Getting to know me, getting to know all about me . . .

My 'big' brother sent me an email with the following questionaire, and rather than forward it on to ten of my closest friends, I thought I'd post it here. By doing this, of course, I'm risking having a piano fall on my head or something equally dire, the fate of all those who break chain letters, but it's a chance I'm willing to take.

Of course, I'd love it if you would copy the list, paste in your own answers, and email it to me, or post it in your own blog! Tag, you're it.

So! Here it is, 36 things you may or may not know about me:

1. What is your occupation? project accountant for a marine contractor

2. What color are your kitchen walls? beige-y tan

3. What did you last watch on TV? a PBS special on Carol Burnett (what? I love her!)

4. What is the last thing that you ate? Jason's Deli baked potato

5. Can you drive a stick shift? I’ve never even tried

6. What Crayon color would you be? if you go by the color palette in my closet, either brown or black

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? my mother-in-law

8. Favorite Halloween costume ever? Cinderella (played by me) with her ugly step-sisters (played by Batman and a boy in the youth group)

9. How old are you today? 36

10. Favorite Halloween candy? Tootsie Rolls

11. What is your favorite board game? Monopoly, except I stink so bad that even Special can beat me

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? once; I really need to start doing it regularly (too many gray hairs to pluck) but am too cheap

13. Pets? a fat, lazy, mean cat named Jumpy

14. Favorite food? You mean besides all of it? anything chocolate

15. Last movie you watched? Little Miss Sunshine

16. Favorite Day of the year? Christmas

17. What do you recycle? glass, plastic, paper, metal

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? the Barbie head where you could style her hair

19. What is your favorite hobby? reading

20. First kiss and when? Richie Bostick when I was 16 and working at Arby’s (DORK!)

21. Cherry or Blueberry? If we’re talking pie, I’d rather have lemon, lime or chocolate; if we’re talking muffins, blueberry.

22. Did you go to the prom? Our school had a banquet and I went both years, once with a friend and once with a date; I went to the public school prom when I was a senior.

23. Last book you read? A Lifetime of Secrets, by Frank Warren (one of the PostSecret series); am currently in the middle of The Cigarette Century which I’m reading as research for a school paper

24. Next home remodeling project? new faucets for the master bath

25. When was the last time you cried? in church on Sunday

26. Favorite smell? bread baking

27. What inspires you? music

28. What are you afraid of? Being strangled--I can't stand for anyone's hands to come anywhere close to my neck. Interestingly, however, I love to wear turtlenecks.

29. Hamburger, cheeseburger or veggie burger? hamburger

30. Favorite car? my gas-guzzling Ford Explorer (the taupe one; we’ve had three)

31. Favorite dog breed? The kind that doesn’t bark, jump on people, or require being walked (am cat person)

32. Number of keys on your key ring? 3: my house, in-laws' house, and my car

33. How many years at your current job? almost 2

34. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

35. How many states have you lived in? 5 – Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, & Texas

36. Favorite teacher of all time? Miss Joy, 2nd grade

People cheering . . . cheerleaders?

Special cheered at her first football game Friday night! We almost didn't make it due to a complete meltdown over the "hideousness" of the uniform ("It's too BIG! It's DISGUSTING! It makes me look SO FAT!!"), but she pulled it together in time to put on a great show. Here's my little cheer-tator in all her glory:
Go Cougars!

Little Miss Candy Bar

It's 10:30 and I'm crashing from my sugar high (yes, I did have leftover candy, why do you ask?) so here are scenes from Halloween 2007:


It was a good, old-fashioned night of trick-or-treating. Two pretty fairies, two bags full of candy, time spent with nice neighbors. And leftover Tootsie Rolls. Mmmmm, Tootsie Rolls . . .

They gave her $182 in cash

Six years ago today, Special arrived into this world two weeks early, screaming her fool head off. She hasn't stopped screaming since. But at least now, most of her screams are joyful ones.

They still hurt my ears. But I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Our family celebrates "birth week," a way of spreading out the birthday joy just a little bit, and Special's started yesterday with lunch at her favorite restaurant, Jason's Deli, with GrandBob & GrandMom:

(It wasn't really $182. But I imagine we'll be taking a trip to Build-a-Bear in the very near future.)

Then today she had cookie cake at school:

then soy cheese pizza, a visit from Aunt M and presents tonight at dinner:

(with her new Webkinz, a gift from Pop & Baba)

It's been a great birthday, although she said this morning she doesn't feel six.

I can't believe she's six, either. Happy birthday, Sweet Chicken!

See all the birthday photos here.

(Also, if you're looking for a Christmas gift for that special someone, may I recommend this book? It's guaranteed to be hilarious, and all proceeds go to Compassion.)

At least I didn't call him "Suze"

So there's this new guy at work. I'm not sure of his actual title; he's not in my department but I've had to work with him over the last two days in relation to our new software implementation. He reminds me a great deal of Edgar, a co-worker I once had. Edgar made me want to staple his head to his desk. New Guy should possibly keep an eye out for my Swingline.

Yesterday I was assigned to help New Guy and his counterpart, New Gal, in reconciling some reports in the new software. We'd been talking about their use of the software all morning. Near the end of our meeting, I was listing the types of reports they'd need to run out of the new software and New Guy asked, "So do we need to install New Software on our computer, then?"

Me: (*blink, blink*) "Yes, that would be helpful!"

Later that afternoon, New Guy asked someone else what they meant by saying, "It is what it is." I had a flashback to the Clinton years and said that depended on what his definition of "is" is.

Today I provided New Guy and New Gal with detailed instructions on how to run the reports. The first part of the instructions was to run a list of all open projects and note the project numbers, as that information would be needed for the reports.

New Gal had no trouble.

New Guy emailed me (and this is a direct quote): "Ugh. These directions are confusing. What did you mean by 'make a note?' I tried [long and complicated process of copying and pasting screen shots] but it didn't work."

Me: (*blink blink*, share email with co-worker, wipe away tears of laughter) "I meant literally make a note. You'll need that information later."

But here's the best part: for two days, I've been calling him Bob. I knew his first initial was B, and his name in the email contact list is shown as Robert.

He goes by Bill.

But I think I'll just call him New Edgar.

Those are ladies' frames

Poor thing . . . she never had a chance. All of her grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles except one wear glasses, and now she's joined our little club. She only has to wear them for reading, computer and tv time, but she thinks the world is a much clearer place:

In memoriam

I've just finished a novel, a brilliant book that should be required reading for history classes. Irene Nemirovsky, a Russian Jew living in France and famous for her writing, began in 1941 to write a novel about the war and the occupation of France. She never finished it, as she was taken to a concentration camp in 1942 and died there soon after.

Her daughters saved the manuscript, and Suite Francaise has been recently published complete with the author's notes and a heartbreaking collection of letters written by Irene herself and then by her husband who was frantically trying to find and save her. The book itself is a picture of the daily cost of war and enemy occupation.

It is not light reading, but I highly recommend it. It brings history to life from the perspective of an eyewitness, and forces the reader to consider the story of just one of the many innocents lost in that war, innocents whose stories are not recorded but who were nevertheless real, and loved, and mourned.