50 Things

Ok, here's a little something I lifted from my Bloggy Buddy, Funny in My Mind. (If you click on her link, then scroll down a little, you'll see her list.) I thought it would be a nice weekend post, and a good way to fulfill my daily NaBloPoMo obligation.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:15ish

2. How do you like your steak? medium-well

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I honestly don't remember. I know it was over a year ago, though. I'm NOT a fan of going to the movies. Mostly because I'm too much of a bitch. I can NOT stand people talking during a movie, or eating loudly, or kicking my seat, etc. Plus, the smell of movie theater popcorn nauseates me a bit.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Wow, too many to choose from! Desperate Housewives, Once Upon a Time, Dancing with the Stars, Biggest Loser, Modern Family, The Middle, Grey's Anatomy, The Practice, Shark Tank, What Would You Do?...wow, I need help, don't I?

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Hmmm, this is a tough one. Seattle is HIGH on my list, but we've been talking a lot lately about moving to Indiana. We've also talked about going north, to someplace where the climate is nice and cool.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Just coffee so far. I'm feeling far too lazy to actually make anything yet.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? I could eat Mexican every single day.

8. What foods do you dislike? wow, that's a short list! Liver (or any kind of organ meat, for that matter!), eggplant, raisins (but if they're covered in chocolate, I can choke 'em down, I guess)

9. Favorite Place to Eat? my mother's house

10. Favorite dressing? chunky blue cheese, or oil & vinegar

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? I have a Honda CR-V, but I've been driving a Chevy Impala since Stud's accident, so that he can drive my car

12. What are your favorite clothes? sadly, any pants with elastic waists, and loose, blousy tops

13. Where would you visit, this weekend, if you had the chance? Seattle area, so I could visit Smiley Girl and Karen

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? usually half full

15. Where would you want to retire? Some place where the temperature stays between 65-75 ALL YEAR! (yes, I hear some of you screaming San Diego. I really need to get there to see for myself.)

16. Favorite time of day? VERY early morning (around 5ish) when the rest of the world is still asleep, and I can go sit out on my deck in the cool morning air, sipping my coffee and watching the sun come up

17. Where were you born? Chicago

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Chicago Cubs baseball

19. How many siblings? 1 sister, 1 brother

20. Favorite pastime/hobby? sleeping, reading, sleeping, eating, sleeping, blog reading, sleeping

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? anyone who's willing to take the time to do it!

22. Bird watcher? yes, sometimes. It's weird, I like to watch them from a distance, which is why I have a bird bath in both my front and back yards, and several bird feeders. However, birds COMPLETELY freak me out (damn you, Alfred Hitchcock!!) so I don't like them anywhere near me!

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? I know I just said my favorite time of day is early morning, but I am NOT a morning person!!! I am not pleasant to be around in the morning when I first wake up and I have to go to work, etc. I'm always rushed, and running late, so I tend to have very little patience. Especially if I have to drive someone else to school, if you catch my drift. I am much more a night owl, I guess. Well, maybe I should say I used to be, since most days I can't stay awake past 8 pm anymore.

24. Do you have any pets? Dorky Dog (AKA, Buster) and my betta fish, who sadly, doesn't even have a name!

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? I know I already let this cat out of the bag the other day, but as of June 16, I will officially be unemployed.

26. What did you want to be when you were little? a kindergarten teacher

27. What is your best childhood memory? wow, I have no idea where to start with this one, I have so many awesome memories. Most of the best ones involve being surrounded by my ENORMOUS Italian family, sitting around a table covered by delicious food, and the sound of laughter, music and singing in the air.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? dog

29. Are you married? well, technically, no

30. Always wear your seat belt? yes

31. Been in a car accident? yes, a few

32. Any pet peeves? holy crap, where do I start?! Rude people, people who chew with their mouths open, people who don't give a 'thank you wave' when you let them into traffic, people who don't hold the door for those behind them, bad drivers, lights left on for no reason, dirty dishes left in the sink when the dishwasher is TWO FEET AWAY, phone calls from solicitors, junk mail, people who talk during movies...eesh, I'd better stop!

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives

34. Favorite Flower? lilacs, petunias, roses

35. Favorite ice cream? chocolate peanut butter or mint chocolate chip

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Wendy's

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? never

38. From whom did you get your last email? monster.com

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? sadly, Walmart. Oh, and Bed, Bath and Beyond, maybe Pier One

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? no, not really. Man, that's just sad...

41. Like your job? abso-fuckin-lutely not (not anymore, I should say)

42. Broccoli? YES. I had it for dinner :)

43. What was your favorite vacation? Last March, when Stud, CSJ and I went to Saugatuck, MI for a few days for spring break. It was the first trip we ever took as a family.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? my niece graduated this afternoon, so we all (my parents, my sister, her two daughters, her ex-husband, Stud and I [CSJ had to work :( ] went to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants

45. What are you listening to right now? the evening news

46. What is your favorite color? green

47. How many tattoos do you have? Hell-to-the-NO, none, never, not ever

48. How many people will fill this out? how the hell should I know?!

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 9:09 pm

50. Coffee Drinker? um, duh! Can you say Keurig?!

Alphabet Meme

Alphabet Meme

Because I love Maria, and I want to be her when I grow up.
A. Age
43
B. Bed Size
Queen
C. Chore you hate.
Pretty much all of them. If I have to pick just one, I’d have to say cleaning the bathroom.
D. Dogs.
Just the one, Buster. Or, as he’s known around here – Dorky Dog.
E. Essential start of day.
Coffee, with Splenda and extra cream. It could be hot or cold, either one is fine.
F. Favorite color.
Green.
G. Gold or silver.
It used to be strictly gold, but over the past few years, I’ve switched over to silver. I probably shouldn’t admit it, but I wear both silver and gold every day. My bracelet, earrings and rings are all silver, but I wear a gold chain with gold charms. One is a little boy charm with my son’s birthstone in the center. The other is a mother/baby charm with diamond that my ex-husband gave me the Christmas after my son was born. I wear this chain every single day, and it’s very, very rare that it comes off my neck.
H. Height.
5’3”. Or at least I used to be. I have a feeling I’ve shrunk some over the years.
I. Instruments played.
Most of you know I was a band geek. I played flute and piccolo in the band from grade school through high school. I also taught myself to play the clarinet and saxophone (the instruments my sister and brother played, briefly, in grade school). I can pluck out a tune on the piano, but can’t do chords. I also tried to teach myself to play the guitar, but that didn’t last very long. I couldn’t stick it out long enough to develop the necessary calluses on my fingertips.
J. Job title.
Mom, teacher, in that order.
K. Kids.
Just the one and only Stud Muffin.
L. Live.
In the greatest city in all the world, Chicago!
M. Mom's name.
Roseanne.
N. Nickname.
There are many, most not appropriate for this post. For many years, my ex-husband referred to me as Chilly, as in Chilly Willy. One of Stud’s favorites is Mommy Zommy Salami Swami.
O. Overnight Hospital Stays.
I had my tonsils removed when I was 4. The next stay was when my little darling was born.
P. Pet Peeve
Wow, where do I begin? People who talk during movies, people who leave the toilet seat up, bad drivers…wow, I’m gonna stop right there. I’m starting to sound like a crabby bitch.
Q. Quote from a movie.
"Fuck you, fuck you and fuck you!! Who’s next?”
R. Right or left handed?
Right
S. Siblings.
One of each, both younger than me.
T. Time you wake up.
During the school year, probably 6:00. So far this summer, anywhere from 5:30-7:00.
U. Underwear.
Yes, please. I think is repulsive that some people actually walk around without it!!! Full-coverage briefs, just for the record.
V. Vegetable you dislike.
Eggplant
W. What makes you run late.
In the mornings, when I check my e-mail and/or read my bloglist. I often lose track of time.
X. X rays you have had done.
Dental exams every year. My wrist when I broke it in 5th grade. Many of my spine, thanks to my scoliosis. Chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. Do mammograms count?
Y. Yummy food you make.
At the risk of sounding like a braggart, I don’t know where to start with this one. Some of my personal favorites that I make are my veggie lasagna, crock pot Mexican chicken, fudge and taffy apple salad.
Z. Zoo animal.
Do I really even need to answer this one?! Well, I guess there might be one of you out there who’s new so I’d better say it – PENGUIN!
All done. So easy!

Letter MeMe

I never post Memes here, but you know, I got me some time today...

This is one from Clippy. Here's what she left me on her blog:

CTG:i am going to give you the letter A.cos i think i know one of your
categories already. and i don't want you to be bored today. oh no. :-)

So, I haven't got a clue as to what category Clippy is thinking of, unless of course she was thinking "asshole." We all know I have a bit of a potty mouth :) But, the rules of the meme say to write a list of 10 things you love that start with your letter. I can't say that I love assholes. Well, there is my ex-husband...

I'm not even posting the rules here cuz I'm not really doing the meme the right way. I don't want to assign letters, etc., I just want to play along with Clippy. So, here goes! (Keep in mind, these are in no particular order, other than the order they pop into my head.)

1. Apples-the granny smith variety. I love how sour and crunchy they are, and they are the only apples I cook/bake with.
2. 
   
3. Albums-I love me some music! Sadly, I'm old enough to actually have owned "albums." I probably still even have a few somewhere.
4. 
   
5. ABCs-(does that count?) This one should be obvious, or I wouldn't have chosen this career path!
6. 
   
7. Academia-(OK, I know I'm stretching it, but this letter is hard, Clippy!) I am considering starting another masters program, though...
8. 
   
9. Asparagus
10. 
    
11. Almonds
12. 
    
13. Albacore tuna- Those three just hit me all at once. Think I'm hungry ;-)
14. 
    
15. Apologies-when they're heartfelt
16. 
    
17. Avocados-I could eat them every single day!
18. 
    
19. Artichokes

Hmmm, do you sense a theme here? Most of those were food, weren't they? Well, it's almost lunch time. Plus, A was a really hard letter! I couldn't think of any A word that I could twist to mean my son :( Well, maybe angel? These days, that would really be a stretch!!

OH, wait! Clippy, were you thinking "alcohol?" I gotta tell ya, my family might own a bar, but we are by no means drinkers. Kinda funny, right? The only one that really drinks in my family (with any kind of regularity) is my mother. She loves her wine....typical dago!! I can seriously count on ONE hand how many times I've been drunk in my life. It's very rare that I drink while at the bar, cuz #1-I'm working! And #2-I've got anywhere from a 30-60 minute drive home, so I kinda need to be alert! But, I do love me some tequila. In or out of a margarita!! Occasionally I will indulge in a shot of Patron with my regular customers. But, only if it's early in the evening. If I'm out with the girls, we usually indulge in margaritas, but since I'm always the driver, I keep very close tabs on what I've had to drink. I usually stick to just one. It doesn't help that our favorite Mexican restaurant serves their margaritas in a fish bowl, though!! ;-)

As a matter of fact, my sister, my brother's girlfriend and I are supposed to go for Mexican and margaritas tonight. I have a feeling the sub-zero temps will cause my sister to ditch us, though. Wuss!! I'll let you know if/how it goes, since I know you'll be waiting with baited breath to hear all about it! Yes, I AM aware that I'm a goofy bitch, thanks for asking!