Friday, October 01, 2004

100 things about me

What the hell, here goes, the obligatory "100 things about me" meme. At least it serves a purpose, this will replace a large part of the personal information in the sidebar, to streamline the blog a little. Hopefully I will learn a little bit more about myself in the process.

Edit, 8/1/06 - Updated version here.
  1. I live in the general vicinity of Huntsville, in Northern Alabama
  2. I was born in Seymour, Indiana, John Cougar Mellencamp's "Small Town"
  3. I'm 6 feet 1 inch tall, and weigh, well, a little more than I should, but not much
  4. I have greenish-hazel eyes
  5. My hair is shoulder length, wavy, and light brown/red/blonde, depending on the light and how much it's bleached out by the sun
  6. I have a wonderful husband, who is more understanding of me than anyone in this world, including myself
  7. We were separated for 18 months when we stopped being friends, and I didn't think he was so wonderful
  8. I didn't think I was so wonderful during that time, either
  9. I have a little sister, 2 1/2 years younger than I, who lives in Indiana, with her husband and their two boys
  10. My parents live on the family farm, in Indiana
  11. My closest relatives, aside from my husband, are 300 miles away, in Indiana
  12. I have only a few close friends, who mean more to me than they know
  13. I have 3 cats living in my house
  14. My parents have my other cat
  15. There is also a squirrel and a fish living here
  16. And my brother-in-law (husband's brother), and his 2 cats
  17. I have a degree in studio art
  18. Graphic design is the best way to have an art degree and still be able to eat
  19. I taught myself everything I know about HTML and JavaScript
  20. I tend to hand-code websites, rather than let a WYSIWYG editor screw up the code
  21. I'm not happy unless the code looks good, too
  22. I've had my degree for 4 years now
  23. I've been an EMT for 10 years
  24. I'm specially trained in vehicle extrication - using the "Jaws of Life"TM
  25. I've been doing that for 9 years
  26. I can't remember how many people I've seen die
  27. The one that haunts me to this day is the 14 year old boy who looked into my eyes and then died on the stretcher in front of me, and there was nothing I could do. That was 7 years ago
  28. There really wasn't anything anyone could have done for him. His injuries from the vehicle wreck were too severe
  29. Insomnia sucks
  30. I love the rain
  31. Storms are one of nature's most beautiful and powerful events, which I respect for their destructive, but not fear
  32. I am a National Weather Service trained storm spotter, which gives me an excuse to admire the beauty of a storm, while serving the greater good, should it turn severe
  33. I believe in helping people for the sake of helping
  34. I don't do it because The Church tells me I have to
  35. I believe that everyone perceives the Divine differently, and cultures give him/her/it different names - God, Jehovah, Allah, Shiva, Budda, The Great Spirit. All beliefs are valid, and everyone should be allowed to worship in his or her own way, with certain restrictions, without fear of repercussion
  36. Those restrictions include no cruelty to animals or humans; nothing that endangers a minor (handling of dangerous animals, consumption of drugs); displays of public lewdness; other things that are currently covered by U.S. law
  37. I believe civil unions between homosexuals should be allowed
  38. I think there are abilities that some people have that cannot be explained by science. Call it psychic powers, magick, or whatever you want, it does exist.
  39. My favorite colors are green and purple
  40. I love to bum around the house in my pajamas
  41. I've worn my pajamas to the store
  42. Memory foam matress toppers are wonderful
  43. I have Crohn's Disease and Ankylosing Spondylitis, both of which are autoimmune disorders
  44. I've learned to adapt to both, since I've had the CD for 19 years and the AS probably for about 14 years - AS is harder to diagnose, so it was misdiagnosed for several years as simple arthritis
  45. I take a metric assload of drugs to keep both under control. In EMS we refer to folks like me as taking the WFP
  46. I have a twisted sense of humor
  47. It's taken me about 17 years to accept that I can't do everything I want, that I have limits, and to allow myself to be taken care of when I need to be
  48. I'm a better patient for the doctors and nurses at the office or hospital than I am to my family or friends who are healthcare workers
  49. My regular physician is also a part-time ER doc, so he tells me to stop being a patient, and to stop bringing him patients
  50. I am an INTP
  51. I am a genius, and could join MENSA, if I really wanted to
  52. I do know some rocket science
  53. I often get so involved in what I'm doing that I forget about my own physical needs - eating, drinking, sleeping
  54. I'm glad breathing is automatic because of that
  55. I do loose track of time, not just hours but days at a time
  56. I grew up on a 80+ acre farm
  57. I can knit, crochet, cross-stitch, embroider, sew, spin, and weave
  58. I also can grow a sucessful vegetable garden, and I am able to can, dehydrate, and pickle foods I grow
  59. I can milk a cow, sheep, or goat, make butter, butcher meat, make sausages, bake bread, make pasta, and do about anything else in the kitchen, completely from scratch
  60. I choose not to usually, because it's so much faster to use partially prepared foods
  61. Unless I'm bored, then baking is a great way to pass a few hours, and exercise my arms
  62. I'm mostly of German descent, with some Swiss and Scotch-Irish thrown in for good measure
  63. One of my ultimate comfort foods is chicken and spatzle
  64. Latkes and sour cream is another, which I don't make often enough, from scratch
  65. My other ultimate comfort food is mac and cheese
  66. I'm addicted to sushi
  67. I will try almost anything once
  68. I thoroughly enjoy a cup of fresh brewed coffee made from just-ground beans, with just a touch of cream
  69. Coffee gives me migraines
  70. I can't speak or write German, and can read only a little bit of it
  71. Ditto with Latin, Italian, and Greek
  72. I do read, write, and speak French
  73. If I try to speak Spanish, it comes out this weird concoction of French-Italian-Latin-Spanglish
  74. I learned to read Latin, Italian, and Greek from studying Art History
  75. I speak feline fluently, and cats know this
  76. Dogs aren't my favorite animal, but I won't turn away one in need of help either
  77. I really don't like heights
  78. I can grit my teeth and work at heights, if necessary, and have had to do so as an EMT
  79. Painting is something that helps me stay focused on what is important in life
  80. I don't paint nearly often enough
  81. You're still reading this? You must be more bored than I am
  82. My favorite place in the entire world is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  83. That is the one place where I can always feel at peace, regardless of what is going on in my life
  84. I came very close to saying "fuck it all" one weekend, quitting my job, and staying in Tennessee, just so I could be in the mountains every day. It didn't matter that it meant I would have been living out of my tent in the campground for a few weeks until I got another job, apartment, etc.
  85. I had actually looked for places that would hire me in the area that weekend, including the National Park Service
  86. I get destructive when I get depressed, which is why I love vehicle rescue - I can tear a car to pieces and still help a patient
  87. I really need to get back to the mountains, 6 months is too long to be away
  88. I enjoy camping, being close to nature
  89. I will camp during any season, in a tent
  90. I have camped anytime from late February through late October, and ridden out severe and tornadic thunderstorms in my tent
  91. The one time I left the campground, my tent was blown over during the storm. Everything inside remained dry. I really like that tent.
  92. I love reading sci-fi and fantasy stories, including J. R. R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert's Dune series, Anne McCaffery's Pern series and The Ship Who... series, Sharon Shinn, Stephen Lawhead, and Orson Scott Card's Tales of Alvin Maker (it's set in magical frontier Indiana, describing places I grew up near) to name a few
  93. Some of my favorite movies include the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Hannibal Lecter trilogy, Moulin Rouge, Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, Labrynth, The Dark Crystal
  94. CSI, CSI Miami, CSI NY, MI-5, Rescue Me, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Farscape are the only TV shows I watch. Well, and the Weather Channel.
  95. Have I mentioned insomnia sucks?
  96. Some of my favorite singers/songwriters are Peter Gabriel, Billy Joel, Elton John, Evanescence, U2, Queen, and Sisters of Mercy
  97. I like to write poetry, and sometimes I even think it's pretty good, so it gets posted here, where I inflict it upon the world at large
  98. I am my worst critic
  99. I need to not over-analyize my artwork as much, and just create it, accept not everything will be a masterpiece
  100. My email signature, which has been one of my favorite quotes for quite a long time.

    All that is gold does not glitter
    Not all those who wander are lost;
    The old that is strong does not wither
    Deep roots are not reached by the frost

    - Gandalf the Grey
    Fellowship of the Ring, J. R. R. Tolkien
  101. I really should be asleep right now, but of course, the insomnia has kicked in again.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tom here:

Actually, she flatters me greatly above. I haven't always been so wonderful; our seperation was motivated by very real issues that we've had to work through, many of which were very much my fault. As with so many things, it has demanded patience and love...

Scott said...

Thanks for sharing. Yes, I'm bored, it is 0232. Have you read Frank Herberts', son's Dune novels? He cheated, hired a writer, but they are very good and wrap up the whole series rather nicely. Recommend you start at the beginning, with the second prequels.

Scraping up people sucks, even though the jaws are a blast, they never made up for it, for me.

Scott

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