1. If you could change anything about your physical appearance, what would it be?
Wow. That's personal... Um... I've made a fair amount of peace with physical attributes I'm not crazy about. But I do miss those back and shoulder muscles I had when I used to rock climb four or five times a week. I still had them for our wedding, and they looked awesome. And bad-ass. But now they're only a nostalgic memory (as is the climbing, come to think of it).
You can almost see them in this picture... Gosh that was a great day!
I'd also like to be a couple of inches taller, but only if the top of my head could still nestle nicely under Daryl's chin when he hugs me. 'Cause that's the best.
2. Is there a habit in others that you find annoying?
I hate it when people can't say what they want, but want you to know what that is anyway and are grumpy if you don't do it. I am many things, but a mind reader isn't one of them. I had a roommate years ago who was continually mad at me, and I finally sat her down to ask why. "Well," she said huffily, "you're putting the dirty dishes in both sides of the sink, when one side is for clean dishes and the other is for dirty ones." Um... WHAT? It's fine to have this expectation about the sink, but unless you tell me, I assume that the drying rack is for clean dishes and the sink is for washing them. I hate the unspoken expectation, particularly because I'm usually quite willing to be accommodating if I only have some idea what it is a person wants. Grar.
3. What is your favorite recipe using ground beef?
I've found a great gluten-free beef stroganoff mix (thank you, Inga!). Yes, it's sad that it's a mix, but I'm new to the whole GF thing, so be patient. It's hugely high in fat, and thus, delicious. Also, Daryl makes amazing garlic-and-pepper burgers. Mmm.
4. What was your favorite book as a kid?
Narnia. And the Anne books. Both series were read to me by my paternal grandmother for hours upon hours while I played with Legos or drew pictures. That's still one of my all-time favorite childhood memories. When I reread either series now I almost hear Grandma's voice in my head, reading the words to me twenty years later.
5. Did you work as a teenager and if so, where?
My mom pointed out to me recently that I've pretty much always had a job. I've never really thought about it, but she's totally right, at least since my early teens. The list is as follows:
off-and-on beginning around 7th grade: occasional secretary-and-file-filer at my dad's State Farm office
8th grade summer: cabin cleaner at Zaugg's Resort
9th-10th grade summers: more regularly at State Farm
11th-12th grade summers: bar pianist at BJ's gourmet dining. This one rocked. I got ten bucks an hour plus some great tips. And I felt like Billy Joel. And I got to wear a fancy dress every Fri-Sat-Sun night.
6. Did you work while in college and if so, where?
Yes, indeed. During college I worked all of the following jobs (in no particular order, and not all at once):
* Bar pianist (BJ's)
* Rock Climbing Wall Staff (Wheaton College)
* Adventure Team Director - in charge of whitewater guiding, rock climbing, and managing a staff of 4-10 high school and college students (Silver Birch Ranch)
* Teaching Assistant (English department -Wheaton College - for David Wright who is still one of my favorite professors of all time)
* Editorial Intern (Rock and Ice Magazine)
7. When you go to sleep do you like total darkness or semi? When you go to sleep do you need quiet or is some noise ok?
Total darkness. Though I've recently purchased a bathroom nightlight because my cats wake me up if they can't find their litter box (which I cannot fathom - it's not like I move it on them...), and I've had quite enough of that.
8. When doing laundry, fabric softener or not?
No. I've never, ever used fabric softener. Also, Daryl does the laundry (when he's in town). Yeah. My husband rocks. Also, he does laundry MUCH better than I do (I tend to wash everything together... So bad!).
9. Open toed or closed toed shoes?
Cute shoes. And, as of recently, knee-high boots (see previous post)! That said, I've recently seen open-toed boots. What? WHY?!?!?! Sometimes I cannot explain the human race.
10. Would you rather be blind or deaf?
My inclination is to say deaf, so I can still see the world, but I've heard from deaf friends that being blind is better, because you can still be easily included in others' conversations. And life without music, or Daryl's voice, or hearing the rain? That would be horrible.
11. Dangle or stud earrings?
Both. Stud pearls for Presbytery meetings. Dangling ones for everything but teaching or preaching. Now that my hair's shorter, I like my earrings to fall below my hair.
12. Bottled water or tap?
I want to say tap. In Wisconsin I would say tap. In Chicago I happily drank tap. But I'm mortally afraid of the tap water in my 1950s apartment building. I know it has bacteria and mold and probably mouse-pieces in it. So I have a Brita AND I buy bottled water (no, I don't filter the bottled water - I just like to have options).
13. What do you put on pancakes?
Simeone pure maple syrup! It's amazing. Even if my mom believes it to be so precious that she practically made us put it on our pancakes with an eye dropper when we were kids. Especially after we all went up to help the Simeones gather sap and realized that a ridiculous amount of labor goes into that eye dropper full of syrup...
14. On a long trip would you rather drive or fly?
This year has started to make me hate flying. But I love that (when all goes well) I can actually be in Nashville in three hours to see the man I love. I generally prefer driving, though, unless I haven't seen Daryl in weeks. Then flying. Supersonic jet, if I can manage it.
15. Do you prefer classic old movies or new?
I prefer good ones. And often classic old ones are better than new ones, but not always. Sometimes classic old ones put me directly to sleep. I prefer movies that don't scare me, where hardly anything blows up, and that have a happy ending. Working in a hospital has made me despise really heart-wrenching movies. If I'm working in an environment full of grief and death, why on EARTH would I EVER want to watch something like Requiem for a Dream or Precious? Seriously? There's enough sadness in the world. Let the guy get the girl. Or at the very least, let the guy learn something from not getting the girl (like in 500 Days of Summer). That's all I ask.
Speaking of which, I just saw Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and LOVED it. It's not always completely believable, but it's happy and entertaining and both Amy Adams and Francis McDormand are incredible. Good for a girls' night!
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