The inevitable 100 things about me

1. I am very secretive.
2. As a result, this list is going to be very difficult for me to write.
3. I am the youngest of six children, but since I came six years after my nearest sibling, I was raised almost as an only child.
4. I was obviously an "accident" even though my mom denies it.
5. I am a Scorpio.
6. I like to think that I'm one of the nice Scorpios.
7. I was raised in a very religious household, but I am no longer religious.
8. My religious past causes me much grief.
9. I am married to the most wonderful guy on the planet.
10. We met on eHarmony.
11. I used to be embarrassed about meeting online, since it's not something I would normally do, but now I freely admit it AND recommend it to others.
12. I am scared of heights, speed, and being out of control.
13. I force myself to go on roller coasters because I don't want to be "boring".
14. My favorite color changes between green and purple, depending on the day.
15. My favorite food is always anything Mexican.
16. I love to go out for sushi, but I don't really like it.
17. I'm very good at using chopsticks since my brother forced me to learn at age 9.
18. I can say random phrases in Korean, French, Japanese, Spanish, Finnish, Portuguese, German, and Chinese, but I only speak English.
19. I love to cook, but nothing too complicated or weird.
20. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a marine biologist or a teacher.
21. I became a teacher.
22. I'm still obsessed with whales.
23. When I was 7, I ran into a parked car on my bike because I was trying to create my own strobe light by blinking my eyes quickly while riding.
24. I love See's chocolate more than anyone should.
25. My dad died last year, and I think about him a lot.
26. Sometimes I talk to him in my mind just in case he can hear me.
27. When I was a kid, I was labeled "gifted", but I don't think I am anymore.
28. My mom always told me I could do anything. I'm only recently figuring out that it's not so.
29. I'm really bad at yoga. I have no balance but I like the meditation.
30. I love modern art, the stranger the better.
31. Speaking of strange, I'm a HUGE Prince fan.
32. I don't believe that things "happen for a reason". I believe that things just happen.
33. When people tell me they think "things happen for a reason", I don't tell them that I disagree.
33. I think the more you go through in life, the more tolerant you become.
34. I am secretly intolerant of intolerant people.
35. I'm trying to become less judgemental.
36. I appreciate beautiful language. I only wish I could create it myself.
37. I'm addicted to these TV shows (and my TiVo): Hell's Kitchen, Lost, 24, Scrubs, Las Vegas, and Desperate Housewives.
38. I'm a registered Republican, but I'm Democratic in most of my views.
39. I absolutely hate country music.
40. I make the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I also make a fabulous lemon meringue pie (my mom's recipe).
41. I love ice cream.
42. I have trouble with my weight and I'm afraid I always will.
43. I care way too much about people's perceptions of me.
44. I need constant attention and praise from my husband. Luckily he gives it freely.
45. I take friendship very seriously. All my friends are life-long.
46. I love shopping for shoes, but I only buy them if they're on sale.
47. I used to be a liar, but now I'm extremely honest.
48. I used to do a lot of things I find reprehensible now.
49. I am a procrastinator and a night person, which means you'll often find me busy getting projects done late at night.
50. I sing really loud in the car when I'm alone.
51. Sometimes I sing that way just to make my husband laugh.
52. I'll do just about anything to make him laugh, including act like a total idiot. My "car dancing" always gets him.
53. I will never get a tattoo.
54. I was always too scared to do any serious drugs.
55. I worked at Chili's as a server for 6 years.
56. Working in the restaurant business taught me a lot about life in the real world.
57. Consequently, I am a great tipper.
58. The word "bosom" gives me the creeps.
59. Physical violence of any kind makes me sick to my stomach.
60. I love massages and pedicures, but I hate facials.
61. I love to go out for breakfast, especially on Sunday mornings.
62. I love to travel, but I hate being in charge of the itinerary.
63. I got married in Maui and it was the best time of my life.
64. I went to the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands and actually thought they were ugly compared to Maui.
65. I cry at at the movies.
66. I cry when I get really frustrated.
67. I cry when I laugh too hard.
68. I put childbirth and death in the same category. Countless other people have gone through it, so I think I'll be fine when I do too.
69. I love babies and all the little faces they make.
70. I am very observant and intuitive about people.
71. I notice mouths first.
72. I have an overbite due to the fact that I refused to wear my retainers after I got my braces off.
73. I share a birthday with Picasso.
74. I can wiggle my ears.
75. As a kid, I watched Romancing the Stone so much, I could quote it.
76. To this day, I like to watch romantic comedies over and over again.
77. My favorite is You've Got Mail
78. My blood type is my outlook on life: B positive.
79. I played both piano and violin when I was young.
80. My childhood violin still has tear stains on it from my incessant crying during rigorous practices.
81. In junior high, I liked skateboarding and pro wrestling.
82. My mom still thinks I'm a girly girl.
83. I met Luis Gonzales after the 2001 World Series and told him he looked familiar (duh).
84. I can't wait to have kids.
85. I'm one of the few people I know that loves her job.
86. I don't know if I want to be a stay-at-home mom.
87. I get bored easily.
88. I always have too much to do, and I like it that way.
89. I appear very organized, but I'm reallly messy.
90. The condition of my house usually mirrors the condition of my life.
91. I love to sleep and take naps.
92. I can usually fall asleep within three minutes of lying down in bed.
93. I have always been a night owl, but I pretend to be a morning person too.
94. I love Starbuck's.
95. My idea of the perfect day includes reading a book and drinking a margarita in a hammock on the beach.
96. I love giving gifts.
97. I try to make other people feel good about themselves.
98. I'm always worried about my lipstick.
99. When I turned 29, I was a little depressed. When I turned 30, I refused to admit it.
100. I still have too many secrets.

Heeeeeeeeere's Daisy!

This is Daisy, the best dog ever. In case you think your dog is better or cuter, here are some reasons I beg to differ:
1. Daisy never begs. For anything. When you put her outside, she entertains herself until you decide she should come in.
2. She can catch food and treats in mid air. The key word for her to perform this fabulous magic trick is, "Ready?"
3. She eats watermelon and peaches. Other fruit to follow.
4. When scratching her chin or neck, Daisy scrunches up her face, creating wrinkles upon wrinkles. We call this "the old lady".
5. She announces her presence with one tiny lick on your leg as if to say, "Hi!"
6. She wags her tail so hard, her entire backside wags with it. Talk about excitement!
7. She can go outside without a leash and not run away (unlike our other dog who's a complete flight risk.)
8. She's totally in style with her smudged black eye make-up.

oh, the pressure...

It's such a big deal to come up with a clever blog title -- one that will catch the attention of bored blog surfers. One that will make them stop, consider, and smirk as they feel hypnotically compelled to read whatever this witty blogger has to say. One that will...
Oh, who cares. In the end, I decided I don't really want random freaks reading my blog. So I settled for a boring name -- one that describes the things that consume my life at the current moment. What can I say? I have a pretty happy, uneventful life right now, and I love it (as opposed to my former soap opera life full of all kinds of unmentionable drama)!

Other BLOG titles I considered:

• I Wasn't Born with Enough Middle Fingers (for all the venting and complaining I'll inevitably do. this clever phrase borrowed from a Marilyn Manson song)

• Big Boo (the euphemism I used as a child when I had to go #2...incidentally, I didn't know the term was unique to my family until the age of 7. I recently told my brother I was going to make this my vanity plate.)

• WWMD? (a philosophical study of my so-called assertiveness, led by my friend Amanda whose brilliance is unmatched)

• Feel Free to be Controlled (get it?)

• Hooked, Lined, but not Sunk (this actually has a lengthy explanation. If you really want to know about it, you'll have to ask me in person)

• Musings (what a great word...)