alphabet soup

Accent:

I am enchanted by accents.

Booze:

Yes, I drink it. I’m a fan of cosmopolitans, sidecars, gin and tonics, and a good, clean Stella or Grain Belt Premium.

Chore I Hate:

Getting the gross stuff out of the sink drain. Or shower drain. Cleaning the bathroom. Actually, I’m not a big fan of cleaning. This is why I’m hiring a cleaning lady.

Dog or Cat:

This isn’t a good time to ask – I’m mad at the dogs right now.

Essential Electronics:

Laptop. Mobile phone. iPod.

Favorite Cologne(s):

Lush’s Karma

Gold or Silver:

I think I’m more of a silver person, on my self, at home, etc.

Hometown:

Minneapolis. No, I haven’t strayed far. But I intend to.. someday.

Insomnia:

Only when I’m too worried to sleep. Happens way less often than it used to.

Job Title:

Consultant. Imaginative, no?

Kids:

1 little miss Paige, who is about to be 3, and who I could not live without.

Living arrangements:

My beloved and I own a 1920 1.5 story stucco house as close to Minneapolis as we could afford 6 years ago (4 blocks from Theo Wirth parkway). Said child, beloved, 2 dogs, cat and fish live here for the time being.

Most admirable trait:

The ability to manage about 20 different big undertakings at once.

Number of sexual partners:

Waaay less than the US average. Let’s leave it at that.

Overnight hospital stays:

Once when I almost killed myself racing my car. And one other time when I had my tonsils out.

Phobias:

Bugs. Drive-by shootings.

Quote:

Being with you is like walking alone on a very clear day – definitely the sense of belonging there. (e.b. white)

Religion:

I ascribe to Christianity. But I should wear a button that says, “ask me about my ongoing faith crisis.”

Siblings:

One: Becky.

Time I wake up:

6ish. Unless I’m sick or it’s the winter. Then… when the sun comes up.

Unusual talent or skill:

I can make inhuman shapes with my tongue.

Vegetable I refuse to eat:

Lima beans. Though if they are a bean, they aren’t really a vegetable.

Worst habit:

Taking on too much and not knowing when to say uncle. Biting my nails. Talking too loud. Avoiding conflict.

X-rays:

Not too many x–rays. There are a lot more ultrasounds in my life.

Yummy foods I make:

I am generally regarded as the best baker my friends and family know. Too bad sugar is poison to my body, huh…

Zodiac sign:

Capricorn.

6 things that aren't common knowledge

(modified from the original "6 things no one knows" because if you know me, you know that I'm a total open book.)

1) I am deathly afraid of most varieties of bugs. Irrational fears included getting stung by a bee (which I have never experienced) and waking up covered in ants (which I have also never experienced.)

2) I never knew my paternal grandfather. He was accidentally shot (the loaded gun went off as he was trying to retrieve it from the closet) when my dad was about 4 months old.

3) I have this metabolic disorder called PCOD which perpetuates weight gain, depression, and acne. Thankfully there is a little pill called Metformin which basically makes all those horrible symptoms just, go away.

4) I want more time to write – really write, stuff I love to write – in my life.

5) I used to think I could sing. But I actually think I really suck.

6) I’m just the slightest bit scared of what it will be like to be done with school, and how I am going to fill my time.

20 questions

1) The name you fantasized about having when you were a child was:

I really wanted to be Melody or Melanie. Who knows why.

2) What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon?

Listen to trip-hop and knit.

3) If you were to put in a request for your last meal, you would ask for:

Shrimp cocktail, The largest steak I could reasonably eat, fresh steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, a really quality Caesar salad, and a tower of strawberry shortcake. I think.

4) What one quality most annoys you in a co-worker?

The inability to take responsibility for his or her own actions. And, stealing my ideas.

5) List the first 5 things you can remember doing this morning:

• Realizing that I was snuggling with Fred, not John
• Hearing the shower (then realizing there’d be no hot water for me)
• Rolling back into the covers
• Feel Fred jump out of the bed when John got out of the shower
• Squint at the alarm clock to decipher what time it was

6) Which of your features do you most like – and why?

I’m a pretty big fan of my green eyes. Mostly because not everyone has green eyes, and that’s sort of fun.

7) What makes you worry unnecessarily?

Stupid stuff – like carpenter ants and drive-by shootings and escaped sex offenders.

8) If you could go back to school to be anything (money and time aren’t factors here), what higher education/career would you pursue?

Either a writer (which is sort of a close call because I write for a living now), a Broadway actress, or an interior designer.

9) What is your preferred writing implement (pen, pencil, crayon.. be specific.)

Green flair pen. Or an Extra-fine Sharpie. Or a fountain pen.

10) The worst class/workshop/training I have ever attended was:

FISH! Philosophy. Good concept, beat to death with several sticks.

11) What’s your favorite tree?

I like the ginseng tree – isn’t that the one that loses all of its leaves one night in the fall? Otherwise, I’m sort of fond of birch trees because of their pretty bark.

12) Name the first friend you can remember making. Do you know what they are doing now?

Katie Copeland – I lived next door to her when my sister was born (so I think I was like 3 when we met). Have no idea where she is. Or where her super-cute brother ended up. Darn.

13) Are you on myspace?

Yup.

14) iPod or XM?

I’m an iPod girl, myself (and I loved them before EVERYONE had one, thank you very much.)

15) What did you ask for/want for Christmas (or your birthday if you don’t do Christmas) that you haven’t received?

Hrm…maybe a quilting-sewing machine?

16) I am currently obsessed with:

Getting my spring cleaning done and finishing spring semester.

17) Complete the sentence: When I have to go to the post office, I: _____.

Break out in a rash. Then, procrastinate ad nauseum.

18) What animal in nature do you think most closely resembles you?

I want to say a dog, but are they really “in nature”? Wild animal – maybe a loon.

19) How many emails do you think you read on an average weekday?

Fifty or so.

20) The one quality you strive to be on a regular basis is:

The champion of good relationships (is that a quality?)

Free Beer Movement

how I know there is poetic justice in the world

Michael Jackson, amongst his 1980 pop-prince spoils, bought the rights to many of the best Beatles (et al) songs.

Well, now that the pop-prince's empire has come crumbling down (he shut down neverland ranch, he moved to Bahrain, he's in hawk in a way that makes my student loans look like change between the couch cushions), he's reportedly selling them off to avoid bankruptcy.

I'm totally a child of the 80s, and while I have fond memories of Thriller... I just feel vindicated at this news (as in, I enjoyed the 80s as much as anyone else, but no one -- no one -- can claim to have more impact on modern rock and roll as much as the Beatles. I mean... come on!)

*Grins with the pleasureable thought of poetic justice*
(this news makes me giggle almost as much as the news of MC Hammer's "paid" entourage did...)

a lesson on not judging on outward appearances

I had resisted purchasing the much-acclaimed Arctic Monkeys album. Why? Because the artful expression of the band included a gigantic tribute to the cigarette (and unless I'm drinking HARD, I'm sort of against smoking.)

But I broke down (because it was on sale, and I have a hard time resisting things on sale...)

And now I am reminded: don't judge by covers. I know it's one of those CDs everyone is talking about or has. Whatever. It's popular for a reason: because it's stellar "let's get crazy" music. And they are a bunch of Brits. And we all know my achilles heel is a UK accent.

Buy it, and don't let the butts scare ya. 'Nuff said.

guiding competencies

I feel the need this morning to reiterate who I am, to put a stake in the ground and say, this is how I choose to live my life.

A while back -- perhaps early 2004? -- I evaluated my personal/professional values, and guided by the principles of Adlerian psychological theory and the tenets of career development I apply in Organizaiton Development/HRD, I created a list of my own guiding competencies:

Relationship Integrity

• Demonstrate respect to every person
• Practice social interest
• Treat each person equally
• Act with a sense of realism
• Speak with candor
• Invest in faith, family and friends
  

Lifelong Learning

• Champion education
• Pursue wisdom
• Be creative
• Search for innovations
  

Balance

• View life holistically
• Find beauty in the world
• Appreciate the variety in life
• Use a sense of humor
  

Contribution

• Maintain a strong sense of ownership
• Be actively involved
• Excel at each accomplishment
• Practice collaboration
• Pursue excellence daily
  

Elements of spring I have personally spotted thus far

1) Cleaned up dog waste in yard. A nasty job after a winterlong hiatus... but it's done!
2) Robin in the black walnut tree.
3) Buds on the lilac bushes.
4) The tornado sirens just went off (test: it's the first Wednesday of the month).
5) If I leave the windows open all day, it's too cold when I get home. If I leave them closed, it's a hothouse at the end of the day.
6) The stacks of "stuff ARC needs to pick up" are growing by leaps and bounds.
7) Paige and I planted bulbs in the back garden this weekend.
8) The cat is OBSESSED with finding an open window he can lounge in.
9) Paige won't go to bed on time (damn you, daylight savings time!)
10) Washed car without fear of immediate "road sludge" contaminating it.
11) I want to be outside. All. The. Time.
12) I am searching (in vain) for cropped pants I can wear to work that don't look like jammie pants.
13) Crocuses are almost done; daffodils and hyacinths are on their way out.
14) Panic! I haven't bought a thing for Easter baskets yet.
15) Dogs are shedding at a ridiculous pace.
16) I cannot keep up with the muddy foot and pawprints in the kitchen.

in other sports news...

I have had a complete 180 conversion on the topic of running.

For the first quarter-century or so of my time on this planet, I have abhorred running (seriously, if you ever get 5 minutes, ask me about the time I tried to get out of running the mile in the 5th grade by dropping my tuba on my leg... it didn't work, by the way, but I still have a nice dent in my shin...) and would have told anyone that the only way you would have caught me running is if I was being chased.

However... in my adult world where there's work and kids and marriage and laundry and bills and general stress and anxiety... running is a haven, and I love it.
Watching the sun set over the course of my run yesterday, I remembered that my aunt took up running after she had her 5th child... insisted on it... stuck up for her running time each day at basically any cost... and at the time, I thought that was a little strange, with all the work she must have to do with 5 kids and all that stuff (she's a better woman than I am for tackling a family that size...) but whatever -- it takes all kinds, and maybe it was just a phase for her.
But she ended up running at least 1 marathon, not to mention looking AMAZING after 5 children... (I mean, I haven't given birth to anything and don't look that good)... and to the best of my knowledge, she's still running even though the youngest is like, 6ish now?

I so get it now.

My run is my half-hour. I listen to the music I want. As loud as I want it. I go where I want. I'm alone. Aside from the blaring music, it is utterly peaceful and quiet. So I can think about the stuff my brain gets too cluttered up to deal with otherwise.
And there's something torturously cathartic about pushing your body past the pain... about challenging yourself to another block, keeping up the pace for one more house. There's solace in the fact that I have to concentrate on really, really basic things - like breathing, pulse, the blood and oxygen moving through my muscles. Like quality time for me and my hypothalamus.

So last night's 3-mile run (jog... I'm not a sprinter, and I don't think I ever will be... not built that way. This northern european DNA was built for endurance, not speed...) made me decide that I want to do a half-marathon next fall. That gives me about a year and a half to train... and honestly, that seems crazy, when looking through the lens that I have publicly proclaimed my hate of running... but whatever, right?

I've changed my answer. Running is good. And cheaper than the spa.

a philosophy of living

try to learn something about everything and everything about something.
(thomas h. huxley)