19 Random Things about Me

These are all true statements.

1. The words 'left' and 'right' confuse me, but I am very, very good at directions and navigating. It's called "Left-Right Dyslexia" and, no, you're not going to be able to teach me any mnemonics that will help me remember. The best ways to communicate directions with me are (A) pointing, (B) drawing arrows on your written directions, (C) show me on a map or draw a map for me, or (D) use the cardinal directions.
2. I am a sucker for weddings. I love them. But I'd not want to relive my own wedding day...once was enough for that much pressure!
3. I like murder mysteries. Law & Order, Columbo, Monk, etc. I also like to read Agatha Christie and watch David Suchet portray Poirot. However, I think that watching the Miss Marple mysteries (as opposed to reading them) is dull.
4. I didn't get my drivers' license till I was 17. No reason...I just didn't do it. The first place I drove alone? Yes, the library.
5. I do not like mechanical pencils. The leads break, or they run out of lead, or the lead slips back into the pencil just when you get going with your math homework...also, the lead smudges on my hand a lot. I don't like that! I'd rather have a regular, dependable, old-fashioned pencil any day. In fact, I think I was the only person in my Algebra II class AND my Advanced Math class to have normal pencils instead of mechanical pencils.
6. I am pretty picky with my writing utensils. Right now I am using extra-fine point Sharpies, but I go through cycles. I recently came out of a 4-year love affair with Pilot G2 Gel pens (the only gel pens that work consistently with my left-handedness). I don't really like ball-point pens (they call them 'ink pens' down here in the South), but if I must, I like blue Papermate pens. All the other pens (A) have weenie colors instead of bold colors, (B) blot, (C) tire my hand out, or (D) make my handwriting look bad. Once I use up my new colorful extra-fine point Sharpies, I'll go back to my true pen-love, my Pilot G2 Gel pens.
7. I found myself writing memos in crayon the other day (I work at a children's museum) and didn't think anything of it till after I passed them on to the recipients. I don't feel bad because they probably didn't care either.
8. I used to read the "Words to Enrich Your Word Power" in the Readers' Digest...but then I suddenly seemed to know all the words. It was about 10th grade, I think.
9. Growing up in Colorado, I used to hate humidity, but apparently I've acclimated to it. Last summer, when Ian and I had arrived back in Georgia, I was sitting on the dock at some friends' Lake House and enjoying being warm again...and some Colorado friends that were vacationing with us were talking about the thick humidity. I hadn't even noticed it till then!
10. Everywhere I've lived (Colorado, Covenant College, Hawaii, Harrisburg PA, and Chattanooga), people have said "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes." The ONLY place that's true is Colorado.
11. I like doing dishes, especially other people's dishes.
12. I hate putting things away. My husband puts most of our dishes away and all of our laundry away. (Seriously, since I've been married, I have NEVER put laundry away.)
13. Bad grammar really bothers me. And, since Bobbo pointed something out to me, I also hate when people confuse "yea" and "yeah." One is slang for "Yes," and the other is Rennaisance-y English. Guess which is which.
14. Sitting still is really hard for me. I recently found out that my learning style is kinesthetic, which explains a lot. I need to move around while I'm learning. This explains why I take so many, many notes during lectures and sermons and why I remember what someone says if I do something while they're talking.
15. Lysol gives me migraines. I can smell it anywhere in the building it's been used in, and it'll give me a migraine.
16. I can hear the TV's high-pitched squeal. It's the sound of the tube. I can hear it even if the TV is muted, even if the picture is blank. The squeal is louder when the screen is white, so 'tv snow' sounds terrible, just cacophanous.
17. I have never broken any bones.
18. Hearing a song takes me back to the first time I heard that song or whatever season of my life that song was popular. Always.
19. My mind is really quick to process. I can always beat Ian in an argument...so we have to take frequent 'breaks' when we argue. Sometimes those issues take days to resolve, but the 'time-outs' themselves aren't fraught with stress. At least, not usually.

Another Quiz: Apparently I Need *All* the Colors

You Need Some Black in Your Life

Black will make you feel powerful, in control, and not bound to what other people think of you. And with a little black, you will project a aura of mystery, rebellion, and dominance. If you want people to respect you, you've got to get a little black in your life! For extra punch: Combine black with orange or red The downside of black: People won't be able to "read" you - and may perceive you as more aggressive than you actually are The consequences of more black in your life: You'll become a figure of intrigue and speculation You'll be better prepared for life's unknown path You'll rest better and free yourself of expectations

What Color Do You Need?

Social Role Meme

You Are the Storyteller

You have a way with words, and you love hearing yourself talk. You are at your best when you have an audience, and you can carry on a conversation with anyone. You are light hearted and fun - a natural entertainer. It's a side of you that you can't really turn off. You thrive on attention (perhaps a little too much), and you love applause. When you allow yourself to be serious, you can be a moving and articulate speaker. Your words have power, and not just the power to make people laugh.

What Role Do You Play?

Another Meme

1. Never in my life: have I eaten shrimp. I'm sorry, but when you can see the entire animal (head to crawly wiggly little toes), it's not appealing.
2. When I was five: we moved. My parents still live in that house. If I ever lose my eyesight in a tragic accident, I would have to move to that house, because I know it so well.
3. High school was: four years.
4. I will never forget: the view of the lane from the front porch at Center Hill. It curves and goes up the hill. A beautiful apple tree is in the curve.
5. Once I met: the man who would be my husband, I still had no idea I would be his wife in seven years. Trust me, if I had known...I would have run, and fast, because we were both sooooo young.
6. There’s this girl I know: who is getting married in just 2 weeks! Hooray!
7. It really annoys me when: people don't use proper punctuation. Honestly, people, how hard is it to distinguish between a comma and a semicolon, huh?
8. Once, at a bar: ...nothing. I can't remember a time I was ever in a bar. Well, this one time, I was in the Dublin Airport bar...but nothing happened. It sounds a whooooooooooooooooole lot more exotic than it was.
9. By noon, I’m usually: mostly awake!
10. Last night: we watched two episodes of the West Wing, had spaghetti for dinner (I have so much spaghetti sauce in the freezer, and as we have no money, it's "Guess what we're having for dinner, honey. Spaghetti again!"), and I embroidered. I know. We're dull like that.
11. If only I had: my dream job. My interview today got me thinking. I know, it's a dangerous thing for me to be thinking outside the box like this.
12. Next time I go to church: I will share with everyone why I am so STOKED!
13. What worries me most: is that one or both of my parents will get Alzheimer's and die before they die. Or, alternatively, that we will go to war, my husband will be called up for the draft, and right when he leaves I'll discover that I'm pregnant (with quints) and that he'll be gone for years and when he comes back (if he comes back), none of the five of them will know who he is and will cry uncontrollably at the stranger in their house. (Wow, that's a lot of fears rolled into one. At least it's irrational and I can shuck it off!)
14. When I turn my head left I see: my desk. Covered in clutter.
15. When I turn my head right I see: a blank wall. It used to have this horrible print of Robert E. Lee (previous tenants left ALL their stuff in the house and they were SuperSoutherners) which we gave to our good friends the Trygars.
16. You know I’m lying when: I don't meet your eye.
17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: not much. I don't remember the music or the hair or the ... whatever else people remember when they reminisce. I was in elementary school in the eighties. And we weren't speaking English at home yet.
18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: doing a lot of monologues!
19. By this time next year: I'll be a few months from turning thirty.
20. A better name for me would be: Krista. There is no better name. I like my name. It encapsulates me.
21. I have a hard time understanding: why liberals who are so hung up on tolerance unendingly mock Christianity. It's irrational.
22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: study Linguistics and/or English as a Second Language.
23. If I had a one-way plane ticket, it would be: not the only one! I'd have to go wherever I go with Hubby.
24. You know I like you if: I tell you about my insecurities. I like you if I trust you.
25. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: Hubby, then Mom and Dad.
26. Take my advice, never: ever let your irrational fears control you. For me, it was the Fear of Roaches. Now I can kill them--stomp them with bare feet! Hah!
27. My ideal breakfast is: Two eggs, toast, coffee, and Gin Rummy with Mom and Dad.
28. A song I love but do not have is: a Latvian choral song called "Sun, Thunder, Latvia."
29. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: (A) walk along the riverfront, have Lupi's pizza, Rembrandt's coffee, and walk the Walking Bridge, or (B) have breakfast at the Omelette Parlor on Fillmore Boulevard, drive through Garden of the Gods on the way to the Pikes Peak Toll Road, drive up Pikes Peak, take the obligatory pictures, drive down, and have late lunch trackside at Guiseppi's pizza.
30. Why won’t people: travel--people, spend a year of your life living in a city, in a state, in a region, in a country that isn't where you grew up!
31. If you spend a night at my house: you will get to sleep in. We believe in sleeping in.
32. I’d stop my wedding for: nothing! Well, maybe a tornado. Or a heart attack.
33. The world could do without: people who think their way is the only way to do everything.
34. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: eat those baby chicks like they do in the "Suvivor" eating challenge; you know, the ones that are still in the shell. Claws and beaks and feathers, oh my.
35. My favourite blonde(s) is/are: Maija, Cayleigh, Keira.
36. Paper clips are more useful than: staples.
37. If I do anything well it’s: laugh, and break the ice with strangers.
38. I can’t help but: eat. I love food!
39. I usually cry: when I'm leaving home.
40. My advice to my child/nephew/niece: try new experiences! Travel! See the world! But wherever you go, make it Priority One to systematically build yourself a support system. You've got to have supports!
41. And by the way: green is my favorite color.

6 Random Things About Me

I've read a lot of these around the last few weeks. Here's my own contribution:

1. I have really bad gross motor skills. I trip over nothing (often). I'm terrible at learning sports. And it took me a long time to figure out that I'm just not skilled in the gross-motor-skills department. I am, however, very skilled in the fine motor skills. I can sew, crochet, embroider, scrapbook, draw, sketch, and so on. It's just the big muscles that aren't so great at learning new things.
2. I concentrate better when I'm doing something else. I rarely zone out when listening to a radio show while I'm doing something else (driving, cleaning, cooking, to name a few), but when I'm in the pew listening to the sermon (or listening to the Reading of the Word, or listening to the Pastoral Prayer), I find myself tuned out and thinking about something else entirely. I do concentrate well, however, when I'm singing a Psalm or hymn (as opposed to just listening to the Reading of the Word).
3. I write with my left hand, but I'm pretty ambidextrous overall. Left-handed tasks: Batting, embroidering, eating (fork in left hand), crocheting, writing. Right-handed tasks: bowling, shooting basketballs, using the scanning gun at the cash register. Ambidextrous tasks: using the PDA at work (depends on what my other hand is doing), ironing (when I was learning to iron, the power cord was on the 'back' of the iron, making me hold the iron with my right hand even though I would have preferred to use my left hand at the time...now I can iron with either hand).
4. My favorite color used to be red, but now it's green. I like most shades of green (I hate that puke-green shade called chartreuse or celadon or something), and right now my favorite favorite favorite shade is sage green. In fact, it's been my favorite for about 5 years now.
5. My two favorite seasons are spring and fall. When I lived in Hawaii, it was perpetually summer, and my friends there told me that I'd only visit the mainland during the summer or winter and would miss out on spring and fall (I was a teacher there with only teacher friends). Moving back to the mainland was great for so many reasons, only one of which is seasons! That fall was great because I was out East where (let's face it) fall is so much more shockingly astounding then out West (more trees), because I'd missed fall from the previous year (being on Hawai'i), and because I was falling in looooove.
6. I'm a grammar nerd. I love grammar and parsing and loved my linguistics class from this semester. To that end, I present you with a nerdy grammar fact: My favorite part of speech is the preposition, but since I learned hard-core syntax theory (that's the fancy word for 'grammar'), I'm finding myself more partial to the adverb. It's so mobile, flexible, ungoverned, and surprising.

Questionnaire

• What time did you get up this morning? 9:00, then out of bed at 9:45.
• Diamonds or pearls? Pearls. Their luster and humble sheen is lovely.
• Last movie you saw in the theater? I do not remember!
• What is your favorite TV show? Haven't watched tv in a long time. TV show I miss the most: Jeopardy! Alex would tell me fun facts while I cooked dinner. Miss you, Alex!
• What did you eat for Breakfast? Coffee and orange juice with my cold medicine mixed in. Yesterday: Egg sandwiches.
• What food do you dislike? Grits. And lima beans.
• What is your favorite CD at the moment? Hmm...I've got a series of mix CD's I put together to energize me for housecleaning.
• What kind of car do you drive? Toyota Echo. It's my first car and I love it.
• Favorite sandwich? Homemade white bread with ham, bacon, lettuce, mayonnaise, cucumber, salt, pepper, and cheese. Yumm. Sometimes with Dijon mustard, too.
• What characteristics do you despise? Pretense
• Favorite item of clothing? My corduroys that fit me well. Love them.
• If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? British Isles with my husband
• What color is your bathroom? Unfortunately, it's a peachy-pink. The previous tenant painted it. It's hideous.
• Favorite brand of clothing? Eddie Bauer.
• Where would you retire? I don't know.
• Most memorable birthday? 26th--deeply in love, spending the weekend at Grandma and Granddad's--Mom and Dad were there--and so was my honey. That was the weekend they officially met him: my husband.
• Favorite sport to watch? Volleyball. Also Olympic-caliber Track and Field.
• When is your birthday? In December.
• Are you a morning or a night person? N.I.G.H.T.
• What is your shoe size? 9.5
• What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher, astronaut, mom.
• What are you today? I'm currently unemployed but I'm trying to find another teaching job after a short sabbatical.
• What is your favorite candy? Bit o' Honey.
• Your favorite flower? Rose, Carnation, Lily (the big tiger lilies). Bachelor button. Daisy. Wildflowers in Colorado. Bluebells (they are sooooo blue!). And plumeria. White plumeria.
• What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? May 26 -- Ian's school year ends.
• What are you listening to right now? Nothing
• What was the last thing you ate? Sunday potluck at my church
• Do you wish on stars? Falling stars, yes
• If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Right now I feel like I'd be a purple crayon from an off brand...when you color with it, the marks wouldn't be very vibrant and they'd be streaky and unattractive. I feel moody.
• What is your pet peeve? When people use apostrophes improperly (you don't need to use an apostrophe when pluralizing, people!)
• Last person you spoke to on the phone? Husband.
• Favorite soft drink? Coke, but I haven't had one in a looong time.
• Favorite restaurant? In the world: Giuseppe's in Colorado Springs because we all go there together; it's tradition. For everyday? Hah! Steak n' Shake, Wendy's, and Panera (though Panera is pretty expensive and I can never find a coupon).
  Hair Color? Dark blond.
• Favorite day of the year? The first day of summer vacation when you get to sleep in, the bedroom windows are open, there's a nice breeze blowing in, and you can hear the ch-ch-ch of sprinklers off in the distance. It's even more delightful now that I'm married: I get to roll to my right and bump into my most favorite person in the world.
• What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie.
• Summer or winter? Summer for barbequeing and eating al fresco; winter for fireplaces, big cups of hot chocolate, and cozy sweaters.
• Hugs or kisses? Both.
• Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
  When was the last time you cried? This morning in church.
• What is under your bed? Storage, empty suitcases-inside-suitcases, and stuff.
• Who is the friend you’ve had the longest? Mike.
• What did you do last night? Watched a movie with my husband (No Reservations...glad I only spent $1 on it at the Redbox)
• Favorite smell? Rain
• What are you afraid of? Being alone
• How many keys on your key ring? Ummmm...7 or 8?
• Favorite day of the week? Depends. Usually Sundays.
• How many states have you lived in? --Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee, Hawaii, Pennsylvania: 5
• Do you make friends easily? Yes
• How many words did spell check have to correct? None. I spell them right the first time (usually).

7 Random Things About Me

1. I'm getting better at this housewife/homemaker thing. I'm getting more purposeful about chores and planning ahead and getting ready for busy times.
2. My favorite seasons are spring and fall. Right now, it's spring.
3. I like the occasional foggy day. Something about the trees being hidden and coming slowly into view as you walk up to them is bewitching. Also, sounds are muted which adds to the bewitching nature of a foggy day.
4. With all the fuss about the Harry Potter books, I'm amazed that there isn't an actual real fuss about the His Dark Materials books. Talk about anti-religion, anti-Christianity, and anti-God! That's true heresy, there, people. Calm down about Harry and get going about something to really get upset about!
5. I don't like listening to pop radio stations in the car anymore. For me, it's either news and NPR or Christian Lite (the stations that play praise music during drive time and sermons etc. during the day).
6. I'm good at sewing, embroidery, and crocheting. And cooking. I got the gene from my grandmothers.
7. Bad grammar really annoys me. Cognitively, I get that it's not personal, but the constant barrage of bad grammar, spelling, and punctuation reallllllllly ticks me off! I used to be known as the Grammar Queen in college, and I once had a blog called Grammar Police Officer.