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.