back to the house in the slippery plastic bags my mom used to put over our shoes to keep us dry. I think it was the bundled clothes that kept my leg together while I walked up the icy hill to my house. Does anyone else find it ironic I broke my leg on my dance teacher’s wall?
46. I’m addicted to coffee. The warm, earthy taste and smell is something I relate to my grandfather’s farm. It’s as close to sniffing and drinking dirt as I think I’d ever like to get.
47. A further observation on flavors, I don’t really like many really sweet things. No hard candy, no sugary drinks, no soda… and I REALLY don’t like milk chocolate. I thought I didn’t like chocolate at all until I was introduced to the dark side of chocolate. Now, I’d rather munch on a dark chocolate baking bar than a candy bar. And chocolate should always be cold – never warm or hot. Berries and fruits, on the other hand, should always be hot – never cold. Odd, I know!
48. I love to read. I used to go to the library just to poke around in the card catalog. I’d come home with armloads of books. Since it kept me occupied and quiet, my mother didn’t really care or edit what I read. I’m not sure reading Philip Roth books at age eleven was the right thing to do, but I did it anyway. I read everything and anything I found interesting and somehow, have not read many of the classics. I’m attempting to rectify this.
49. I like techno. Specifically psy-trance. Seems to always get me moving.
50. I usually wake up with some lyric or small snippet of music in my head. This morning it was “See chameleon, lying there in the sun, all things to everyone, run, run away” from the song “Run Run Away” by Slade.
51. This list has now taken me 5 days. I either get called away, or my attention wanders and I feel it’s best to come back to it instead of forcing it. I’m not sure how long it will ultimately take me, but I feel the anticipation of the K-meister from miles away.
52. I have 5 blogs I am combining into one main blog. I’ll still cross-post because it’s near to impossible to move your readers, but I like the fact that I’ll have everything in one spot. Eventually, I want to print my blogs so I have a non-electronic version of my writing.
53. I’m a big fan of smiling. I’ve frequently had people say they always wonder what I’m smiling about because I do it so much. I dunno. It just feels good?
54. I think the biggest reason I love my husband as much as I do is because we laugh…often and about some of the silliest things.
55. I like to knit. I don’t seem to sit and do it as often as I like, but I do like to do it. I’m currently working on a sock. My friend Beth will show me how to turn the heel if I can ever get the tube part done.
56. My biggest knitting accomplishment thus far was the Dr. Who scarf I knitted. I had promised it would be completed before we got to London. It’s patterned after the season 13 scarf worn by Tom Baker, the 5th Doctor. It’s 14 feet long. I was putting the tassels on it just before we pulled into London. I SAID I’d finish it!!
57. I named one of my children, Liberty. She proudly announces her name to everyone she meets. She says only family gets to shorten it to Libby. Her Grandfather was killed on the USS Liberty. She does the name proud.
58. Bess is a cat. We own each other. She’s been my bestest-buddy for 16 year now. She doesn’t look her age at all. She’s a fluffy calico. My daughter and I hand-reared 5 abandoned kittens. I had found a home twice for Bess and both times, she was returned. Not because anything was wrong with her, but because circumstances had changed and the people couldn’t keep her. After the second time, I didn’t have the heart to give her away again and I kept her and her sister, Molly. Molly died about 2 years later from feline leukemia. Bess has survived an infected uterus and 5 bouts of breast cancer. That cat and I were meant to be buddies. I love Bess.
59. Don’t be surprised, if you read my blog, if you find some of these items re-used as writing prompts!
60. As a little girl, I was afraid of Godzilla.
61. I like rabbits. Not to eat-no, no, no, no, – just to look at. Under the Chinese zodiac, I’m a rabbit.
62. I like things that sparkle. (Ooooooo, sparkly!!)
63. Sometimes, my attention wanders, but I send out an APB and someone usually sends it back to me.
64. I am the average height of a man.
65. When a boy would come to date my daughters, I insisted they come inside to meet me. After greeting them, I asked to see their driver’s license and wrote down the make, model and tag number of their car. I was always friendly, joking and polite, but I meant it when I said not to bring her back late.
66. I’m not sure why, but the kids say that most of their friends were a little intimidated by me. They thought I was nice, but they were not willing to cross me. (Gee, I can’t imagine why….)
67. I’ve never seen the movie, “A Christmas Story”. I think I’m going to keep it that way.
68. I like watching the birds at my bird feeders. When a squirrel comes by, I alert my 85 lb. Rottie/Lab mix dog, who then gets really riled up and bounces with eagerness to get out of the door. Once adequately primed, I let her bolt out into the yard and chase the squirrels away from the feeder. This would be cruel, except she has an electric collar and never goes past “the line”, and the bird feeder is just past her area. (because she likes to eat the seed) Since the dog won’t fetch a ball, this has morphed into our version of fetch.
69. I’ve been called critical and nit-picky. (Btw, did you know the origin of the phrase ‘nit-picky’ has to do with head lice? I bet you’d love someone with an attention to detail to be the one that checks your head for nits, now wouldn’t you) I do tend to notice small details or differences, but the word critical seems to have a negative connotation. I prefer to say that I’m observant, because that’s how I see it. I’m not trying to tear apart, or destroy, or denigrate something when I notice a detail. I’m reporting an observation, or what *I* see as an improvement. Take it or leave it. If you understand that I’m not being negative, some of my comments don’t sound so harsh. I’m working on re-phrasing for those who are more sensitive in nature.
70. I like to volunteer. I like to be helpful and lend a hand.
71. If I had my druthers, I’d live near water. Doesn’t have to be the beach, just water. I find large bodies of water, or rivers and streams, comforting.
72. When pet rocks were all the rage, I was traveling across country with my family in a motor home. In Colorado, I discovered the BEST round river rocks, which I’d never seen back home. I immediately chose a pet from the river, found a marker and had my own (free) pet rock. I still have him.
73. I am a stationary nut. I love stationary, post its, desk sets, notebooks, list pads, juicy ink pens, journals, note cards and wrapping paper.
74. So far, I’ve been to Puerto Rico, Mexico, England, and cross country in the US twice. I still have the New England portion of the US to explore. I love to travel.
75. I can be lazy, but I don’t relax well.
76. I try not to be, but I can be bossy.
77. I have green eyes.
78. My daughter just scrunched up her face, looked at me, and announced, “You’re weird.” I agree, and I’ll wear that badge proudly.
79. My mom used to call me Rain and Sunshine. I’ll admit I have a vicious temper at times.
80. I prefer silver to gold, unless it’s white gold. I do like diamonds, but I like dark blue sapphires and amethysts and deep green emeralds… in that order. (Make a note of that for when you send me gifts…hmmmkay?)
81. I had a neighbor who made me the trustee of her fairly large estate. I was honored by her trust, but if you ever want to give someone a BIG job, make them your executor and trustee of an estate.
82. My husband gave me a card I keep on my bulletin board. It reads “Wife. There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.”-Homer It’s perfect.
83. I don’t watch much television; instead, my time vampire seems to be the internet.
84. The humor I enjoy is not slapstick, but more intellectual. More of a connection that needs to be made to understand the humor. Puns, when good, are fantastic. Observation of human nature is funny. Watching a guy fall or get hit in the balls or some other physically painful thing just isn’t funny to me.
85. I’m a jeans and T shirt kind of gal. Barefoot if possible, but running shoes if I must be shod.
86. I love socks. When I was a child, we always wore the tube socks with the stripe around the top. It was difficult to keep pairs when you had 3 siblings wearing socks that were similar. Even finding white socks that match could be difficult. I started buying novelty and patterned socks to alleviate this problem. At last count, I had about 100 pairs of cute socks, not counting the white work-out variety. My friend calls the patterned socks, “gotta man” socks.
87. Either I’m relatively simple, overlooking something major about myself, or this list just isn’t the easiest thing to complete while talking about one’s self.
88. When annoyed, or sometimes when I’m anxious, I jiggle my foot similar to the way a rattlesnake shakes its rattler.
89. When I’m sleepy and settling in for bed, I flex just my foot back and forth slowly. The motion is very soothing.
90. I prefer someone to draw on my back over a massage, ANY day. My sisters and I used to make trains, where we sat one behind the other to draw on the back in front of us. Eventually, the leader would have to become the caboose. We made the train formation when we played with each other’s hair as well.
91. My kids figured out that if you played with mommy’s hair or drew on her back, you could eventually ask her just about anything you wanted and get the response you desired. I figured their ploy out when I realized I had authorized things I normally wouldn’t have. Sadly, the eventual denials meant my hair and back weren’t objects of attention any longer.
92. I have thousands of photographs. Most of them are of my children. I used to tell the kids that if there was an emergency, they needed to take the photo albums out of the house, if they could. I like to take pictures, but I don’t know much about what I’m doing beyond, looking, pointing and clicking.
93. I love going on walks and exploring. Everything looks different when you walk. The same street you drive down daily will look different if you walk down it. You’ll always see something different. Walking is also my favorite form of exercise.
94. When on a walk during our trip out west, we got stuck in a thunderstorm around a lake, we walked by a fresh kill by a bear without realizing that fact until late in the walk and walked at a rest stop on a path that was called “Hells half acre”. On one vacation, we logged over 26 miles of walking, just wandering around the town and looking at the buildings.
95. When you take me to a city, my head will always be looking up. I love to look at the decorations and crenelation at the tops of buildings. You just KNOW that there is a meaning behind every carving or symbol on a building, but through time, that knowledge is hidden. It would be great if every building would research the artwork on its edifice and post a plaque so I could look down now and then.
96. Shower therapy is a great way for me to improve my mood or figure out a solution to something that’s been nagging me. I tend to get “shower epiphanies”. Love ‘em!
97. I like that I pay attention to people. I watch them, get a feel for them and notice little things they do. I look into their eyes when they talk. I watch their faces and body language. People are like jigsaw puzzles. If you pay attention to the shapes, colors and sizes, you can find out where that piece fits where.
98. Sometimes people find something within a person that they don’t like. Sometimes they just find a behavior annoying and sometimes they don’t like one thing so much they decide that entire person isn’t worth being around and dismiss that relationship. I think that’s fairly foolish. Even if there is a behavior or habit I don’t like about someone, I weigh that against the “whole” of a person before I decide to let a relationship go. Within the differences of people are the places you find room to evaluate and grow. I’ve had more than a few people wonder why I would remain loyal to people who haven’t been very kind, or done the kindest things to me, and think that I’m foolish. I remember the person as a whole and work not to judge them by what is truly a small part of them. Then I forgive that minority and stay true to my belief that they are good and decent in the majority. Some people find this thought process difficult to understand.
99. I can be quite random. A conversation with me will start in one place, jump to many related points, go through a few hoops and most of the time, end up with that original thought, but not always. My husband says the ability to keep up with where my mind has jumped helps to keep him mentally young and fit.
100. WOW!! I’ve made it to the end… Carnations are my favorite flower. Not the colored kind, but ones that are natural (usually white) and have that deliciously sweet spicy scent. I will walk over to carnations at the grocery store floral department and bury my face in a bouquet of carnations every time I see one. So, I guess the last thing about me is that I’m really glad that I actually do stop and smell the flowers!
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