:(

Bella asked me to travel with her tomorrow to the other side of the United States to look at a graduate school with her. I REALLY want to go. I waffled for a while because I just couldn't convince myself that it was perfectly acceptable to buy a last minute plane ticket. However, this evening, I decided that yes, it is indeed okay and perfectly wonderful and I should go. However, I cannot find my credit card anywhere. You see, I hid it from myself without activating it because my credit card balance is so high. I have not allowed myself to charge anything since the card expired in August. I have torn the apartment apart this evening looking for it, but I can't find it. Therefore, I will not be traveling tomorrow :( I would so like to spend that time with her, and I feel really bad having to say no. Grr and :(

At any rate, number two on my Christmas wish list has been granted. The fabulous Bella will be visiting my family and me in January right before school starts for us both. I'm so excited.

Ten Holiday Wishes

1. Josh home for Christmas. I miss him.

2. Bella to meet my family. And her son, too, if possible. If anyone has any leads on cheap airfare, let me know!

3. health insurance

4. the seventh Harry Potter book

5. Bush out of office

6. a plane ticket to Ireland

7. time to spend with my relatives

8. equal rights for glbt people

9. socialized medicine

10. the troops to come home now

I'm Tired of Grading

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
cinnamon hot chocolate. or hot tea.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
he wraps them. Mrs. Claus wraps hers, too.

3. How do you decorate your tree/house colored or white?
both. colored on the tree. white in my village. colored around my nativity. is that obnoxious?

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
nope

5. When do you put your decorations up?
depends on the year. I've put them up as early as October. This year, I have them all over my living room floor. I haven't gotten any further than that yet unfortunately. I'm having all my students over at the end of next week, though, so it will be all pretty by then.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
sausage, egg, and cheese casserole and grapefruit

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
going to my mom's mom's every year the day after Christmas

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
in second grade, I think. Mrs. Claus, however, is most definitely real.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
we get pjs from Mrs. Claus on Christmas Eve. Does anyone else have a Mrs. Claus tradition?

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
lots of lights, shiny garland, decorations that each have a story behind them, and a garland that my sister made. The whole thing is probably pretty nauseating, but I love it.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
love to sled ride. hate to be cold.

12. Can you ice skate?
yep. not well, mind you.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
my orange sled stands out in my mind

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
spending time with family. seeing my grandmother.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Christmas cookies. my dad and I make them every year. My sister used to, but now she and her friend make about 40 different kinds a couple of weeks before Christmas, and she's never all that interested in helping me and my dad by that point.

16. What is your family Christmas tradition?
We do a nice candlelit dinner on Christmas Eve, then go to the late service at church, then get up mid morning on Christmas and open gifts and eat the best breakfast on earth. Then my dad and I bake cookies. We never seem to get to them before Christmas.

17. What tops your tree?
a star

18. Do you prefer giving or receiving?
giving, definitely

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
O Holy Night

20. Candy Canes?
I like the mint ones. They're very good dipped in chocolate, as well...

I Should Be Grading

1. Who were you with saturday night?
Bella and then I came home to my place and fell asleep

2. What brand of shirt are you wearing?
I have no idea. It's red with cats on it, though. I was wearing it when I did the last survey, actually...

3. Would you kiss anyone on your top friends?
yes and I have.

4.How many people on your top friends do you know in real life?
all but Lori who I'm still hoping to meet over Christmas break

5. How many kids do you want to have?
3, I think.

6. Do you have a good relationship with your parents?
yes

7.Do you wanna change your name?
no

8. What did you do for your last birthday?
I don't remember. Must not have been too exciting.

9.What time did you wake up today?
5:30 am. Bella and I were going to take a walk in the snow and watch the sunrise. I ended up grading, though, and then meeting her for breakfast.

11. What were you doing at midnight last night?
grading

14. Name something you CANNOT wait to do?
give Bella her Christmas presents and her son his. I've put a lot of thought into them, so I'm particularly excited.

15. Last time you saw your Dad?
Thanksgiving

16. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life?
I would like to have health insurance.

20. Last thing you ate?
Bella's soup. She makes good soup. She and frog's turtle should swap recipes sometime.

21. What's your favorite month?
May or June probably. And December.

22. Least favorite month?
February

23. What's the last piece of clothing you borrowed from someone?
I'm not sure. Oh yes I am. I borrowed my grandmother's snazzy hat last weekend when I went shopping with my aunts and sister. It's an awesome hat. I had temporarily misplaced my tobbogan, so I needed a hat.

25. Most visited webpage?
my email, myspace, 365gay.com

28. Last person to make you sad?
the person I went to a play with last night. Actually, that was more irritated than sad. I felt like I was in high school again. I have no use for the silent treatment.

32. Have you kissed or been kissed by anyone in the past week?
Well, I've kissed my cat and Bella's cats and Bella on the cheek.

Update

Since I didn't manage to give an update on my cousin's hearing yesterday, I thought I should probably do it today. He won! The court saw that the school was clearly in the wrong and that they were not meeting his needs as a child with a disability. He will be going back to school for half days for a while, and he will have a full-time aid to help him and to protect him. My aunt is overjoyed. My uncle is still alive, although I have no idea how much he is still in the picture. To be honest, he wasn't ever really in the picture anyway, so really not much has changed except possibly his address.

Surveys are Fun

1. Where were you when it turned 2006?
At my parents' house being depressed. It was a hard holiday season last year.

2. How did you get the idea for your myspace name
um, it's my name...

3. What song are you listening to right now?
I'm not.

4. Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry?
I felt really bad when Dale Earnhart died for some reason. Nascar is really big in my hometown even though I've never been a fan. I also mourned Princess Di and Tupac. Paul Wellstone more than any of the above, though.

5. What color underwear are you wearing?
orangey pinkish

6. Do you own an iPod?
no

7. What did you do this morning?
chased the fuzzball around the apartment, had tea with Bella, taught class, had biscuits and gravy with Bella, taught class

8. What does your dad do for a living?
he's a retired high school band director.

9. What will you do tonight?
watched SVU, studied with Bella, now fooling around online

10. What's your favorite memory from last weekend?
If Friday counts, then Christmas shopping with my aunts and sister. That was fabulous fun.

11. What are the last two digits of your phone number?
um no

12. What was the last thing you ate?
leftover Mongolian barbecue

13. What was last thing you drank?
drinking Tazo Joy tea at the moment. It's really great, Bella. You have to try it :)

14. What was the last movie you watched?
I am in the middle of The Lost Prince at the moment.

15. What do you dislike at the moment?
the cold

16. What food do you crave right now?
I'm not craving anything at the moment.

17. Did you dream last night?
probably, but I couldn't tell you what

18. What was the last TV show you watched?
SVU

19. What is your favorite piece of jewelry?
I have a bracelet that used to be my great-grandmother's. My mother gave it to me when I was visiting in August. It's beautiful. I'm afraid to wear it.

20. Name someone on your Top Friends who is just like you?
um, I have a lot in common with a few people on my myspace page. Bella, my sister, Lori.

22. Who last text messaged you?
don't do text

23. Are you on any medication?
yep, celexa

24. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
whatever. my bed is small, so I just sleep at the moment. I've never been picky, though.

25. What color shirt are you wearing?
red. The era of the Christmas sweater has begun. This one has three black and white cats wearing holly collars and crowns. I think it's particularly cute. My gaudy poofy reindeer sweater will be dragged out for class on Friday.

26. What is your favorite frozen treat?
moose tracks ice cream or coconut ice cream at this fabulous place downtown.

27. How many piercings do you have?
just my ears

28. What's your favorite store?
bookstores, discount clothing stores

29. Are you thirsty right now?
no, I have tea right beside me.

30. Who's someone you haven't seen for a while and miss?
Josh, Judith, Sheri

31. What did you do last night?
Spent a lot of the night on the phone with my family discussing the current crises. Then Bella came over to commiserate and we drank iced tea and went to Barnes and Noble to wander around.

32. Do you care what people think about you?
Sometimes, yes. But mostly, no. I've kind of gotten over that (hence the gaudy poofy reindeer sweater...)

35. What are your font colors on AIM?
blue

36. Where do you live?
in an apartment

37. Are you aggressive?
not really. assertive, though.

38. Cell phone company?
Verizon

41. Would you ever change anything about yourself?
wouldn't everyone? I'd probably be less shy.

43. What do you smell like right now?
I don't know. I can't smell myself. My nose is stuffed up a bit.

44. What is your favorite color?
blue

45. Do you like mustard?
not if it has nicotine in it.

46. What do you tell yourself when times get hard?
this too shall pass. either that or oh god, I don't want to get out of bed. or please pass the anti-depressants.

47. Would you ever sky dive?
I think I would be terrified. Someone told me we should try it sometime recently, though. I think it was Bella.

48. Do you sleep on your side, tummy or back?
whatever

49. Have you ever bid for something on eBay?
no

50. What did you think of Angelina Jolie being pregnant?
I didn't.

51. Do you enjoy giving hugs?
Yes.

52. Do you consider yourself to be fashionable?
um, did you miss the comment about the gaudy poofy reindeer sweater? Other than that, I think I dress all right.

53.Do you own a digital camera?
no

54. Do you like eating apples whilst swinging from tall trees escaping from ninja camp 1200?!?!
sure, why not.

55. Who is your favorite Star Wars character?
Princess Leia of course

56. Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but don't?
sometimes, depends on the situation really

57. What are you allergic to?
Amoxycillin

59. Do you ever feel guilty when you eat meat?
no

60. If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name be?
Nathanial, I think that's what my parents had picked out.

Prayers Needed

My family has been going through a crisis of sorts
lately. This happens every year right around
Thanksgiving, it seems, but anyway, that is another
story. There is no short version of this story, but I
will sure try.

My cousin has Asperger's. To those who understand
this firsthand, this will explain everything. To
those who don't, well, I don't quite know how to
explain it. It's a form of autism, for starters. My
cousin is a severe Asperger's case. It's a condition
for him that causes him to not know how to interact in
social situations at all. He can't pick up on social
cues. For him, it also means that he has no
eye-hand-foot-whatever coordination. He can't write
his name. He can't tie his shoe. He can't walk up
steps. When you look at my cousin, it is clear that
there is something wrong with him. However, he is
brilliant. He has been reading on a college level
since he was nine. He is now sixteen. He wants to be
a marine biologist and learned to scuba dive over the
summer. That is my cousin in a nutshell.

My cousin has been mainstreamed in school all his
life. He qualifies for and needs a full-time aid, but
the school has never provided one. The administration
refers to him as "the retarded kid" and will not step
in when the other students harrass him. He cannot eat
lunch even because the other students spend the whole
period throwing food at him and pulling his hair. He
cannot defend himself physically because his
disability prevents him from even moving fast enough
to get away from the other kids. The only thing he
has to defend himself is his words, and he frequently
gets himself into trouble by saying things he should
not say. He doesn't know any better. It's part of
his disability. As it happens, his current problem
has stemmed from something another student said and
not him, which is unusual but nonetheless, that is the
situation. Basically, my cousin called a teacher on
an unfair grade, another student made a threatening
remark, and my cousin got suspended.

Fast forward three days, my aunt and uncle go to
school and ask that my cousin finally be given a
full-time aid since he needs one, qualifies for one,
and by law should have one. The school freaks out and
decides (in my opinion) that it would be cheaper to
expell him for being violent. So they do. Fast
forward another two weeks, the school is now taking
him to court to request that he never return to
school. The hearing is on Thursday. He will probably
lose.

Today my uncle (who is a huge asshat) decided to leave
my aunt. These are my cousin's parents. My uncle
decided that he couldn't take the stress and the shame
of the situation any more and so he has left. Now my
uncle is threatening suicide. My cousin needs someone
there to love him and take care of him, and no one is
there. My cousin has also threatened suicide now. I
fear for both of their lives, but especially that of
my cousin. He's a remarkable kid, extremely disabled
mind you, but remarkable.

I don't know what will happen to any of my relatives,
but they could sure use prayers if you've got any to spare.

Influential Books

This is a list of books that changed the way I look at the world. I recommend all of them. I also want to know your recommendations! Please leave them for me!

1. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
2. New and Selected Poems by Mary Oliver
3. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
4. This Bridge Called My Back edited by Gloria Anzaldua and Cherrie Moraga. I read this book when I was coming out, and it spoke to me more than anything I had ever read.
5. Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros
6. Sor Juana de la Cruz's defense of women's education
7. Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
8. The Tao of Pooh
9. Oral History by Lee Smith
10. Borderlands/La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldua
11. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott
12. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
13. What the Bible Really Says about Women by Sheri Adams
14. any of Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz's writings on liberation theology. She was the first to put forth the idea for me that gays most definitely have a place in the church.
15. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
16. The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
17. The Sermon on the Mount
18. Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
19. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
20. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (even named my cat after her)
21. 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye
22. Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
23. "Carnal Acts" by Nancy Mairs
24. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
25. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom


And a Few Other Non-Book (yet still material and not human) Influences:
Free to Be...You and Me by Marlo Thomas and Friends (music)
Indigo Girls music
Wide Awake (movie)
"Aeolian Harp" by Chopin (music)

There are more for both sections, but date bread is calling my name at the moment. More when I have time.

Interesting

Not entirely true (think the trippy drug part) but interesting.

You Are Surrealism

Dreamy and idealistic, you've created a world that is all your own. It's very likely that you've either dabbled in drugs or are naturally trippy. You are always trying to push beyond the boundaries of your culture and society. You believe that art, love, and freedom can change the world.

What Art Movement Are You?

Change

It has been nearly a year since my fiance and I broke up. In fact, today would have been our third anniversary. I can honestly say that I am so much better off now than I ever would have been still in that situation. Many people have commented on that in the last couple of weeks, in fact. A year ago today, my fiance was not speaking to me. That in itself is a long story, but it made for a shitty anniversary. The thing that got me, though, was that I don't think she would have had any idea it was our anniversary if I hadn't said anything. That is in the past, though, and I really have put it behind me.

This year, I am in an entirely new space, which is really amazing. I have my Master's and a job teaching students that I adore (for the most part). I am more active in my church, which I also adore and would have greatly missed when I moved to a different city. I also would have missed out on the opportunity to meet so many more wonderful people there through the pastoral partners ministry, and that would truly have been a great loss to me. I did all kinds of fabulous things this summer with new friends. I really got to explore the state and camp and hike and mountain bike and tube the river and stargaze and explore animal tracks on sand dunes, and I would have really missed out on such a great part of life without those opportunities. Next summer, I am determined to learn to kayak. I have read more for sure, mostly beautiful and funny, touching books (all of which are available on a recommendation list upon request ;). Today, the person I am waiting for sent me and my family a beautiful bouquet of flowers. That is one of the sweetest things anyone has done for me lately. I have spent the last few days Christmas shopping for her and her son (*insert teasing grin here*).

What I am trying to say is that it was a very hard winter and life didn't work out the way I had planned, but I got through it and things are looking so much brighter. I wouldn't trade this year of change for anything in the world. I am a much better person for walking through it.

I needed a laugh

with nods to Tishie for the link :)

Right Was Right

Now that the election is behind us, and the Democrats control both houses of Congress, there's no reason not to admit it: the Right was right about us all along. Here is our 25-point manifesto for the new Congress:
Add your own post: http://right-was-right.blogspot.com/

1. Mandatory homosexuality

2. Drug-filled condoms in schools

3. Introduce the new Destruction of Marriage Act

4. Border fence replaced with free shuttle buses

5. Osama Bin Laden to be Secretary of State

6. Withdraw from Iraq, apologize, reinstate Hussein

7. English language banned from all Federal buildings

8. Math classes replaced by encounter groups

9. All taxes to be tripled

10. All fortunes over $250,000 to be confiscated

11. On-demand welfare

12. Tofurkey to be named official Thanksgiving dish

13. Freeways to be removed, replaced with light rail systems

14. Pledge of Allegiance in schools replaced with morning flag-burning

15. Stem cells allowed to be harvested from any child under the age of 8

16. Comatose people to be ground up and fed to poor

17. Quarterly mandatory abortion lottery

18. God to be mocked roundly

19. Dissolve Executive Branch: reassign responsibilities to UN

20. Jane Fonda to be appointed Secretary of Appeasement

21. Outlaw all firearms: previous owners assigned to anger management therapy

22. Texas returned to Mexico

23. Ban Christmas: replace with Celebrate our Monkey Ancestors Day

24. Carter added to Mount Rushmore

25. Modify USA's motto to "Land of the French and the home of the brave"

Lesbian Custody Case

http://365gay.com/Newscon06/11/111706vermont.htm

Has anyone else been following this case as closely as I have been? I'd love to hear what others are thinking about it. I really don't know what will happen once it inevitably ends up in front of the Supreme Court. It kind of worries me.

1)Which Side of a heart do you draw first?
right

2) Can you dive without plugging your nose?
only if forced

3) What color is your razor?
purple and white

4) What is your blood-type?
don't know, i should probably find that out. I think it might be B positive.

5) Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?
What kind of question is that? Blush.

6) What is a rumor someone has spread about you?
um, when I was in high school, some girls spread it around that I was gay. Of course, I am gay. They just figured it out before I did.

7) How do you feel about carrots?
eh, they're okay.

8) How many chairs at the dining room table?
two and they're both lawn chairs

9) Which was the best Spice Girl?
I don't know any.

10) Do you know what time it is?
1:30?

11) Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince Theme Song?
I actually might. Now that's just sad. I never even liked that show.

12) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator?
freak out. I have a bit of an elevator phobia.

13) What's your favorite kind of gum?
whatever. not a big gum person.

14)T or F: All's fair in love and war?
not necessarily. It depends on the situation.

15) Do you have a crush on anyone?
yep. I'm waiting for someone.

16) Do you know how to use some words correctly, but not know the meaning?
yes

17.) Do you like long car rides?
if I'm driving :)

19) Do you know the song Total Eclipse of the Heart?
I had that CD. In fact, I may still have it...

20) Do you want a bright yellow '06 mustang?
sure, if someone else is paying for it.

21) What's something you've always wanted?
kids. a paper shredder. Is the latter weird? Probably.

22) Do you have hairy legs?
nope, I shave everyday. I'm probably an unusual dyke that way, I don't know.

24) Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake?
ocean, but I'd take either.

25) Do you wear a lot of black?
I have a lot of black, but I have never really noticed. Probably in the winter I do.

26) Describe your hair.
short. poofy at the moment. I've been trying to make it behave all day.

27) Do you have Entomophobia?
I do not fear insects any more than most people do. That said, I don't go hunting for them. However, I can ooh and ah if a kid shows me a praying mantis, for example.

28) Are you an adult?
yep

29) Where is/are your best friend(s)?
all over. Some here, some overseas, some on the other side of the country.

30) Do you have a tan?
nope, never.

31) Are you a television addict?
not really, but I do enjoy it sometimes

32) Do you enjoy spending time with your mother?
yes

33) Are you a sugar freak?
not at all, but I do like the occasional cookie

34) Do you like orange juice?
not really

35) What sign are you?
pisces

36) Where do you wish you were right now?
someplace warm

37) What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
Wendy's

38) what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
20 percent usually

39) What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick?
spaghetti

40) What are your pizza toppings of choice?
veggies

41) What do you like to put on your toast?
lately almond butter. Thank you Bella for introducing me to the fun world of almond butter.


TECHNOLOGY

Number of contacts in your cell phone?
78. You must understand that I add everyone into my cell phone, including my favorite restaurants and my political representatives. My mother thinks this is absolutely hysterical. I'm not sure why. It seems normal to me.

Number of contacts in your email address book?
not a clue

What is your wallpaper on your computer?
Gabrielle and Xena embracing. Still. I love that show.

How many televisions are in your house?
one

What kitchen appliance do you use the least?
crock pot because I only use it in the winter months

What is the radio station you listen to the most?
the one that sponsors Pride

BIOLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute?
my eyes. I like my feet, too.

Are you right handed or left handed?
right

Do you like your smile?
yep

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
my wisdom teeth

What is the heaviest item you lift regularly?
my laundry basket. my box o papers

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
no

MISCELOLOGY (what?)
Who was the last person whose house you’ve been to?
Bella's. I was catsitting for her until Tuesday.

Who could you listen to everyday?
music-wise, Indigo Girls

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
no

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to?
um, Annie? Eilen. Laurelyn. I don't think I look like the last two, though. Those are possible kids names. I've always thought Alex was a cute name for a girl, too.

How do you express your artistic side?
I write.

What color do you think you look best in?
peach, I've been told. I like blue and brown.

How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison?
not long

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
not that I can remember. I once put a bead up my nose, though. I was one.

If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at?
um, no.

Have you ever saved someone's life?
no, but I helped a guy graduate from high school once. I've also encouraged counseling for students who were really down.

Has someone ever saved yours?
yes

Interesting

You Are A Pine Tree

You love agreeable company, peace, and harmony. Compassionate and friendly, you love to help others. A natural poet, you have a very active imagination. You are very soft on the inside - needing affection and reassurance. You can fall in love deeply, but you will leave if you feel betrayed.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

The DaVinci Code

I'm getting the movie version in the mail from netflix today, and I must say, I'm a little too excited about it.

Meyers Briggs Test

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

What's Your Personality Type?

Hate Crimes

As an update, the student was treated and released from the hospital. I talked with him lasat night, and he is physically fine. There will be a rally on campus to support him tomorrow, although his name will not be used. The hate crimes don't stop with him, though. There have been several race-related incidents, as well. No one has been physically hurt, but several have received threatening notes and phone calls. Is it the same people behind it? Probably, but no one really knows for sure.

As a further response today, I am having my students look up information on hate crimes legislation and university policies. Once they have all that information, the conversation will continue on Wednesday during class. I hope they will take the discussion out of class, though. I hope they are talking about it right now. I think that sort of education and discussion is something that cannot stop in the classroom. I believe that that sort of conversation is really the only way that changes will occur.

Survey

1.How old will you be in five years?
31

2. What month is your birthday?
February

3. How tall are you?
5'3"

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
going shopping with my sister and aunts before God is awake the day after Thanksgiving.

5. What's the last movie you saw in theaters?
probably one at the glbt film festival

6. Who is the last person you called?
my sister

7. Who was the last person to call you?
Bella

8. Who was the last text message you recieved from?
I don't text.

9. Do you prefer call or text? e-mail?
call and email

10. Do you have any pets?
one fuzzy little girl

11. What were you doing at 12am last night?
chatting with Bella, I think? I may have been in bed by that point. I don't know. Do you remember Bella?

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
married

13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
August

14. What color are your eyes?
Depends on the day. It says blue on my driver's license.

15. What time did you wake up today?
way earlier than I thought I would after the rough week I've had sleep-wise. I think it was 8-ish.

16. What are you wearing right now?
green pants and a purple sweatshirt

17. What's your favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night, especially when my sister sings it, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

18. Where is your favorite place to be?
I have a lot of favorites. I love being surrounded by people I care about, so wherever that is is a good place. Lately, I've liked hanging out at Bella's. I've also enjoyed my bed quite a lot because I haven't seen it nearly enough lately. That happens when you schedule 75 conferences in four days like an insane person.

19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
the hospital or the funeral home

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
if I could take a vacation anywhere, I would probably choose Italy at the moment. Or somewhere in Central America. It seems to me it's the dry season there right now. Plus, it's warm.

21. Where do you think you'll be in 10 yrs?
Let's see, I'll be 36. I'd like to be married with kids, published, and in a tenure-track teaching position.

22. Do you tan or burn?
burn then blister and peel. It's charming.

23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? snakes

24. What was the last thing that made you laugh?
S at the poetry reading who told me she was going to get dressed up in a bride's maid outfit tonight just for the hell of it.

25. How many TVs do you have in your house?
1

26. Who do you miss most?
lots of people. Bella, my sister, my family, Josh, Judith, my other college friends, Sheri.

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
desktop

28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
with unless i'm not sleeping alone

29. What color are your sheets?
I have a blue set and a tan set.

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
1

31. What is your favorite season?
summer

32. What do you like about fall?
the pretty leaves and the smell of the air. It reminds me of cross country and marching band. I either walk around singing the horn line of the fight song, or I have an insane urge to run everywhere.

33. What do you like about winter?
Christmas and snow and hot chocolate and all of my fun socks that I don't wear when it's warm out

34. What do you like about the summer?
Pride, sunshine, camping, hiking, sitting outside to eat, tubing the river, swimming

35. What do you like about the spring?
it's getting warmer, I can get out my sandles again, lilacs, green, newness

36. How many states have you lived in?
3

37. How many cities/towns have you lived in?
3

38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
bare feet, sandles, or socks

39. Are you a social person?
sometimes. I'm perfectly happy spending time with myself, though.

40. What was the last thing you ate?
rice and beans

41. What is your favorite restaurant?
the Italian place by campus and the Mexican place down the road. I could eat at those places every day.

42. What is your favorite ice cream?
chocolate and peanutbutter

43. What is your favorite dessert?
cherry pie

44. What is your favorite kind of soup?
vegetable

45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
grape or blackberry

46. Do you like Chinese food?
yes

47. Do you like coffee?
sometimes

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?
I don't think I've ever kept track. I drink when I'm thirsty.

49. What do you drink in the morning?
tea

50. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone?
either. I can sleep anywhere at any time. Jodi and Mia can attest to this. I love to cuddle, though.

51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
nope. I have a single bed now anyway, so I can't say it really matters.

52. Do you know how to play poker?
kinda

53. Do you like to cuddle?
oh yes

54. Have you ever been to Canada?
yes

55. Do you have an addictive personality?
not in most ways, but I do in a couple of ways. Not nearly like all the other women in my family, though.

56. Do you eat out or at home more often?
it's a toss up lately, but usually at home.

58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you?
some basketball player I went to college with.

59. Do you want kids?
yes

60. Do you speak any other languages?
Spanish, a little German, a little sign language. I want to learn Italian next. It's such a beautiful language. I also wouldn't mind learning to read ancient Greek.

61. Have you ever gotten stitches?
yes

62. have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
no

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
ocean, but I'll take either. I love to swim.

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seats?
window

65. Do you know how to drive a stick?
nope

66. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
presents for other people. I love Christmas for that reason. I have an excuse :)

67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7?
lately a necklace Bella gave me

68. What is your favorite TV shows?
Law and Order: SVU lately. Designing Women is my all-time favorite, though.

69. Can you roll your tongue? no :(

70. Who is the funniest person you know? I know a lot of funny people. Josh always makes me laugh. Also my mom and Judy crack me up when they are together. And my sister always.

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
no. My cat gets jealous of them on the two occasions I've tried.

72. What is the main ring tone on your phone?
Nutcracker, Sugar Plum Fairies

73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little?
my mom might, I don't know. We tended to pass everything around the family, so I wore all of my cousins' clothes and then we passed them on to the next child in the family. So basically wore a lot of boy's clothes :) As did my sister.

74. What color are your bedroom walls?
white

75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth?
yes

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
I can't close them, so open.

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
neither, but thank you for asking.

78. Do you flirt alot?
I don't think so. I'm not really a flirty person. I prefer honesty.

79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
barbeque sauce or lately buffalo ranch at Wendy's.

80. What is your favorite food?
Italian

81. Can you change the oil on a car?
no, but I'd love to learn.

82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?
no

83. Have you ever run out of gas?
no

84. What is your usual bedtime?
I prefer between 11 and midnight

86. Do you read the newspaper?
online

87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
yes, two, one of which is new and I'm really enjoying it.

88. Best comedian?
Ellen Degeneres, Dawn French

89. Do you watch soap operas?
no, but I did briefly when I was in college. L got me into General Hospital. I had a thing for Hannah who is no longer on the show as far as I know (and I really wouldn't know because I haven't watched that show in years).

90. Do you dance in the car?
sometimes

Urgent Prayer Request

Today a gay student was attacked very close to campus. He was badly beaten and is in the hospital. Yes, this was because he is gay. He has been harrassed repeatedly, has receieved hate mail, and has had his car vandalized. Today he was physically attacked. Please keep him, as well as the other glbt members of this community in your prayers. The glbt group on campus is holding an emergency meeting tomorrow to decide how best to address the issue. I will update when I have more information on the student and on the response.

Good News in Mexico

Civil Unions in Mexico City

Yet another survey

Why? Because my intelligent posts are on my other blog today! Check it out!

A- Age: 26
A - Annoyance: commercials
B - Best feature: Eyes
B - Beer: Fat Tire
B - Birthday: Feb. 20
C - Car: a red one
C - Candy: Reese's peanutbutter cups
D - Day or night: both
D - Dream Car: a hybrid
D - Dogs or Cats: cats
E - Eggnog: not right now, thanks.
E - E-mail: yes
F - Favorite color: Blue
F - Favorite Band: Indigo Girls
G - Greatest Gift: To love without fear or reservation.
G - Goal: I have several, the most pressing of which is to actually get some sleep tonight despite having 21 conferences tomorrow.
H - Hair Color: brown
H - Height: 5’ 3"
H - Happy: yep
I - Instrument: French horn
I - Idol: my old work study professor and my grandmother
J - Job: professor
J – Jail: nope
K - Kids: I want some.
K - Kickboxing or karate: I used to do Tai-Bo at 6:00 a.m. with a couple of friends my first year of college. I'd like to learn some basic self defense, though.
K - Kindergarten: I didn't talk then.
L - Longest Car Ride: I've been on several quite long ones. I used to drive 500 miles between home and school and then home and my newspaper job. I loved that drive.
M - Milk Flavor: um, milky?
M - Movie Last Watched: I don't remember.
N - Number of Siblings: 1 sister
N - Number of Tattoos: none yet
N - Nickname: um, Emmer, Emmerlily, Emmerloony (these are Emily the cat's nicknames)
O - One wish: a safe trip for Bella
O - One regret: Not coming out sooner.
P - Piercings: Ears.
Q - Quick or Slow: for what?
R - Reason to smile: The absurdity of life.
S - Song Last Heard: I don't remember. I was singing with the radio on the way to school today, though.
T - Time you woke up? 7:40 a.m. Somehow I missed my 6:00 a.m. alarm.
T - Time Now: time to go home
T - Time for bed: Lately, pretty damn late.
U - Unpredictable:
V - Vegetable you hate: celery
V - Vacation: backpacking through Europe
W- Worst habit: worrying
W- Where are you traveling next: to visit my family next weekend.
X - X-Ray: Vision? That’s for superheroes.
Y - Year it is now: 2006
Z - Zoo Animal: otters. They crack me up. I want to be an otter in my next life.
Z- Zodiac: Pisces

Check out my other blog!

I just updated it twice, so I thought I would plug it again ;) It's a blog on faith for those who are curious.

This is it!

How about a survey?

I'm exhausted and incoherent, so this is the best I can do today. Watch for an intelligent blog on my other blog to be written and posted when I've gotten more than two hours of sleep.

1. What brand of shirt are you wearing right now?
No idea. It's one of my sister's old sweaters. It's big, and I've been wearing it since yesterday.

2. Would you kiss anyone on your top friends list?
yep, and I have.

3 .How many people on your top friends do you know in real life? I think I've met all but Lori who needs to come and visit me sometime. I'm hoping to meet her at Christmastime. She might be stopping by the house on her way to her mom's.

4. How many kids do you want to have?
Three or four, I think.

5. Do you have a good relationship with your parents?
Yes.

6.Do you wanna change your name?
No.

7. What did you do for your last birthday?
I don't remember. Must not have been too exciting.

8.What time did you wake up today?
Waking up implies there was sleep involved at some point.

9. What were you doing at midnight last night?
grading papers and bitching and moaning

10. Name something you CANNOT wait for?
the end of the semester. Hell, I'd take the end of the day at this point. I'm tired.

11. last time u saw ur dad?
August, and for God's sake, learn to spell.

12. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life?
more sleep? less grading?

13. Have you ever talked to Tom?
Tom who?

14. last thing you ate?
McDonald's breakfast

15. What's your favorite month?
May or June, whichever is warmer and sunnier.

16. Least favorite month?
Feb. even though my birthday is that month. It's too damn cold and gloomy. I'm all for warmth and sunshine.

18. Who's getting on your nerves right now?
The world, at the moment. I still have 8 portfolios to grade :( Ugh.

22. coke or pepsi?
neither

23. Have you been kissed by anyone in the last week?
nope, but I've kissed my cat. That's got to count for something :)

Year Survey

No, it doesn't take a year. It's just about a year.

12 Months of Questions

JANUARY
1. Who kissed you at midnight?
No one.

2. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?
Yes, I had several. You can see them if you look under December or January's blog entries.

3. Does it snow where you live?
Yes

4. Do you like hot chocolate?
Yes, especially cinnamon hot chocolate.

5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?
No, and I have not desire to.

FEBRUARY
1. Who was your Valentine?
Rennick. We dressed in black and ate calzones.

2. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class?
Oh yes. I loved that. Sometimes I still send Valentines.

3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not?
Nope not really

MARCH
1. Are you Irish?
Yep and proud of it :)

2. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day?
If I remember.

3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2006?
I have no idea. A mystery person gave me a pot of clover, though. And I now have nine clovers in it. Isn't that impressive?

4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over?
Yes. Very.

APRIL
1. Do you like the rain?
Sometimes. I prefer the sun, though.

2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year?
not that I remember.

3. Do you get tons of candy on Easter?
not unless I buy it myself. I'm not a big candy eater.

4.Do you celebrate:
Easter? Yes.

MAY
1. what is your favorite kind of flower?
sunflowers

2. Do you like the spring?
Yes

3. Finish the phrase "April showers...":
bring May flowers. What do Mayflowers bring? Pilgrims.

4. What is the first color you think of when you think of spring?
yellow

JUNE
1. What year did you graduate from high school?
1998

2. Did you realize nothing special happens in June?
um?

JULY
1. What did you do on the Fourth of July?
I honestly don't remember.

2. Did you go on any vacations during this month?
I went camping at a state park.

3. Do you blast the A/C all day?
Probably. It's hotter than hell here in the summer.

4. Random Fact:
I called in sick once in July to tube the river. It was awesome.

AUGUST
1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer?
I visited my family right before school started, and I got to spend a lot of time with Josh while I was there. That was probably the best part of the summer. I hadn't seen him for a year.

2. What was your favorite summer memory of '06?:
Seeing Josh again.

3. Do you have a sunburn?
Not at the moment

4. Do you go to the beach a lot?
I didn't last summer.

SEPTEMBER
1. Did you attend school or college in '06?
only in the spring. Now I'm a prof :)

2. Who is/was your favorite teacher?
in high school, Mr. S. in college, Dr. L, Dr. P, Dr. S, Dr. H, and Ms. C.

3. Do you like fall better than summer?
No.

OCTOBER

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume?
This past year I was a cat. I don't know if I have a favorite really. I thought my most clever was when I went as an identity crisis, though.

2. What's your favorite candy?
Reese's peanutbutter cups

3.What did you dress up as last year?
I don't know if I did last year, actually. The year before was the identity crisis and the year before that was John Lennon.

NOVEMBER(-Last year!)
1. Whose house did you go to for Thanksgiving?
my aunt's

2. Do you love stuffing?
Yes, but not my aunt's. This is a source of much grief for both me and my sister every Thanksgiving. Her stuffing is awful.

3. What are you thankful for?
my family, friends, cat, job, health, church, life

DECEMBER(-Last year!)
1. Do you celebrate Christmas?
oh yes

2. If not, what do you celebrate?
N/A

3. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?
yes

4. Get anything special last year?
last year what I needed more than anything was to know that I was loved. It was a really hard holiday season last year. So yes, that is what I got, and that is what I needed, and yes, it was special.

5. What do you want this year?
laughter and fun

6. Do you like cold weather?
Not at all.

1. Someone knocks on your door at 2 a.m., who do you want it to be? Bella or Rennick most likely. Anyone else would probably get slapped.

2. Your boss tells you he/she will give you a $20 raise if you'll do your job naked would you stay? no

3. Put yourself in a nutshell: What kind of nutshell?

4. Ever seen a ghost? no

5. Happy with your body? yes, I am. I'd like to be a little lighter and I'm working on it, but you know, I'm happy as is.

6. A reason you would move to Iceland: nope, too cold. Wouldn't mind visiting, though.

7. A place you've lived that you miss: North Carolina

8. A job you would never do no matter how much you were paid: prostitute

9. A band you thought was cool when you were 13: DCTalk

10. You have a nightmare, who's the first person you think to call? my cat

11. Wanna have kids before you're 30? not necessarily. Maybe right at 30, though. Depends where I am at 30.

12. A memory from high school: When I used to run cross country, we ran once a year at this fabulous park with beautiful rock formations. At the end of every run, the guys and I would run through the river (this was November, mind you). That was always one of my favorite days of the year in high school.

13. Ever had a crush on one of your friend's parents? no

15. Do you look more like your mom, or your dad? mom

16. Something you've always wanted to learn how to do: kayak

17. Still friends with your exes? no

18. Where you'd like to be in 10 years? in a tenure track teaching position, married, with kids

19. Something you learned about yourself this year: that I am incredibly happy with who I am and where I am. It wasn't what I was planning on, but it really is where I am supposed to be.

20. What do you want to do for your birthday? something fun?

21. NAME THREE THINGS YOU DID TODAY? watched Will and Grace, ate breakfast with Bella, and rented a movie

22. LAST ITEM YOU BOUGHT YOURSELF? breakfast

23. DO U HAVE AN ORNAMENT HANGING FROM UR REARVIEW MIRROR? yes, I have a rainbow that I bought at the senior center of the town where I used to be a newspaper reporter

24.WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? eggs with cheese, tomatoes, and bacon and hashbrowns

25. NAME A CELEB YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON: Mariska Hargitay

26. NAME THE LAST FIVE BANDS YOU SAW LIVE: Indigo Girls, Michelle Malone, local singer, my dad's brass band, my dad's non-brass band

27. HOW MANY HOURS OF SLEEP DO YOU GET A NIGHT? 7-ish

30. WHO'S THE FIRST PERSON IN YOUR PHONE BOOK ON YOUR CELL?Alison

31. LAST TIME YOU WITNESSED A FIGHT? in Seattle

32. WHAT WAS THE LAST ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE YOU DRANK? beer

34. NAME THREE PLACES YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRAVEL TO: New Zealand, Greece, Ireland

35. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO ICE SKATE? yep, not well mind you, but it's really fun.

37. NAME SOMETHING THAT YOU LIKE THATS OUT OF THE ORDINARY? saints. I think they're fascinating, particularly the ones that have been reclaimed by a group of people, like the Virgin of Guadalupe (well, I suppose she's not a saint, but you know, whatever).

39. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BRAD PITT? i don't think of Brad Pitt

40. Name a friend you have the most in common with? I have things in common with a lot of my friends. Judith and I are probably the most similar in terms of personality and mannerisms. Josh and I have the same bizarre sense of humor.

41. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR TOENAILS? their normal color

42. Last person you talked with on the phone? Bella

43. DO YOU OWN ANYTHING WITH A SKULL ON IT? not that I know of

44. HAVE YOU TRAVELED TO EUROPE? yes

46. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Monty Python's Life of Brian

47. WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU HAD YOUR FIRST KISS? in the parking lot of my apartment complex. Janelle. It never worked out between us, but I had a thing for her for a while.

49. LAST BOARD GAME YOU PLAYED? Checkers with Bella's son. He nearly beat me. I was impressed. I used to be a hardcore Checkers player, so I like to think I'm pretty good. This is probably not true, but anyway.

50. LEATHER OR LACE? lace

51. EVER HAD A BLACK EYE? no

52. WHERE DO YOU RENT YOUR MOVIES? Netflix and the library

53. HAVE YOU EVER WORN FISH NET STOCKINGS? no

54. Do you know anyone in prison? not anymore, but I did. He's out now.

New Blog

I have started a new blog, in which some of you may be interested. Some of you may know that there was a time in my life when I considered going into the Christian ministry. This blog is sort of an exploration of faith and that sort of thing. I don't guarantee frequent posting, but that's okay. I thought it might be fun to have another blog.

The link is: http://emilyisnotatheologian.blogspot.com

Sanctuary

Last winter, I volunteered at a homeless shelter. I know I wrote about it then (at least I'm pretty sure I did--I'm not going to go back and look), but it was a heartbreaking experience. You see, our shelter is only open during the winter months. It was really windy and cold last night, and there was no shelter available for the homeless. Ours does not open until November 1. I got an email yesterday about the opening of the shelter and a request for volunteers, and I signed up to be a regular volunteer this year. I can't walk through the cold each morning without thinking of the people I met last year, many of whom are still sleeping out in that cold. Today, I got another email from the same woman requesting our presence at a memorial service on Friday for one of the shelter's regulars who died last week. The email mentioned that a total of five of the people who stayed at the shelter have died since the shelter closed in March. It's sickening that we do not have a year round shelter in this city that does not require a statement of Christian faith.

Good News from NJ

New Jersey Gets a Bit Better for Same-Sex Couples

Interesting

Your Power Color Is Red-Orange

At Your Highest: You are warm, sensitive, and focused on your personal growth. At Your Lowest: You become defensive and critical if you feel attacked. In Love: You are loyal - but you demand the respect you deserve. How You're Attractive: You are very affectionate and inspire trust. Your Eternal Question: "Am I Respected?"

What's" Your Power Color?

Tishie's Halloween Extravaganza

This year for Halloween, I am dressing as my cat, who is solid black. It so happens that several weeks ago when I was in desperate need of longjohns (you need longjohns when you camp with WW because she insists on camping when it is damn cold) and so I bought solid black ones, not even thinking of anything but warmth. Today, I went to the costume shop in search of a magic wand and a cloak in order to go as Harry Potter, and I came across this fabulous black cat mask and a tail. I was destined to be a black cat. So I am sitting here in my cat costume, waiting for Rennick to arrive so that we can go to Tishie's Halloween party. I'm way too excited.

I'm also excited because Bella will be home tomorrow :)

***Edited to add that this was posted after the party because I couldn't get to my blog before it.

7 Years Survey

How old were you?
19

Where were you living?
North Carolina

Where did you hang out?
at school

How long was your hair?
Do you remember, Judith? I'm not sure. Longer than it is now, I think. Maybe quite a bit longer.

Did you wear glasses?
yep

Who was your best friend?
Judith, Josh, Lynette

Who was your crush?
Vanessa, I think

What kind of car did you drive?
I didn't have one.

How many tattoos did you have?
none

How many piercings did you have?:
none

What was your worst fear?
coming out or rather being found out

Had you smoked a cigarette yet?
no, I've never had any desire to.

Had you been arrested?
no

Had your heart broken?
no

*** OCTOBER 2006 ***

How old are you?
26

Where do you live?
northwest

Where do you hang out?
lately, at Bella's but also in my office, at my favorite coffee shop downtown, and at my favorite Italian place

Do you wear glasses?
yep

What is your hairstyle?
shaggy at the moment. I'm going to get it cut this weekend.

Who are your best friends?
Josh, Judith, Rennick

Still talk to any of your old friends?
oh yes, all of them, not as often as I should, mind you, but yes

How many piercings do you have?:
one in each ear

How many tattoos?
none yet

What kind of car do you have?:
2000 Ford Focus. It's a good little car.

Have you been arrested since, if so then times total?
no

Has your heart been broken?
yes

Do you still smoke?
never have

Quote

Have I ever mentioned that I love Designing Women? I know I have. Several times. But there it is again. I was watching one of my favorite episodes this afternoon, "They Shoot Fat Women, Don't They?", and I heard one of my favorite quotes from the whole series.

"In the end, all that counts is what was true and what was truly felt and how we treated one another." --Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter's character)

I may put it up on my refrigerator. We'll see.

Queer Week

There's a big conference going on here on glbt issues. It's been wonderful. I heard Leslie Feinberg speak last night, and I must say, I was ready to go out and start changing things right afterwords. Now I clearly need to read Stone Butch Blues. The women who introduced Feinberg last night said that it was life-changing for them, and frog of the frogblog has often listed it as one of her favorites. I need to read it.

Bella gave a beautiful presentation this morning on visibility, human rights, and the Pride parade. It was fascinating, and a lot of the people she interviewed came to see her, which I thought was extra neat. She is off in the wild blue yonder now (actually she's probably just landed), on her way to check out a graduate school in a different city. I'll miss her this weekend.

The film festival portion of the conference starts tonight, and I'm way excited. I look forward to the queer film festival all year. It's kind of like Christmas in that way, that and Pride both. This time I actually broke down and bought the whole series of tickets. I normally work at the door during the festival, so perhaps I will show up early and see if they need any help tomorrow and Saturday. They shouldn't tonight because it's not on campus.

I am still haunted by one of the short films they showed last year, called "A Different War," which is about a young boy growing up in Israel right next to the wall between Israel and Palestine. His school is putting on a play of the story of David and one of his wives, and the boy loves dancing the part of the wife rather than any of the male parts. He also spends a lot of time wearing dresses and makeup. His brother is clearly ashamed of him and is constantly trying to get him to "be a man" by standing on top of the wall and yelling insults at the Palestinians, basically daring someone to shoot him. All of the other boys do this during the movie. In the last scenes, the brother catches him dancing the part of David's wife, grabs him, and drags him to the wall. He shoves him up the ladder. The young boy stands there for a moment and then instead of yelling, begins to dance on the wall. It was beautiful. I cried. I hope they show something as moving as that this year, as well.

Oh, and I actually get to sit on the other side of the Village approval committee this weekend because Rennick is bringing a girl to one of the movies and then to the poetry reading. Very exciting :)

Just a Note

Because I never said, the Village whole-heartedly approved Bella. They think she's as great as I do: very nice, very smart, and very cute. Yay :)

Welcome...

to my newest reader! Bella! May you not think I'm crazy after reading this ;)

Kids

I have always wanted to have kids, but I have never really considered dating anyone who already had them (not out of any bias or anything, I just never met anyone with kids who I was interested in dating). I have been spending more time with Bella and getting to know her son more, and he is the greatest kid. He is so kind and considerate and funny. I wear a pink button on my purse that says "Second Class Citizen" because the marriage amendment has become a hot topic in my state. I wear it because I really want people to recognize that gays aren't a faceless threat but actual people with real lives. Bella's kid saw it last night and commented on it. I told him what it meant, and he told me later after Bella left the room that I shouldn't have to wear it because gays aren't any different than anyone else. We just love different people. "What's the big deal?" he asked. What's the big deal, indeed.

Bella has not been in a relationship with a woman in several years, not in her son's memory in fact, and they have been discussing that she is bisexual. He is very concerned, not about her dating women, but about people being mean to her because of it. He told me in not so many words that people shouldn't judge someone based on who they love and that his mother is very special and shouldn't have people be mean to her without knowing her. He's absolutely right, of course.

I have a feeling the conversations will continue for the next few weeks and perhaps longer, and I think it's very cool that she is willing to talk with him so openly. I also think it's cool that she encourages him to ask questions of both of us, and I'm glad he feels comfortable doing so. He really is a good kid, and he has an amazing mother.

Bella

About a week and a half ago, I met a truly incredible woman. She's one of the smartest people I have ever met, and she's incredibly beautiful. We can sit and talk for hours, and it's wonderful. We have stayed up several times this week drinking tea and talking until the wee hours of the morning. She is very sweet and thoughtful and kind. She has a 12-year-old son (she's 31 for those playing along at home), who I have only met once, but who seems to be a really good kid. He was very very polite and sweet when I met him. He also called her one night when we were out and informed her that he needed a new book, which I found incredibly charming. He reads constantly, just like her.

Tonight, Bella (for those playing along at home, she is called Bella because that is her cat's name and not just because she is beautiful, which she is) met part of my Village. I'm still waiting for the report on her, but I think it went quite well. We spent the rest of the evening cuddling on the couch at my apartment, while I showed her all my pictures and she flirted with my cat, who happens to think she is wonderful, too. At any rate, she likes me, and I like her, and it's all good.

There is one huge wrench, however. Her abusive ex-boyfriend (she's truly bi, not curious) is still in the picture, and until he is completely out of the picture, we really can't be together. It just isn't safe for either of us or her son. I really believe she's going to be able to shake him soon, but it's incredibly sad in the meantime. I hate that there is someone in her life that causes her so much fear and pain. I hope she is able to get him completely out of the picture very soon. She's too wonderful to have to put up with that shit.

Rainbow Survey

I am not sure what any of these questions have to do with the colors, but use your imagination. It seemed like another good way to celebrate NCOD.

RED

1. Are you currently mad at someone?: no
2. Which of your friends has the worst temper?: I hate being around people who can't control their anger. People who get angry easily aren't for me. I can't say I have any friends with bad tempers, although there is someone I'm phasing out of my life who does (and that's why I'm phasing her out of my life).
3. have you ever thrown anything at anyone?: no
4. Does your face turn red when you're angry?: no
5. When you're mad do you prefer to stare angrily or yell and scream?: sulk and then talk about it.

ORANGE

1. Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party?: yes, my friends from college rock. We threw each other surprise parties all the time, so I can officially say, I had one all four years for my birthday. And the funny part is, I was actually surprised each time.
2. Are you easily excited?: yep
3. What event is coming up that your most excited about? Tishie's Halloween party!!!!
4. Which of your friends gets you the most exciteable? the ladies in the MFA program. We have such a good time together.
5. If you won a million dollars what would be your first thought?: no more credit card debt! And I can finally get another cat.
6. If you could have anything right now what would it be?: a maid

YELLOW

1. Name?: VioletEmily
2. Where were you born?: Small Town, Midwest
3. What's your main goal in life?: to be happy
4. Do you want to have children?: yes, several of them
5. How do you want to die? old age

GREEN

1. Sex before marriage?: of course
2. Gay Marriage?: yes
3. Lowering the drinking age?: yes
4. Capital Punishment?: no
5. Abortion?: yes
6. Recycling?: yes

BLUE

1. What was your latest dream?: going to a reading with this girl I'm interested in. Which I then did a few hours later. It was way fun, although I think I lost the parking garage ticket four times. She probably thought I was crazy. But she's hanging out with me again :)

2. Which of your friends do you dream about the most? I don't, actually. I'm usually not me in my dreams, and I don't usually know any of the people in my dreams either.

4. Do you usually remember your dreams?: usually

5. What was the weirdest dream you've ever had? that I was an airplane that looked a lot like Bill Murray.

PURPLE

1. Do you have a bf/gf? : no
2. Do you have a crush?: always
3. Who is the best hugger that you know?: my sister
4. Do you believe in love at first sight?: sure, why not.
5. Have you ever been in love?: yes

Happy National Coming Out Day!

I used to celebrate this day by coming out to someone I wasn't out to. Today, I can't think of anyone new. In the past nine or ten months, thanks to myspace, I have come out to just about my entire hometown and to nearly everyone I went to college with who I don't really keep in touch with with any regularity. The reactions mostly were "It's about time" and "Hey, me too." It's been fun to get back in touch with people, more than anything. Also, I have found that being gay is something I think less about than I did when I was first coming out. I usually work it into the conversation within the first five minutes of meeting someone new, just out of habit more than anything else. It's not even conscious most of the time. Does this mean the babydyke phase is now behind me? Today, I spent the day telling students who are coming out "Happy Coming Out Day" (I still and hopefully will always have students come out to me all the time). It seemed the appropriate way to celebrate.

The Debates

They went really well. I just realized that I hadn't given that update. Yep, they were great.

Debate

My English 102 students are working on their argument papers right now. I have decided to branch out a bit in my teaching, and I have picked five topics I think they should know more about, and I'm making them debate them. They're all in the back of the classroom looking up information about the topic of their choice right now. It's really fascinating. I think they may actually be enjoying themselves. I'll let you know how the debates go on Friday.

Next week, I'm bringing in some fun videos for them to watch. Some of them are Designing Women episodes. Those are so carefully structured into arguments for something. I really miss that show. It was always so smart and thought provoking. I think I'm going to bring in the AIDS episode and perhaps the hunger episode. I am looking forward to it.

Survey

How tall are you?
5'3"

Is your tongue pierced?
no

Where is your ideal house located?
Well, I've always thought about building a house across from my aunt's cornfield. I don't know if I ever will or not, though.

Last person you talked to?
Tishie. We're having pasta tomorrow.

Have you ever taken pictures in a photobooth?
I don't think so, but I'm really not sure.

When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?'
Rennick's birthday, I think.

Where was the furthest place you traveled today?
work

Where is your current pain at?
my neck. seriously. I don't know why, but it's been hurting for a week.

Who do you want to marry?
Haven't met her yet.

Do you like mustard?
yes, but only the bright yellow stuff. WW really likes the spicy stuff, and it's really nasty.

How many rings 'til you answer the phone?
I often don't. I wait for the voice mail to pick up. With my cell, it just depends how long it takes me to find it.

Do you look like your mom or dad?
my mom

Who was the last person who told you they hated you?
no one that I can remember

How long does it take you in the shower?
10 minutes or so

Can you do the splits?
no

What movie do you want to see right now?
Confetti

Did you think The Grudge was scary?
didn't see it. don't plan to.

Do you own a camera phone?
no

Would you ever dye your hair red?
sure, why not.

What song is overplayed?
that one by Death Cab for Cutie...

How many rings are on your fingers right now?
None

What are you drinking?
hot tea, and it actually has a teabag in it this time. I bought tea at school this morning and didn't realize that it was teabagless until I'd drunk half of it. I just figured I still hadn't regained my sense of taste.

Was your mom a cheerleader?
no, my aunt was, though.

Who are your favorite people to talk to?
I have lots of favorites. my sister, Judith, Josh, Jodi, WW, Rennick, Judy, Lori, and my new friend Jennifer. Those names don't even begin to cover it, actually. I have a lot of people I love to talk to.

What's the last letter of your middle name?
H

Are you pregnant?
No. someday maybe, though, at least that's the plan.

Who did you vote for on American Idol?
didn't watch it.

How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
I prefer 8 hours, but it all depends on the night. It was much less last night because I couldn't sleep because of my neck hurting.

Do you drink Egg Nog?
rarely

What do you buy at the movies?
at the indie theater in town, I get popcorn and either iced tea or beer. at the old fashioned theater, I get chocolate covered almonds. at any other theater, nothing usually.

Do you know how to play poker?
kind of

Do you wear your seatbelt?
Yes

What do you sleep in?
depends. lately pajama pants and a t-shirt

How Many meals do you eat a day?
two usually, sometimes three

Do you have A.D.D.?
no

Ever been to Vegas?
yes, a long time ago.

Paris or nicole?
who?

Do you make good pancakes?
eh, they're alright.

Did you eat a cookie today?
No

Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?
I don't download.

Do you hate chocolate?
no, it's okay.

5 things you've done today
1. Taught classes
2. Drank hot water without a teabag
3. planned to go camping this weekend with WW
4. took a big long nap
5. watched Mansfield Park with Embeth Davidtz (it's awesome! I'm a big Embeth fan.)

Tragedy

Amish School Shooting

I've been avoiding reading this story all day, but I finally did this evening. These families could sure use your prayers.

Designing Women

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this show? I really want all of the seasons to come out on DVD! This week, there is a Designing Women marathon every night on Nick at Nite. I must say, it's incredibly fun. I think I'm going to be a couch potato this week.

Survey

You are
[x] 5'0"-5'3"
[] 5¢4≤-5¢5≤
[] 5¢5≤-5¢6≤
[] 5¢6≤-5¢7≤
[] 5¢8≤-5¢9≤
[] 5¢10≤ and up

Your confessions:
[] I'm afraid of silence
[x] I am really ticklish
[]I'm afraid of the dark
[] I've collected comic books
[x] I sometimes shut out others
[] I open up to others TOO easily
[X] I read the newspaper
[X] I love Disney movies
[X] I am a sucker for gorgeous eyes
[X] I am a sucker for a gorgeous smile
[x] I don't kill bugs (try not to, at least)
[] I have "x"s in my screen name
[x] I bake well
[x] I have worn pajamas to class
[] I love Martha Stewart
[] I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS
[X] I love to laugh
[] I can't swallow pills.
[]I bite my nails
[] I play computer games when I'm bored
[x] I have gotten lost in the city
[x] I have gone out in public in my pajamas
[] I have made out in an elevator
[] I have been skydiving
[] I have been bungee jumping
[] I have bitten someone
[x] I have egged or T.P.ed a house/car
[ ] I have smashed a car
[] I have been fired

Have you ever…
[X] seen a shooting star
[] joke proposed to anyone
[x] gotten stitches
[x] eaten Sushi
[x] gotten the chicken pox
[X] Ridden in a taxi
[] Been on a cruise ship
[X] Driven/Rode over 400 miles in one day
[x] Been on a plane by yourself
[x] had surgery
[x] seen a movie more than 3 times in the theater
[X] been on stage
[] gotten a black eye
[] memorized all the dialogue in a movie
[X]watched an entire baseball game

Do you like…
[x]old movies
[x] musicals
[X] blasting music in your car
[x] foreign foods
[] gameboy Pokemon
[X] Christmas time
[X] doughnuts
[X] animals
[X] coffee
[X] tea
[x] summer
[x] winter

TWO'S OF EVERY KIND

Two Names You Go By: Violet and Emily

Two things you are wearing right now:
pajama bottoms and my Pride shirt

Two Places You Want to go on Vacation:
Ireland and Chile

Two Things You Are Thinking About Now:
my Village and my fuzzy girl, who is sitting on my lap

Two favorite animals:
cats and WW's dog

Spell your name without vowels:
Vlt mly

How many pairs of jeans do you own?:
three

What color(s) do you wear most often?
blue

What's for dinner tonight?
I had soup and grilled cheese, thanks to WW.

Are you happy with your life right now?
Yes, very much so

[Do you own a…}

- PS2: no

- XBOX: no

- PSP: no

-XBOX 360: no

- Gamecube: no

Digital Camera: no


Do you shop at stores like Aeropostale and American Eagle?
no

How do you make money?
I teach.

Last thing you bought?:
iced tea

How's the weather?:
it's been warm, I think. I've been inside.

Do you own big sunglasses?:
no

What should you be doing right now?:
laying on the couch?

Who did you hug today?:
my fuzzy child. I'm trying to avoid giving other people my dread disease, so no hugging anyone else.

How many beds did you lay in yesterday?
1

What color shirt are you wearing?:
white with rainbows on it. it's my Pride shirt.

Name one thing that you do everyday?:
play with the fuzzy child

Whats the color are your bedroom walls?:
white

How much cash do you have on you right now?:
none

Q: When was the last time you saw your dad?
A: in August

Q: What did you have for dinner last night?
A: tortellini with Rennick

Q: Look to your left, what do you see?
A: the wall

Q:Do you have plants in your room?
A: yes, I have clover, six of them now in their little pot.

My friends rock

So I have been in the process of building a Village (frog's term) of sorts here. Let me tell you, they are really great. I have been sick as a dog this week, and I have felt very loved. I've had three friends offer soup (and they don't even read here, so it wasn't even in response to my whiney blog from the other day). WW actually brought soup tonight, two kinds actually, as well as grilled cheese and some really powerful prescription cold medicine. I don't have health insurance right now, so this was much appreciated. Rennick had dinner with me last night, and I whined about not feeling well and she was very sympathetic. Liz has checked on me a couple of times and has loaned me a whole stack of Xena tapes, which I have quite enjoyed. It has been quite wonderful the last week or so, despite the sick as a dog part. I'm really blessed to have such good friends.

Names

I heard a great name over the weekend. I'm going to name my daughter this, in fact, when and if I have one (I'll probably end up with all boys which is fine, but anyway). Anyway, the name is Eilen (pronounced E. Lynn). Isn't that pretty? If you would like to know where I heard it, it's the name of a fabulous new singer I have discovered. Her name is Eilen Jewell. She's incredible.

Ugh

I am so sick. I'm accepting sympathy and soup. I'll be sure to thank you when I get my voice back.

I'm so tired

1. FIRST NAME? Violet

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? no

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, it's exactly like my dad's. I think it is perfectly legible. My students disagree.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? No.

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? yes, but I am horrible about writing in it, lately at least.

9. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes

10. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? my gut says hell no, but I've tried so much new stuff lately that I'm going to have to reserve judgement on this one for later. WW is a good friend to have. She makes me try new things. I make her sit through boring documentaries and poetry readings. These are new to her, as well.

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cheerios

12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? depends which shoes they are.

13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? emotionally, yes. physically, not so much, although moreso than I used to be.

14. YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? moosetracks

15. SHOE SIZE? 6

16. RED OR PINK? Red.

18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? my sister

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? green pants and gray sandles

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue

23. FAVORITE SMELL? lilac and honeysuckle

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? WW. I'm still trying to persuade her to let me take her to the emergency room. It's not working. She fell off her jeep yesterday, and I think she fractured her arm. What she was doing on top of her jeep, I'm not entirely sure.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? eyes, hands, and smile

26. FAVORITE DRINK? iced tea

27. FAVORITE SPORTS? no

30. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no, I think glasses are attractive in general

31. FAVORITE FOOD? tortellini

32. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? happy endings

33. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIES? Quinceanera

34. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? gray

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? brownies and cherry pie

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (I'm teaching it right now), The DaVinci Code, and Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? something boring. I'm in my office at school.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Law and Order: SVU kind of. It was on mute.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? owls

44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? both

45. WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR THE NEXT MONTH? grade all 75 of my students' essays :( and buy some warm longjohns. also to go camping a couple more times.

**Four Things You May Not Know About Me**

1. I love it when students come to talk to me in my office. I like getting to know them.
2. I'm planning to start an online poetry journal mainly for women and the lgbt community.
3. I am really really happy with where and who I am right now. This struck me over the weekend.
4. I am planning to make fried green tomatoes in the next couple of days.

**Four jobs I have had in my life:**

1. teacher
2. journalist
3. preacher
4. radio news writer

**Four Movies I have watched over and over:***

1. Rent
2. Mona Lisa Smile
3. D.E.B.S.
4. Lady in the Water (well, I've seen it twice so far...)

**Four places I have lived:***

1. midwest
2. southeast
3. mountains
4. northwest

**Four TV shows I love to watch: ***

1. Law and Order: SVU
2. MASH
3. Xena: Warrior Princess
4. Designing Women

**Four places I have been on vacation:***

1. Venice
2. London
3. Shenandoah National Park
4. Badlands

**Four places I would rather be right now:

1. in bed, I'm sick
2. Wisconsin, visiting Lori
3. Venice
4. at my undergrad school, visiting my friends there

What do I tell her?

All advice is welcome. I'll be sure to pass it on to her.

My sister has recently put me in touch with a very sweet young woman, who is about 20 years old. She is currently a junior in college and is dating her high school sweetheart, a girl. Her parents are Christian fundamentalists. She has been sent to an ex-gay thing already and has tried to be straight. She wants to come out to her parents now. She runs the risk, by doing so, of being taken out of college or being shipped off to bible college away from her girl. She is financially dependent on her family still. When she is home (she goes to school about two hours from home), her parents keep her away from her girl at all costs, as in only letting her see her when there is a huge group of people present. They're pretty heavily in control of her life, it seems. They know her girl is gay and think being gay is catching. What on earth should I tell this girl? Do you know of any resources that could help her?

Survey

01. YOU HAVE 10 BUCKS AND NEED TO BUY SNACKS AT A GAS STATION. WHAT DO YOU GET?
juice and cheese curls

02. IF YOU WERE REINCARNATED AS SOME SORT OF SEA-DWELLING CREATURE, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
seahorse

03. WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE REDHEAD?
Josh

04. WHAT DO YOU ORDER WHEN YOU'RE AT AN IHOP?cinnamon swirl French toast

05. LAST BOOK YOU READ?
67 Mixed Messages by Ed Allen. I'm teaching it in my poetry class. It's a collection of acrostic sonnets (that spell out I love Suzi Grace) about bisexuality. It's a fascinating (and hysterical) book. My students really like it, too. Have I mentioned that almost my entire class is made up of lesbians? Yeah, it's an awesome group.

06. HAVE YOU MADE OUT WITH ANYONE ON YOUR MYSPACE FRIENDS LIST?
um, yes

07. DESCRIBE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE INJURED.
Well, everytime I play with WW, I end up covered with bruises. This is because we are overly adventurous and not because of any kind of abuse, though. I don't think my legs have ever been so bruised, though. They were a weird shade of purple for a while. Kind of sketchy, that.

08. OF ALL YOUR FRIENDS, WITH WHOM WOULD YOU WANT TO BE STUCK IN A WELL?
Josh, do you want to be stuck in a well with me? Would we ever get out?

09. ROCK CONCERT, OR SYMPHONY?
I can appreciate both.

10. WHAT IS THE WALLPAPER ON YOUR CELLPHONE?
I have no idea.

11. SODA?
No.

12. FLAVOR OF PUDDING?
No.

13. WHAT TYPE OF SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
It's brown and it is covered with chalk. I kept dropping the eraser on myself and swearing while I taught this morning.

14. PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION?
Celexa. It's good stuff.

15. IF YOU COULD USE ONLY ONE FORM OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
What kind of question is that?

16. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON YOUR FRIENDS LIST?
66 currently. I feel incredibly popular.

17. HOW MANY PEOPLE IN YOUR LIST DO YOU KNOW IN REAL LIFE?
Most of them. 3/4 of them at least. I went to high school or college with a lot of them. Some I went out with once or twice here.

18. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?-Nothing. I'm in my office, and it's really quiet.

19. MOST RECENT MOVIE YOU'VE WATCHED IN A THEATERS?
Who Killed the Electric Car? The day before that I saw Little Miss Sunshine, which made me laugh until I cried. I recommend both.

20. IF YOU COULD INVENT ONE THING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
a machine that graded my papers for me

21. NAME AN ACTOR/ACTRESS YOU'VE HAD THE HOTS FOR.
Lucy Lawless

22. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CITY?
the one I live in currently. also London.

23. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF CAKE?
yellow

24. WHAT'S THE FIRST WORD THAT COMES TO MIND RIGHT NOW?
I'm hungry.

25. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR MOM IN PERSON?
About a month ago.

26. WHO GOT YOU TO JOIN MYSPACE?
Me.

27. WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT?
Italian food with my people after the glbt group's meeting. I got to meet all of these wonderful new people. I'm really excited about our group this year.

28. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RESIDING IN THE CURRENT CITY YOU LIVE IN?
just over three years. going on four.

30. WHAT'S THE LAST THING YOU SAID OUTLOUD?
Let me know if you need a letter of recommendation. I'll be happy to write one.

31. LOOK TO YOUR LEFT. WHAT DO YOU SEE?
a stack of papers that need graded.

32. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON THAT SPENT $100 ON YOU?
WW. She bought me a hydration pack before we went camping in Nevada a couple weekends ago. Actually, I have no idea how much those cost, but it was really nice of her.

33. WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE TENNIS PLAYER?
Who cares? There's a great article on that basketball player, Sheryl Swoopes (that's her name, right?) in Curve this month, though.

35. WHAT'S THE LAST PIECE OF CLOTHING YOU BOUGHT?
I have no idea.

Survey

Single or Taken:
Single. Sigh.

Happy about that:
Actually, I'm perfectly fine with it.

Eye Color:
blue

Shoe size:
6

Height:
5'3"

What are you wearing right now?:
green pants and my 2006 Pride shirt

Righty or lefty:
Righty.

Can you make a dollar in change right now?
always


---------------FAVORITES---------------

Kind of pants:
jeans, really baggy ones

Animal:
cats

Drink:
Alcoholic - Fat Tire
Non-alcoholic - iced tea

Month:
June

Juice:
Grapefruit

Favorite cartoon:
Anime Movie - Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (I'm serious, it's awesome)
Show - Rocky and Bullwinkle (especially when I'm tired or drunk)
Movie - Mulan
Print - Peanuts



-----------HAVE YOU EVER...-------------

Been Prank Called:
Yes.

Given anyone a bath:
Yes.

Bungee Jumped?
No, nor will I ever.

Made yourself throw-up?
No.

skinny dipped?
Not yet.

Loved someone so much it made you cry?
Yes. And why is this question on every single freaking survey?

Broken a bone:
No.

Played truth or dare:
Yep.

Been in a physical fight:
no

Came close to dying:
Yes.

Been in a hot tub:
yep

Fallen asleep in school:
oh yes.

Ran away:
not that I recall.

Broken someone's heart:
yep

Cried when someone died:
Yes.

Fell off your chair:
that's the story of my life.

Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call:
yep

Saved AIM conversations:
Yep.

Been cheated on:
I sure hope not.

----------WHAT IS...----------

Beside you:
my iced tea

Last thing you ate:
Wendy's chicken strips

---------Ever Had...----------

Chicken pox:
twice

Sore Throat:
yes

Stitches:
yes

Broken nose:
no


----------Do You...----------

Believe in love at first sight:
yep

Believe in long distance relationships:
yep

Like school:
love it.

Question yourself:
yep

Who was the last person that called you?:
Rennick

Who makes you smile the most:
my cat

Who knows you the best:
my sister

Do you wear glasses?:
yes, and I love my glasses.

Do you get along with your family:
Most of the time.

Final Questions:

What did you do yesterday:
wandered around the big art festival and bought a very cool picture to hang on my wall. Then I took a long nap, read, and chatted with my folks and a cool woman from Washington.

what car/truck do you wish to have:
someday I'd like a hybrid Honda Civic.

Have a lava lamp:
no

How many remote controls are in your house?:
one

Are you double jointed?
Nope.

When did you last shower?
last night

Scary or Funny Movies:
funny

Chocolate or Vanilla:
Chocolate.

Rootbeer or Dr.Pepper:
iced tea (I'm not a pop drinker at all)

Summer or winter:
summer.

Silver or Gold:
Silver

Diamond or pearl?
amethyst

Sprite or 7up:
iced tea

Coffee or tea:
tea

Phone or in person:
In person

Today did you..

Talk to someone you liked:
yep, several people in fact

Buy something:
a hook to hang up the cool picture that I bought yesterday

Get sick:
no

Miss someone:
lots of people really. I heard from one of them today, which really made me happy. Hi Judith!


Last person who....

Slept in your bed:
my cat

Saw/heard you cry:
my cat probably

Made you cry:
don't know

Went to the movies with you:
WW, I think

Said "I Love You" to you:
mom

Ever been in a fight with your pet:
no, although we do have tiffs some mornings when she thinks I should get up at 5:30

Been to Mexico:
Not yet.

Been to Europe:
Yes.

Do you have a crush on someone right now:
always

what book are you reading now:
I just finished The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde. Absolutely hysterical as all of his books are. I'm also reading Water Wars by Vandana Shiva, which is a fascinating read.

Future KIDS names:
Laurelyn Erin, the funny thing about this name is that I am currently very interested in someone with a very similar name. I've also always like the names Gloria, Michael, Daniel, Jonah, and Annie.

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal:
no, my cat won't allow it. It's really funny. She gets jealous. My ex gave me a stuffed rabbit once, and I tried to curl up with it one night, and my cat wedged herself between the rabbit and me. She kept pushing the rabbit as far away from me as she could.

What's under your bed:
my cat?

Favorite sports to watch:
I hate sports.

Favorite Locations:
Anywhere with the people I love. Venice. Cinque Terre.

tattoos or piercings:
Just my ears.

What are you most scared of right now?:
not being able to learn all of my many students' names. It's week four already, and I still don't know them all.

Who do you really hate?:
snakes sometimes, wolf spiders

Have you ever liked someone you didn't have a chance with:
hasn't everyone?

Are you lonely right now?:
no, not really

Song that's stuck in your head right now?
"Grace" by Michelle Malone

Have you ever gotten beat up?
no

Have you ever been on radio/TV:
yes. on a commercial on PBS, I think. It was all of the valedictorians from the area when I graduated in high school. We moved our tassels on our graduation caps.

Ever liked someone, but thought they never noticed?:
sure

Random...

What color is your underwear right now?
white

What's the first things you notice about the opposite sex?
Physically - Eyes and laugh (is that physical?)
Personality - kindness

Your Favorite Type of Food?:
Italian, but I love all food.

Are you too shy to ask someone out?:
not usually. had a brief period of nervousness lately, though, I think because I knew I was going to get turned down flat.

Hugs or Kisses?:
Both.

Dogs or Cats?:
Cats. Clearly.

Favorite Flower?:
lupine, sunflowers

Have you ever fired a gun?
No. Hopefully I never will.

How many pillows do you sleep with?:
One.