1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
Car payment for the new Mazda - it's our 2nd biggest bill after rent.
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
The Melting Pot - 2 year wedding anniversary.
3. Last time you went to the movies?
I went and saw Charlie St. Cloud with Amber. ( it's strange that both times I've filled out this survey I just saw chick flicks - I rarely see those in theaters)
4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar?
Last time I got drunk was Jesse's graduation party
5. Name of your first grade teacher?
Ms. Kircher Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School (may she rest in peace)
6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Spending time with Dustin, but alas - he is asleep. (same scenario!)
7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A dentist, a nurse, a vet, or a firefighter
8. How many colleges did you attend?
1, (and if you count the 2 summer semesters I completed, I took the equivalent of 4.5 years of coursework in 4 years. blech)
9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
It fits and it's old so if I stretch it out in my sleep it's no big deal.
10. If you could move anywhere where would you go?
Closer to my job, into a nice house in a safe neighborhood.
11. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Lucky me - no alarm today! I slept in!
12. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
I should try to do some laundry tomorrow
13. Favorite type of music?
Folk hippie type stuff from the 60's
14. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
See my family and friends, photography
15. What errand/chore do you despise?
Dishes, laundry, taking out the garbage, scrubbing toilets.
16. Get up early or sleep in?
SLEEP
17. What is your favorite cartoon character?
This cat. I have watched that video so many times!
18. What do you miss most about high school?
No responsibilities and some of the people
19.What do you miss most about college?
Less deadlines than my job, walking across campus, Boulder in general is very beautiful in the fall... and I miss learning something new every day. I still learn, but not as much.
20.When did you first start feeling old?
March 2010
21.Favorite 80’s movie?
The Breakfast Club
22.Your favorite lunch meat?
Roast Beef
23.What do you get every time you go into Sam’s Club? Or Walmart?
I don't shop there for ethical reasons.
24.Beach or lake?
Beach! So romantic and beautiful!
25.Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
No.
26.Favorite guilty pleasure?
Um, hello. Chipotle. We have been over this.
27.Favorite movie you wouldn’t want anyone to find out about?
it's such a sappy movie...Pay it Forward.
28.What’s your drink?
Alcoholic = Mojito
Non Alcoholic = Diet Coke
29.Cowboys or Indians?
Cowboys
30.Cops or Robbers?
neither
31.Who from high school would you like to run into?
Anyone who reads this blog! I do stay in touch with some people, but for the most part it's ok that I've fallen out of touch with many classmates. I doubt I'll be attending any reunions.
32.What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
NPR
33.The Cosby Show or the Simpsons?
The Cosby Show
34.Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
angry words that come out and hurt people I love.
35.If you could get away with it, who would you kill?
No one. Really.
36.What famous person(s) would you like to have dinner with?
all my favorite authors around one table sharing a huge delicious meal and talking about literature
37.What famous person would you like to sleep with?
None
38.Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
No, I hope I never do - I'm not sure I actually know how... just the theory.
39.Last book you read for real?
Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer
40.Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
In the doctors office (not dentist, doctor)
41.Somewhere in California you’ve never been and would like to go?
The pacific ocean
42.What is your favorite sport to do?
It's more of a game... Bocce ball
43.What time do you go to bed?
Usually around 1 or 2
44. Have you ever been in love?
Yes!
45.Have you ever been cheated on?
No
47.Have you ever had your heart broken?
Yes
48.Have you ever broken someone's heart?
I don't know... I don't think so.
49.At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
New relationship, but not a romantic one
50.Just how OLD are you?
23
Isn't there a blessing/curse from a book that says "May you live in interesting times" ?
2.
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9.
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11.
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20.
21.
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25.
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34.
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40.
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65.
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67.
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78.
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84.
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94.
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96.
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100.
16 that I've read - some good and some bad.
Here's the top 100 books of all time "as determined from a vote by 100 noted writers from 54 countries as released by the Norwegian Book Clubs. Don Quixote was named as the top book in history but otherwise no ranking was provided" published by The Guardian:
Chinua Achebe, Nigeria, (b. 1930), Things Fall Apart
Honore de Balzac, France, (1799-1850), Old Goriot
Samuel Beckett, Ireland, (1906-1989), Trilogy: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable
Giovanni Boccaccio, Italy, (1313-1375), Decameron
Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina, (1899-1986), Collected Fictions
Albert Camus, France, (1913-1960), The Stranger
Paul Celan, Romania/France, (1920-1970), Poems.
Louis-Ferdinand Celine, France, (1894-1961), Journey to the End of the Night
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Spain, (1547-1616), Don Quixote
Anton P Chekhov, Russia, (1860-1904), Selected Stories
Joseph Conrad, England,(1857-1924), Nostromo
Charles Dickens, England, (1812-1870), Great Expectations
Denis Diderot, France, (1713-1784), Jacques the Fatalist and His Master
Alfred Doblin, Germany, (1878-1957), Berlin Alexanderplatz
Fyodor M Dostoyevsky, Russia, (1821-1881), Crime and Punishment; The Idiot; The Possessed; The Brothers Karamazov
George Eliot, England, (1819-1880), Middlemarch
Euripides, Greece, (c 480-406 BC), Medea
William Faulkner, United States, (1897-1962), Absalom, Absalom;
Gustave Flaubert, France, (1821-1880), Madame Bovary; A Sentimental Education
Federico Garcia Lorca, Spain, (1898-1936), Gypsy Ballads
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Colombia, (b. 1928),
Gilgamesh, Mesopotamia (c 1800 BC).
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany, (1749-1832), Faust
Nikolai Gogol, Russia, (1809-1852), Dead Souls
Gunter Grass, Germany, (b.1927), The Tin Drum
Joao Guimaraes Rosa, Brazil, (1880-1967), The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
Knut Hamsun, Norway, (1859-1952), Hunger.
Henrik Ibsen, Norway (1828-1906), A Doll's House
The Book of Job, Israel. (600-400 BC).
James Joyce, Ireland, (1882-1941), Ulysses
Franz Kafka, Bohemia, (1883-1924), The Complete Stories; The Trial; The Castle Bohemia
Kalidasa, India, (c. 400), The Recognition of Sakuntala
Yasunari Kawabata, Japan, (1899-1972), The Sound of the Mountain
Nikos Kazantzakis, Greece, (1883-1957), Zorba the Greek
DH Lawrence, England, (1885-1930), Sons and Lovers
Halldor K Laxness, Iceland, (1902-1998), Independent People
Giacomo Leopardi, Italy, (1798-1837), Complete Poems
Doris Lessing, England, (b.1919), The Golden Notebook
Astrid Lindgren, Sweden, (1907-2002), Pippi Longstocking
Lu Xun, China, (1881-1936), Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
Mahabharata, India, (c 500 BC).
Naguib Mahfouz, Egypt, (b. 1911), Children of Gebelawi
Thomas Mann, Germany, (1875-1955), Buddenbrook; The Magic Mountain
Herman Melville, United States, (1819-1891), Moby Dick
Michel de Montaigne, France, (1533-1592), Essays.
Elsa Morante, Italy, (1918-1985), History
Toni Morrison, United States, (b. 1931), Beloved
Shikibu Murasaki, Japan, (N/A), The Tale of Genji Genji
Robert Musil, Austria, (1880-1942), The Man Without Qualities
Vladimir Nabokov, Russia/United States, (1899-1977), Lolita
Njaals Saga, Iceland, (c 1300).
George Orwell, England, (1903-1950), 1984
Ovid, Italy, (c 43 BC), Metamorphoses
Fernando Pessoa, Portugal, (1888-1935), The Book of Disquiet
Edgar Allan Poe, United States, (1809-1849), The Complete Tales
Marcel Proust, France, (1871-1922), Remembrance of Things Past
Francois Rabelais, France, (1495-1553), Gargantua and Pantagruel
Juan Rulfo, Mexico, (1918-1986), Pedro Paramo
Jalal ad-din Rumi, Afghanistan, (1207-1273), Mathnawi
Salman Rushdie, India/Britain, (b. 1947), Midnight's Children
Sheikh Musharrif ud-din Sadi, Iran, (c 1200-1292), The Orchard
Tayeb Salih, Sudan, (b. 1929), Season of Migration to the North
Jose Saramago, Portugal, (b. 1922), Blindness
Sophocles, Greece, (496-406 BC), Oedipus the King
Stendhal, France, (1783-1842), The Red and the Black
Laurence Sterne, Ireland, (1713-1768), The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy
Italo Svevo, Italy, (1861-1928), Confessions of Zeno
Jonathan Swift, Ireland, (1667-1745), Gulliver's Travels
Leo Tolstoy, Russia, (1828-1910), War and Peace; Anna Karenina; The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories
Thousand and One Nights, India/Iran/Iraq/Egypt, (700-1500).
Valmiki, India, (c 300 BC), Ramayana
Virgil, Italy, (70-19 BC), The Aeneid
Virginia Woolf, England, (1882-1941), Mrs. Dalloway; To the Lighthouse
Marguerite Yourcenar, France, (1903-1987), Memoirs of Hadrian
13 on that list... I guess I have some reading to do! :)
GLENN BECK IS SUCH A FUCKING RACIST BIGO
ARGH!!!!
need some proof? here are just a few examples. But feel free to watch his show any time if you need more convincing.
"This president I think has exposed himself over and over again as a guy who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture....I'm not saying he doesn't like white people, I'm saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist." –on President Obama, sparking an advertiser exodus from his FOX News show, July 28, 2009
"The only [Katrina victims] we're seeing on television are the scumbags." –"The Glenn Beck Program," Sept. 9, 2005
"I have been nervous about this interview with you because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies. ... And I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way." –interviewing Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim U.S. congressman, Glen Beck's show on CNN's Headline News, Nov. 14, 2006
I'm so tired of idiots parroting his ideas around like they are gospel. Guess what, people?! Glenn Beck doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about half the time! I dont' have a problem with him because he's conservative, I have a problem with him because he makes all conservatives look as bat-shit crazy as he is. He also has the audacity to criticize other fringe right-wing nutjobs because they aren't agreeing with HIM. Who watches this asshole? GRR!
Graduated with my degree in Psychology
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Resolutions for 2009 I didn't keep either of either of them.
3. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
We spent it with family in Lincoln, NE
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, but we have a few relatives in poor health, and that makes me worried for next year.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just USA
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A promotion at work. Because I deserved this last one, was told that by the hiring manager, and was still passed over for it.
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 21, 2009. (innauguration of Barack Obama) Also August 1, 2009 ( Tim and Jenna's wedding)
8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Graduating with my bachelors
9. What was your biggest failure?
ending the year with credit card debt, even though we've been trying to completely pay them off all year.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had a majorly bad flu in September, which I think was H1N1, that was the worst of the year.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Dustin's new desktop computer, and a new roof.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Rent and credit cards
13. What song will always remind you of 2009?
nothing comes to mind
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Read, be creative, keep up with chores at home, exercise
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Stress myself out about everything, eat
16. What was your favorite TV program?
Mad Men (Season 3 was AMAZING)
17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, but one person in my life has become more difficult to get along with. My friendship with that person is waning
18. What was the best book you read?
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
19. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Wilco
20. What was your favorite film of this year?
Hardly any were good... probably Avatar.
21. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 22 this year, and I spent the day with friends!
22. What kept you sane?
Dustin. Also, reading blogs.
23. Who did you miss?
My grandma.
24. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
That together, Dustin and I can get through any challenge.
1. Have a family with Dustin
2. Travel Europe with Dustin
3. Go back to Barcelo Maya Palace for our 10 year wedding anniversary
4. Learn to bake bread
5. Figure out knitting
6. Read the complete works of Shakespeare
7. Read all of the Penguin Classic's list of "100 Classic Books You Must Read Before You Die"
8. Author a popular blog
9. Invent something
10. Learn another language
11. Learn another instrument
12. Practice Piano more
13. Compose a beautiful piece of music
14. Be an advocate for the Developmentally Disabled
15. Be an advocate for the Mentally ill
16. Live in a foreign country.
Some will be easy, some will be hard. I know I can achieve all of them, though.
Please read the transcript of Obama's speech to be delivered tomorrow and broadcast throughout America's schools. I think this is a very inspirational message of confidence. I know many people have been upset about this for a long time, but now that we know what he is planning to say, I'm not sure which part is objectionable?
Bitching and moaning aside, I am so happy right now in life, I can't even describe it. I have goals and dreams and I really feel like I'm working to achieve them. That I'm making tangible steps toward what I want for myself. Hooray! Adulthood isn't so bad after all!
On an unrelated note, I deleted my other blog (RandomRittenhouse) for a few different reasons. I plan to start a new one called Apple Blossom Time soon, but I am not quite ready.
I can't find my paints, and I really want to finish my painting... I know I hid them somewhere last time I had to quickly clean the house for company, but they're not in any of the closets, and they're not in my crafting room or anywhere I normally stash things. Not really sure why I threw that in here, but just in case anyone has ideas...
talk to you soon!
yikes. sorry.
1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
I would have to say the Qwest bill, and the reason is this: We are overpaying. We know we are overpaying. We don't feel that we have a lot of options on that subject. We're overpaying because we do not need a landline phone at all (the only calls we ever get on it are snarky telemarketers or bill collectors for someone who used to have our number), and we also do not get adequate internet service for the $60/month we are shelling out for DSL. We could switch to Comcast, but truth be told I have heard just as many bad complaints about their service as I have about Qwest, and at least we can bundle the one good part of this bill (Direct TV, who has very helpful and knowledgeble customer service) with the other two mediocre parts.
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
Depends on your definition of romantic. If you mean a fancy restaurant, then it would be my birthday. If you mean just a nice evening then it happens all the time since I graduated!
3. Last time you went to the movies?
Katie and I saw My Sister's Keeper, and it was pretty good.
4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar?
Never, although the last time I got drunk was Jesse's birthday at Lodos.
5. Name of your first grade teacher?
Ms. Kircher Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School
6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Spending time with Dustin, but alas - he is asleep.
7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A dentist, a nurse, a vet, or a firefighter
8. How many colleges did you attend?
1, (and if you count the 2 summer semesters I completed, I took the equivalent of 4.5 years of coursework in 4 years. blech)
9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
I did all the laundry in the house today, so it was clean.
10. If you could move anywhere where would you go?
I don't know... I really love Colorado so much, but I feel like I would like to live abroad for a while, possibly in England or Australia... Not that those countries have anything remotely to do with my future career goals or anything like that...*
11. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
I don't want to go to work. (and I didn't, i ditched.)
12. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
I'm not tired... I hope I don't lie here agonizing for hours.
13. Favorite type of music?
I would say alt. rock such as Wilco or Modest Mouse
14. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Hang with friends, read a good book, watch movies
15. What errand/chore do you despise?
Dishes, laundry, taking out the garbage, scrubbing toilets.
16. Get up early or sleep in?
SLEEP
17. What is your favorite cartoon character?
I'm going to have to go with Wall-E (does that count?)
18. What do you miss most about high school?
No responsibilities.
19.What do you miss most about college?
I think it's a little too soon for this question, although I do miss walking across campus.
20.When did you first start feeling old?
When I realized that teenagers and kids see me as an adult... that is so weird.
21.Favorite 80’s movie?
The Breakfast Club
22.Your favorite lunch meat?
Roast Beef
23.What do you get every time you go into Sam’s Club? Or Walmart?
I don't shop there for ethical reasons.
24.Beach or lake?
Beach! So romantic and beautiful!
25.Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
No. I have a lot more to say about this, but I'll just leave it at "No" for now.
26.Favorite guilty pleasure?
Um, hello. Chipotle. We have been over this.
27.Favorite movie you wouldn’t want anyone to find out about?
I'm going to have to say Donnie Darko - I know it creeps some people out, but I love it all the same.
28.What’s your drink?
Alcoholic = Woodchuck
Non Alcoholic = Cranberry juice
29.Cowboys or Indians?
Cowboys
30.Cops or Robbers?
Cops
31.Who from high school would you like to run into?
Anyone who reads this blog! I do stay in touch with some people, but for the most part it's ok that I've fallen out of touch with many classmates. I doubt I'll be attending any reunions.
32.What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
Alice 105.9 or NPR
33.The Cosby Show or the Simpsons?
The Cosby Show, just because I grew up watching it, but I wasn't allowed to watch The Simpsons
34.Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
I don't know... when you're young and stupid you make lots of mistakes out of selfishness. I guess I would go back in time and just make myself nicer to everyone.
35.If you could get away with it, who would you kill?
No one. Really.
36.What famous person(s) would you like to have dinner with?
Conan O'Brian, John Krasinsky, Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, Jon Stewart, Barack Obama, Kate Gosselin (yes. Don't hate me, world), Hugh Laurie (sigh!), Daniel Craig (Drool!!!), J. K. Rowling, Prince William... sounds like it would be an interesting crowd!
37.What famous person would you like to sleep with?
None
38.Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
No, I hope I never do - I'm not sure I actually know how... just the theory.
39.Last book you read for real?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - It was really really funny! Girl with a Pearl Earring - romantic but not very convincing. I still liked the story.
40.Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
In my car, driving down the highway!
41.Somewhere in California you’ve never been and would like to go?
The Grand Tetons!
42.What is your favorite sport to do?
I'm not much a sports girl... how about fishing, does that count as a sport?
43.What time do you go to bed?
Usually around 1 or 2
44. Have you ever been in love?
Yes!
45.Have you ever been cheated on?
No
47.Have you ever had your heart broken?
Yes, but then it was put back together.
48.Have you ever broken someone's heart?
I don't know... I don't think so.
49.At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
New career - that's a no brainer!
50.Just how OLD are you?
22! Wow, a real adult age... so dang weird.
