101 Things (and more) About Me

On May 21, 2005 I first posted this online. It was going around the net at the time - 101 Things About Me. The idea was to generate a random, off the top of your head, list.

I went to look this up and thought I'd repost it because it's kind of fun. Some of it is still true, some of it no longer is. Some of it is very dated now - it is almost six years old, after all. A lot has changed in my life in the past six years. Different job, different outlook, different people in my world. I didn't make any edits - it's just reposted.

There is some mild "language," so if you're offended by such things, stop reading now.
1. I love old houses.

2. I came into this world knowing that time is not linear.

3. I am an incredibly loyal friend.

4. I "tell it like it is." Don't ask me a question if you don't want the answer.

5. I am the question person among my friends - always have a question.

6. I am happy most of the time.

7. I agree with my great grandmother Maranda Rose, who was gone long before I came along, who always ate dessert first because she said, "I might die and some other son of a bitch would get to eat it." It's a general philosophy of life - enjoy it. Now.

8. I have a trail of failed relationships behind me. I'm not very good at them, even though I try really hard.

9. I can sing.

10. I love to travel - nothing gets the heart pounding like a little jaunt into the developing world.

11. I wash my hands dozens of times a day - I've got a "germ thing."

12. I *rarely* get sick. (Reference #11)

13. I'm brand loyal to very few things - Wisk, Heinz ketchup, Colgate winterfresh gel toothpaste, Tampax tampons, Jif peanut butter.

14. I HATE to clothes shop. Good grief, could there be anything more mind numbingly dull?

15. I hate carpet - nasty stuff. If you put a rug down and walk on it, it's filthy in a few days. Why do you think gluing the rug down prevents it from getting dirty?

16. I suck at trivial pursuit.

17. I have a *major* case of ADD and consider it a blessing.

18. I don't like to go to the movies. I'm a prisoner in a theatre.

19. Freedom is the one thing I've never had enough of.

20. I was on my fourth career before I turned 40.

21. I write cookbook reviews.

22. I used to do radio.

23. I used to do TV.

24. I used to write for a newspaper.

25. I have written a novel. It's not great, but at least I strung together 100,000 words and they make some sense.

26. I've been keeping a journal since I was in grade school.

27. People tell me I don't look my age - 43. I certainly don't feel my age.

28. I've been involved with men much older and much younger.

29. I think people spend far too much time thinking about what they SHOULD do instead of just doing what they WANT to do.

30. One of the most meaningful songs to me is Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" because of the line, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Because it's true.

31. I love Maya Angelou.

32. I know what it's like to be facing someone older and stronger than you, thinking they are going to kill you. (He didn't, obviously. He probably regretted it.)

33. I have two brothers that were married with children before I was born.

34. I have laminates on eight of my teeth. I got them when it was a very new procedure. Love them.

35. I have been fat all my life. It's part of who I am. Take me or leave me.

36. I miss my Mama. She's been gone for 4 years now.

37. One of the people in this world I know I can always count on is my ex bf, who remains one of my best friends on the planet. He always will be. We just don't make a good couple.

38. I'm a pack rat.

39. I love "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" on NPR.

40. I collect rocks.

41. I am an artist.

42. I am a writer.

43. I cannot remember details of shows, books, etc.

44. I treasure my friends.

45. I adore my family - none of that "oh, I don't get along with fill-in-the-blank" foolishness.

46. My great nephew, BC, is one of my favorite people on the planet.

47. My sister in law, Mary Ann, has always been a second mom to me. She is the ROCK of the family. Don't know what families do that don't have a Mary Ann. We are blessed.

48. I know that the dimensions we perceive in this world are very limited. And we limit ourselves by not looking beyond them.

49. I adore having an art studio in my house.

50. I could create on the computer for hours and hours.

51. I'm a good cook. Very good cook. I love to bake.

52. I love lipfinity lipstick.

53. I believe that journalism is a noble profession.

54. I used to be a journalist.

55. I have compiled and edited cookbooks.

56. I have designed billboards, bus ads, posters, programs, ads and dozens of other things.

57. I have voiced national radio ads.

58. I like genealogy.

59. I took a quilting class. I like to choose the fabric. The sewing isn't my favorite thing.

60. I love to dye things like freezer paper.

61. I learned to sew by making Barbie Doll clothes.

62. I am redoing an old house.

63. People think I'm weird. They might be right.

64. I'm definitive.

65. Decision making is pretty easy for me.

66. I'm convinced it's pretty obvious what's right and what's wrong. People just like to pretend otherwise so they don't have to take responsibility.

67. I have "Patsy's Rules for Living" that keep me centered.

68. The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, Illinois is an important place for me.

69. I was born and raised in Kentucky.

70. I graduated from the U. of Kentucky - Go Wildcats - with degrees in Journalism and Telecommunications. I work in the Mental Health field now. Nothing like using that education.

71. I love Mary Englebreit's Home Companion but still miss Victoria.

72. I went to Egypt by myself.

73. I've hiked in the Guatemalan jungle.

74. I love Paris.

75. I am not afraid of death. Never have been. I'd rather live fully and have fewer days, than live a long time and be afraid.

76. I get a lot of things done every day.

77. I don't sleep much. Six hours is plenty for me. I can do with much less.

78. I've never bought a new piece of furniture.

79. I grew up on a tobacco farm. I hope I never have to raise tobacco again but I can if I have to.

80. I have never smoked anything - including tobacco.

81. I don't drink. It all tastes bad to me - beer, wine, whatever. Very occasionally I have a margarita with Mexican food but don't get the thrill of getting shit faced. There's a season for everything in life and by the time you're old enough to do that legally, that season should be wrapping up.

82. I don't do drugs.

83. I own a discussion group.

84. I think our lack of connection with one another will be part of our undoing.

85. I can read people. Have always been able to. But I don't do it without permission.

86. I know when people are feeding me a line of bullshit. I can't figure out why others don't see it. It's incredibly obvious to me.

87. I have been criticized for being smart, efficient, getting a lot done and not needing supervision.

88. I have a "genius" IQ. Pity I think IQ tests are bogus.

89. I am incredibly annoyed by stupid people.

90. I laugh every day. Heartily. Multiple times a day.

91. I write every day.

92. I meditate every day.

93. I pray every day.

94. I do not believe in war.

95. Clinton is the only president I've ever voted for who got into the white house. And I've voted in every election since I've been old enough.

96. I love cats but don't have any.

97. I am not a huge fan of music. I sing along with the radio. That's about it.

98. I love old costume jewelry pins.

99. I treasure the family things I have - quilts, trinkets, furniture - my mom's dining room table where almost everyone I've ever loved has gathered at one point or another.

100. I have been kissed while standing on the banks of the Nile.

101. I think I'm a very dull person.

102. I hate to be confined in any fashion - including 101 things about me.
 
A few days later I continued the list...
 
103. I love old diners and restaurants.

104. I love my Birks - and other comfy shoes.

105. I was hit on by a lesbian at Lilith Fair. Yes, she was wearing Birks. No, I declined her offer. Got no problem with it - just happen to like the equipment men come with best.

106. I have participated in a major, award-winning, oral history project.

107. One of my radio pieces is in a time capsule at the Cosmosphere.

108. I can crochet and knit and embroider.

109. I love kitsch.

110. Monet's gardens at Giverny used to be one of my favorite spots on Earth. Now the hoardes of tourists ruin the effect for me.

111. Willie Nelson told me I had "beautiful blue eyes" once.

112. I have covered all the public areas of the Louvre.

113. I've been alone inside Stonehenge.

114. I've been alone inside the tomb of Unas.

115. I climbed the Red Pyramid.

116. I love old cemetaries.

117. I've studied French. Extensively. Mais je ne parle pas francais.

118. I've studied Spanish. No hablo espanol.

119. I've studied heirogylphics. No hope I can ever manage that. I know a few things but no way can I read them.

120. I've never been married.

121. I've never been pregnant. (That I know of, anyway.)

122. I've had wonderful men in my life. I have great taste in boyfriends.

123. My mother taught me to be happy. It was a wonderful gift.

124. I have no parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles left.

125. I am fascinated by serial killer stories. No... I don't want to marry one... just want to study them like a bug under a microscope.

126. I enjoy thinking/reading/talking about quantum physics.

127. I am part Cherokee.

128. I know how to shoot a gun and use a bow and arrow. I'm pretty good with both.

129. I've never been arrested.

130. I've never even had a speeding ticket.

131. I sued a company once for packing a worm in a can of corn. I lost.

132. I want the world to be "fair" and will fight battles that are not my own. I also think companies shouldn't pack worms in cans or corn, and sell them as "wholesome," but a jury didn't agree so what do I know?

133. I love to dress up - Halloween, Ren Fest, whatever.

134. I don't like scary movies. Fear is not an emotion I enjoy so I don't pay people to induce it in me.

135. A drawing of my hand was used on a billboard once.

136. I never cheat. I'm a 1000% faithful in any relationship.

137. I don't believe in keeping a spotless house - too much energy for too little return.

138. I make very good pie crust.

139. I plan great parties.

140. I don't believe in regret.

141. I've fixed tea, with a dozen things on the plate, for 100.

142. I carry wet wipes with me at all times. Hate germs.

143. I don't mind the blood on accident scenes but the sounds people make when they're really hurt get to me.

144. I've never dyed my hair. (Although as more gray appears, this will change.)

145. I rarely take any over the counter medication.

146. I love Christmas.

147. I've never had a traditional birthday party.

148. I love my long hair.

149. I can't wear a watch - they stop working on me.

150. I seek others who see beyond the limits of this dimension in which we live.

151. I believe in the power of thought.

152. I like good old boys - minus the trans-am and the skoal.

153. I love fun surprises.

154. My mother didn't know she was pregnant with me for quite some time. Took modern medicine a four day hospital stay to figure it out. The local "witch doctor" had told her weeks before just from looking at her across a room.

155. I think on dozens of tracks all at the same time.

156. Writing helps me figure thing out.

157. I have a great interest in the civil rights movement.

158. I admire Mamie Till.

159. I think Minnow was right when he said TV was a "vast wasteland." It has only gotten worse since then.

160. I love rivers. I am a person of rivers.

161. I have some issues with the concept of women's rights. I'd like "people's rights."

162. I think we need to accept that there are some differences between the genders.

163. I am not politically correct a large part of the time.

164. I am not ethnocentric regarding being an American.

165. I love long bubble baths.

166. I know education is the key to solving all the world's problems.

167. I get very pissed off at the extremes of any political situation.

168. I want to stop having the abortion debate. I want to get rid of unwanted pregnancy and therefore never have abortion again.

169. I am fascinated by the minds of people who do things far outside the "norm" - like mothers who kill their own children. Don't want to emulate them - just want to question them.

170. I'm a good interviewer - it was one of my great skills in radio.

171. I have a good voice - if I lived in a larger city I could probably make a living by doing voice work.

172. I can't act.

173. I can't dance.

174. I can play piano.

175. I was a music major. Briefly.

176. I've never been hungry and not known food was available. That is something most Americans can say, but not most of the rest of the world.

177. I have done therapy.

178. I have been in caves.

179. I have been on mountains.

180. I have been at a volcano.

181. I have been on the sea.

182. I have looked at the Mediterrean, the Atlantic, the Pacific and sailed the Panama Canal.

183. I have done pieces for NPR and CBS.

184. I have a large birthmark.

185. I can't tell left/right without looking at my birthmark.

186. I have won awards for news, public relations and graphic design.

187. I find the French to be lovely people. The British seem to hate me - always rude to me when I'm there.

188. I have been to an Egyptian wedding.

189. I am not a jealous sort. I believe in trust - not jealousy.

190. I have had three broken bones.

191. I have never had stitches.

192. I am impressed with people who have vision. I used to work for a man who had tremendous vision. And he could see how to take it from vision to reality.

193. I've never met a very powerful person who didn't have a vice. (Think: Clinton and women; Bush and cocaine; etc. etc. etc.)

194. My family history goes back to France in the 12th century. Or so we think anyway.

195. Some people think I'm a computer geek. I'm really just a geek wanna be. I don't know enough to be a geek.

196. I was published in the India Times once. Yeah, the one that's published in India.

197. I came home from the hospital on Christmas Day.

198. I still have most of my childhood toys - including my first doll.

199. My grandmother was blind.

200. I can drive a stick shift.

201. I own a copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Doesn't everyone?

202. I have over 1000 cookbooks.

203. I have every letter I've ever gotten - and copies of many I've written.

204. I adore perfume. Nice perfume. Expensive perfume. I wear it every day - even if I'm just in my house alone.

205. I'm not a big jewelry person. But I like to make jewelry. Go figure.

206. I love to make art with other people.

207. Making things with other people is a bonding experience.

208. I have no savings. I have debt. Money is a continual thorn in my side.

209. I've been to Graceland.

210. I'm not especially modest.

211. I can't rollerskate. I've tried. It's not pretty.

212. I can make truffles. And divinity. And fudge.

213. I make a killer carrot cake.

214. I'm not into celebrities. At all.

215. But I do want my Mtv.

216. I painted my kitchen blue and yellow because Monet's kitchen is blue and yellow. Although I did use much more intense colors.

217. My upstairs bathroom color was chosen from some embroidery floss.

218. I hate snakes. Getting bitten by one this spring did not change my opinion of them any.

219. I've been to Nicaragua.

220. I studied handwriting analysis.

221. I love the feeling of sleeping in a chilly room under tons of blankets.

222. I have planned concerts, receptions, weddings, teas, garden tours, homes tours and dozens of other events.

223. My favorite journals are Claire Fontaine quad notebooks about 7 by 9 inches. Unfortunately, they're unavailable in the US.

224. I love to be in love.