100 THINGS

1. I'm the oldest of three children, I have a younger sister and a half-brother.

2. For the most part, my siblings and I were raised in different households, and I'm only really getting to know them as an adult.

3. When my sister and I were little kids, we fought so much that relatives refused to have us both come visit at the same time because we were so awful.

4. I lived with my maternal grandparents for many of my formative years.

5. #4 probably explains my love for big band/swing music, classic movies, and vintage clothing.

6. My grandmother, a Catholic schoolteacher for 30+ years, taught me to read with Dick and Jane books when I was 3 years old.

7. I've been reading voraciously ever since then. I'll read anything.

8. I usually do not buy books because I read them so quickly I see it as a waste of money. I love my local library and paperbackswap.com.

9. My grandfather is one of the biggest influences on who I am today. He's my rock.

10. I dislike most condiments on my food. I can't stand the smell or taste or texture of mayonnaise.

11. I'm a bit of a picky eater; not only do I dislike condiments and most sauces, I won't eat pork in any form. I just do not like it at all. I also recently stopped eating red meat.

12. Even though I'm a picky eater, I love to try new cuisines. I discovered Vietnamese food not too long ago and it's a match made in heaven. I also love Mexican, Thai, Greek, Middle Eastern/Persian/Lebanese, Japanese, Cuban, South American, Spanish, Ethiopian, Chinese, Italian and North African food.

13. I love fruit. Any kind of fruit. One of my mom's nicknames for me is Fruit Face because as a kid I'd eat all the fruit in the house before anyone else could have any.

14. Sugar is my weakness. I have a horrible sweet tooth that I'm really trying to curb. Candy is my downfall.

15. I have a terrible temper, and am well known in my group of family and friends for my rage-filled outbursts...especially the public ones. There's a story that has reached legend status about me going off on a clerk in a college bookstore that ends with me being escorted out and asked to not come back. 

16. I've brought my temper under control quite a bit in the past four years, and rarely get upset over the "small stuff" like I used to. These days, it takes a whole lot to get me going...unless you are one of the few people still in my life who knows what buttons to push to get an instant reaction.

17. My sense of humor is so sarcastic, not many people "get it." I vacillate between extreme sarcasm and juvenility when it comes to humor, which puts a lot of people off.

18. I live in North Florida, and absolutely HATE the weather.

19. I fantasize about living somewhere with a cool climate, specifically, Canada. Or Colorado. Or Portland, OR.

20. I hate the weather here, but love it when it storms. There is NOTHING like watching a storm roll in.

21. I was born just outside of Seattle, WA, and spent a big chunk of my life living there, but consider Southern California "home."

22. I get insanely homesick for Southern California from time to time. Sometimes I have really bad homesick spells where I don't even want to get out of bed.

23. Despite the homesickness and culture shock I still endure after five years of living in the South, I'm not sure if I could ever go back to full time "city life." I love the fact I live in a "big small town", the wildlife everywhere, and the slower pace of life.

24. While I dig the whole "big small town" thing, sometimes it sucks that everyone knows everyone else.

25. I LOVE to drink whiskey. Love it. I first had it on a cruise to the Bahamas 5 years ago. I'd never tried it since it wasn't a "girly" drink.

26. I don't drink whiskey anymore because it makes me terribly sick and has created some embarassing social situations.

27. Whiskey combined with a bottle of sake led to the worst experience I've ever had on a first date...I tried to outdrink this guy, and ended up puking all over him, his truck, the ground, myself, etc, etc, etc.

28. It must not have bothered the guy TOO much, since we are now getting married.

29. My fiance and I met when we both worked for a company that is now out of business. I had a huge crush on him but never in a million years planned to act on it, and thought he hadn't even noticed me. One day he called and asked me to dinner, which led to our infamous first date.

30. We had to do a "long-distance" thing for the first year; he worked and lived in a city about 2 hours away, but would come over every weekend to be with me.

31. We moved in together about three years ago, which I was very nervous about due to past experiences. So far, so good. Everything is better than I could have ever hoped for. Plus? He does the dishes.

32. I HATE doing dishes.

33. My fiance is 10 years older than me, and I honestly think that is a big part of why we get along so well.

34. In four years, we've had three arguments.

35. My fiance plays bass, guitar and drums. He's amazing on all three. When we started dating, I was kinda like, "Oh GREAT. He thinks he's a musician. Pfffft." I was pleasantly surprised to discover he is one 0f those naturally gifted people who can pick up any instrument and play it like he's played his whole life. I was also pleasantly surprised when he told me he was under no illusions about becoming a rock star, and that he liked his day job just fine.

36. We've been engaged for a year and a half now. When I tell people we aren't in a big hurry to get married, I mean it. We just aren't.

37. I HAAAAAATE it when people nag me about getting married. I wasn't too keen on the whole marriage thing in the first place, but my fiance changed all that...still though. Not in a hurry. Do not nag. We like living in sin, thankyouverymuch.

38. I don't want a big wedding, I want to elope. The fact that both of our families are scattered across America makes wedding planning difficult, and causes me to lose interest. Eloping seems so much easier.

39. I love kids, but am not sure yet if I want any of my own.

40. I have two four legged children, my doggies, Cricket and Sampson. Cricket lives with my sister now, but we all used to live together, so she'll always be "mine."

41. My dogs are litter mates, and are half beagle, half basenji. Also? They are spoiled rotten.

42. I wasn't a dog person until about 3 years ago, when I had a roommate who had dogs. Up until that point, I was afraid of dogs and hated to be around them.

43. It is impossible for me to be in a bad mood when my dogs are around.

44. Sampson follows me to the door every morning when I'm leaving for work. When I crouch down and pat him on the head, I tell him to have a good day. He then gives me kisses. I stand up, and he goes back over to his spot on the couch. I love that dog so much.

45. Sampson is named for a character in Half-Baked. My sister named him, not me. I wanted to name him Luke and Cricket Leia. She wouldn't go for it.

46. My sister is the one person who can make me go from perfectly calm to insanely angry in a matter of seconds. Thankfully, we do not argue much these days.

47. I absolutely adore my sister and wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

48. Only two things could ever cause me to become physically violent against another person: Someone hurting my sister, or someone hurting an animal. (The irony in this statement is so damn profound.)

49. I come from a Catholic background, and attended a Catholic high school. I was never forced to "pick" a religion, but when asked, I consider myself Catholic. I completely disagree with organized religion, and prefer not to discuss my religious beliefs in public, due to an incident at a church where I was told I would go straight to Hell if I didn't renounce all my Catholic family members and become a member of this particular church.... I was 6.

50. I really want to start composting. I'm trying to con the man of the house into building me a bin.

51. I don't think Mr. Bean is funny.

52. I'm home alone with the dogs a lot, and have picked up the habit of singing to them, speaking to them in a British accent, and generally just acting like a jackass when no one but the pups are there to see me. This behavior has started to carry over to the times when I am NOT home alone....fortunately, I don't really care.

53. I have a crappy immune system, and will pick up just about anything that happens to be going around, but once I get it, it mutates from a simple cold or flu into something bizarre. My immune system seems to have disappered when I was about 12 and caught a virulent flu strain. I've never been the same.

54. I have a really high pain tolerance. How high, you ask? I can pass a kidney stone with NO pain meds. I've done it many, many times.

55. Florida is the third state I have lived in. Prior to living here, I split my time between Western Washington and Southern California.

56. I have three tattoos, and would love to have more.

57. My first tattoo is of a red and black Chinese dragon, which is a symbol of protection. It's on my lower back.

58. My second tattoo is on the inside of my left wrist, and is kanji for "Serenity" which I got in honor of my grandfather, and in a small way, to honor someone who meant a lot to me that passed away. My grandfather was stationed in Japan, and I grew up with him speaking to me in Japanese on a regular basis. This tattoo has NOTHING to do with this. People ask me that ALL THE TIME when I tell them what it means. Also? Not my name.

59. My third tattoo is a blue and black nautical star on the inside of my right wrist, which I got in honor of my grandmother.

60. I'm obsessed with the idea of a Hannah Aitchison knitting related, Elvgren-style pin up tattoo.

61. I'm addicted to science fiction, whether it be books, movies, etc.

62. I am a wee bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to certain things, and get really passionate about things I like. I think people who can't get passionate about at least one thing they truly love or enjoy in life are boring.

63. Gone with the Wind is a perfect example of the above statement. I read the book in a day when I was 12, wacthed the movie repeatedly for a week, and was so enamored of everything about it that my family started calling me 'Scarlett O'Sarah."

64. I've had many phases similar to my GWTW phase....another big one was my undying devotion to the X-Files.

65. My second day in Florida, my aunt and uncle drove the whopping 15 miles to the Georgia border, and took me to a plantation. In light of my Gone with the Wind fetish, it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.

66. I stick with my obsessions...they fade in time, but I hang on to them. I think this is a freakish outgrowth of my blind loyalty to the things and people I love.

67. I have an excellent sense of direction, and when travelling, prefer to "find my own way" rather than get directions on how to get somewhere. If I get lost, I don't call it getting lost, I say I had an adventure.

68. I love to go grocery shopping.

69. One of the coolest things Brian (my fiance) has ever given me is a dog tag on a chain engraved with "Mr. F". Yeah, as in "Mentally Retarded Female." Hey, I never said we were normal.

70. I vaccuum. A lot. Cleaning house is something I actually enjoy doing. It helps me think. If I'm ever upset, or cranky, or having some kind of issue that I need to think through, I usually feel lots better after a vigorous dusting session.

71. I love to cook, but hate to bake. Which is why I am a TERRIBLE baker.

72. Brian didn't believe I was bad a baking until last Christmas when he tried some cookies I made. They tasted like glue. I am not kidding. They were horrible. He tried to be nice about it, but I told him he could be honest, and he said "We should probably just throw these all away, and buy cookies instead."

73. I collect a few things...vintage pin up art, sick yarn by certain dyers, and owls, specifically, pendants/jewelry depicting owls.

74. I'm about 4 classes away from a Bachelor's in Political Science. It was my minor.

75. I'm about 8 classes away from a Bachelor's in Organic Chemistry. This? This was my college major, my one true love, and my passion. I discovered my love of science completely by accident, and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I heart you, O-Chem. (Um, P-Chem? You're cool too, but I don't like you in that way.)

76. I dropped out of college because I was broke, y'all. I'd love to finish my degrees one day, but just don't see it happening any time in the immediate future.

77. At various points growing up, I wanted to be an astronaut, a spy, a fighter pilot, an attorney, a journalist , a pianist, a trauma surgeon, or a forensic pathologist. That last one is the one that stuck with me the longest....it replaced the surgeon goal once I realized I'd be a doctor with a craptacular bedside manner. Then,  I realized I didn't have the patience for medical school at all, so I decided I wanted to go into forensics, but maybe just not the whole cuting people up part. And yes, that was BEFORE CSI was on TV.

78. In "real life" I work a job completely unlike anything I ever aspired to in my younger days. I like it though. Actually, I love it. It's an office job, but it does not ask me to do any kind of sales, which is good. I have a ton of freedom, and get lots of cool opportunites to learn new things. I adore my boss, and have a really nice, big office all to myself. No one cares that I sometimes wear fuzzy slippers while sitting at my desk or that I like to listen to The Clash at loud volumes in the afternoon.

Le sigh. How things change. Right now I am desperate to find a new job because I have fallen out of love with this one. It's a long story that can be summed up by saying I work for some very unethical folks these days, and I want out ASAP.

Update: I have a new job. HOORAY! Even better? I love my new job. I feel like a brand new gal.

79. My first "real" job after I graduated high school was working for Starbucks. It changed my life. I met my two best friends in the world there. That was almost ten years ago, and I still consider both of them to be my best buddies.

80. One of the afore-mentioned best friends is the one who inspired my love of all things crafty. I was inspired to learn to knit because she was knitting. I taught myself, but never really got serious about it until she sent me a copy of Stitch 'n Bitch in March of 2004. I've never looked back. She's also the reason I discovered the whole online knitting community and the reason I got interested in blogging. She pretty much just kicks ass in general.

81. The other best friend often comments on this blog, but is neither a knitter or a blogger. She taught me how to be a girl. She turned my little tomboy self into a MAC buying, heel-wearing, pedicure getting, G-I-R-L. She's one of the funniest people I know, has a heart of gold, and is an amazing mother. I love her to pieces.

82. Um, the uber-girly thing mentioned above? Didn't completely stick. I only wear make-up when I have to these days, because in this godforsaken part of the country, it just melts off my face in 10 minutes. I do, however, regularly have my eyebrows waxed, get pedicures, and buy heels...even though I pretty much live in my Chuck Taylors.

83. I love music. All genres. No, really, ALL genres. No exceptions. I'll give anything a try at least once, and I usually end up liking new music.

84. OK...well...there are some exceptions. Like Michael McDonald. And Randy Newman. I HATE Randy Newman. I'm not a big fan of the pre-fab sound-alikes that pass themselves off as punk bands these days either. And I know there are some crazy fanatic Springsteen fans out there, but you guys..I just don't get it. He may be The Boss to you, but he ain't my boss.

85. I believe everything is better with a horn section. Think about it. Don't you feel happy when there is a horn section involved?

86. I'm a history buff. So is Brian. When we plan vacations, we look for two things: historical stuff to see and yarn stores.

87. When I get overly tired, I start to whine the same way a three year old does when they get overly tired. It's not pretty.

88. I really want to learn how to sew. Brian is an amazing sew-er. He's tried to teach me some stuff, but I suck and keep breaking the sewing machine. It's a disaster.

89. I'm obsessed with wild animals that live around my house. Foxes, owls and deer are my favorites. I go absolutely nutty when I spot a fox, and have to tell EVERYONE I see all about it for the next several days. I just cannot help myself. I know I'm a weirdo. 

90. I know where all the dogs live in my neighborhood, and if I do not know their name, I give them names and refer to them using that name. For example, there is a dog that lives up the street, and he's always laying out in his front yard. Whenever someone walks by, he walks right up to them and is super friendly. He's the first dog you'll see when you pull into our neighborhood, and he's kind of the neighborhood greeter. I refer to him as The Mayor. Another neighbor has a brown dog. I call him Chocolate Dog. Hey, I've already said I'm a weirdo. 

91. I have terrible allergies. Not to food or fibers or detergents or anything like that. I'm horribly allergic to pine and oak pollen, which makes living where I live Not.Fun. come spring and early summer.I will try anything to combat my allergies. ANYTHING. I'm giving accupuncture a go next since I've burned through both Western and Eastern medicine, homeopathic medicine, diet, and home/natural treatments with limited success.

92. I'm of English, German, and Croatian descent. With a sprinkling of French-Canadian.

93. I recently discovered the name and location of the village my great-grandmother was from in Croatia and one of my dreams is to go there one day.

94. One of my ancestors on my dad's side of the family founded Rhode Island.

95. My parents have been divorced since I was about 6. I have two dads, my father and my step-father. My mom and my step-father have been married over twenty years.

96. My sister looks exactly like my mom. I look like my dad's side of the family and nothing like my mother.

97. My favorite junk food indulgence are cheese Totino's pizza rolls. They are so bad for you. BUT THEY TASTE SOOOOO GOOOOOD.

98. Even if you paid me, I would refuse to eat at McDonald's and most fast food places unless I were starving and had absolutely NO other options for food.

99. I love the ocean. I won't swim in a lake, and it takes a lot of coaxing to get me in a swimming pool, but I'll jump right in to the ocean.

100. Believe it or not, I'm a bit on the shy side in "real life."