June 16 - June 24

What are some secrets that you've never shared with anyone?

Um...this is not a question I want to answer. I'll make up another one instead!

Substitute question:

What are your favorite numbers?

7 and 9. They are both so pretty! Girl numbers.

What songs would be included in the sound track to your life?

Number one: I'm not much of a music person. I don't identify with it, at any rate. I don't listen to a song and think "OMIGAWD THAT IS SOOOOOO ME." I don't get inspiration from effing Miley Cyrus singing about some Climb.

Number two: 'sound track' should be one word.

I'm not starting out this blog post very well. Two bad questions. Let's see if the third is better...

What are your favorite restaurants?

OK, I can handle this one.

Fast[er] food: McDonald's [except that icky Coke], Chipotle [I never remember what my favorite meat is called but it doesn't even matter because it's all super], the current incarnation of Domino's [genius!], Taco Bell [Volcano Nachos and a Classic Limeade Sparkler PLEEZ!], Panera [Chicken Frontega sandwich, bread bowl of Broccoli Cheese, and a loaf of unsliced Asiago to go!], In & Out [Animal style, obvies], The Great Greek [Saganaki! In LA, unfortch], Sbarro [Regular pepperoni with the crust dipped in the cupped cheese sauce. I know, it sounds weird], Mr. Goodcents [it was better in HS than it is now--but still, so good], Jimmy John's [THE VITO!], Portillo's [Italian beef with mozz, chocolate cake shake, the HOT DOGS...even the freaking salads are amazing], Au Bon Pain [never a disappointment], and whatever sandwich shop in England sells this one chicken sandwich that somehow cannot be replicated in the States. [EVERY SANDWICH SHOP sells them there, for serious.]

Sit-downs: Dewey's Pizza [I mourn that my favoritest ever, salami and pepperoni, was merely a seasonal selection], Shakespeare's [Sausage and pepperoni, room temperature], International Cafe [gyro gyro gyro!], India's Kitchen (formerly Rasoi) [Lamb Korma. Forever and always], Macaroni Grill [penne with extra buffalo mozz and arrabiata], Cheesecake Factory, CPK [call me boring, but their pepperoni is fabulous], Dharma Blue [in Pensacola. so amazing], Booche's [can't believe i hadn't tried this Columbia tradition until I was in my 20s!], Steak n Shake [Wisconsin Buttery or Cheesy Cheddar], Bleu [when they were good, that is], Sophia's [Brandy Cream Filet...Caesar salad...that one dessert they renamed and I forgot what it's called, but it's a brownie coated in ganache and then filled with hazelnut cream and O...M...G], 42 Stone [rarebit!], TGIFriday's, Flat Branch [cookie sundae], Bangkok Gardens [phat thai], Jimbo's [RIP, Grinnell Style Pepperoni].

OH MY GOOD LORD I AM HUNGRY NOW.

What were your favorite games to play at recess?

EEEEE SO FUN!!!

Okay here's what it was. It kinda switched up according to what was cool. So sometimes we'd all play four square and there would be a huge line for it, and we'd play by different rules and some were babyish (Unit A rules) and very proper, and some were WILD AND CRAZY (Unit Z rules!) and you could be really mean.

When I was super young, the girls would try to do tricks on the bars. I could do a penny flip but that was it. I bet that's deemed as 'too dangerous' nowadays. Oh, and a couple times a group of us [always girls] would go out to the corner of the field and play 'Light as a feather, stiff as a board.' That was so stupid. :)

If Alena and I were feeling cliqueish, we'd run to get the pair of swings and gossip. When she chose others to join us, we'd crawl inside the big cement tunnel and also gossip.

Oooh! Chinese jump rope. LOVED IT. I would so totally play that again. You had to wear your Keds while playing, though. Regular sneaks were too wide and you had to make your feet as skinny as possible so you wouldn't jump on the rope. That game was really hard to practice alone because you needed two pairs of feet holding each end.

When the New Equipment was installed in 5th grade, of course we had to break that in. And a tetherball pole was included, so *that* became The Thing To Do. There would always be a line, and when one person won, they got to keep playing until they lost. The line would chant "Go Sarah, no offense Jennifer!" and I always wondered what "noah fence" meant. But I said it anyway. Dad put a tetherball pole in our backyard too, but I never got super good. I always loved it though.

That was a really good question.

If you had to teach, what classes would you teach?

How To Play Celebrity

Slow, Slow Scrapbooking

How To Print Double-Sided

Why the Dewey Decimal System Sucks Balls

How To Find A Really Cheap Hotel Room

What activities make you lose track of time?

Online game play. Of any sort.

Phone-talking to a good phone-talker.

Blogging.

Pea-ing.

Being in the water.

Archiver's. :)

Spending time with good friends who I don't get to see very much. Yes, that means you!

What are the worst hairdos you have ever had?

Oh man. OH MAN.

My current hairdo isn't my favorite. I don't like how it looks when it's down. At least it's not driving me crazy. BUT, I'm kind of liking my shampoo-off days...I do a half-Snooki pouf in front and do the rest in two pigtails. They're really short and kind of squirt out of the pony holder (Goody Stay-Put, black) and I think it's kinda cute.

I've never loved my hairdo. I've loved my actual hair, but I hate dealing with it when it's down, so I put it up--and I hate how that looks when it's long. Totally unflattering. So that's one.

7th grade. Oh dear.

I always had good hair--manageable, a bit wavy, thick (which I later learned to be FINE hair, but a TON if it, so it looks thick). I had it shoulder-length and it was absolutely fine. I had it permed and it looked totally cute.

Then...1989 happened. I went to get a cut at Fantastic Sam's and she asked if I wanted layers. "Um...sure" I said, not really knowing what she meant. Nothing anyone had ever done to my hair had made it any less pretty or anything, so what the hell?

Except...she meant, dramatic layers. 1980s layers. Layers that feathered and thinned as they got longer. Layers that might have been on trend at that time, but were meant to be slaved over every day to get the right look. And if you didn't do that slaving...well, you looked like THIS:

[I probably should scan one of my photos from that era and put it in here. But everyone knows this isn't a photo blog. And I'm camera-shy, people! Come on.]

So, no photo. Just understand that I looked TURRIBLE. Yep, with a "U." I don't even deserve proper spelling. TURRIBLE. I looked kind of like a dog? Like a wet dog or cat? but not cute. I had yet to grow into my nose (I think it's okay now) and I didn't care how I dressed and it was just...like, so bad. If I could relive it I would, because then I could be like "OK Gen! Let's get that hair CHOPPED off instead of trying to grow out the layers. Let's buy some clothes at places other than Fashion Gal, and jump on that pinch-rolling bandwagon much sooner than you did. Don't be afraid of the curling iron! Or mascara! Let's get a lot of pastel-plaid printed stuff and a white cardigan and ROCK THE PREP! You are a size four, for God's sake! YOU WILL NEVER BE THIS SIZE AGAIN!"

And then....AND THEN...I permed it. A perm looked fine before, I thought...it'll be fine again. Oh, no. No it wasn't. I now had a mullet-y 'fro. I don't know how long I kept that before getting a 'reverse perm' (I don't think they offered a permanent hair straightening thing back then), but it wasn't long.

I learned in the course of 7th grade that I should do the doughnut-roll bang thing, and did that every day of 8th grade. yep, it was bad--but I had Lawman jeans and Gap khakis and real Polo shirts so I looked more like everyone else. But the bad hair didn't fully grow out until 9th grade.

Last one for today:

What are your favorite memories from the past year?

L.A. at Christmas for a week. Our hotel was SO charmingly quirky and Sherman Oaks a surprising delight.

Orlando/Groveland in February. I sooooo needed that visit. I needed Lindsay, I needed Olivia and Sophia, I needed orange groves...I needed Florida in February. And I hope to continue to do so. :)

Visiting Shanners and Will in Illinois/Indiana. Love you, gurl.

Getting to know Lucy and seeing Noah grow. Taking Em to Red Lead Paperworks.

Sarah's bachelorette party at the Hotel Frederick, bridal shower at Les Bourgeois (and I hate showers! I KNOW!), and wedding weekend in Wichita. Oh, and the visit when she asked me to be a bridesmaid because I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ONE!!!

St Louis trips with Neil, ending with our most recent one to see the PJ movie. It was all so perfect!

And...PARTS of the beach house week in Oak Island and the day and a half in Florida. There were *parts* that were absolutely wonderful. :)

I know I'm forgetting something awesome. Dang it. Oh well...