Category Archives: about me

August 19, 2010 · 7:06 PM

Another 50 Things

Song Lyric of the Day:

When I met you / I didn’t know what to do / But I noticed that I didn’t really feel / Now you’re away / You write home everyday / I don’t beg, I don’t borrow / I steal

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson/ “Relator“

It’s been awhile since I wrote one of those goofy filler posts/”about me” lists. (You can read the first one here, the second one here, and the previous one here.) It’s been three years, actually. So here’s some more insight into what makes me tick. Or just ticks me off.

  1. I loathe “reality” TV. It’s getting our country closer to becoming a real-life Idiocracy.
  2. I can’t wait until the day I get to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
  3. As many social media things as I’m into, I don’t see the appeal of Foursquare. I really don’t like the idea of people literally knowing where I am at any time — too stalkerish.
  4. I am determined to be far better organized in our new house than we were in our last house.
  5. I finally made it to the Toronto International Film Festival last year. I’d like to hit the Tribeca Film Festival next.
  6. I adore my puppy Troubadour even though he’s (1) 2 1/2 years old and (2) an asshole.
  7. I still fit in my honeymoon bikini (even pregnant). Not sure yet about documenting that with a photo.
  8. I’m currently working on two books and a personal essay, all of which I’d like to get published. Preferably while I’m still alive.
  9. I wish I had half as much writing confidence in myself as my friends Caren and Elaine have in themselves.
  10. It took me more than a year after my dog Snoops and cat Yum Yum died to be able to even say their names without bursting into tears.
  11. I’ve never been to a music festival.
  12. I’m not a die-hard vampire fan, but I love True Blood and Being Human.
  13. I recorded, watched, and was bored to sleep by Twilight. I also found myself wanting to slap Kristen Stewart so she’ll get that deviated septum fixed and breathe with her mouth shut.
  14. I can’t wait until our A-frame sells so we can start working on projects at the new house.
  15. It depresses me that people like Kim Kardashian become celebrities because they made a sex tape. Having a Sealy Posturepedic mattress imprint on your back does not qualify as a talent.
  16. It’s easier for me to blog than to e-mail everyone I know. This is your one-stop shop to find out what’s going on with me.
  17. One of these days I’ll learn more HTML code than the codes for italics, bold, and other piddling style things.
  18. I’m hoping to take a photography course next year now that I finally have a DSLR.
  19. I’ve read more mommyblogs than is probably healthy for any individual to read for several years now.
  20. This year I was Event Chair for the Downtown Knoxville American Cancer Society Relay for Life. I never thought I’d be an event chair for anything. (You can still donate!)
  21. I love that I get to look at house and food p0rn all day as part of my job. I get great decorating ideas while becoming ravenously hungry.
  22. I own almost as many chick flicks as I do horror movies.
  23. As much as I’d like an iPhone, I refuse to switch to AT&T. I’ll wait until Verizon offers it.
  24. I miss the jalapeno bread Harris Teeter sells. Haven’t had it since we lived in Chesapeake.
  25. I love, love, LOVE our new house and am glad we didn’t have the money to impulse buy one of the money pits we saw before finding this house (we thought we found our dream house at least two or three times before this). That would’ve sucked.
  26. Resting my ear against my cat Buster’s purring body is one of the best feelings in the world, in no small part because he is The World’s Happiest Cat.
  27. I don’t read political blogs or watch any talking heads on TV because I don’t see the point. I can make up my mind about issues on my own.
  28. I’m leaning toward painting my home office a burnt orange, a la the orange in the Mode office on Ugly Betty.
  29. I know our friend Caren is going to be a wonderful godmother to Coraline. She’ll have the kid leading yoga classes by the time she’s in elementary school.
  30. When I think about someday going back to school, I realize I have no idea what I’d study. Writing? Photography? Forensics?
  31. I need some new authors to read.
  32. My MacBook accidentally slid off my lap desk just now. Obviously, it’s OK.
  33. Rich confirmed that I will indeed be receiving a 10th anniversary wedding ring this year. Now I need to figure out a really kick-ass gift for him that’s not an iPad.
  34. I want the Alex from IKEA for my home office. Wonder if anyone I know is heading to an IKEA in the near future …
  35. It both annoys and impresses me that Troubadour’s barking sets off the glass-shatter sensors of our home alarm system. That half-beagle has mad skills.
  36. I prefer silver or white-gold jewelry over yellow gold.
  37. Our new house has an offensive (to us, anyway) amount of gold fixtures. They don’t know it, but their days are numbered.
  38. I’m OCD about sorting my hardcover fiction books alphabetically by author and chronologically under each author. So much so that I have a spreadsheet to help me keep them in order.
  39. Living close to a wider variety of things is awesome. We loved South Knoxville, but now we have a lot more choices.
  40. More than 20 years later, I still vividly remember how affected I was when I visited the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.
  41. Almost 20 years later, I still vividly remember how creepy it was to tour the Paris Catacombs with my mom.
  42. I’ve eaten more red meat during my pregnancy than I have in the past two years combined. The kid’s a total carnivore.
  43. I’m proud of how hard Rich has been working to get our A-frame ready for sale. I only wish I could’ve helped more myself.
  44. In a perfect world, I’d get to see both my nephews every day.
  45. I hope to meet more of the local bloggers I follow.
  46. Being on bedrest has only reminded me how much happier I am when I can be productive.
  47. Our only slated project for the new house: painting the nursery.
  48. I’ll have to visit The Cupcakery again soon. Need a cupcake fix.
  49. If I had unlimited funds, I’d hit a bookstore almost every day.
  50. I am beyond excited to meet Coraline — in due time, of course.

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January 29, 2009 · 7:49 PM

An Obligatory Filler Post: 25 Random Things

Song Lyric of the Day:

Should I give up / Or should I just keep chasing pavements / Even if it leads nowhere / Or would it be a waste / Even if i knew my place should I leave it there

Adele / “Chasing Pavements“

So this meme is circulating among my friends on Facebook, and I thought I’d post it here for my non-Facebook friends to peruse. I’ve added a few extra notes here that I didn’t have on Facebook. Why? Because. Props to my friend Chelsey for tagging me on this in the first place, and to everyone else I tagged who took the time to participate. Everyone’s answers were a lot of fun to read.

The (Facebook) rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click post.)

1. I occasionally yell in my sleep for no apparent reason other than my subconscious wants to wake my husband up at random hours.
2. I used to want Chewbacca for a pet. The kid in me was very disappointed that Peter Mayhew was nowhere near as cuddly in person and costumeless.
3. I can’t recycle my magazines until I’ve read through them all. Can’t miss that one amazing article.
4. I miss NYC. My last visit was October 2006.
5. I wish I could see my nephew, Elliott, every day.
6. I can’t wait to meet my next nephew, Stephen, when he’s born in a few months.
7. I hope this is the year I get a REAL camera: a digital SLR.
8. I need to get off my butt and work on my novel some more.
9. I would watch Jensen Ackles read the phone book — he is that pretty.
10. I only have one credit card left to pay off. Woohoo!
11. I watch horror movies as much as I watch chick flicks.
12. I love chick flicks, but I hate chick lit. I couldn’t even finish Confessions of a Shopaholic it was so awful.
13. I’ve met two Darths from the Star Wars movies: Vader and Maul. I have a picture of me sitting on David Prowse‘s (Vader’s) lap during lunch at a Japanese steakhouse. Long story.
14. I can steer almost any conversation to an episode of The Simpsons based on relevance.
15. I’ve tried sushi twice in 10 years. At that rate, I might acquire a taste for it by the time I’m 90.
16. I’ve accidentally walked into filming of an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (in NYC) — I was THISCLOSE to Mr. Big himself, Chris Noth! — and a movie shoot (in Uruguay).
17. I’ve been in two TV shows, one movie, and a commercial (if you knew where to look, you would’ve seen my lovely wristwatch).
18. I’m on yet another ’80s music kick these days. I just picked up a Billy Squier CD this past weekend. From 1981.
19. I still can’t fall asleep without having my sheet pulled all the way up to my neck.
20. I have an older half-brother almost no one knows about. We’re not close thanks to the distance of where he lives and where I live.
21. If I have a really bad day, when I get home, I let myself cry about my cat and my dog I lost last year.
22. I love that our puppy has decided he’s MY puppy.
23. I’m finally good at ironing my hair straight thanks to the right product — and thanks to Caren introducing me to them.
24. I read/follow more blogs than is healthy for any normal person. Thankfully, I’m not normal.
25. I cheated and used a couple of items I used in my blog in a couple of about me posts.*

*Because absolutely no one asked, my original 100 Things About Me post and a follow-up post of 50 more.

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October 28, 2005 · 1:31 PM

My First Blogging Anniversary OR 50 More Things About Me and 10 Things I’ve Learned About Blogging

Song Lyric of the Day:

These words are all I have so I’ll write them / So you need them just to bet by

Fall Out Boy / “Dance Dance”

4:38PM.
Well, I’ve been blogging for exactly one year today. I’ve had fun using my blog as a way to keep in touch with family and friends, rave/rant about TV and movies, and generally write about whatever I feel like. I’m planning a stand-alone site so that I can break my posts down by category, including topics (TV, movie reviews), lists, song lyrics of the day, and so on. I’m not sure how long before the new site will roll around; hopefully it’ll happen in the next few weeks. (Note to Rich: I’m gonna need your help, baby).

In honor of my blogging anniversary, I’ve decided to compile a couple of lists, mostly to one-up Jonathan. So without further ado, here goes:

50 More Things About Me

  1. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
  2. I can program myself to dream about certain things.
  3. One of my favorite comfort foods is buffalo chicken tenders because it’s fried and has a wonderful clearing effect on my sinuses.
  4. I’m enjoying being unemployed since it gives me time to do house projects, meet family and friends for lunch, and sleep in.
  5. I am very grateful to Rich for supporting us during my unemployment. (You’re my peeps, babe).
  6. The only time I’ve had an overwhelming urge to have a baby was when I found out my mom had breast cancer so she could have a grandchild.
  7. When I got married, I threatened to dress my cats up in doll clothes and send the pictures to my parents and in-laws if they harassed us about starting a family. It’s worked for five years now.
  8. I haven’t watched “When Harry Met Sally” since moving home to Tennessee in May, my longest dry stretch ever.
  9. I still can’t find anyone to play “The Simpsons” trivia against me.
  10. My grandmother haunted me. She hid my rosary in a box of movie button pins and turned a light in our living room off and on.
  11. I think Hollywood is just about out of fresh ideas for movies.
  12. In restaurants, I’ve taken to ordering a loaded baked potato instead of fries because it makes me feel like I’m picking a healthier, non-fried option.
  13. I do better at Scrabble since doing daily online crossword puzzles.
  14. I finally found an effective hair styling product that controls frizz without weighing my hair down.
  15. I can’t believe the Houston Astros, my World Series backup team, lost. Congrats to the ChiSox, though.
  16. I would visit New York City and Las Vegas every month if I could afford it. And if Rich would let me.
  17. I miss my therapist in Virginia Beach. I need to write her a letter.
  18. My therapist told me she thought I was fascinating. I can only hope she didn’t mean in a clinical study kind of way.
  19. I love picking out clothes for Rich.
  20. I have no idea how to tie a men’s tie.
  21. Now that it’s cold out, I miss being able to be in a shirt and undies around the house.
  22. I will give Rich a pass on one of his fantasy women if he gives me a pass on Wentworth Miller. You know, because we both have a chance in he!! with them.
  23. On a catamaran excursion during our honeymoon, I told Rich that if the boat started to sink, to first save my Minolta SLR and then save me. He disagreed with my priorities.
  24. If I ever get drunk enough or offered enough money to try karaoke, I’d like to cover Bree Sharp‘s song, “David Duchovny.”
  25. I think my friend, Tamara, resembles Geena Davis.
  26. I wanted to be a veterinarian until I found out I’d have to put animals to sleep.
  27. I quit ballet because I was lazy and Mom still loves to reminds me of that fact.
  28. I love not having to pay to see movies now that I’m back in Knoxville. “Land of the Dead” was an exception for Jonathan’s birthday.
  29. The most interesting thing on “Desperate Housewives” this season is Marcia Cross‘s immobilized forehead. It’s mesmerizing.
  30. I’m still disappointed our country reelected our president.
  31. I’m a Democrat, but if Rudy Giuliani were to run for president against Hillary Clinton, I’d vote for Giuliani.
  32. I can watch TV shows about autopsies with no problem but shows featuring surgeries on live people make me sick.
  33. I want to have my very own photography show since Rich’s work is being featured in an art show next Friday. Color me jealous.
  34. I often have a recurring nightmare when I first fall asleep where I am in a horrible car accident.
  35. I wish I could have competed on VH1‘s Rock & Roll Jeopardy before it got cancelled. I would’ve cleaned up.
  36. I once wrote to a New York Daily News columnist I liked to correct him for mistakenly referring to “Forget Paris” as a Meg Ryan movie when it was actually “French Kiss.” He wrote a nice email back thanking me for my “gentle correction.”
  37. I’ve probably listened to the new Franz Ferdinand CD about a dozen times since buying it two days ago. It’s just so much fun to listen to.
  38. I have to clean the house so it’s spotless before Rich and I travel in case something happens to us and people discover we lived like slobs.
  39. My parents had to take me to see the original “Star Wars” numerous times because I wanted Chewbacca for a pet. I came out crying every time.
  40. I have never blamed my parents for anything except bad sinuses.
  41. I would love to meet Sandra Bullock. She seems unusually down-to-earth and normal for a celebrity.
  42. I’m afraid to touch the leather–bound “Lord of the Rings” books I gave Rich. I’ll have to read paperback editions.
  43. As a child, I used to cut my cat, Morris’s, whiskers off with my safety scissors. I always got caught by my parents before I’d finished, so poor Morris would have one side of stubble and one side of full whiskers.
  44. I like hearing Rich call our pets by nicknames I’ve given them.
  45. I always say “bless you” when one of my cats or dogs sneeze.
  46. I can totally see why my sister, Vanessa, likes to have her picture taken with New York’s finest. Officer Montpetit, we hardly got to know ya.
  47. My calico cat enjoys when I sing along with Sheryl Crow. I think she appreciates the lyrics.
  48. My sister Samantha does a dead-on Stewie Griffin impression that kills me.
  49. I am always the last one at the table on Thanksgiving. I would eat the whole turkey myself if my family let me. Mmm…turkey.
  50. I enjoy writing lists. As if you hadn’t noticed.

10 Things I’ve Learned About Blogging

  1. It takes a lot of motivation to frequently update.
  2. I have occasionally not updated simply because I couldn’t decide on a song lyric of the day.
  3. I really, really, really like getting comments, from people I know as well as strangers, simply because I need the validation.
  4. The more I write about pop culture things (ie: fantasy second husbands, TV, movies, etc.), the more visitors I get.
  5. I still don’t have the urge to get ultra-personal in my blog. I’ll save the truly juicy stuff for a book someday. And an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
  6. A goal during my first year of blogging was to never use the same band twice for song lyrics of the day and to avoid using remakes. I’ll still limit it, but now I can use Coldplay lyrics ad nauseam, among others.
  7. The blogosphere is a very welcoming, supportive community.
  8. MetroDad and Dooce make me laugh out loud.
  9. I’ve created a blogging monster in Jonathan.
  10. I now need to start making money doing this.

 

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October 29, 2004 · 11:29 AM

Movies

Song Lyric of the Day:

I wanna stand up, I wanna let go / You know, you know – no you don’t, you don’t / I wanna shine on in the hearts of men / I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand

The Killers / “All These Things That I’ve Done”

Some random thoughts on movies.

  1. I wish more people had gotten the brilliance that was Wonder Boys.
  2. The ending of The Shawshank Redemption still makes me cry after countless viewings. Morgan Freeman was robbed of that Oscar.
  3. I will watch anything that Christopher Guest writes, directs, or stars in.
  4. Clue is one of my all-time favorite binky movies.
  5. Charlie’s Angels should have been left where it belonged – in the 70’s.
  6. After seven (to date) increasingly lackluster sequels (except H20), Michael Myers is still the boogeyman, and always will be. That mask scares me like nothing else.
  7. Seeing Carrie-Ann Moss in the original Matrix and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill made me want to learn how to beat people up and be able to look cool doing it.
  8. The Wachowski brothers should have left well enough alone and never made The Matrix into a trilogy.
  9. Brad Pitt is one of the most highly paid, high profile actors with one of the most lackluster movie resumes.
  10. Black Hawk Down made Saving Private Ryan feel like a cakewalk.
  11. Jennifer Lopez should never be allowed to act in a movie ever again. Or sing. Or get married.
  12. Disney royally screwed up that cushy Pixar deal.
  13. Basic Instinct 2? Et tu, Sharon?
  14. More directors need to rein Will Smith in and not let him be Will Smith in every one of his movies.
  15. I liked A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. I really did.
  16. Before I can call myself a true movie buff, I need to watch all the films on the AFI’s top 100 of all time list.
  17. The Taco Bell chihuahua’s talking mouth was better CGI than the Burly Brawl in The Matrix Reloaded.
  18. I hated Ocean’s 11. Enough with the “we’re such cool cats” setup already. Maybe Ocean’s 12 will find a plot.
  19. That giant breeze hitting us? That’s the collective sigh of relief that McG will not be allowed to touch the new Superman movie.
  20. Pirates of the Caribbean reminded me of why I wanted to marry Johnny Depp when I was younger. Before Winona Ryder came along and ruined everything.
  21. Clive Owen is too good to be the next James Bond.
  22. I will never get tired of Young Frankenstein.
  23. I can watch horror movies, good or bad, any time.
  24. People who cannot pronounce the names Sam Peckinpah, Martin Scorsese, Djimon Hounsou, or Keanu Reeves (among others) shouldn’t even try.
  25. After getting to see movies for free for 13 years, having to pay for them now sucks. Especially when the movie sucks, too.

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