I was tagged by pianomomsicle from her blog.
The Rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Hmmm, this seems a little familiar. That's okay, I can come up with many more things about me! Here we go:
1. Whenever I get back from Europe, I'm astounded at how much bigger everything is here, especially cars and roads, and I bemoan the fact that American suburbia is completely pedestrian unfriendly. I live about 1/8 mile from a Jewell-Osco, but it's a really ugly walk.
2. I have very sensitive hearing. I had suspected it for many years, but then I had my hearing tested once during college, and it was confirmed. There's a scale from 0-100 for different types of sounds, 0 being perfect hearing and 100 being profoundly deaf. Most people are in the 20-40 range for most areas of the test--I hovered around the 5 mark. Since I'm not an audiologist, I can't elaborate any further. But seriously, be impressed by my hearing. Anywho, that means TVs can drive me batty and there are certain rooms in museums that I can't linger in because the security devices emit high-pitched noises. And the family joke is, I can hear my brother breathing in his bedroom when I'm downstairs in the family room on the opposite end of the house. Har har.
3. I will try any type of food, and I will probably like it. Notable exceptions: cilantro and truffles (the fungus, not the chocolate). GAG!
4. I have an abnormal uterus. You can read all about it in my other blog. (Disclaimer: unless things like uteri and fertility specifically interest you, you probably don't want to read my other blog. This doesn't offend me.)
5. I miss Erich. :( This isn't weird or random, but it's true right now. He's in Spain until Sunday.
6. I'm a little bit addicted to FreeCell. I'm going through all the games in order (I'm on #358 out of a million, so I'm, like, halfway there, right?). I even recently got Erich, who is not the obsessive type, on board and he plays it a lot now too. I'm kinda proud of that fact. Of course, I know it's only a matter of time before he gets much better at it than me and I won't be so proud any more.
7. I can and have watched HGTV for hours and hours on end. First of all, they have a great logical flow to their programming. Second, they employ blatant TRICKERY wherein the end of one show leads into the beginning of next without a break and before you know it, you're hooked in for another half-hour. It's inspiring though: sometime soon I shall post nice touches I've added to my domicile, thanks in part to HGTV. And also, I want a new house.
I'm going to break the last two rules of this meme. If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged. The end!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Spain!
Well, Erich and I are off to Bilbao, Spain today. He's going for work, and I'm going because I can. I'm really looking forward to it, but I haven't done a lot to prepare. I plan on reading the guidebooks on the way there. This will be my fourth time in Europe, and it's starting to feel just slightly routine. Looking back, I'm really proud of my international travels, and I owe it all to my extremely generous and supportive parents. Thanks, Mom and Dad!
My first time overseas was two and a half weeks in France during my senior year of high school. I stayed with a family (their daughter had stayed with my family a few weeks before), and it was such a wonderful experience. I was in a suburb of Paris and my school group went in to the city at least six full days, I think, often with some free time for us to explore. It was my first time really getting to know a city, and I may still be able to say that I know Paris better than I know Chicago. During that trip, we also toured Chateau country. I lived the French life and had some wonderful, home-cooked French and Vietnamese food (my French mom was Vietnamese), and needless to say, my French language skills improved by leaps and bounds in those few weeks.
The exchange program got me totally hooked on Europe. I felt certain I would return in college. I knew Valpo had many overseas programs, and in the beginning I thought most seriously about the study center in Cambridge, England but gradually forgot about it. During my sophomore year, one of my friends mentioned going to Reutlingen, Germany and I immediately got very excited. I knew I had to go. Within a few weeks I applied and was accepted to spend the following fall semester in Reutlingen. For sixteen weeks, I had classes four days a week, traveled around the continent most weekends on a Eurail pass, took organ lessons at a school for church music in a neighboring town, and lived the college life...in Germany! The whole experience had its challenges, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
The following spring semester, I was fortunate enough to travel to Germany again with my college choir, the VU Chorale. Not only did I get to return so soon to the country I had gotten to know and like, but I also got to sing with a phenomenal choir in some really significant and beautiful places, including Thomaskirche in Leipzig (the church of J.S. Bach), the Schlosskirche (a.k.a. Castle Church, a.k.a. place of Luther's 95 Theses) in Wittenberg, and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche in Berlin. And this really awesome and cute guy from Valpo in the Reutlingen program came up to hear us sing and I hung out with him. He, sadly, had a girlfriend, but I still ended up marrying him. :)
Yes, I have been very fortunate in my travels. I'm so happy to be going to Europe again. I've never been to Spain and I don't know any Spanish, and because of my past experiences, that doesn't make me nervous in the least. I can't wait to experience Bilbao and write all about it when I get back!
My first time overseas was two and a half weeks in France during my senior year of high school. I stayed with a family (their daughter had stayed with my family a few weeks before), and it was such a wonderful experience. I was in a suburb of Paris and my school group went in to the city at least six full days, I think, often with some free time for us to explore. It was my first time really getting to know a city, and I may still be able to say that I know Paris better than I know Chicago. During that trip, we also toured Chateau country. I lived the French life and had some wonderful, home-cooked French and Vietnamese food (my French mom was Vietnamese), and needless to say, my French language skills improved by leaps and bounds in those few weeks.
The exchange program got me totally hooked on Europe. I felt certain I would return in college. I knew Valpo had many overseas programs, and in the beginning I thought most seriously about the study center in Cambridge, England but gradually forgot about it. During my sophomore year, one of my friends mentioned going to Reutlingen, Germany and I immediately got very excited. I knew I had to go. Within a few weeks I applied and was accepted to spend the following fall semester in Reutlingen. For sixteen weeks, I had classes four days a week, traveled around the continent most weekends on a Eurail pass, took organ lessons at a school for church music in a neighboring town, and lived the college life...in Germany! The whole experience had its challenges, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
The following spring semester, I was fortunate enough to travel to Germany again with my college choir, the VU Chorale. Not only did I get to return so soon to the country I had gotten to know and like, but I also got to sing with a phenomenal choir in some really significant and beautiful places, including Thomaskirche in Leipzig (the church of J.S. Bach), the Schlosskirche (a.k.a. Castle Church, a.k.a. place of Luther's 95 Theses) in Wittenberg, and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche in Berlin. And this really awesome and cute guy from Valpo in the Reutlingen program came up to hear us sing and I hung out with him. He, sadly, had a girlfriend, but I still ended up marrying him. :)
Yes, I have been very fortunate in my travels. I'm so happy to be going to Europe again. I've never been to Spain and I don't know any Spanish, and because of my past experiences, that doesn't make me nervous in the least. I can't wait to experience Bilbao and write all about it when I get back!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Cold
I appreciate the change of seasons. I believe I probably appreciate summer more because of winter's existence. I love spring when it's just budding and blooming, that warm wave in the air that wakes up the grass. (I always say I can smell the photosynthesis and it's fantastic. Erich wants to find some way to prove whether what I'm smelling is actually photosynthesis.) I like summer when I can wear skirts and flip flops all the time. I like the crisp air of autumn when the leaves are changing. I even like snow, when it's pretty and sparkly around Christmastime, before it turns into disgusting mounds of icy dirt. I'm a born and raised Midwesterner and this is "my" climate.
BUT
Even though I've always felt a bit down in February and March (and even, most years, April) when winter is supposed to be fading and then gone but isn't, I'm starting to really, seriously feel like I want to move somewhere warmer. Exactly a year ago, Erich and I were in San Diego and it was the best place ever, climate-wise. And don't even get me started on Hawaii. I wouldn't need hideous mountains of ancient snow to help me appreciate the natural beauty of that great state. I could certainly handle living in Texas or Florida, or somewhere southern where winter is chilly and not horrendous.
Just, please, get me away from the kind of place where the temperatures drop below freezing in early December and stay that way and it snows on St. Patrick's Day. And if we could arrange it so I could still see my family all the time, I'd be set.
BUT
Even though I've always felt a bit down in February and March (and even, most years, April) when winter is supposed to be fading and then gone but isn't, I'm starting to really, seriously feel like I want to move somewhere warmer. Exactly a year ago, Erich and I were in San Diego and it was the best place ever, climate-wise. And don't even get me started on Hawaii. I wouldn't need hideous mountains of ancient snow to help me appreciate the natural beauty of that great state. I could certainly handle living in Texas or Florida, or somewhere southern where winter is chilly and not horrendous.
Just, please, get me away from the kind of place where the temperatures drop below freezing in early December and stay that way and it snows on St. Patrick's Day. And if we could arrange it so I could still see my family all the time, I'd be set.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Garfield
Here's another item I feel compelled to "blog it like it's hot," compliments of my friend George.
Remember when Garfield was funny? Neither do I. Actually, I loved Garfield when I was little and actually collected the books for a long time. But I was about 10 when the humor peaked for me. Now, I find it hard to believe it's still in print. There's nothing to the strip but recycled, bad jokes! But if you take out Garfield himself, you gain insight into the lonely, crazy weirdo that is Jon Arbuckle. Check out this blog: http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/
Garfield is funny again!
Remember when Garfield was funny? Neither do I. Actually, I loved Garfield when I was little and actually collected the books for a long time. But I was about 10 when the humor peaked for me. Now, I find it hard to believe it's still in print. There's nothing to the strip but recycled, bad jokes! But if you take out Garfield himself, you gain insight into the lonely, crazy weirdo that is Jon Arbuckle. Check out this blog: http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/
Garfield is funny again!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Chuck Norris
For the first time, like, ever, Erich has requested I blog something. He found this on PC World:
Dig This: Need a chuckle? Follow these steps: go to Google; enter "find chuck norris" without the quotes; click "I'm Feeling Lucky."
Do it. It's hilarious.
Dig This: Need a chuckle? Follow these steps: go to Google; enter "find chuck norris" without the quotes; click "I'm Feeling Lucky."
Do it. It's hilarious.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Meme
1. Go to photobucket.com
2. Type in your answer for each question into the PhotoBucket search bar.
3. Choose your favorite photo to represent your answer.
4. Copy the html and paste it here.
5. Answer only in picture form.
1. What is your first name?
2. When is your birthday?
3. What kind of car do you want?
4. Where did/do you go to school?
5. What is your favorite season?
6. What is your favorite type of shoe?
7. What is your status?
8. What is your favorite movie?
9. What is your favorite song? [actual favorite song has nothing to do with basketball]
10. Who is your favorite Disney character?
11. What is your favorite clothing line?
12. What is your favorite vacation destination?
13. What is your favorite dessert?
14. What is your favorite letter?
15. What are you most afraid of?
16. What is your favorite TV show?
17. What annoys you the most?
18. What is your job?
19. What's your favorite animal?
20. How old are you?
2. Type in your answer for each question into the PhotoBucket search bar.
3. Choose your favorite photo to represent your answer.
4. Copy the html and paste it here.
5. Answer only in picture form.
1. What is your first name?
2. When is your birthday?
3. What kind of car do you want?
4. Where did/do you go to school?
5. What is your favorite season?
6. What is your favorite type of shoe?
7. What is your status?
8. What is your favorite movie?
9. What is your favorite song? [actual favorite song has nothing to do with basketball]
10. Who is your favorite Disney character?
11. What is your favorite clothing line?
12. What is your favorite vacation destination?
13. What is your favorite dessert?
14. What is your favorite letter?
15. What are you most afraid of?
16. What is your favorite TV show?
17. What annoys you the most?
18. What is your job?
19. What's your favorite animal?
20. How old are you?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Xanadu
So, Losties, did you catch Hurley's reference to Xanadu in tonight's episode (don't worry, no spoilers)? I'm sure the writers just threw it in for fun because this movie is hilariously horrible.
I haven't seen it, but I learned about it from Entertainment Weekly when the Broadway musical was in production a few months ago. Apparently, it was a flop of a movie hoping to capitalize on Olivia Newton-John's popularity from Grease. Basically, Olivia Newton-John is a Greek muse who inspires some dude to open a roller disco. And also, they fall in love.
The music and the badness of the movie was enough to establish a pretty strong cult following. And now, through the magic of YouTube, we can see what I only assume is the movie in a nutshell, the final scene.
I'd say this video clip is eight minutes of your life well-wasted. Enjoy.
I haven't seen it, but I learned about it from Entertainment Weekly when the Broadway musical was in production a few months ago. Apparently, it was a flop of a movie hoping to capitalize on Olivia Newton-John's popularity from Grease. Basically, Olivia Newton-John is a Greek muse who inspires some dude to open a roller disco. And also, they fall in love.
The music and the badness of the movie was enough to establish a pretty strong cult following. And now, through the magic of YouTube, we can see what I only assume is the movie in a nutshell, the final scene.
I'd say this video clip is eight minutes of your life well-wasted. Enjoy.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
New blog
I've created a new blog dedicated to all things related to miscarriage, fertility, uterine anomalies, and other such topics that have been newly introduced to our lives. It can be found here: http://readyforparenthood.blogspot.com/
This blog will continue as it has and will not focus on the above-mentioned topics. If you're interested in our journey toward parenthood, feel free to add my new blog to your RSS reader of choice!
This blog will continue as it has and will not focus on the above-mentioned topics. If you're interested in our journey toward parenthood, feel free to add my new blog to your RSS reader of choice!
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