my (really long) list, again.

we are all so different. we are born and we live and things happen to us along the way that give us each such distinctly personal histories. they are the random quirks and stories that distinguish us from all the other billions of people out there walking around on this earth. and as I'm really thinking about the truth behind that statement, it's blowing my mind a little. I just can't quit thinking about them, so (sorry) here are some random things about me:

I love to make lists. I make lists of lists to make. so I don't forget anything.

Growing up, I wanted to be a Shin-digger and dance on Shindig, but also dance for the New York city ballet on the side. haha a prima ballerina. on the side. I crack myself up.

 The taste and smell of cilantro makes me gag.

My imagination often got me into trouble growing up.

I suck at math.

When I am upset or angry, I get in the car and drive.  I realize it's not the best thing for me or all the other poor drivers out there who see me crying, my face all sad and contorted, but it soothes me, ~ the loud music, the wind on my face. and when I come home, I am always ready to work things out.

I twist my hair until I have a migraine.

I have bathed in a traditional Japanese bathhouse and it was the cleanest my body has ever felt.

I hate the dark. Sometimes at night, I can't wait for morning. and coffee.

Hostess Suzi Q cakes are one of my favorite junk food. a guilty pleasure. have you seen them? they are two slices of devils food cake with a whole mess of cream filling (okay, lard and sugar) in the middle. they are the kind of 'sandwiches' only a sugar-crazed child would love. I haven't eaten Suzi Qs in years but drooled over some at Circle K the other day.

My first boyfriend's name was Eugene. we were six and impossibly cute together.

 I am very particular about how my towels are folded. I love to open the linen closet door to find neatly stacked rows of perfectly folded white towels. I believe this may be the result of working at the gap back in the summer of 1970. I'll not deny Martha Stewart's influence here, either.

 If I really love a book or movie, I will read or watch it over and over and over again. it's like comfort food to me.

As a child, I was a rhymer. as in, I took great pleasure in the rhyming of words. and I took even greater pleasure in bringing my agitated peers and sibling to their knees, begging me to PLEASE STOP! this, of course, only fueled me to take my rhyming skills to new heights. and also, I just loved the rhythm of rhyming words. and still do.

While living in San Francisco I was standing on a corner waiting for the bus and was mistaken for a hooker.

 I love polka-dotted underwear.

I get easily overwhelmed now.  I never used to.  I just don't process stress the way I used to.  It's my mantra.

I run in circles trying to decorate my house.  I can sit in a room for hours staring at what might be possible.

When the hubs and I go on vacation and check into a hotel, he waits patiently at the door with the bags to be sure this is the room we're actually taking.

I am extraordinarily critical of which pics can be kept of me. I screamed at the hubs for having unauthorized pics of me on his phone.  No they weren't risqué, they were just taken at the wrong angle.  There are a lot of wrong angles. I've had to loosen up on this recently and I'm not happy about it.


Some people call me bossy but I prefer "Life Coach".

I'm a first born perfectionist who always thinks the glass is half full.  In general, it's not the best combination.

I hate magic and card tricks... and practical jokes, and clowns!!!

I like to say my faults first, before you have a chance.

Sometimes I lick butter.

Sometimes I lick mayonnaise.

I am mostly completely lost in my life.

I am adverse to any sort of exaggeration.  I believe people should undersell everything.

I was in love with my puppies the first day I laid eyes on them. I like to smell the tops of their heads.  Still.  To this day.  They are fourteen... and patient.

I am a nervous flyer but I'm the first one to book a flight somewhere.

I have narrow feet, and cankles.  I believe I come from peasant stock.

I am good in a long term crisis like battling an illness.  I am terrible in a crisis that arises out of nowhere like a stuck elevator.  I will not remain calm, or carry on.  Well, actually I'll carry on but it won't be the kind you're hoping for.

I like when people drop by, unannounced.  I'm not being facetious.  I actually like it.

I don't like cowboy flicks.

I was a very loud talker when I was younger.  Sometimes it rears it's ugly head.

I deal best with people who speak honestly with very little sugar coating.


I'm a really bad driver and I often turn corners up on the curb.  Also, I have several marks on my car which are unaccounted for so I'm assuming I'm hitting things and just driving on.

The movie I have never forgiven for taking two and a half hours of my life is The Thin Red Line.

I have panic attacks about whether or not I owe someone money, or whether or not they owe me money, which is less of a concern as I age because now I can't remember whether or not anyone owes me money.

When the bill comes, I'm an even splitter, unless you've ordered Dom Perignon. Then I will just panic.

I love Jane Austin books even though it was recently pointed out that none of her novels portray the madly in love couple past the wedding day.

I startle so easily that my husband has to sing loudly if he is approaching anywhere near my vicinity.  In our home.  The home where he and I both live. 

I will split a dessert with you if you understand the rules.  The rules of splitting a dessert are that the last bite will have the same presentation as the first bite.  You may NOT swirl the desert around, eat it from bottom to top or in general desecrate it in any way.


I love traveling with my husband because he handles every aspect of it and constantly tells me what to do, which is out of character for him (and me) and makes me giggle.

I'm an animal person.

Things that match upset me.

I'm big on jewelry, especially vintage costume jewelry .

I love lipstick. lace. velvet. stripes. pink.


Sometimes I know I'm being irrational and I don't care, in fact I may up the ante, just for fun.

My favorite book of all time is Tropic of Cancer then Grapes of Wrath.

My sister and I often do sketch comedy.  You would be offended by most of it.

I like kooky people.  I'm not sure if that's because they make me feel better about myself or because I really want to be more like them.

I cannot be a pen pal to someone in need if they don't already know me.  Almost nothing about my brand of soldiering nurturing translates properly through the written word.  It's best if you get to know me in person so I can see where you flinch and adjust my warrior calls encouragements appropriately... real time.  I learned that lesson the very hard way.

Coconut cream pie is my absolute favorite dessert in the world.  That and the butter cake at Mastro's.

I will cut the tube of toothpaste lengthwise to get out the last bit.  Actually, the tube or bottle of anything.  That's just good economy.


There's more.  I'll write them down when I think of them.  I know you will be waiting... probably impatiently.

just sayin'.

corn pie

1 unbaked pie shell

1 1/3 cups half and half

3 eggs

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 small onion cut into wedges

1 tablespoon AP flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh or frozen corn (thawed)

Let pastry shell sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Bake at 375* for 5 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer.

In a blender, combine the cream, eggs, butter, onion, flour, sugar and salt. Cover and process until blended. Stir in corn. Pour into pie crust.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.