100 Things About Me:

I was born near Seattle, Washington; then moved to Fort Worth, Texas; then to Jensen Beach, (south) Florida; then to Orlando, Florida (area).

I've lived in Florida longer than anywhere else - I do not consider myself to be a Floridian.

We're moving. I don't know when, and I don't care where.....but we're moving.

I do like our neighbourhood. I don't like cookie-cutter subdevelopment houses (and I live in Florida...right?) so we bought this place:


I own this house with Travis, my boyfriend.

I wish there was a better word for him than "boyfriend". I'd call him my husband, but that's not true yet.

It took a long time to get to this point with him - this relationship was what one would term a "slow-growth" commitment. But it was worth every minute.

We broke up once very early on. Travis said at the time he thought we were "pretty different" people. We say the same exact thing at the same exact time about three times a day. I like pointing out that he was dead-wrong about that "different" thing.

I still think this man is one of the handsomest I've seen in person in my entire life:


I remember being very upset when we broke up - mainly because I thought I'd have a REALLY hard time finding someone I was that physically attracted to ever again.

We adopted a puppy in December to keep our older dog company. This was a big step. Puppies are cute. I will NEVER EVER AGAIN adopt a puppy.

I do not like large dogs, even though I had dogs as a child and one was on the large side. It took me a very long time to learn to like even little dogs.

I still prefer cats.

I like things in pairs. We have two cats, two dogs, two sofas...

I want three children. Travis wants five. I feel strongly that we'll end up with two.

Children are pretty much my ultimate goal in life.

My boyfriend is three years younger than me. Although it throws my Life Plans into disarray (obviously, his Life Plans run a few years behind mine,) I LOVE that he is three years younger than me and rejoice in it often. I HAVE A YOUNGER MAN.

I have a feeling all that might change when I officially start getting old. I don't want to be in my 50s alone. So when I turn 50, I've decided to make him three years older than me.

Before Travis, I thought that this was probably my ultimate soulmate:

(Rooster, my cat, who knows me very well and takes very good care of me, particularly in times of emotional upset or illness.)

I have a Very Bestest Friend, Jessi, who's been my best friend since I was about 12.

I brag about her often. There is much to brag about - she's studying for her Master's in Archaeology/Anthropology. She knows everything about Egypt.

Our "anniversary" is Halloween. It's our favourite holiday, so we've claimed it as the day we celebrate all our years of friendship.

I work for the red-headed bastard stepchild of the Federal Judiciary system. Federal gigs are pretty cushy - I've been here three years, which is the longest I've ever been at a job. It also makes me "vested", which makes me 400 times less likely to ever leave voluntarily.

I stay in everything for two years. My longest-held job before this was two years. I rarely stay in a residence, even ones I own, for more than two years. My longest previous relationship was a smidge over two years.

Speaking of which, I ended my last relationship, an engagement, on a Christmas Eve. It was the most rotten thing I've ever done, probably, and I'd undo it if I could...but there was no other way at the time.

I planned that wedding in three separate states. We couldn't settle on anything - I did really enjoy planning the one in Hawaii. (He was a really great guy. It just wasn't happening.)

Travis was a good friend to me at the time. I had no idea he had any interest in me whatsoever, and it surprised me. We started seeing each other about a week after my breakup.

That was a bad idea.

The night, much much later, when I heard "I love you" from him was the first time I was absolutely, truly, completely sure that I was hearing a very sincere expression of love for the first time.

I can easily pinpoint for you one of the best nights of my life.

I used to have this strange, very unlike-me need to be around Travis constantly, but I am becoming more comfortable with spending time apart, because I am finally settled and comfortable with where we are.

I talk about Travis a LOT.

People are stunned to hear I ride a dirtbike. Not often, or well, but I do.

I pick up a great number of hobbies, obsess over them for a while, and drop them unceremoniously.

Over the course of my life, I have fixated myself for a spell on each of the following (in no particular order): crocheting, cross-stitching, horseback riding, sculpting, beading, soapmaking, cooking, baking, dancing, playing piano, theatre, singing, fencing, tennis, reading, writing, knitting, studying any number of religious beliefs, yoga, spinning, running, investing/losing money, Olympic shopping, dirtbiking...

Of those, I was good at: singing, knitting, yoga, cross-stitching, reading, writing, and spending money.

I got held back in Jazz 1 class in middle school.

I'd be much better at theatre, but I'm not as good an actor or dancer as I am a singer.

I have still been in many plays/musicals and picked up a few awards and some great reviews.

I attended Stetson University for a semester, where I majored in Business and minored in Vocal Performance. (True to form, I was unable to commit to that college. Or the next one. I finally wrapped up a degree in Business Management at the University of Central Florida.)

I was informed by my vocal teacher that I should major in Music. If I'd stuck to it, I probably would have done very well.

I have about a four-octave vocal range.

I love to sing, and I do so often. Maybe too often.

Recently, I abandoned theatre for knitting. I'm better and more patient with string than I am with people.

I can't stop buying yarn. I've tried.

My birthday is coming up, and I asked Travis for a sewing machine.

I don't like that I want a sewing machine for my birthday...frankly, I don't think he does either.

I'm nervous about how much money I'll spend on fabric.

Last year for my birthday, Travis took me hang-gliding. It was terrifying and amazing.

I've had a cloud on my tongue.

I am very cute in hats:


My hair looks best black, or near-black. I know because I've had my hair almost every natural colour there is.

When dyed that colour, my hair behaves itself for approximately one week. Then it starts creeping back toward brown.

I like my green eyes. Everyone always thinks they're blue. But they're green.

My teeth are very straight and nearly perfect. That's because I just got my braces off and had jaw surgery.

I still have a baby tooth. There's nothing to come in behind it.

I love the Blue Cheese Chopped Salad at Outback Steakhouse.

Other than that, I try to avoid many chain restaurants.

I'm a vegetarian. Not a very good one - I do occasionally eat seafood.

It annoys me when people, upon finding out that I'm a vegetarian, ask me if I eat chicken. True, I shouldn't eat seafood either - but if I ate chicken, then I REALLY wouldn't be a vegetarian.

I love going to movies. I rarely do anymore, though, because I can't stand the people at movies. (Yay for Netflix.)

Back when many upper-end schools (I wanted to go to Princeton but couldn't reasonably afford it) required applicants present scores from three SAT II subject tests, I took them in History, Geometry, and Writing. I scored a perfect 800 on the Writing test. Probably should have thought about pursuing something in the English or writing department....

I discovered recently that it REALLY annoys me when someone says that they have wood floors, and they actually have that Pergo laminate masquerading as wood. Liar.

Clowns freak me out.

Unrestrained heights (like tall ladders) freak me out.

I have no problem with flying.

Dane Cook is my favourite funny person.

Or Steve Martin.

Or Bill O'Reilly. (How is he NOT funny?)

Do not answer your phone if it rings while you are dining with me. I've walked out and stuck a date with the check for that. (It was Travis. He now has seen the error of his ways and finds phone-while-dining equally upsetting.)

I read blogs. Especially knitting blogs. I almost prefer the blogs of strangers, because I know if they're griping and ranting about someone without naming them, it couldn't possibly be me.

I have a healthy dose of paranoia. Always have.

I used to say that I would never change anything about my life or the past or anything like that. That changed in early March of this year. There is one thing in this world that I would undo in a heartbeat if I could.

Talking on the phone stresses me out. I love my friends, but I rarely talk to them on the phone. I hate making calls. I can't explain this, and I lose friends often. But I simply hate making phone calls.

I would classify myself as a Christian Buddhist. This confounds a lot of people. It probably should.

I'm a Democrat, generally speaking.

I hate talking about religion or politics because people tend to get very worked up, and this makes me not want to have anything to do with them anymore.

This picture is one of the funniest things in the world to me:


I've no idea who that child is or who the knitter was. But that face is PRICELESS.

I swear far too much.

Travis' mother is the first mother of a significant other that I've truly enjoyed. I think she's a wonderful person, and she's not crazy. (You wouldn't believe me if I told you some of my stories...)

I am an only child.

I hate when people treat that revelation like it somehow explains everything about me, or tells them everything they need to know about me.

I also dislike when people act like that must have been the greatest thing in the world. I would have loved a sibling.

My mom would have liked more kids.

Both my mother and Travis' mother love feeding our dogs people food, even though we repeatedly ask them not to. I think this speaks to how much trouble we're going to have enforcing no-sugar, no-soda, limited-television rules at their homes...

I like organic and natural foods. I abhor fast food.

Corporations bother me. I try to avoid them when possible.

I have about 50 Disney movies on VHS or DVD.

Living in Orlando, I've learned about how evil Disney can be.

It freaks me out that some Disney employees are so "Go Mickey!!" It seems almost robotic and brainwash-y to me.

I hate no one. I despise no one. But if I was a bad person, an evildoer, I would burn down Walmart stores. I really truly despise that corporation above all others.

I don't like when people defend poor ethics with cost-based arguments.

Toilet humour does not amuse me.

I will frequently act like I know what you're talking about when really I have no idea. If you were to outright ask me if I have any clue, I'll admit that I don't. But otherwise, I'll just smile and nod.

I'm very sensitive. I can also be highly insensitive. That bothers me.

I think I'm pretty. I like that I think that I'm pretty. Sure, I have my off days. But as a general rule, I think I'm pretty.

I don't have a favourite colour.

I have the best, most supportive, most loving parents in the world.

I know how it feels to be really, truly, ardently in love, and to have that feeling returned. It's like being safe, wrapped in a soft warm blanket all the time.