All About Me (from the archives)

(originally posted 6/29/04)

A - Act your age?

It's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the fact that I'm 50.

B - Born on what day of the week?

I was born late on a Tuesday night, on a very busy day at the hospital. I went to school with two other girls who shared my birthdate and -place.

C - Chore you hate?

Not a fan of floors. Or planning meals.

D - Dad's name?

He was named after his grandfather, primarily because his dad was the only son, and Dad was the first (and only) son. My brother named his son after Dad, but with a different middle name. The year my nephew was born, his name was the seventh most popular boys' name. In the year my dad was born, his name was the third most popular boys' name--and weirdly enough, my mom's name was third girls' name, though she was born a couple of years later. Dad's grandfather was born in 1856, which is before the site about names starts. But last year, that name was in the top 15. So clearly, it's not a bad/ugly name. ;-)

E - Essential makeup item?

Chapstick.

F - Favorite actor?

I really like Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Emma Watson and Emma Stone are interesting. Angelina Jolie is fascinating. Men...? Shrug. Pretty is good.

G - Gold or silver?

Silver. Or white gold. I really like southwestern jewelry.

H - Hometown?

I grew up in the burbs of Denver. Both my parents are native Coloradoans. I failed--we ALL failed--to carry on that tradition.

I - Instruments you play?

I took piano lessons for a couple of years in childhood. I played flute for about seven years from 7th grade into college. Nowadays, I just play the radio.

J - Job title?

Officially, it's Head of Technical Services/General Reference. Some days I feel like we all should just call the job Dogsbody.

K - Kids?

I adore kids. They are (overall) pretty awesome, though I don't love large groups of them. My son is now 21 years old and somehow has turned out to be just a really interesing, fun person. He's getting his grown-up feet under him and it's fun to watch.

L - Living arrangements?

I live in a house on about 1/3 acre lot in a relatively new "house farm" in the upper midwestern U.S. with my husband and two guinea pigs.

M - Mom's name?

As noted above, it was a top-five name the years around her birth (in her year, it had moved up to #2), which has to be why she got the name as it is definitely not a family name. Her middle name is #28, but on that one she's named after her aunt. By 2013, her first name had dropped into the 800s, and her middle name was ranked between 160 and 170. She hated both of her names. I actually like them, especially her middle name.

N - Need...

...nothing. I really don't need anything material, just reminders to keep focus on the things I need to work on.

O - Overnight hospital stays?

I've only been admitted overnight as a patient twice, for a total of about 7 days: childbirth and surgery. I have, however, spent an awful lot of time in hospitals, especially ERs, in the past 6 or so years, which I could gladly go without for a LONG time going forward.

P - Phobia?

I've recently acknowledged that I fear silence (as in no conversation) and being out of control (big time!). Working on them. I don't think they're phobias, but I work hard to avoid those things.

Q - Quote you like?

I have almost 1600 saved on GoodReads, and others saved in a Word doc. One random one on my Facebook page is "It is not your job to complete the task of perfecting the world, but neither are you free to desist from it." It's from the Mishnah, but it sounds Presby. Speaking of which....

R - Religious affiliation?

I'm a 50-year Presbyterian. I'm quite proud of my denomination this month, too.

S - Siblings?

I really hate this question.... There were five kids in the family for about 30 years. My second-oldest sister died when I was 31. The middle child in the family died when I was 45. So there are three of us left: oldest and two youngest, the ones born a decade apart from each other, so the 50-year-old, the 60-year-old and the 70-year-old. Weird.

T - Time you wake up?

Midnight. And two. And five. And seven...I usually get up 7-7:30.

U - Unique talent?

If there's ever an alphabetization component to the Olympics, I'm in.

V - Vegetable you refuse to eat?

I can't stand fresh, raw tomatoes. And I don't like cukes. Bell peppers aren't on my favorites list either.

W - Worst habit?

Nail-biting. Probably closely followed by talking too much. However, I was asked this week if I was ok so I'm taking that as having started to ramp down the chit-chat. And I have decent-length fingernails on all but one finger right now.

X - X-rays you've had?

I don't think I've had any X-rays except of my teeth. I've had multiple ultrasounds, and couple of bone scans, though. And I've had my thyroid zapped after it was found to be overworking. It's possible my parathyroid may go the same route.

Y - Yummy food you make?

Mac 'n cheese. And baked goods.

Z - Zodiac Sign?

I'm a Scorpio. Or at least I was till they rearranged things with the new, 13th sign. Now, apparently, I'm a Libra, which is just fucked-UP!