June 6 - June 15

Holy crap I got a good night's sleep. I have, as usual, been getting a shameful amount per night since Saturday--5 hours tops. It's KILLING ME! Last night we ran a coupla errands after work, got home at 6:20, kept our eyes propped open for DVR'ed Jersey Shore...and crashed. I feel asleep twice before finally getting officially ready for bed at 9, even though the Cardinals had just scored over the Astros and Atlanta had lost making us SOSOSOCLOSE to the playoffs. Tonight will tell.

I slept until 5:30 today, getting up willingly and cheerfully after some weird-ass dreams. Because of my schedule/tiredness, I didn't get an evening workout in yesterday, AGAIN, and burned 2825. But that's better than my normal sitting rate of 2200-something, right??

What foreign cities would you like to visit someday?

Cairo, or wherever the Great Pyramids/Sphinx are.
Anywhere in Luxembourg, or southern France.
Barcelona (and anywhere in Spain).
Dublin (and anywhere in Ireland).
Bath and London and Stratford again.
Anywhere in Prince Edward Island. I check plane fares every so often...
Toronto. Vancouver.
Athens, then a beachside small town in Greece.
A charming small coastal town in Italy.
A tropical island, but Hawaii would probably be fine...so 'foreign' isn't a requirement.
Jalisco, Mexico. And Tlaquepaque. I can't believe I spelled that right!


Which qualities inspire you the most?

Resourcefulness/thrift. Hard working. Living every moment to the fullest. Choosing to be (and stay) happy. Deep and honest kindness/selflessness. Fearlessness. The ability to let go of unimportant things.


What makes you happiest in a relationship?

I'm going to take this to mean a romantic one...
Lots of good kissing. The ability to talk about everything and nothing. Taking care of one another. Common interests. A private language.


What do you think about the current state of the economy?

I guess that it sucks. It hasn't affected me directly very dramatically, except that Nixon (who I used to be supportive of) took away our day-after-Thanksgiving vacation day and switched insurance so we all have deductibles, so he could save money on the state budget. But it's made me more aware of the utterly ridiculous things the government *does* spend money on instead. Like having a special legislative session now in which nothing's getting done--and that's costing us $25,000 a day.


What days of your life would you like to live over again?

Whoa, this is hard! And cool. And deeper than I had imagined.

The day Neil and I talked about how we really felt...early on. And the day he first told me he loved me, and the day we first talked about marriage. Last Tuesday was awfully amazing, too...and lots of days like that, in between!

I don't know what year it was, but that one Christmas Eve we had Olive Garden, then piled into the van giggling madly...went to Unity to hear Steve sing (and sat by the window beside the amazingly-lit tree outside)...and drove around in high spirits looking at Christmas lights. There may have also been Milk Punch involved. It's a similar experience every year. :)

Iowa City scrapbook-shopping spree, Chicago scrap shopping, Des Moines scrap shopping with Linz, and the day in St Louis that Emily and I stumbled on a scrap store with *everything*, even a ton of current items, 60-75% off, and THEN she took me to Archiver's for the first time ever. And the day Ali and I cropped at Archiver's was pretty damned fun.

My first time being driven into NYC. Holy MOLY. I was so in love I wanted to cry. Mom took me, Steve, and Steve's friend Patty, and from the moment the car picked us up at the airport and we started to see the city lights, I felt an ache like my heart would burst. Our hotel was right off Times Square and incredibly charming. Even though it was late by the time we arrived (and we were planning on going to the Today Show early the next morning), we were so hyped up that we walked down to 30 Rockefeller Plaza that night. A crew was building a stage, and we asked what it was for--Riverdance, they told us. Steve, ever the gregarious one, started chatting with one of the construction guys, who offered to let us into the studio. We walked right into the area that Katie and Al and Matt and Ann sat every day, in complete wonder that we were able to get an insider's look on our very first day.

Arriving in LA for the first time...in awe of the flowery smell everywhere and the big-city feel, but not intimidatingly so. Eating a late dinner at a fantastic restaurant with open-to-the-street french doors.

And some days...I can't mention. ;)


If you could get a message across to a large group of people; what would your message be?

FIRSTofall, that semicolon is bugging the crap out of me. But I will resist my compulsions and leave it. Ihatethisfeeling.

My message would be that The Pioneer Woman is a fakery. I've seen the Drummonds' assets and it's absolutely unbelievable. I resent that she puts forth this image of "just lil ole me here in my house having to take care of my whole family all by my lonesome" when she's actually a dad-gum millionaire, with help in all areas of her home, and whose recipes are never original--word-for-word taken from other lesser known cookbooks. And then if people still love her...at least they know the truth.


What foods will you not try?

You thought I was picky before? I'll SHOW you picky!!! Also--please don't take this as a Challenge List. I won't hesitate to direct the inevitable vomit at your shoes.

Eggplant. Prunes. Mussels. Raw oysters (as well as cooked). Pickled pigs' feet. Sardines. Scallops. A portabello mushroom sandwich. Any type of bug that people sometimes eat. Escargot. Fruit jelly/jam/preserves (besides grape, and even then, I use it sparingly). Cherry pie or cobbler (or any other kind of fruit pie/cobbler except apple and gooseberry). Eggs with a bunch of vegetable crap in them. Sushi. Steak tartare. Supreme pizza, or veggie pizza. Turkey (from a box) or tuna (any) tetrazzini. Ravioli with veggies or meat in. Anything savory cooked with ginger. Seaweed. Caviar. Pumpkin in a non-sweet environment. KFC's Double Down sandwich. Those Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that taste like Dirt and Grass and Earwax and Vomit and Spaghetti and Soap and Booger and Earthworm and Sardine. Marshmallow fondant (or anything marshmallow I haven't had the misfortune to try yet).


Which brands of toothbrush and toothpaste do you use?

Okay, this is hard for me to answer. Well, toothbrush is easy. Sonicare...so fab.

Toothpaste...my favorite is and has ALWAYS BEEN Colgate paste (the white kind) with something extra like Cavity Prevention or Tartar Control or Whitening or whatever. But I get sucked in by New and Different things all the time. Usually for toothpastes I get a small travel-size of the New and Different, inevitably find that it's not as good as my Old Standard, but use it up because I don't want to throw out something that I can handle for a while until I get back to my regular.

BUT.

I placed an order on Soap.com, and made the regrettable mistake of ordering *three* kinds of New and Different Colgate, ALL FULL SIZE.
None of which I really like.
And, to top it off, one of the New and Differents, though having a different name, is actually the same kind as another one of the New and Differents...so I have to choke down another whole full size of something I didn't like in the first place. I've opened all of them, so I can't donate them.

I know, I know. I should just dump them and learn a lesson from this. But somehow I can't.

Anyone know of any uses for Cinnamon Mint or Cinnamon Spice Colgate? I don't have any silver that needs de-tarnishing, and I'm happy with my picture-placement around the house. No holes need to be caulked.

(in searching for a review of this product, I came across Orson Scott Card's blog. He's a funny mofo! He has similar hang-ups as I do, too. Get ready for a new follower, Mr. Card!)


What are your favorite ice cream flavors?

Already answered this. A review: Tax Crunch, Mint Chocolate Chip, Mint Cookie, and Vermonty Python. (Rest in Peace, Retired Ben & Jerry's Best Flavor Ever.)