Friday I'm in Love: Old School Style

The wonderful Tracie tagged me in a get-to-know-you meme. The whole blogging meme/tagging people has fallen out of fashion (I think) lately, but I remember them fondly. Not only were they a great way to get to know other bloggers, they were an easy to write and easy to read fall back post. 

A-B-C's Of Me

Elaine and Jennifer have prepared this special meme for us; to help us jump into our time machines, and blog like it is 2006.


Alphabet Meme

A. Attached or Single? Attached. Ten years. Damn, I'm old.

B. Best Friend? The truth is that all my friends are the best. But my husband is definitely my closest.

C. Cake or pie? Cake, no question. I mean, I'll eat pie, but only if there's no cake around.

D. Day of choice? The day where nothing is scheduled.

E. Essential Item? My phone. I can't believe I'm one of those people.

F. Favorite color? Purple.

G. Gummy bears or worms? Gummy bears.
I like to bite their little gummy heads off. (I'm leaving Tracie's answer here because it's awesome and true for me as well)

H. Hometown? Ridgewood, NJ.

I. Favorite Indulgence? Sleeping in.

J. January or July? July. It's warm and there's no school. Plus, my birthday and anniversary. And fireworks.

K. Kids? Three amazing ones.

L. Life isn’t complete without? Reading.

M. Marriage date? July 5th.

N. Number of brothers/sisters? None, but I have amazing cousins to keep me in line.

O. Oranges or Apples? Apples.

P. Phobias? Worms.

Q. Quotes? There are too many to list here.

R. Reasons to smile? Sunshine. Kid laughter. Holding hands. Libraries. Beaches. Family.

S. Season of choice? Summer. I hate being cold.

T. Tag 5 People: Okay, this is hard. How about if you want to be tagged, consider yourself tagged.

U. Unknown fact about me? I'm pretty sure that anything the internet doesn't already know about me, no one wants to know about me.

V. Vegetable? Red bell peppers

W. Worst habit? Er, having so many bad habits that I can't pick which is the worst?

X. Xray or Ultrasound? Since my association with x-rays has to do with broken bones and pneumonia and I've only had ultrasounds while pregnant, I pick ultrasounds.

Y. Your favorite food? One favorite? Are you kidding? If I had one favorite food I'd be skinny. My favorite cuisine is probably Italian, though.

Z. Zodiac sign? Cancer. If I'd been born on time I'd be a Gemini, which is infinitely cooler.

Tell me some of your answers. Or all of your answers. Get your 2006 on.

Honest Scrap Award

So the fantastic Silken at Madameblogalot has tagged me with the Honest Scrap Award. I am to share 10 honest things about myself that most people don't know. Which has presented quite a challenge, because most things you all don't know are things that NO ONE needs to know. So if you already knew some of these, I apologize.

1. I have a near pathological fear of dentists.

2. Animal House is one of my favorite movies.

3. I believe that no bands will ever measure up to Led Zeppelin or U2.

4. I've lived in Boston, Portland, OR, Seattle and Kansas City as well as Jersey.

(Wow. I am clearly not good at this.)

5. I don't like reading poetry.

6. I have a HUGE CRUSH on Kevin Smith. Despite the poorly titled and pathetically acted "Jersey Girl" movie.

(Is that better?)

7. I am both saddened and relieved that ChunkyMonkey is my last baby.

8. I would rather have a day at the bookstore than at the spa.

9. I have never had Jaegermeister and not thrown up.

10. I cannot stand being touched while I'm sleeping, but I have no problem falling asleep on Hot Guy.

Now I am supposed to tag some other people. Because I love so many other bloggers, I just picked a few at random - who just happen to be wonderfully honest:

Matter of Fact Mommy

Dory at Can't Remember Diddly

My cousin at Off Da Chain

But if you'd like to join in, consider yourself awarded.

Memes, Or How Britney Spears Stole My Thoughts

I still love it when I get tagged for a meme. Even if I don't actually do the meme (because I've done it before, or because I'm forgetful), I still feel exceptionally flattered. And even though I've tried to make my meme appreciation widely known, I've still never been tagged with one of those "random facts about yourself" memes. I used to wonder if people thought that they already knew enough about my weirdness. Was I sharing too much? Did people think I was TOO WEIRD?

But now I can forget about those concerns, because the wonderful Merry at Mom and More tagged me for this meme:

The rules:

a. Link to the person who tagged you.
b. Post the rules on your blog.
c. Write six random things about yourself.
d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

So, here are six bits of random TMI:

1. You know how people have "the naked dream"? Where they're naked at school or work or something? I've never had that dream. In my exposure dreams, I'm always just missing my pants and underwear, or I'm wearing a short skirt with no underwear (clearly, Britney & Co. have stolen that idea from me).

2. This might be enough to get me declared "Un-American", but I don't like the taste of coffee or peanut butter. Even when they're mixed with chocolate, I can't stand them.

3. When I was little and I heard Muzak, I became convinced that my life had turned into a television show. I knew that commercial breaks happened when I went to the bathroom, too.

4. I'm an only child. And I'm the only one I know that STILL hates being an only child. Seriously, no matter what marital or emotional discord that would result, I would be thrilled if someone turned up claiming to be a product of one of my parents' youthful indiscretions. (BTW, I know that this will not happen, seeing as my life is not actually a television show.)

5. I read exceptionally quickly. When they used to have those speed-reading course commercials, I thought the guy's finger was moving too slowly.

6. I can't get high. Whenever I smoked pot, at best I felt nothing, at worst I got was sleepy and nauseous. Except for once when I had REALLY good stuff in Amsterdam - and then I was high for three days. On my second trip to Amsterdam I was too afraid to try it again (3 days is a LONG time to need that much pizza), so I just stuck to alcohol. I am a failed stoner.

Now, who to tag? Who hasn't done this meme already? Who doesn't mind getting memes? Whose answers would be fascinating?

Travis

Cousin Greg

Mary Kate

33tekfan

Kathryn


Kendra

PS - I apologize if you were hoping to get tagged and I didn't tag you - please feel tagged. And if I tagged you and you've already done this meme fifty times and/or you hate memes, I'm sorry. Consider yourself untagged.

Haiku Friday - Meme-Alicious

Jill at Caffeine Court 

tagged me for a new meme

literary one

Pick up nearest book

Turn to page one twenty three

Find the fifth sentence

Post next three sentences

Tag five people and comment

so I can see yours

My closest book is "The 2,000 Best Games and Activities" because sometimes I do get off the computer and play with my children. And then sometimes I get bored. Er, that's another post. Anyway, on page 123 the fifth, sixth and seventh sentences say:

" You can create a surprise for your toddler by putting safe things out that can be handled in places where they would not ordinarily be found (Ed. note - I did not pick this book for its great writing).  Interesting options include a deck of cards, a wallet, jewelery, brightly colored adult socks, a music box, a cup with cereal. Extension: Add safe items to drawers and toy boxes and help your toddler discover them."

Does anyone else think this "game" is lame and obvious?  And that giving jewelery to a toddler is not generally a good idea?

I am going to tag people, but those people (and anyone else reading this) have an option. You can do the traditional literary meme OR you can share an idea for amusing Lovebug (preferably an idea that is much better than the one in my book). You can also leave your suggestions in the comments section, because Lovebug is getting pretty bored while Ironflower is at school and it is still effing freezing outside.

I officially tag (because if you read this blog you should consider yourself unofficially tagged):

Feener

Melbs1969 

Kathryn

Heathersway 

Jenni 

I'd Like To Thank The Academy. . . .

of Haiku Buckaroos and everyone who voted. Even people who didn't vote for me. Because you know what? I won Most Disgusting and Most Erotic ANYWAY.

Uh, I mean, it was an honor to be nominated and I'm glad you voted for the best haikus, no matter whose they were.

Because no matter what YOUR feelings on the matter, I get to display this:



And let me also thank Leslie, who was able to pull off this contest while being pregnant, mother of the amazing Julia, Etsy goddess, fantastic baker and great blogger.

In addition to being a Haiku Buckaroo, I have also had the honor of being tagged by the wonderful Silken for the six word memoir meme.

Here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir.

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.

3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.

4. Tag five more blogs with links. (And here Jerseygirl rebels by tagging no one. If you want to do it, join in.)

5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

My Six Word Memoir Is: Did You Really Just Say That?

My visual:

(I don't know. This was hard. If you have suggestions for me, feel free to leave them in the comments.)

The Archives Meme

I borrowed this meme from Anglophile Football Fanatic. And if you would like to borrow it from me, please feel free. It's a cool idea, especially if you have great old posts that you wrote before anyone was reading your blog. You need to put up links to five posts from your archives, the catch being that they have to follow certain themes.

Link 1 must be about family. On Motherhood
Link 2 must be about friends. (not old, but I like it) With The Girls
Link 3 must be about yourself, who you are… what you’re all about. About Me
Link 4 must be about something you love. A Hallmark Card and the Superbowl Too (sure, I could have put my children or Hubby here, but how original would that be?)
Link 5 can be anything you choose. Why I'm Not A Teacher Anymore, part 1

I Got Tagged!

First off, I must thank Mama Zen for tagging me. Contrary to all my feelings in elementary school, I now love to be tagged. Memes, awards, blog bling, whatever it is, I love it. (Was that a really obvious hint? Should I be embarrassed? Oh wait, I have toddlers, I can't be embarrassed!) So without further blatant requests for attention, I present The Crazy Eights meme.

Things I'm Passionate About:
1. Ironflower
2. Lovebug
3. Hot Guy
4. Reading
5. Writing
6. French Fries (did I mention that this list is in no particular order?)
7. Friday Night Lights
8. Politics

Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. Go to Italy.
2. Go to the Grand Canyon
3. Watch my children grow into happy, content adults who give me lots to brag about (wonderful grandchildren, world saving and yet lucrative careers, devotion to their decrepit mother)
4. See something I've written be performed
5. Write a book
6. Buy the entire Star Wars Lego Series for Hubby
7. Read War and Peace (saving this one for the old folks' home, though)
8. Live in Savannah

Things That I Say Often:
1. I love you.
2. Stop that!
3. I'll be done in a minute.
4. Are you poopy?
5. Good job, kiddo!
6. Thank you for helping.
7. You are fucking kidding me (this one is for when I talk to other adults, I promise)
8. I have nothing to wear. (this one is usually for adults, but I have said it to the children before)

Books I've Read Recently (Or Am Reading):
1. The Reincarnationist
2. Confessions of a Recovering Slut and Other Love Stories
3. The Black Book
4. Autobiography of a Fat Bride
5. Bird by Bird
6. Various selections from Todd Parr, Eric Carle, Rosemary Wells and Norman Bridwell
7. Dangerous Admissions
8. Sand in My Bra

Songs I Can Listen To Over and Over:
1. Anything by Led Zeppelin
2. Anything Ironflower is willing to sing (right now it's a version of the ABC song and Ring Around the Rosy)
3. Mamma Mia by Abba
4. DrinkDrinkDrink by the Musical Blades
5. Anything by U2
6. A Little Respect by Erasure
7. Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot (fond karaoke memories)
8. Coin Operated Boy by the Dresden Dolls

What Attracts Me To My Friends:
1. twisted sense of humor
2. a passion for football, alcohol or both
3. shared experiences
4. a kind heart, no matter how much shell has hardened around it
5. open-mindedness
6. intelligence
7. commiseration about weight and diet issues, even if all of them are skinnier than I am
8. cynicism

Things That I Learned Last Year:
1. Cutting one's own hair is not the most sensible response to hair anxiety.
2. Women in the mid-west are better drivers and know a lot more about football than women in Stuck-Up, New Jersey.
3. I love blogging.
4. The perfect diaper bag is actually two diaper bags.
5. I can blog, talk on the phone and play catch with my son AT THE SAME TIME.
6. I wish I lived closer to all of my cousins.
7. Tinted moisturizer with a built-in SPF is the best invention ever.
8. Not everything is my fault.

Sharing the Love:
1. Leslie
2. Silken
3. The Binky Bitch
4. Greg
5. Merry
6. Kathy
7. Trish
8. Wordvixen

Deep, Dark Secrets Revealed

So I thought I was feeling better last night and that I was going to fight off this cold. Silly me. Not only do I feel crappier today, but now Ironflower has a runny nose and an achy body. I give Lovebug a day. I'm hoping that Hot Guy has been working too much to have been infected with our germs, but we'll see.

Anyway, I've been hoarding these memes for just such an occasion. Because I am totally brain-dead. So thank you to Cynnie and Cathy. If you want to do the meme, please consider yourself tagged.

Now for the memes:

The Four Meme
Four places I have lived:

1. Kansas City, MO
2. Tigard, OR
3. Seattle, WA
4. Boston, MA

Four TV shows I love to watch:)

1. Ugly Betty
2 Friday Night Lights
3. Boston Legal
4. Rescue Me

Four places I have been on vacation:

1 Anchorage, AK
2. Chicago, IL
3. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
4. Iowa City, IA
(Iowa City is much cooler than you'd think)


Four of my favorite foods:

1. Chocolate chip cookies
2. French Fries
3 Pizza (only the kind I can get in NJ and NY, though)
4. Brie
(Gee, I wonder why I can't lose weight)

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Exploring Ireland with Hot Guy
2. DisneyWorld with Hot Guy and kids
3. getting a massage, facial and pedicure at Nemacolin in Pennsylvania
4. at a Chiefs game with my KC friends

The "How well do you know me?" Meme

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not really, though my middle name is my mother's maiden name.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Um, er, sometime last week when I had PMS? I don't really remember.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It works.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? I have a little girl who will be three in December and a little boy who is nineteen months old.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Wouldn't that depend on what other person I was?

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Depends on what you mean by "a lot".

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Only to save the lives of my family. Or for a couple million dollars.


10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? The only cereal I will eat is Rice Krispies.


11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Probably emotionally or mentally, but not physically.

13. WHAT IS YOUR Favorite ICE CREAM ? Vanilla Fudge.


14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Whether they laugh when I think I'm being funny.

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My stomach.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? The whole KC crew.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I think it would great if all my blogging friends trotted this out when they were too brain-dead to write a real post.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? dark gray sweats and no shoes.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? An English muffin and a banana


21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? An episode of Franklin on Noggin


22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? purple


23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Chocolate chip cookies and the kids' hair.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Hot Guy

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? NFL football (Go Chiefs!), college football (Go Penn State!), college hockey (Go BU!) and women's soccer.

27. HAIR COLOR? My roots are medium brown.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? See the "Four" Meme above

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Lots of humor with a happy ending.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Sword and the Stone.

33. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer

34. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

35. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate lava cake.

36. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Whatever blogger gets sick next?

37. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? All the lurkers!

38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? I just finished a Margaret Maron mystery, I might start "The Valley of the Dolls" so I finally know what people have been referring to for years.

39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? The Roadrunner logo from our old cable company.

40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Flip That House.

41. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My kids laughing or saying "I love you", the ocean and Led Zeppelin songs on the radio.

42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? DEFINITELY Rolling Stones

43. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Alaska or maybe Sweden? I don't know which is farther.

44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I think all talents are special. :P

45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Englewood, New Jersey

46. SHOE SIZE? 7.5

47. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Pepsi

48. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD? The Wiggles. (because I like it)

49. DO YOU KEEP A JOURNAL? I used to but I haven't as much since I started blogging.

50. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Christmas and my birthday (So? I like presents!)

51. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyone’s!

A Post From Hubby

Technically, you can find me on MySpace. (Go ahead and be my friend, though, because you can never have too many friends on MySpace) I don't spend a lot of time there. But Hot Guy keeps in touch with a lot of his friends and fans that way. Apparently after filling out survey after survey, sent by well-meaning (but none too mature) friends, Hot Guy lost it.

I'm not going to repost the whole (100 item long! Who has time for that?) survey, but I am going to repost some highlights, complete with Hot Guy's answers. Because even though he doesn't know where the hamper is (or his keys, or the extra diapers, or - ack, nevermind, that's another post), he makes me laugh like nobody else.

14] What did you say last?
Eviscerate the proletariat!

35] When's your birthday?
when I was born- DUH

42] AIM or MSN?
How about WTF? Ever use that one?

55] What type of person do you usually fall for?
one with a hidden pit- dammit...

60] Did you take a nap today?
NO- IT IS WRONG TO TAKE FROM OTHERS! shame...

66] Could you handle being in the military?
Heh- I handle the military every day- miss you SGT Jenkins!*kisses*

69] Last time you went to the gym or worked out?
Well, Gym and I worked out the M theory of time/space continuum and we failed to find the Hawking paradox juxtaposed with what Einstein theorized. But we are gonna snort opium and try again Tuesday. I like cherries!


70] How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Pairs? The math is too difficult- what, do you think I am?--- into quantum physics or something? FUCK!

72] Ever been to Las Vegas?
Well, uh, she said I found it a couple times...

73] What are you doing today?
finishing my dissertation

78] Do you have a favorite cartoon character?
Burt Reynolds

80] How's the weather?
FUCK YOU TALL-HATER!

81] Do you e-mail?
***I cannot even find a bullshit, idiot, mindless rum-induced response to the idiocy of whomever wrote this fucking infantile question ON AN E-MAIL/FRIENDSPACE COMMENT!***

Now I'm really hoping someone sends me a survey. If you've got one, e-mail me. And if you have any hostile answers to add, please share!

C'mon, You Know You Want To

I couldn't think of anything to blog about. . .I lie. I couldn't think of anything I wanted to blog about so I decided to read other people's blogs. Fortunately, I found this on BlogHore, Goddess bless her.

I too will not tag anybody, but if you are interested (or feeling lazy), please do it and let me know about it!


1. Are you taller than your mom?

No, I'm 5'2. I'm only taller than the Roloffs. (That's the family on Little People, Big World).

2. What color is your car?
Red.

3. What is the closest thing to you that is red?
The pen sitting next to the laptop.

4. What is your ringtone?
It depends on who's calling me - it can be Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll, one of the songs from Rent or the Muppets' theme.

5. Are you sick?
Only when I think about the President and his cronies.

6. What color is your favorite pillow?
My pillows are all white and I change the cases regularly so I have no idea - it could be purple, lavender or green right now.

7.What is your favorite video game?
Does NTN Trivia count? If not, I'll say Madden football - at least I've played it within the last ten years.

8. Had a nap today?
No.

9. Gold or Silver?
White Gold.

10.Is there an animal that creeps you out?
A lot of animals creep me out. Worms are the worst, though.

11.Who was the last person you rode an elevator with?
My kids - they're the only ones I ever ride with. The double stroller repels other riders.

12. Did you go iceskating as a kid?
Not successfully.

13. Ever have stitches?
Yes, my shoulder when I had a mole removed and some when I stepped on broken glass. Oh, and those ENORMOUS STAPLES I got for two c-sections - those count, don't they?

14. Favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Diet Pepsi.

15. How long ago did you kiss someone?
This morning.

16. What's something you want to do before you die?
Drink wine with my grandchildren. In Italy.

17. Have you ever caught something on fire?
Yes.

18. Have you ever seen a ghost?
I've been around them, but never seen them.

19.Have you ever seen the northern lights?
No, but I will.

20. Do you know how to use chop sticks?
In theory.

21. Name something good that happened today.
Ironflower cooperated while I did her ponytails and Lovebug cooperated while I brushed his teeth.

22. What room are you in?
My kitchen.

23. Are you worried about something you can't control?
Of course.

24. Do you take daily medications?
Only vitamins and allergy meds.

25. Ever been in a fight?
Not a physical one.

26. Are you wearing nailpolish?
Only on my toes.

27. Favorite color?
Purple, green and black.

28. Innie or Outie?
Innie
29. Ever used a Ouija board?
One of my favorite activities in sixth grade.

30. Sweet or Sour?
Sweet.
31. Sun or Moon?
Sun.

32. What shoes did you wear today?
Black Merrell flipflops.

33. Favorite eye color of the opposite sex?
Blue.

34. Most important quality in any relationship?
Respect.

35. Favorite zombie movie?
Shaun of the Dead

36 Time of day you were born?
Morning - around 8am, I think.

37. Do you know your blood type?
A positive. I never knew it until I got pregnant.

38. What would you spend 5000 dollars on right now if you were handed it?
Bills, savings and one fantastic night out.

39. Name something annoying in public transit?
The other people.

40. Did you grow up in the city or country?
Suburbs. Definitely more city than country.

41. Would you ever consider going on a reality tv show if offered a large sum of money?
Well, I actually want to go on What Not To Wear. . .other than that, probably not.

42. Have you flown in your dreams?
Many, many times.
43. Hugs or kisses?
Hugs.
44. You have 10 dollars to spend in the dollar store..what do you get?
Toys for the kids.

45. Slurpee flavor?
I don't like Slurpees, I'd much rather have a Big Gulp.