100 things

This morning, Buzz challenged his readers to include wishlists and the “100 things” list – to provide a little insight into who we are. Buddha already beat me to the punch with his list.

It was much harder coming up with things than I thought it was going to be……

100 things about me

1. Chocolate is my favorite food.

2. Seafood/shellfish are my next favorite.

3. I live to travel.

4. In another life, I worked at a flight school and spent my free time in the sky.

5. In yet another life, I was a photojournalist with my home in a sack.

6. My first camera was a plastic Yogi Bear instamatic with roll film.

7. I shoot with Contarex, Nikon, and TLRs now.

8. I have a Sanyo camera phone, but am resisting the urge to buy a digital camera. I love spending time in the darkroom processing film, working with chemicals, playing with different types of paper, and developing photos.

9. If I won a lottery, I would spend most of the cash on hi-tech gadgets.

10. My godmother bought me my first diary for my 7th birthday (it was candy pink with glitter).

11. I have filled over 25 blank books with the nonsense of my life.

12. I used to hate it when my mom would say I was just like my dad. Now I agree with her.

13. My family is scattered across 4 continents and an archipelago: North America, South America, Europe, Africa and the Azores.

14. In addition to English, I can speak Portuguese, a little French and kitchen Spanish, and studied Mandarin in college.

15. I can lead a walking tour of the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Building in 5 hours, counting a lunch stop and two bathroom breaks.

16. For 2 years, as a little girl, I co-starred in a weekend local cable show – a Portuguese version of Sesame Street.

17. I used to watch John F. Kennedy Jr. play soccer when he was a student at Brown U.

18. The ceiling above my bed is covered in constellations and the initials of lost loves.

19. My favorite constellations are Cassiopeia and Orion.

20. I miss looking up into a star-filled sky.

21. Some nights I sit on my roof and watch the planes line up for landing. This usually reminds me of when the sky was empty for 4 months when National Airport closed after the 9/11 attacks.

22. If I were invisible for a day, I’d go to the Natural History Museum and dance naked wearing the Hope Diamond.

23. If I could meet with a character from the past, I would dine with Leonardo da Vinci.

24. If I could wake up tomorrow with one talent, it would be the ability to draw/paint.

25. If I could change one thing about myself, I would give myself better than perfect vision.

26. My two favorite Impressionist painters are Edgar Degas and Vincent van Gogh.

27. My favorite color is cobalt blue.

28. The iris is my favorite flower.

29. I don’t like roses.

30. I don’t like to cook.

31. I’d rather feel too cold than too hot.

32. I love to kiss.

33. Most of the guys I date top 6’0, even though I’m 5’4. I like tall guys.

34. I fall in and out of love quickly.

35. I’ve only been out on two truly bad dates my whole life.

36. I enjoy surprising people with presents.

37. I have successfully thrown three elaborate surprise parties.

38. I was raised Roman Catholic, am familiar with most organized religions worldwide, believe in a higher power, but don’t practice anything regularly.

39. I love basketball (although I prefer NCAA to NBA).

40. I was impossible to be near when Michael Jordan moved to DC.

41. I bumped into him three times.

42. I used to throw things when I’d get mad. I don’t do that anymore.

43. Now I just yell.

44. I used to wear Wonder Woman underoos and tie up the neighborhood kids with my magic lasso.

45. Aside from being born, I’ve never been hospitalized. (no broken bones, no stitches, no aches, no pains, no surgery, etc. etc. etc.)

46. I have never had a cavity or any dental work (aside from cleanings and getting wisdom teeth pulled).

47. I love music and have an eclectic collection of CD’s.

48. I enjoy all types of dancing… club, salsa, ballroom, swing, jazz, ballet, etc. It takes me a while to learn choreography, but once I have the steps down, I’ll never forget the dance.

49. I’ve seen U2 perform live over a dozen times.

50. I’ve seen the Beastie Boys perform live 7 times.

51. I’ve seen the Rolling Stones perform live 6 times.

52. I’ve seen Billy Joel perform live 6 times.

53. I’ve seen Phish perform live 6 times.

54. Nelly Furtado is my cousin’s cousin, but not related to me.

55. When I was 6, I told my parents I wanted to play piano. They bought me an accordion. I still long to learn the piano.

56. I was first chair flute and auditioned for state band my freshman year of high school.

57. My sophomore year I quit the band and joined the drama club.

58. In 1989, I performed in London.

59. The titles and positions that are no big deal to me, are the ones that impress other people most.

60. I force myself to work out. I’m not athletically inclined. Given the choice, I’d lounge by the pool instead of swim in it.

61. I joined the track team as a freshman to chase after the cute, older guys in school.

62. By senior year, I was on the team to tone up for beach season.

63. I love the ocean and spent the first 18 years of my life at the beach.

64. I’ve gained an appreciation for the mountains, but given the choice of mountains or beach, would live on the beach.

65. I grew up in a small town, but have morphed into a city girl.

66. I would like to have a log home in the country someday. After I buy my beach house.

67. I have no pets.

68. I love big dogs: German Shepherds, Akitas, Rottweilers, Anatolians, Siberian Huskies.

69. When I was 9, I was bit by a Doberman Pincher while delivering Girl Scout cookies. I ran home and my mom thought I had been hit by a car (the blood covered uniform mixed with my hysteria led her to that assumption). That was the end of Girl Scouts for me. I was terrified of dogs until I went away to college.

70. I’m not afraid of any animals now. Well… maybe a lion or tiger or bear…. Not afraid of domesticated animals now.

71. I despise shopping malls.

72. I make most of my purchases at boutiques and online.

73. I am cursed with a long memory.

74. This is much harder than I thought. I often underestimate how difficult a task can be – but won’t stop til I’m finished.

75. I am a sprinter, not built for any exercise requiring endurance. My best running event was the 400 (440) and with the exceptions of photography and writing, most of my hobbies and interests are short-lived.

76. I know a lot about many different things because I’ll take an interest in something, live-breath-sleep it for a few months, and then move on to something new and different.

77. Some examples of my discarded interests: the seven wonders of the ancient world; the ten laws of architecture; alternative construction methods to stick-built; Egyptian hieroglyphs; military history and strategies (the art of war); painting techniques used during the Renaissance period; swing dancing (Lindy Hop); playing pool; Italian; ship building; code-breaking; basics of aerodynamics; water colors; Australian wines; and yoga.

78. My new interest is chess.

79. I can be overbearing with all of my opinions.

80. I have an opinion about almost everything and usually have a good reason for it.

81. I welcome the opportunity for debate and listen with an open mind. But I’ll be the first to admit that it takes a lot to sway my position.

82. I enjoy playing devil’s advocate.

83. I am one of the most selfish people I know, but hope someday to change that.

84. Sometimes I’ll say something vicious and wish I felt worse for it, but don’t.

85. Other times I’ll lose sleep over something stupid I did or said and hate myself for weeks.

86. I used to love my car and drove really fast all the time. Now I walk, take the metro or cab it.

87. Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Citizen Kane are two of my favorite movies.

88. Most of my favorites come in pairs.

89. I get really pissed when people assume things about me.

90. I’m afraid of spiders (completely irrational).

91. I like lightening storms.

92. I’m not afraid of the dark.

93. I like feeling on top of the world – love pressing my forehead against the glass of observation decks and looking down.

94. Tallest observation decks I’ve been on – Stratosphere in Vegas; Space Needle in Seattle; Eiffel Tower in Paris; Washington Monument in DC; Empire State Building in NYC; John Hancock Building in Boston; Sears Tower in Chicago; peak of Lagoa do Fogo in Sao Miguel, Azores.

95. The roller coaster wrapped around the Stratosphere in Vegas is boring. Its claim to fame is location – high up – but it does little else.

96. My childhood was bereft of Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy, Mr. Sandman. etc.

97. On the other hand, my little brother believed in Santa until he was nine.

98. Bookshelves line most of the walls of my apartment. I love to read – fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, biographies, experimental fiction, etc.

99. When I can’t sleep, I start counting, silently, to myself (I never think of sheep though).

100. I’ve always been better with words than numbers.

Calgon, Take Me Away!

Murphy’s Laws are alive and well. It’s one of those days – somehow someone managed to complicate the simplest of tasks (it is almost inconceivable to me and had I not seen it, I would not have believed it) and everyone on the planet is interrupting me with calls.

This was supposed to be my slow day. S-L-O-W.

Instead I’m blogging and getting ready to tear my hair out (at least I have my priorities in order).

Is anyone else having one of those days?

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On a side note, Haloscan has been acting up and not been very reliable. So I’m following S’s example and doubling up on the comments. Sorry for any confusion.

Family matters

My first cousin’s wife just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Two people – with entirely too much time on their hands – started arguing over the nuances between “once removed cousins” and “second – third- fourth – etc. cousins”.

Would that make this bundle of joy my first cousin once removed? My second cousin? Or something else entirely?

And what does that make my dad’s first cousin’s daughter to me? I always thought she was my second cousin.

Does anyone know?

Phobias and other irrational fears

Growing up, my all-time favorite book was Charlotte’s Web. And even though I’ve been deathly afraid of spiders for as long as I remember, I loved Charlotte and would cry when she died at the end.

Homes in Massachusetts have spiders. If I saw one crawling up my wall, I would hop on top of my bed and let out a piercing shriek until someone, anyone, came to my rescue. And even after witnessing said offending spider meet a crushing blow via kleenex (or my bro carry the thing outside and set it free), I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I would feel thousands, no millions, of creepy crawly spiders moving under the covers and over my skin.

My brother (the animal lover who would set the spiders free) subscribed to a service – I forget the company name (maybe National Geographic?) – but every month he’d receive a new packet of illustrated cards, featuring a photograph of a living organism on one side and a detailed description of genus/species/habitat/eating habits/peculiar morsels of trivia on the flipside. The company provided a neato plastic bin to house the animal cards.

Why is this particular memory flooding my brain? I just saw a creepy, crawly spider in my office that vaguely resembled the one card I found in my Charlotte’s Web book eons ago. I’m a professional. I can’t panic. I can’t hop on my desk and scream bloody murder until someone runs in to kill it. My colleagues will think I’m a lunatic.

The spider is small. I am much larger than the spider. The spider is tiny. I can crush the spider with my fingertip. The spider is slow. Actually, it can crawl pretty fast. And it’s got the web action. It spins a cocoon around its victims and eats them later. A village of spiders could be waiting for me. It could kill me with its venom (could be a black widow). Or crawl into my ear and to my brain.

Aaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!

Who else suffers from a completely mind-numbing fear?

“Oh what a night”

More like a surreal weekend. I felt like a guest star on “This is Your Life.” But I suppose it’s natural for a person to assemble a sorted collection of acquaintances after living in a city almost ten years.

It all started when an old friend showed up for drinks at Zola. I didn’t think he’d make it out because it really wasn’t his scene – but two black martinis later, he looked right at home.

Man from the Past #1

I was walking out of Zola when someone grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward the bar area. It turned out to be this random guy who used to call me when production companies would hold auditions for extras. The only time we ever talked or met was at these casting calls. I hadn’t seen him in three years.

So we hopped in a cab and headed towards an old favorite – The Eighteenth Street Lounge. At one point, before my mature and sensible phase kicked in, I was hanging out there three times a week. It felt like putting on an old sweater that had been carelessly buried beneath a pile of clothes.

Man from the Past #2

We decided to grab stools at the bar instead of sitting on the comfy couches scattered throughout the main floor. ESL is a swank lounge with rooms that open up into one another. Candlelit with jazz rhythms beating in the background and a faint mix of cigar and incense. It was early, so I could still spot the people at the far side of the room. Leaning against the fireplace mantle was this guy I had adored and dated on and off until 1999 when I discovered he knew absolutely nothing about basketball (actually, most sports including football, basketball, and hockey ~ but, he could golf). For whatever reason, I was appalled by this fact and mentally moved him into the “just friends” category before losing touch. So we spent 15 minutes catching up on the past 4 years.

Moving right along to Andalu…. the evening begins to get a little hazy here. I guess I should explain – I don’t bar hop anymore. I tend to start off at one place and end up at another. In my book, that’s considered an exciting evening. So to hit three or four establishments in one evening falls under “Partying Like a Rock Star.”

Men from the Past #3

So we’re at Andalu, and I’m at the bar frantically waving a $20 bill to get the bartenders’ attention, when these two guys start pointing my way from the end of the bar. I glance behind me, no one there, and stare back at them. Turns out, when I first moved to DC, friendless and alone, I used to hang out on their front stoop drinking Busch in cans. We must have hung out almost every night for a summer before they moved out of the basement apt. and relocated to New York City.


We finished the night at Club Five… danced the hours away like fools. I arrived with an impressive entourage…. having picked up a new person at each pitstop along the way.

It makes you appreciate what a small world we live in and how random life really can be. Don’t burn bridges!

A sucker for 18-year-old Glenlivet

I love walking into a cool, dark room with woodlined walls, hard leather furniture, and the subtle sweet scent of a good cigar in the air. Add Glenlivet to the mix and I ask you – IS there anything better?

Check out scheduled tastings in your area.

To the ladies out there

I don’t think guys will relate to this post. It’s mostly a girl thing.

I took special care getting ready this morning because I knew I wouldn’t have time to run home before going out to this shi-shi bar tonight. I even packed a small bag to work, so I could freshen up later in the bathroom.

And yet, I already know I won’t feel anywhere near as fabulous as I did four hours ago. My hair is doing a funny wavy thing, my makeup is melting (meeeeeeeeeeeeelting), and I’m not happy with the clothes I’m changing into (whine, whine, whine – yeah, I know).

My male colleagues just grin and shake their heads. They just don’t know……

But for some inexplicable reason, I’m excited for the first time in weeks. And for tonight, I’m happy to be in DC and not in Lisbon.

Milton

Friday…. jam-packed with one meeting after another. Who invented “the meeting”? (perhaps the most counterproductive business bauble ever! But that’s another post).

It took all of 15 minutes to update the committee on my role in their upcoming event. So I kicked back and watched the poor schmuck sitting across from me, bothered that he reminded me of… well, somebody. And that somebody was right on the edge of my thoughts, in that gray foggy place where I couldn’t quite zoom in on the image. Until someone antagonized him and in response he stuttered out an answer.

MY GOD – he didn’t look like him, but the mannerisms were there. It was Milton!.