random things meme

dr. blaze tagged me again. for this one, i'm supposed to list seven random facts about myself. while dr. blaze went ahead and explained each one of her facts (even gave stories!), i'm going to keep mine brief:

1. i have dual-citizenship.

2. i once had a pet squirrel (she was named andy). and i used to have pet chickens.

3. i've driven across the country up and down (a few times) and right to left (once, so far), and have essentially lived within three of the four corners of the country (SE, NE, and NW).

4. i have two phobias, one major and one minor (if they can be categorized as such). the major being cockroaches (even typing that gave me the creeps) and the minor one, which comes and goes, being telephones (my anxiety level rises dramatically when one rings that i might have to answer or when i need to make a call).

5. i like nuts. i love chocolate. just don't mess with my chocolate by putting nuts in it, i find them far too distracting from the pure pleasure that is chocolate (though peanut butter is fine).

6. i've never broken a bone. i cut through one once, and i've had a couple of hairline fractures, but after plenty of injuries that should've resulted in a break, i've never actually broken a bone.

7. i have no rhythm. seriously, none. when people are clapping along to a song, i'm that person you hear who's nowhere near the beat everyone else is on. this lack of rhythm has kept me from ever learning to successfully play any instrument.

ah, now for the tagging of others. yellowinter, since the last one i tagged you with was a bit much to handle with a baby around, how about giving this one a shot (and i still owe you a phone call, when i get past my current phobia)? and rilina, since we've been out of touch for a while and i don't think i've seen you answer this one, wanna give it a shot?

simpsons meme

never been tagged before, and then twice in the same night, i feel honored. . . or something. dr. blaze tagged me again, this time with the mission to make a simpsons avatar. so, here it is:

for this one i won't tag anyone in particular, but instead just say to make your own simpsons avatar and post them with a link back here so i can see them.

too many questions meme

Dr. Blaze tagged me with this meme. personally, i think 55 questions about myself is an absurd amount, but here goes:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? sort of. my mom read the name somewhere, and it's similar to a name in our family.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? i don't know, maybe a couple of weeks ago.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? depends. it's different virtually every time i write.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? since i don't eat ham/pork products or red meat, i'm not left with a lot of options for lunch meats (read: turkey and chicken). i like turkey well enough, but i really prefer cheese.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? nope.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? i've always thought that if two of me were in the same vicinity of each other the world would simply explode or something. so, probably not.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? not intentionally. people think i'm sarcastic more than i intend to be.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? nothing about getting bounced around like that really appeals to me. i'd go sky diving first.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? lucky charms, closely followed by captain crunch with crunchberries (yes, pure junk food).
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? is that what you're supposed to do with the laces? no. i just kick them off.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? physically or emotionally? physically, not anymore, i'm easily in the worst shape i've ever been in. emotionally, too much in certain ways, not enough in others.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? two, both ben & jerry's: phish food (thanks to Dr. Blaze for introducing me to it many years ago) tied with one sweet world.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? i don't know, i don't think i've ever noticed what i noticed, or maybe i don't want to think about how shallow i can be.
15. RED OR PINK? neither.
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my tendency towards depression.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? our niece & nephew.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? nah, i'll just hunt them down and read it on their blogs.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? jeans. always wearing jeans. no shoes, just socks (but usually sneakers).
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? sushi (well, that was dinner. since then i've eaten nerds and a cookie, but i was trying to avoid admitting all that junk food).
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? our friend matt's cd (currently in boston, soon to be joining us in seattle), misplaced americans.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? indigo.
23. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SMELLS? cookies baking. forests.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my parents.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yes. she's my oldest (as in amount of time, not age), and one of my dearest friends.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? ugh. i don't watch sports. i'd rather play. but if i watched any, it'd be soccer (futbol).
27. HAIR COLOR? these days, bleached blonde.
28. EYE COLOR? blue.
29. ARE YOU: OVERWEIGHT, UNDERWEIGHT, JUST RIGHT, OR NEVER RIGHT? i'd rather not talk about it. :)
30. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no, glasses all the time.
31. FAVORITE FOOD? silly question. chocolate. (but since this asks about dessert later, i'll say that as far as non-sweets, i like sushi)
32. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? depends on my mood, usually scary though.
33. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? apocalypto.
34. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? navy.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? if it's snowing, then winter. but really, i love fall and spring.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? kisses, though i guess it depends who i'm getting the hug or kiss from.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? chocolate.
38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? book? haha. i'm never only reading one book at a time. so the three i'm most actively reading right now are: a deeper shade of blue by Ruta Nonacs; an emergent manifesto of hope by Doug Paggitt and Tony Jones; they like Jesus but not the church by Dan Kimball.
39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? laptop, no mouse pad.
40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT? naruto.
41. FAVORITE SOUND? my niece & nephews voices and laughter.
42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? not really into either.
43. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME/HERE? well, since i grew up in miami, and then lived in boston, and now live in seattle, i guess being in seattle in some ways is the furthest from both of those homes i've been.
44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? i don't know, but i like making people laugh.
45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? panama.
46. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT? toss up between costa rica and panama.
47. WHAT'S THE ONE THING THAT YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO DO BUT HAVEN'T DONE YET? have kids.
48. WHAT'S THE ONE SIMPLE THING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? once again, chocolate.
49. HAVE YOU EVER TRULY BEEN IN LOVE? yes. still am.
50. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK/AUTHOR? anne lamott.
51. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? in the mountains.
52. WHAT'S YOUR PERSONAL THEME SONG? can't say that i have one these days. maybe i should go find one. . .
53. ARE YOU REGISTERED AS A REPUBLICAN, A DEMOCRAT, OR AN INDEPENDENT? independent.
54. WHEN YOU WERE A KID, HOW DID YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME? daydreaming or playing with g.i. joes.
55. WHAT IS THE AIR-SPEED VELOCITY OF AN UNLADEN SWALLOW? african or european?

and of course, since i got tagged with this, the only right thing to do is to tag a few others, but i'll keep my list short, so rilina, Becky, and yellowinter, tag, you're it!