Life Listed, Mar.3- Mar.13

I'm welcoming two new blog readers today: greetings, Lori and Bill! I don't think people really do that with their blogs, but when you have a solid four-person readership, it's important to let everyone know they're appreciated.

So I've finished with the first two months of the neglected Life Listed calendar. I'm powering on today until I get tired of it or keep coming upon really dumb questions.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Pretty picky about this. Pepperoni is #1. Sausage, depending on the place (Shakespeare's is divine). Hamburger, especially on Dad's. Lately I've been liking salami. Roma tomato slices. Different kinds of cheese as long as it's fairly mild. But mostly, that's it. I won't even go for onions. Peppers, no way...ham/canadian bacon is no good. Mushrooms--absolutely NOT. If I could find the person who first put pineapple on a pizza I would punch them in the nose. And I'm fairly confident in saying that anything else you may put on a pizza, I probably won't go for it.

What are your 5 favorite web sites?

Facebook, MSN games, Television Without Pity, Pandora, Google Reader

What are you most afraid to lose?

My family.

What are your favorite video games?

Hidden Object games, Bubble Town, Gold Miner, Heroes of Might & Magic, Civ2

What are your biggest accomplishments?

Having a career in an area I'm well-educated in. Finishing the Sunday New York Times Crossword in one sitting.

What are the worst movies you have ever seen?

I don't watch a lot of movies, and if they're bad, I generally stop or leave. But I've been in situations where leaving would be awkward....

"Speed Zone," Columbia Mall 4 theatres. Leena promised she'd pay me back if the movie was bad since I told her it didn't sound appealing, but she never did. You owe me like $2.50, girl.
"Idiocracy." Oh my god so bad. Our friends told us it was the funniest movie ever and we were kind of roped into seeing it with them, and we were both miserable throughout. They were so enthusiastic--there was no way we could have said "Umm...this is kind of interminable. We're gonna go now."
"Cable Guy." I went by myself at the Mall 4. I was such a Jim Carrey nut, and loved Matthew Broderick, that I was sure it was going to be awesome. Not awesome. I don't know why I didn't leave.
"Royal Tenenbaums." I just didn't get the humor at all. I think Wes Anderson isn't a good fit with me.
"Bitter Moon," when Peter Coyote came to Grinnell to talk about it.
"Citizen Kane." I only remember that it was soooooo long.


What famous people have you met?

Okay, "meet" is kind of a stretch here. I collect famous-people touches, but I'll try to keep this to encounters.

I did meet Edward Albee during his presentation at Jesse (I stage-managed). I told him I'd seen the London premiere of his "Play About the Baby" and we chatted for a minute about that.
Also had an encounter with Dave Atell under the same circumstances. The opening comedian had broken a bottle on the stage, and the first swipe with a broom after he was done wasn't very effective. I said to Atell "I'll run right out there and finish" and he said in a pissed-off tone "Don't worry about it." Douche. Oh, except earlier me and a friend were sitting in the dark backstage and he passed us and nodded to us, and in the dark he looked so much like a regular guy that I just ignored him. So I was kind of a douche to him!
Branford Marsalis gave a performance there too, and I stage-managed as always. He was totally cute and had vertigo! No fooling. He left his peacoat on the chair near me when he went onstage, and his little entourage was sitting all around too, and when I brushed against his coat I almost said "ooooh" out loud. It was cashmere and the softest thing I had ever felt. Throughout the show I touched it was much as I could.
There are probably more Jesse stories, but I don't remember now.

My favorite celeb-touching story is when I went to see "Amadeus" in London, with Michael Sheen and David Suchet. I heard in the lobby there was some celeb in the audience, and people were all kinds of abuzz about it. Since it was just me, and they sell student tickets at low prices an hour before the show, I got in like the 7th row for 30 pounds or something ridiculous. I kept looking around at the boxes or front rows for someone famous--was it the Queen?? Who are people TALKING ABOUT?!!! But only regular people were there. I heard a group sit down right behind me, and I smelled cigarette smoke. I turned slightly, not thinking anything of it, and WHOA. Blue eyes blue eyes BLUEST EYES EVER. Black short hair, army jacket, ratty clothes otherwise. No makeup, but those eyes! An instant after being dazzled, my brain clicked into gear and I thought "Holy crap--I have better seats than Boy George!"
When intermission began, I figured he'd be leaving to enjoy another smoke. I leaned wayyyy back in my seat, and he had to brush past me. CELEBRITY FORCE-TOUCH FOR THE WIN!!!


Last one for today:

What are your most embarrassing moments?

Oh man, the ones I've repressed so I'll never have to think about them? Lord.

In 9th grade I managed to fall UP the stairs at WJHS. A boy who knew I had a crush on him silently helped me up. I could have died.
I again fell UP the stairs a year or so ago here at work. A couple of men were behind me and asked if I needed help--since my bag's contents had scattered as well--and I angrily told them no. Man, being embarrassed sucks.
The summer after junior year, my good friend Melanie and I got in a big fight. She was working at Mazzio's with this guy I told her I'd had a crush on, but who didn't know I existed. She told him I liked him, just to get back at me. Luckily, he'd just graduated so I never had to see him again...but if I ever did see him again, I would again want to die.


That's all I want to recall on this subject. And I'm doing one more so it will perk me up a bit since my cheeks are burning.

What are your favorite things about your hometown?

Oh, what a cute one!!

Dad's house; Art in the Park; spring and fall; theatre; knowing the lay of the land; that I don't have to take time off for holidays; nothing is too far away from anything else; that the whole town comes out for big events; Mama's bench; MKT trail; a few remaining cobblestone streets; Farmer's Market; the ARC; Hartsburg pumpkins; evenings on the Flat Branch patio; the amazing tiled benches across the street from Cool Stuff; Murry's jazz; David Spear's paintings in Sophia's; the plaster cast museum on campus; memories of an old Barn; Children's House; Ridgeway; to-go wine at Jesse; Shakespeare's (preferably room-temperature); Trops on a hot night when you don't need to stay classy; hearing the football cheers from our balcony...