So my very dear friend Ryan decided to try to make a survey of epic proportions. One where you'd actually need to think in order to complete it. Consider this my challenge to everyone--I expect to be reading a lot of thought-provokin' MeMes after this!
The Five in No Particular Order Survey...
Five places you've lived or visited
1. Negaunee, Michigan: the place I lived for the first five years of my life. There was a steep hill that sloped down to our house. I used to roll down that hill every day. It felt like I was flying every time. There was a pond behind the house that housed Canadian Geese and a family of woodchucks. Like Ryan, I remember my first phone number: 475-7777
2. Honolulu, Hawaii: I traveled there with my senior class for our senior class trip. It took six long years of fundraising to get us there; it was worth every cent the second I smelled the hibiscus flowers in the airport. To this day, it's still the most beautiful place I've ever been: warm, colorful, welcoming. It was like I was home, though I'd never been there before. It truly is an enchanting place.
3. New York City: Although I was only there for the shortest four days of my life, it was long enough to fall in love with the city that never sleeps. The neon, the noise, the people--it was all beautiful. Beautiful chaos. I could live there someday.
4. London, England: If I'm in love with New York, then I'm completely and utterly infatuated with London. The laid-back atmosphere was such a refreshing change. The many cultures swirled around and mixed in a charming way. The shopping, the museums, the architecture, the food, the people...I could go on for ages. New York may have been my first love, but London holds a far more special place in my heart, if only because it was the first place I went to outside of the U.S.
5. Disney World: it's been a dream of mine since I was introduced to Disney films when I was two. It was a dream realized when I went with my family two months ago. Seeing Cinderella's Castle brought tears to my eyes. Really, I am a princess...and a child at heart.
Five things you�d really like to accomplish with your life
1. Travel the world. Going to London and Paris was a good start. It gave me a taste of the world and left me hungry for more. Now I want to fill my passport with as many stamps as possible.
2. Make a difference. My last job made me realize that I need to be fulfilled by helping others. I want to help as many people as possible by utilizing my talents.
3. Learn new languages. I only know English. I want to learn Italian, Greek and Latin.
4. Become published. I adore writing; I think I'm decently talented. I would love to compose a book of essays and have it land on the New York Times best seller list. Or at least sell a couple of essays to the New Yorker and other prestigious literary magazines.
5. Help my mom become less stressed. Her rheumatoid arthritis and asthma become worse with stress. I want to be in a position where I can comfortably support myself because then I can help to alleviate some of her stress.
Five things you sort of wish you hadn�t done
1. Not taken a chance. I'm talkin' romantically. If I had spoken up a couple of times, I could have been in some great relationships. Instead I chickened out and let my unrequited love burn out. No more, I say. Not any more.
2. I'm with Ryan, in a sense--The entire fall 2004 semester, in the sense that my old roommate was horrendous. She only caused drama and tried to tear apart some of my closest relationships. It was a trying semester. But I am grateful for it, because now my friendships are stronger and I am stronger. As I like to say--it was a good learning experience.
3. Joined cheerleading in high school. The coach was a monster who was on me all the time about my weight. I was trying to find myself and I was confused. Trying to be a cheerleader didn't help my confusion any.
4. Fought with my mom so much. I was a hellion in high school. I gave her a lot of grief; she gave me a lot of grief. Hindsight is a bitch. But, happily enough, we have a strong bond now.
5. Stayed in Aspen Haus my sophomore year. An all-girl house is a drama-filled thing. Living with my roommate was a drama-filled thing. Lots of drama may have been avoided if I would have moved to a mixed sex house.
Five things you truly believe in
1. That there is good in everyone. Yes, you can't always see it. But I sincerely believe that there is at least a shard of humanity in all people. I can't explain why without this turning into a dissertation, so I won't even try.
2. Karma. Once upon a time my dad cheated on my mom. My dad then married his girlfriend three days after the divorce was finalized. Two years later, my dad had a stroke that permanently disabled him. My stepmother stole his money, sold his pricey possessions and took off for the South Coast. She then got lung cancer and withered away in a nursing home. I couldn't make this up. They both did some heinous things and hurt a lot of people. And look how they ended up. What goes around comes around. It works for good, too; I believe it works even stronger for good. If you're truly a good person, good things will come to you.
3. Angels/guardians/ghosts. Whatever you may call them, I believe that there's a higher power protecting us. When I was a junior in high school, I woke up for no reason in the middle of the night. I wandered around my room for no reason and then realized that it was hazy. I went to find my mom and realized that our water heater had exploded and that our home was on fire. If I hadn't woken up, who knows what would have happened. There was something watching us that night.
4. God. Though I was raised to believe in God and not question why, I did for a long time. It's only been recently that I truly began to think that God does exist. I said a couple of months ago that I was due for a religious experience. I got it in the form of adversity. It's only because I've prayed a lot that I've gotten through it.
5. Myself. There are times when I doubt that I can do something. But I realize that I have to be my biggest supporter--if I don't believe in me, how can I expect anybody else to? It's only with this philosophy that I've succeeded.
Five memories that mean a lot to you
I'm going to preface this by saying that I have far too many memories for this.
1. Disfuntional family dinner, version: grown-up dinner. At the end of April, Katie A. decided to treat us to a great dinner. She's an excellent cook and served us duck and lamb and appetizers and a million other yummy things. And wine--lots and lots of wine. The majority of us got a little crunk on the wine. It lead to hilarious conversation and an even more entertaining version of "Holding Out for a Hero" by Katie and I. The dinner lasted for a good two hours. It was an amazing moment for all of us. And a fitting way to say au revoir to those of us who were graduating.
2. Mom meets Mickey Mouse. Mom was a bigger kid than my sister and I combined while at Disney World. This was her first real vacation (EVER), so she soaked it all in. It culminated on Wednesday night during late-night hours at the Magic Kingdom. When she saw Mickey Mouse, she squealed and dragged us to the long-ass line to meet him. Fourty-five minutes later, she nearly sprinted into Mickey's arms. There was much squealing. And some tears. From me.
3. John Mayer Green Bay road trip. I joined the John Mayer fan club just to get presale tickets. I landed 15th row to the Green Bay show in March of 2004 and wouldn't shut up about it for two months. Em and I road tripped to Green Bay the Saturday before the show--many ditzy moments ensued in the car and that whole weekend. It peaked on Sunday night before the show when we got lost on the way to the Resch Center. The combination of nerves and excitement and giddiness was addicting. By the time we got to the Center, we were bouncing off the walls. We stayed that way through the show and all the way home, although we didn't get back to Marquette until four in the morning. Seeing your favorite musician with your best friend? Priceless.
4. Thanksgiving in Detroit. Joe took me home to meet his family for Thanksgiving 2003. While meeting his fam was great, the rest of the weekend was better. We saw John Mayer (not the point of this, I swear I'm not that obsessed), shopped and I discovered that I am the Queen of the Gay Men through trips to many gay bars and even (sorry mom!) a strip club. I danced, they danced, we danced together and I was crowned Queen.
5. My last night in London. Now, if you know me personally, you've heard the long version. But honestly, it's about MUCH more than that. It was about me realizing that life is so much more than just doing what is expected; it's about doing what you want to do. I was in London, which was a huge dream of mine. I gained confidence and self-actualization that night. And I realized that Ryan was and always will be a trusted, beloved partner in crime.
Now, five shorter self-analysis things to end up:
Five self-prescribed best qualities
1. Confidence: I know who I am and I love who I am. What you see is what you get with me. And I like that.
2. Open-minded: I accept people for who they are and I try not to judge. I love experiencing new things--what's life for if not to experience everything and everyone?
3. Dorky: this is good. I am who I am and I am a dork. I love dorky things like Disney and scrapbooking and musicals. I appreciate the fact that I can embrace my dorker side because so many people are embarassed to admit to their not-so-cool sides. I love me--in all my dorky glory.
4. Passionate: there's a saying that says that nothing in life is accomplished without passion. I whole-heartedly agree. When I'm doing something, I'm committed 120%.
5. Friendly: strangers are just friends I have yet to make in my world. I love talking with people, seeing where they come from, how they tick, hearing their stories. I can't have enough acquaintences.
Five self-prescribed worst qualities
1. Vain: I can't pass a reflective surface without checking out my hair/makeup/me. I'm cute and I know it. And sometimes? People need to smack me.
2. Procrastinatory: If there's a way I can procrastinate, I will. I'm getting better at doing things, but still. It sucks.
3. Loud: While I don't think this is a bad thing (I think it's an empowerment thing, really), my loudness has gotten me in trouble plenty of times. And that's not cool.
4. Neurotic: I overanalyze everything. My brain just needs to stop.
5. Obsessing: again--my brain just needs to stop.
Five of your quirks/oddities
1. I make a wish every time I see the same number on the time. Like at 1:11, 3:33, etc... and I get sad if I miss that magic time by seconds.
2. I love dirty jokes, whether I'm making them or hearing them. Hang around me for half an hour--you're sure to hear me giggling about "meat" or "stroking" of some kind. Guaranteed.
3. My love of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch is turning into an obsession. Now whenever I see something Stitch-y I need to buy it. Or at least touch it.
4. Though I'll eat any of them, I only really like green M&M's. Heh heh--green M&Ms!
5. I compulsively check my email. And people's away messages on AIM. I need to figure out a more constructive way to spend my time.
Five bad habits
1. biting my fingernails
2. not cleaning
3. not cooking/going out to eat too much
4. not budgeting correctly (though this has gotten better)
5. spending too much time online
Five people who mean a lot to you
A note: These people need no explanation. They�re all wonderful in their own ways, and I couldn�t be me without them. I'm sorry if you're not on the list--you know I love everyone!!
1. my mom
2. Em
3. Joe
4. Ryan
5. Chrissy
And now...add a new section...
Cherished childhood: name five facts from your childhood that we may not have known
1. I sucked my thumb until I was 9. I thought I would never stop.
2. I began playing the clarinet in the 4th grade. I was a natural, according to my band teacher. My thumb-sucking had given me the appropriate woodwind ambechure that helped me become a great clarinetist.
3. I wore sweatsuits almost exclusively until 5th grade. They were all pastel and had things like unicorns and teddy bears on them. Then I grew a brain and rebelled by refusing to wear them EVER again. My aunts got mad because they didn't know what to get me for my birthday anymore after that.
4. I potty-trained to the Ghostbusters soundtrack. Seriously. Mom bribed me to go to the bathroom by playing the record. Soon I refused to go unless the record was playing. My grandma got sick of hearing it after she fed me prunes one day...
5. I used to think that the dragonflies that darted around our pond were fairies and that the pond was enchanted. I wanted to run away and be the fairies' princess-queen.