100 Things

My Husband and I are very fortunate to get away together for a week in London while My Boy hangs with family. Since blogging will be way down on the priorities list for the next bit, I bring you a long post with 100 things about me. I found this to be interesting when a couple friends did it and figure it could count as a personal history of sorts, at least for now. Here we go:

1. I grew up in Orem and Provo, Utah
2. I am the oldest of 5 girls and can be a bit of a know-it-all
3. I am Mormon and love my religion
4. I don’t like to cook
5. I’ve lived in San Francisco, California for 7 years
6. I live in a 1-bedroom apartment with my husband and son (who sleeps in a closet as I’ve mentioned)
7. I got married to a Canadian when I was 22 and he was 26
8. I think people who litter should be shot in the leg
9. I love to read
10. My biggest pet peeve—sloppy, smacky mouth sounds, particularly when a person is eating
11. I’d rather spend money on vacations and experiences than on nice things
12. If I could skip from having a newborn to having a child who is 18 months old, I probably would
13. I love to sleep (and don’t do well without at least 7 continuous hours/night). Napping with my husband may be the best thing in the world
14. I played softball in high school
15. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with an Information Systems emphasis
16. I don’t usually like eating outside (there’s always a problem—wind, bugs, temperature, etc.) or eating in the car
17. I’d like to be a librarian
18. David Letterman read my letter on his show in Sept. 1997 as part of a CBS Mailbag sketch. I’ve been to a taping of his show twice and once to Conan
19. I attended Brigham Young University and loved it
20. Fall is my favorite season and Halloween is my favorite holiday
21. I only end of playing golf 3-4 times per year, but I really like it and can keep up without embarrassing myself too horribly
22. I like to vacuum and sweep
23. I quickly start feeling nuts if I don’t leave the house for one day
24. Cookies and brownies are my downfall
25. I love caves
26. Even though I have nothing but sisters, I am a little afraid of having daughters given my lack of girl skills and boyish tendencies
27. I will boycott any business that misspells the words in its name like “Krazy Karl's Kar Korral”
28. I hate taking special care of my clothes—Dry clean only? Hand wash? Lay flat to dry? I probably won’t buy it
29. I like playing Nintendo games (the old platform ones please, especially Mario-based games)
30. Some favorite books: These Is My Words, The Poisonwood Bible, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, She Got Up Off the Couch, Roots, The Good Earth, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, about anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, David Sedaris, and Sarah Vowell
31. My favorite type of food is Mexican. I don’t care so much for most seafood and sushi
32. I bite my nails
33. I like doing mindless, repetitive tasks—factory work would probably suit me just fine
34. Bad grammar, punctuation and spelling are very noticeable to me
35. I like nerdy board games—Puerto Rico, Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, etc.
36. I’ve never broken a bone
37. I didn’t kiss a boy until I was 19
38. I would like to visit all the national parks in the United States
39. I am afraid of heights and will not live in an apartment that’s more than 3 stories above ground level
40. I was the female lead in the musical Pirates of Penzance in 5th grade
41. I don’t have a dishwasher or disposal in my apartment—blah!
42. I worked for KPMG for almost 4 years as an IT auditor/consultant
43. I like to go for walks at night
44. I manage an apartment building that has 42 units
45. I am usually very resistant to any kind of inspirational or self-help book (funny that I am religious then, I know)
46. I think deserted buildings and cemeteries are creepy yet peaceful and awesome
47. I am fairly cynical and sarcastic
48. I have almost no desire to do the following things: go to a ballet or opera (sorry Neylan), visit Africa or India, run a marathon or any part of a marathon, have more than 4 kids (maybe not more than 3?), do any sort mountain climbing that involves ropes and tethering, become a vegetarian, home school my children, scuba dive or surf in anything but warm, tropical water that’s free of seaweed
49. I like learning about US history, particularly in TV documentary or museum format
50. I cannot stand clusters and clumps of things like barnacles, fish eggs, pimples, bees on honeycomb, etc. (I can feel the panic rising even as I type those words)
51. My least favorite song of all time is “Red, Red Wine” by UB40
52. I am allergic to yellow food coloring, most animals, real Christmas trees, many perfumes and flower/tree pollens
53. I wear hard contact lenses and am very near-sighted without them
54. I looked like this when I was 8 and thought I was hot stuff:



55. I love disco music and used to go disco skating and dancing
56. I am one of those girls who is always cold
57. I really like amusement parks and carnivals
58. I’ve traveled outside the US to Canada, Japan, the Cayman Islands, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, and the Netherlands. I get to go to London, England this fall—hooray!
59. I love Disneyland although not necessarily all things Disney
60. I’m not a neat freak but do like things reasonably tidy and clean. Clutter makes me uneasy
61. I play the piano
62. I dated My Husband for about 18 months before we got married (about 14 months until we were engaged)
63. I am distrustful of doctors, especially pediatricians
64. Some favorite movies: Some Like It Hot, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Airplane, What’s Up Doc, The Royal Tennenbaums, Raising Arizona, Corrina, Corrina, A League of Their Own, American Beauty (be warned that it deserves its R rating)
65. My 2nd biggest pet peeve—boys/men who put their heads down on the pews in front of them in church and zone out or sleep. Must get taser gun.
66. We only have one car—a 2000 Mazda Protégé I bought in college—and it’s a stick shift
67. I love drug stores, hardware stores, dollar stores, toy stores, party supply stores, and office supply stores
68. I am somewhat frugal and don’t really like to shop (probably because shopping creates clutter)
69. The stupidest thing I ever did—let my sister fold me completely into a hide-a-bed (I was sandwiched inside the mattress and lowered into the couch). My sister couldn’t pull me out but luckily my dad could
70. I like sappy love songs from the 70s and 80s—Barry Manilow, Lionel Richie, Hall & Oates, etc.
71. I don’t like carrying a purse
72. I was once attacked by a crow (felt it’s little feet clawing at the top of my head 3 times before I ran far enough away that it left me alone)
73. I usually don’t like big parties or gatherings. I’m much more comfortable in smaller groups
74. I probably cannot be friends with a person who says “Vegas, baby!”or “Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” with any degree of seriousness. Same goes for any guy who calls another guy “bro”
75. I love buying toys and treats for My Boy
76. I typically think it’s hilarious when people trip or fall down
77. I had a wedding dinner but no reception, bridesmaids, etc. and rented my wedding dress.
78. I once used Nair on my face and waxing strips on top of that. It’s not something you should do.
79. I gave birth to a 9 lb 8 oz baby
80. I don’t like scary or suspenseful movies or TV shows (I gave up on Lost and 24 because they were too much for me). I am easily disturbed by anything involving kidnapping, torture, or violence toward innocent people
81. I love hot water—a nice bath can solve almost any problem for me
82. I am easily irritated by teenagers
83. I won my school spelling bee when I was in 6th grade—my sister in the 4th grade got 2nd place
84. I can pop my fingers, neck, back, wrists, and ankles (and often do)
85. I think carbonated water is too strange and icky to drink
86. I’m not very ladylike when it comes to burping
87. The words “panties” and “lover” make me giggle
88. My favorite flowers are daffodils and gerbera daisies
89. I typically only cry once or twice a year (the tears-running -down-the-face kind anyway). I once went several years without crying.
90. I’m kind of afraid of the dark and the ocean (even though I certified as a scuba diver)
91. I’m really bad at writing thank you cards
92. Some favorite TV shows: Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Flight of the Conchords, Scrubs, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Soup, Reno 911, Family Guy, The Simpsons
93. I can get really star-struck and totally understand how those girls feel who cry and scream when they see their favorite celebrities
94. I am a huge picker and cannot leave peeling skin, scabs, or any kind of blemish alone
95. The idea of someone drinking their cereal milk makes me want to throw up
96. Jobs I’ve had before I graduated from college: babysitter, house cleaner, packer/shipper at a small family entertainment company, administrative assistant and computer lab intern at Novell
97. I’m big on people taking responsibility for their actions. I generally have a “deal with it”/tough love kind of attitude
98. I’m not a sit-around-and-relax kind of vacationer. At least not for long. Let’s get out there and see stuff, I say
99. I had a pair of women’s mannequin legs in my room for several years in high school (I bought them at a thrift store because I thought they were awesome and funny)
100. I’ve never read a Harry Potter book or seen a Harry Potter movie