3 Things Meme, Spinnerina Style

This made me giggle today, so worth the repost ...

I've seen this thingy here and there, and thought it might be fun to play. It just needed a new spin on it, so I made up new categories.


3 Things I Often Say Aloud

• Time to sample for Quality!
• Hey, lover.
• What's goin' on?

3 Things I Say Inside My Head

• Shut up you stupid, stupid cow.
• I could kill you with my bare hands.
• Nice fupa.

3 Things I Really Should Throw Out

• A dress I fit into in 1995 that I hope to fit into again one day. Then I'll throw it out.
• The half and half ... it's making some sort of strange grainy things in my coffee.
• My entire collection of jeans, and start over.

3 Ways I Hope I Don't Die

• Eaten by cougar or bear
• Fire / house invasion (tie)
• Drowning / sharks (tie)

3 Flavors I Can't Stand

• Caraway seeds
• Black licorice
• Chalky liquid medicines, a la Pepto

3 Yoga Positions I Can Get Into



3 Positions I Can't Get Into




3 Articles of Clothing That I Won't Wear

• Mock turtleneck
• Corduroy pants
• Spike Heels

3 Ways I Think I Make the World a Better Place

• I make people laugh
• I am kind to people who are flustered in the grocery store line
• I sing

A to Z, part 2

[A is for aspirations:]
To be a good teacher.

[B is for beauty:]
The Gregorian Chant on the radio and the hot, strong coffee.

[C is for choices:]
Living in this place.

[D is for doubts:]
Whether I can always be this patient.

[E is for envy:]
People without cellulite.

[F is for favorite food:]
At the moment, fresh tomato and mayonnaise sandwich on fresh bread.

[G is for games:]
Scattergories!!!

[H is for hopes:]
That I will always remember to pause & enjoy.

[I is for If ...]
... I have to see that 6 Flags commercial one more time, I will scream.

[J is for just once...]
... a trip to the moon might be nice.

[K is for kids:]
That could be fun.

[L is for love:]
Found unexpectedly, amazingly, right here in Blogland.

[M is for memory:]
The way the sun blazed and glistened off the frozen branches at sunrise, and I went weak at the knees from the beauty of the sight, so that I had to sit down for the cry.

[N is for never:]
done cocaine & never will.

[O is for overdo:]
melted cheese.

[P is for phobias:]
Spiders. Drowning. Fire. Face eaten by cougar.

[Q is for quotation:]
"I persist on praising not the life I lead, but that which I ought to lead. I follow it at a mighty distance, crawling."
-- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[R is for regret:]
That one thing ... lost forever.

[S is for sweets:]
Peanut Butter, Banana, & Honey Sandwich

[T is for thankful:]
for good health.

[U is for understand:]
Chemistry and physics.

[V is for vegetables:]
Edamame, sugar snap peas, summer tomatoes, eggplant, garlic from dad's garden, herbs.

[W is for worst:]
When I am joking and you don't get it.

[X is for excellence:]
Getting you to understand a difficult concept.

[Y is for yearn:]
for cool sand on my feet and the smell of October in the wild, wide ocean.

[Z is for zodiac:]
Scorpiette.

Meme Summer 2008: Material Possessions

Your turn to answer!

If you were only allowed to have 5 material possessions, what would they be? (excluding food, water, shelter)

Meme Summer 2008: Mosaic

I completely swiped this from Scarlet Hip. Thanks, girlfriend!

The concept:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, and pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab's Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

The questions:
1. What is your first name? (L)
2. What is your favorite food? right now? (cheese)
3. What high school did you go to? (NHS)
4. What is your favorite color? (green)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Johnny Depp)
6. What is your favorite drink? (coffee)
7. What is your dream vacation? (Italy)
8. What is your favorite dessert? (ice cream)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (a teacher)
10. What do you love most in life? (my sisters)
11. What is one word that describes you? (vivacious)
12. What is your flickr name? (Spinnerina!)


1. L in Regent's Park, 2. A platter full of cheese!, 3. N High School, 4. Green Womble House, 5. +[ Johnny Depp: drop dead gorgeous ]+, 6. I love coffee, especially Monday morning..., 7. Ravello , Italy, 8. Chocolate Ice Cream, 9. Still Life For Teacher, 10. three sisters, 11. Dandelion Restaurant Ceiling, 12. Young Girl Spinning wishymom

Meme Summer 2008: Soul Suckers

25 Things that are Bad for the Soul
(this meme was inspired by Daydreaming on Paper)

1. screaming
2. anger
3. resentment
4. alcohol abuse
5. bitterness
6. envy
7. greed
8. anything Goth
9. horror movies
10. angry song lyrics
11. back-stabbing
12. little white lies
13. big black lies
14. fear
15. loneliness
16. terror
17. lack of trust
18. self-loathing
19. vandalism
20. thievery
21. denial of the truth
22. ignorance
23. arrogance
24. entitlement
25. gossip

Wow, that was frighteningly easy.

Meme Summer 2008: Textures

I've decided that in order to keep my writing mind lubricated, I need to write just about every day. I have to force myself away from the endless picking up of clutter and mulching and dusting that seems to fill my days, and tickle the creative muse. I don't care if I need to rely on a prompt on a meme to help me to do so; hence, I have turned to resources such as Daydreaming on Paper to help me. Now then ... welcome to Meme Summer 2008! This festival will last the entire summer, or else as long as I feel like it.

10 Textures I Enjoy Touching

1. bowls of small, round objects


2. lotion applied to wet skin


3. eggplant and banana skins


4. hot, sun-baked concrete or Spanish tile


5. aloe leaf (and other succulents)


6. cat fur (while still on the cat ... rolling around under the couch, not so much)


7. bird feathers (while still on the bird)


8. beaded fabric


9. tree trunk


10. just-mowed lawn (touched with feet)

I'm away, so let's play Spinningories!

Scattergories style ... Your responses must begin with the first letter of your name.
I say and you think?

Famous Musician: Strauss
3 letter word: Sip
Street name: Sesame Street
Color: Sunflower
Vehicle: Subaru
TV Show: Scrubs
City: Seattle
Boy Name: Sean
Girl Name: Susan
Alcoholic Drink: Salty Chihuahua
Occupation: Surgeon
Flower: Sasanqua
Celebrity: Sonny Bono
Famous Leader: Sununu
Toy: Slinky
Animal: Snake
Food: Spaghetti
Something found in a kitchen: Spoons
Cartoon Character: Snoopy
Clothing item: Socks
Type of dessert: Souffle (of rapberry & chocolate, yum)
Reason for Being Late: Some sort of clusterfuck on I-95
Something You Throw Away: Silmy cucumbers
Something to treasure: Sapphire
Something to fear: Sanity, leaving.
Something that gives hope: Smile

[Swiped most unscrupulously from Christine.]

Spinning through the Year: a meme I am pretty sure I made up.

I've seen a meme here and there in which you have to go back in your archives & post the first sentence from the first post of each month of the year. Fun! I thought I'd adapt it and post sentences in which I mention each month; now my very own meme has been born! Yes, it has slithered forth from my creative uterus to span the Internets worldwide!!! This also gives me a chance to see how good my writing was before I stopped blogging for real (did anyone notice?) ... please go back and read some of my old stuff and rediscover why this blog is so fabu!!! And happy closing of the year to you, my cyber-lovers. ~xo, Spinnerina

* Monkey and the Spinning Wheels in January 2006 (Grab an Oar ... )

*I can’t believe random people in cars have the capacity to hurt my feelings. Today, I got the “Go ahead, go ahead, no you go, go already!” wave from somebody and I could tell from the tone of their fingers and wrist that the hand was pissed at me. It bothered me for a good long time. It’s such a gorgeous day today. I can’t even conceive of how February will feel. My feet look f-ing fabu in these shoes. (Pad Thai Meditations)

*28. In March of 2004 I drank 3 bottles of wine by myself and scared myself so much that I never want to drink again.(100 Things, or However Far I Get)

*April showers bring May flowers. Happy spring HNT! (HNT: In Bloom)

*This past May, my roommate A. (A for Anyhoo) and I battled: Wasps, Carpenter Bees, Millipedes, and Spiders. I like the hymenopterae from a distance (not so much when their stingers are engrafted in my foot), but millipedes creep me out (have you noticed that they smell?) and spiders haunt my darkest night-time imaginings. (Close Encounters of the Bird Kind)


*Teachers pretend not to like snow days, and moan about the time having to be made up in June, about the quadratic formulas that won’t get practiced today, the verbs that won't get conjugated. (Wintry Mix)


*When I started blogging in early July, my main mission was to vent out some things that needed venting. My early posts were a mish-mash of ire-filled rampages (since deleted, so don’t even look) that nobody read. (This Posting Life)

*On August 26-29 of 2005, the London Zoo presented an exhibit known as Human Zoo, in which Real! Live! Humans! were put on display in an old bear enclosure next to the reptile house. It was so ridiculous. The one good thing about HZ is that it inspired me to write 3.5 really good posts in which I pretended to be a participant. (Back to the Zoo)

*I felt like the world dropped out from under me on September 11, 2001. (The Down & Dirty Blog Frolic I: My Ass is on Fire!)

*Then when all/most of the pinkies are up, I chant, "pinkies in the air ... pinkies in the air ... now do a dance!" and we wiggle in a circle.* Now I have their attention and I can talk. To this day the students who were on my bus to Boston in October pass me in the halls and put their pinkies in the air. (School of Life II: The Bag of Tricks)

*Shopping at Macy's last Sunday was a head trip. They are playing Christmas Music. Christmas music!!!! On November 6th! Apparently, according to their customer service, by "customer request" they start the music the same time they start their holiday displays, which is now. (Pomegranate Meditations)

*My desk drawer complete with cigarettes from Uruguay that Quilting girl found in a NYC taxicab on our trip in December, then hid in my luggage to find later. (a late but very special office Supply Wednesday)

What crappy gift are you?

You Are Socks!

Cozy and warm ... but easily lost. You make a good puppet.

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

An original piece of work!

Well, I might have seen my secret crush do this on her blog ... ahem ... so? I'm busy, dammit!!!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME:

(first pet & current car)
Dr. Shitheap

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:

(fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Mint Oreo Oreo (Yeah baby! like Snoop Doggy Dogg! Like this and like that and like this and like that and like this and like that and a HUH!)

3. YOUR “FLY Girl” NAME:

(first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
S Gir (hmm, this one kinda sux)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME:

(favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Owl (Hoo!)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME:

(middle name, city where you were born)
Ning Ridgewood (Do I get to be a surrogate mom in this soap opera?)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME:

(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Girsp (I think that was a sound that Jabba the Hutt made when he ate that frog-thing)

7. SUPERHERO NAME:

(”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Lilac Java

8. NASCAR NAME:

(the first names of your grandfathers)
We don't do Nascar.

9. STRIPPER NAME:

(the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Lolita After Eight (YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:

(mother’s & father’s middle names )
I'm not playing.

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME:

(Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
McKee Minneapolis (Is that near Eden Prairie?)

12. SPY NAME:

(your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Autumn Lilac

13. CARTOON NAME:

(favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + "ie" or "y")
Nectarine Pajamy Panty (this one went straight to video)

14. HIPPY NAME:

(What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Smoothie Birch

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME:

(”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Singing Wind Tour

Like a banana! A smart one.

Your Brain is Yellow

Of all the brain types, yours is the most intellectual. You crave mental stimulation, and your thoughts tend to be very complex. Few people can tickle your IQ. Your thoughts tend to be innovative and cutting edge, though many people don't understand them. Lesser peoples bow before your stunning cerebral power. They crave to devour you as a way of absorbing your mental prowess. Your tits are amazing. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about science, architecture, spankings, and communication.

What Color Is Your Brain?

The Alphabet Meme

This is a repost (originally posted in July 2006). I like it.

I borrowed this idea from my secret lovah, but I also changed it rather drastically because some of the terms restricted me too much. Like my breasts, my ideas need to be free to bounce. Maybe this meme will spread across the internets and I will be famous!!!

I doubt.

But here it is, in all its glory!

A
Always: Trying to live my best life, my most authentic and honest life.
Average: In most ways, except for intelligence and beauty, wittiness, talent, and charm. Otherwise, I'm in the 50th percentile.
Annoyance: People who walk around with their wireless headsets on. Especially if they are talking into them. Today, on my errands, I became one of those people. I hate myself.
Age: Physical -- 37. Mental -- I'll forever be 17.

B
Best Friends: My sisters, San-San, and Elle. Fabulous girls who bring out the best in me.
Beer: Never again.
Birthday: 11.5
Boast: I can play the Bumblebee Tuna Song on the harmonica; I taught myself.

C
Crush: My favorite song by Dave Matthews. Also, Johnny Depp. Also, Jamwall and Jiggs, the bread in my SG-n-cheese sandwich.
Car: Noisy, necessary.
Candy: Not a fan. Cheesecake? Yes.
Cry: When I need to, usually into my pillow.

D
Days: Spent out of doors remind me that I am alive.
Dream: Of swimming underwater, breathing. Of flying, low to the ground, after a running start. Then crashing into a shrub.
Dare: To cross Long Island Sound in a 6' rowboat; to jump from a 40' cliff into the Ligurian Sea. To travel for weeks at a time. To fly in a hot air balloon. To go on safari. To live in Australia. One of those I will never do, and all of them I will tell my mom about long after they happened.
Drug: Of choice --- cheddar. Drugs are bad! Listen to Nancy Reagan! Never was into powders, pills & plants smoked or otherwise imbibed. Alcohol? Ask me later and I'll tell you the story again.

E
Easy: To see the positive in almost any situation.
Eggs: every day, almost. Hard boiled, on toast. No, scrambled. Oooh, with cheese & tomato.
Email: constant.
Envy: A sprite with short blond hair and a boyish body. Why is that?

F
Flavors: fresh herbs, good balsamic vinegar, sea salt.
Favorites: at the moment ... toast with jam and James Blunt. My kayak. My black sandals. Spray tan.
Flaws: Temper, venom, pride.
Finicky: about seeds. No caraway, please. Flax? Too slippery. Poppy? Maybe. Sesame!

G
Grateful: To be fully & wholly alive.
Gifts: Music, humor, the written word.
Gum: Orbit. Trident. Altoid peppermint.
Gross: The squished mouse on the road, the drowned earthworm on the asphalt. Bear smell. Dog shit.

H
Hair: I should shave it off to curb my own vanity. As if I could. It is a glorious mane.
Height: I see all your house-dust, above the places where you could reach. Also your dandruff and down your neckline to your nipples, even meaning not to.
Happiest: Near water.
Hate: Do I hate anything? Caraway seeds, but we covered that. I hate being lied to and being ignored.

I
Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's Mint Oreo, or whatever you are serving at the moment. Except bubblegum. Ew.
Instrument: Piano. Guitar. Voice. Mind.
Idols: Barbara Kingsolver. Carl Sagan. Stephen King.
Independence: Does not come easily. Value the work that went into it.

J
Jewelry: Silver mostly. Almost never a watch. Dragonfly necklace.
Jail: A great place to meet guys. A fun place to learn how to take what you're dealt. In my opinion, you've made some really big mistakes if you end up incarcerated. Easy for me to judge, living on this side of the law & my good luck.
Jenga: I really hate this game.
Jammies: 24-7. Unless I need to go out.

K
Kids: Are really cute until they are about 9.
Karaoke: Is for drunk people & people who can actually sing.
Kicks: Soccer, rugby, climbing, swimming
Kiss: Would be nice.

L
Longest ...: Night of my life --- lost in the woods in Ontario, sleeping on a granite rock, in the pouring rain.
Love: What else is there?
Life: Just this one time around. Don't f*** it up.
Lost: Something important that I thought was dispensable, at the time.

M
Milk: Icy cold, with hot fresh brownies. 2%.
Miss: Noun: My title at work ("Miss G"); verb: a daily emotion. Miss my cat, my childhood, my old house, my grandfather, my old boyfriend, my old room, a certain tree, the way the sky looked that one day.
Movies: Not as fun as they used to be because most people are assholes.
Memory: The fox that ran across the road and pounced high into the air then straight down, both paws on a mouse.

N
Nails: Short as I can stand them
No: To skydiving. I don't care if I should do it once. I will never do it. What? I'm a wuss? Fine. A wuss who loves & respects the inevitability of gravity. See how I lie on my belly and kiss the ground. Ooooh, sweet gravity. Come here & lay a big dirt smooch on me.
Name: Muthana
Never: To hang-gliding either. See above.

O
Ordinary: My expectations regarding most things.
One: The number of times I will let you hurt my feelings.
Office: The best show on TV.
Only: A word that helps me to expect less and to be patient.

P
Pet Peeves: Huge gums. Snapping gum. Cracking knuckles. Tailgaters.
Primal urge: to break something so utterly that it can never be repaired.
Personality: so much more important than anything else.
Pain: An everyday reality.

Q
Quick: to laugh, to judge, to respond, to change my mind, to smile, to think of an alternative
Quirk: I suck rocks for the salty taste.
Qualms: About staying put. About changing.
Quest: To leave a thumbprint on your life.

R
Reason to ...: forgive. That we're all just doing the best we can.
Reality TV: The bane of intelligence, and my secret pleasure. Yes, I watched every single episode of Temptation Island.
Rage: A blinding red streak that I have not seen in a very long time.
Regret: Why does this one always come up? Just one, I said.

S
Song: My body sings my soul.
Season: Autumn's first crisp chill.
Shoes: Bare toes, painted watermelon.
Silly: The child in us.

T
Time: Don't bring work home so that your time at home is your own.
Ticklish: Trained myself not to be ticklish on the bottoms of my feet because I used to lie on my stomach and read with my feet in the air; my dad would tickle them when he went by, and I liked that he did that. I didn't want to flinch.
Taste: Very Pottery Barn, very Pier 1. Also, I love toile, but don't have much in my house.
Torment: Sleeplessness. Looking at the clock, knowing I have to work in 4 .. 3 ... 2 hours.

U
Undress: The minute I get home from work, and put on my PJ pants and tank top.
Unpredictable: Most things strike me as funny, and I laugh at the wrong time.
Unfortunate: I got the job and you didn't. Doesn't mean you have to be mad at me.
Unforgettable: It started to drizzle as we walked through the rhododendrons, and you reached back through the leaves for my hand.

V
Vegetables: Anything but okra.
Virgin: Olive Oil
Vacation: Tuscany
Voice: Alto

W
Worst Habit: Sleeping too long; soaking dishes instead of just washing them already
Wish: World peace, of course. Are we almost there?
Waste: I don't like to throw things out, so I give them away.
Wander: Paralyzing fear of getting lost as I drive in the car. To desensitize myself I drive and get lost on purpose, then find my way out. I don't think it has helped much.

X
X-Rated: Porn is gross.
X-Rays: It freaks me out that you can see people's bones, and a nail in their head.
X-Men: Still waiting for the first one to get here from Blockbuster.com so that I can watch 2 and 3 and see what all the hype is about.
X-marks the spot: I hide dollars from myself in the pockets of my winter clothes, to find later.

Y
Year born: 1968
Yes: to cheese.
Yellow: and orange, two colors I don't wear.
Yearn: secret words whispered into my hair at sunset

Z
Zoo Animal: Tiger
Zodiac: Scorpio. Ain't it obvious?!?
Zealous: about Mozart. If you love him too, then you understand.
Zzzz: My bed is the best place in the world.

Because I can.

The 3-Word Meme, courtesy of my sweet & sweaty papa:

1. Where is your cell phone?
In my pants.

2. Boyfriend/girlfriend?
Might be nice.


3. Hair?
Glossy, cascading, fabulous

4. Your mother?
Funny, comforting, friend

5. Your father?
Brilliant, hilarious, orderly

6. Your favorite item(s)?
Chenille, photos, bed

7. Your dream last night?
Haunting, reminiscent, troublesome

8. Your favorite drink?
Bold dark roast

9. Your dream guy/girl?
Funny, decadent midwesterner

10. The room you are in?
Sage green, dragonflies

11. Your fear?
Big hairy spider.

12. What do you want to be in 10 years?
Teacher, healthy, writer

13. Who did you hang out with last night?
Will and Grace

14. What are you not?
apologetic of flaws

15. Are you in love?
Ask me tomorrow.

16. One of your wish list items?
Trip to Scotland

17. What time is it?
Getta fuckin' watch.

18. The last thing you did?
One hour yoga.

19. What are you wearing?
Pajama pants, tanktop

20. Your favorite book?
The Poisonwood Bible

21. The last thing you ate?
Soybeans, chicken, tea

22. Your life?
Suits me fine.

23. Your mood?
Ready to relax.

24. Your friends?
Loyal, forgiving, reliable

25. What are you thinking about right now?
Projects to grade.

26. Your car?
Shitbox, fits kayak

27. What are you doing at this moment?
Hello, pay attention!

28. Your summer?
Choir, Cape, Garden

29. Your relationship status?
Unfettered, sluttish, hopeful.

30. What is on your TV screen?
Lots of dust.

31. When is the last time you laughed?
Five, ten minutes

32. Last time you cried?
Early this morning.

33. School?
My daily joy.

34. Why did this end so abruptly?
I don't know.

The Alphabet Meme

I borrowed this idea from my secret lovah, but I also changed it rather drastically because some of the terms restricted me too much. Like my breasts, my ideas need to be free to bounce. Maybe this meme will spread across the internets and I will be famous!!!

I doubt.

But here it is, in all its glory!

A
Always: Trying to live my best life, my most authentic and honest life.
Average: In most ways, except for intelligence and beauty, wittiness, talent, and charm. Otherwise, I'm in the 50th percentile.
Annoyance: People who walk around with their wireless headsets on. Especially if they are talking into them. Today, on my errands, I became one of those people. I hate myself.
Age: Physical -- 37. Mental -- I'll forever be 17.

B
Best Friends: My sisters, San-San, and Elle. Fabulous girls who bring out the best in me.
Beer: Never again.
Birthday: 11.5
Boast: I can play the Bumblebee Tuna Song on the harmonica; I taught myself.

C
Crush: My favorite song by Dave Matthews. Also, Johnny Depp. Also, Jamwall and Jiggs, the bread in my SG-n-cheese sandwich.
Car: Noisy, necessary.
Candy: Not a fan. Cheesecake? Yes.
Cry: When I need to, usually into my pillow.

D
Days: Spent out of doors remind me that I am alive.
Dream: Of swimming underwater, breathing. Of flying, low to the ground, after a running start. Then crashing into a shrub.
Dare: To cross Long Island Sound in a 6' rowboat; to jump from a 40' cliff into the Ligurian Sea. To travel for weeks at a time. To fly in a hot air balloon. To go on safari. To live in Australia. One of those I will never do, and all of them I will tell my mom about long after they happened.
Drug: Of choice --- cheddar. Drugs are bad! Listen to Nancy Reagan! Never was into powders, pills & plants smoked or otherwise imbibed. Alcohol? Ask me later and I'll tell you the story again.

E
Easy: To see the positive in almost any situation.
Eggs: every day, almost. Hard boiled, on toast. No, scrambled. Oooh, with cheese & tomato.
Email: constant.
Envy: A sprite with short blond hair and a boyish body. Why is that?

F
Flavors: fresh herbs, good balsamic vinegar, sea salt.
Favorites: at the moment ... toast with jam and James Blunt. My kayak. My black sandals. Spray tan.
Flaws: Temper, venom, pride.
Finicky: about seeds. No caraway, please. Flax? Too slippery. Poppy? Maybe. Sesame!

G
Grateful: To be fully & wholly alive.
Gifts: Music, humor, the written word.
Gum: Orbit. Trident. Altoid peppermint.
Gross: The squished mouse on the road, the drowned earthworm on the asphalt. Bear smell. Dog shit.

H
Hair: I should shave it off to curb my own vanity. As if I could. It is a glorious mane.
Height: I see all your house-dust, above the places where you could reach. Also your dandruff and down your neckline to your nipples, even meaning not to.
Happiest: Near water.
Hate: Do I hate anything? Caraway seeds, but we covered that. I hate being lied to and being ignored.

I
Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's Mint Oreo, or whatever you are serving at the moment. Except bubblegum. Ew.
Instrument: Piano. Guitar. Voice. Mind.
Idols: Barbara Kingsolver. Carl Sagan. Stephen King.
Independence: Does not come easily. Value the work that went into it.

J
Jewelry: Silver mostly. Almost never a watch. Dragonfly necklace.
Jail: A great place to meet guys. A fun place to learn how to take what you're dealt. In my opinion, you've made some really big mistakes if you end up incarcerated. Easy for me to judge, living on this side of the law & my good luck.
Jenga: I really hate this game.
Jammies: 24-7. Unless I need to go out.

K
Kids: Are really cute until they are about 9.
Karaoke: Is for drunk people & people who can actually sing.
Kicks: Soccer, rugby, climbing, swimming
Kiss: Would be nice.

L
Longest ...: Night of my life --- lost in the woods in Ontario, sleeping on a granite rock, in the pouring rain.
Love: What else is there?
Life: Just this one time around. Don't f*** it up.
Lost: Something important that I thought was dispensable, at the time.

M
Milk: Icy cold, with hot fresh brownies. 2%.
Miss: Noun: My title at work ("Miss G"); verb: a daily emotion. Miss my cat, my childhood, my old house, my grandfather, my old boyfriend, my old room, a certain tree, the way the sky looked that one day.
Movies: Not as fun as they used to be because most people are assholes.
Memory: The fox that ran across the road and pounced high into the air then straight down, both paws on a mouse.

N
Nails: Short as I can stand them
No: To skydiving. I don't care if I should do it once. I will never do it. What? I'm a wuss? Fine. A wuss who loves & respects the inevitability of gravity. See how I lie on my belly and kiss the ground. Ooooh, sweet gravity. Come here & lay a big dirt smooch on me.
Name: Muthana
Never: To hang-gliding either. See above.

O
Ordinary: My expectations regarding most things.
One: The number of times I will let you hurt my feelings.
Office: The best show on TV.
Only: A word that helps me to expect less and to be patient.

P
Pet Peeves: Huge gums. Snapping gum. Cracking knuckles. Tailgaters.
Primal urge: to break something so utterly that it can never be repaired.
Personality: so much more important than anything else.
Pain: An everyday reality.

Q
Quick: to laugh, to judge, to respond, to change my mind, to smile, to think of an alternative
Quirk: I suck rocks for the salty taste.
Qualms: About staying put. About changing.
Quest: To leave a thumbprint on your life.

R
Reason to ...: forgive. That we're all just doing the best we can.
Reality TV: The bane of intelligence, and my secret pleasure. Yes, I watched every single episode of Temptation Island.
Rage: A blinding red streak that I have not seen in a very long time.
Regret: Why does this one always come up? Just one, I said.

S
Song: My body sings my soul.
Season: Autumn's first crisp chill.
Shoes: Bare toes, painted watermelon.
Silly: The child in us.

T
Time: Don't bring work home so that your time at home is your own.
Ticklish: Trained myself not to be ticklish on the bottoms of my feet because I used to lie on my stomach and read with my feet in the air; my dad would tickle them when he went by, and I liked that he did that. I didn't want to flinch.
Taste: Very Pottery Barn, very Pier 1. Also, I love toile, but don't have any in my house.
Torment: Sleeplessness. Looking at the clock, knowing I have to work in 4 .. 3 ... 2 hours.

U
Undress: The minute I get home from work, and put on my PJ pants and tank top.
Unpredictable: Most things strike me as funny, and I laugh at the wrong time.
Unfortunate: I got the job and you didn't. Doesn't mean you have to be mad at me.
Unforgettable: It started to drizzle as we walked through the rhododendrons, and you reached back through the leaves for my hand.

V
Vegetables: Anything but okra.
Virgin: Olive Oil
Vacation: Tuscany
Voice: Alto

W
Worst Habit: Sleeping too long; soaking dishes instead of just washing them already
Wish: World peace, of course. Are we almost there?
Waste: I don't like to throw things out, so I give them away.
Wander: Paralyzing fear of getting lost as I drive in the car. To desensitize myself I drive and get lost on purpose, then find my way out. I don't think it has helped much.

X
X-Rated: Porn is gross.
X-Rays: It freaks me out that you can see people's bones, and a nail in their head.
X-Men: Still waiting for the first one to get here from Blockbuster.com so that I can watch 2 and 3 and see what all the hype is about.
X-marks the spot: I hide dollars from myself in the pockets of my winter clothes, to find later.

Y
Year born: 1968
Yes: to cheese.
Yellow: and orange, two colors I don't wear.
Yearn: secret words whispered into my hair at sunset

Z
Zoo Animal: Tiger
Zodiac: Scorpio. Ain't it obvious?!?
Zealous: about Mozart. If you love him too, then you understand.
Zzzz: My bed is the best place in the world.

Layers of a Funyun

It's fun peeling away the layers to get to know someone. Don't you think? It's also fun to do when you are feeling creatively dry on a Wednesday. Try it!


Layer One
Name: Spinning Girl
Birthdate: November 5, 1968
Birthplace: New Jersey
Current Location: Connecticut
Eye Color: Blue-Gray
Hair Color: Blondina
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Sun Sign: Scorpiette
Innie or Outtie: Innie. But I was an outie 'til I was 10, then suddenly it popped in one day.

Layer Two
Your heritage: 100% Estonian, and damn proud of it (we are a small, but proud nation)
The shoes you wore today: Dansko clogs, in black
Your hair: Medium long
Your eyes: umm, hello, still blue-gray. What more do you want? OK, there is a brown speck in the right one.
Your weakness: Any man who gives me a dazzling smile / wasabi peas (tie)
Your fears: Drowning, Dying a childless old maid, having my face eaten by a mountain lion like that lady in the Reader’s Digest Drama in Real Life, going blind, having my legs amputated, and finding a spider at the bottom of my tropical drink.
Your perfect pizza: Mushroom, fresh tomato, and meatball
One thing you'd like to achieve: A published book / burp the alphabet (tie)

Layer Three
Your most overused phrase: What the hell?!? / Throw down your digits & we’ll parlay (tie)
Your first waking thoughts: What the hell?!? / mmmm, coffeeeee (tie)
The first features you notice in the opposite sex: Smile, eyes, butt
Your best physical feature: Hair
Your bedtime: 10:30 – 2:00 (sliding scale)
Your greatest fear: Being left in the world completely alone
Your greatest accomplishment: Getting the best job ever / Ditching my alcohol habit / Switching from Velcro to laced shoes (3-way tie)
Your most missed memory: Childhood at my grandparents’ farm

Layer Four
Pepsi or Coke: Dr. Pepper
Single or group dates: huh?
Adidas or Nike: New Balance
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Harney & Sons loose Black Tea with Apricot, brewed in a press
Chocolate or vanilla: Twist. Must I choose?
Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee.

Layer Five
Smoke: Only woodstoves
Cuss: Yes. Mostly while driving. Excerpt: You stupid f****** numb c***, don't you know what a g**d*** turn signal is?!?!?
Sing: Lots
Take a shower everyday: Nope. Alternate shower, bath, basin splashing, dust bath
Have a crush: No
Been in love: Of course
Went to college: 3 times. And finished each time, too! Yay me! Where do I hang all these things?!?
Liked high school: I think I did. Not that much, though, come to think of it.
Want to get married: Someday
Believe in yourself: Yes. or no. Do I?
Type with your fingers on the right keys: Well, My thumbs and index fingers hit all these answers correctly, right? Watching me type is like watching a piano player play Flight of the Bumblebee.
Think you're attractive: I am f***ing fabu. Also humble. I don't know; all joking aside: I am enough.
Think you're a health freak: Yeah, healthy stuff freaks me out. Seriously? OK, I will try. I eat mostly healthy things, with some splurges. I eat too much.
Get along with your parents: yes.
Play an instrument: Piano, guitar, vocal cords

Layer Six
In the past month, did you...
Drink alcohol: No
Smoke: No
Do a drug: No
Make Out: No
Go on a date: Was that a date? Oh. Then no.
Eat an entire box of Oreos: No. p.s. have you ever read those ingredients? bleah.
Eat sushi: Yes
Been on stage: No
Been dumped: No
Gone skating: No. Not on purpose, anyhow.
Made homemade cookies: No
Fall in love: No. Well ... no.
Go skinny dipping: No
Dyed your hair: No
Stolen anything: No

Layer Seven
Have you ever...
Played a game that required removal of clothing: No. A game? Not exactly, no.
If so, was it mixed company: n/a
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: yes
Been caught doing something: no
Been called a tease: Hellz no. I deliver. Ha ha! Just kidding, Mom!*
Gotten beaten up: no
Shoplifted: no
If so, did you get caught: n/a
Changed who you were to fit in: Mmmm, changed who I seemed to be, maybe.

Layer Eight
Age you hope to be married: Alive
Numbers and Names of Children: What? Children I know? I have known thousands, and I can name them all.
Describe your Dream Wedding: Barefoot on a beach, pig roast, raw bar, lobster bake, volleyball, Levi’s and white t shirts for everyone, sunset, swimming, tents.
How do you want to die: Quietly. Hopefully with no toothed predators nearby.
What do you want to be when you grow up: a teacher
What countr(ies) would you most like to visit: Italy, Estonia (again); Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Africa

Layer Nine
Number of men I have kissed: None; they were boys at the time.
Number of boyfriends you've had: one at a time.
Number of drugs taken illegally: all my drugs were prescribed by a licensed physician (in Mexico).
Number of people I could trust with my life: 4
Number of CDs that I own: 300
Number of piercings: one in each ear
Number of tattoos: none, unless you count lick-on, stick-ons, then twelve.
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: numerous
Number of scars on my body: Two
Number of things in my past that I regret: Just the one.

*psst, see me after.