Things and stuff
Survey yanked from grammargirl
Things you are afraid of:
Loud sudden noises (mostly balloons popping, but also gunshots in controlled settings -- plays, and the openings of athletic events), sobbing in public, witnessing violence and having no escape (whether in a movie theater or in real life), small spaces, losing my motivation, losing people I love
Things that make you laugh:
The Comics Curmudgeon, The Office, watching my dog turn into "Crazy Gus" when he zooms recklessly all over the house, Adam's tasteless jokes about my novel, drawing vengeful crayon pictures on the tablecloth at Macaroni Grill
Things that make you cry:
frustration and sleepiness, thinking about The Book Thief, watching curtain calls (seriously)
Things you love:
Adam and my family and my dog, travel, my fictional characters, Faulkner, running and walking, going to the mountains, singing, musicals, weekend mornings, oatmeal cookies, meeting weird people, Decemberists concerts, the smell of convenience stores, listening to "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Things you hate:
When basic communicative etiquette is abandoned in the name of "free speech," the smell of Adam's favorite Polish dinner (sausage and sauerkraut), misplaced apostrophes, driving in Atlanta
Things you don't understand:
Casual disregard for civilized society (i.e. when people litter, run red lights, decide they don't want the package of chicken in their grocery cart and leave it to perspire in the magazine rack); the appeal of yarn, baseball, Coke, Nicholas Sparks, and nu-metal bands; boredom and the people who suffer from it
Things you're good at:
Imitating Kate Monster from Avenue Q, writing language tests, writing manuals to teach other people how to write language tests, cooking tofu, finding things on the Internet, taking second place in bar trivia, spouting Simpsons quotes, writing beginnings of stories
Things you suck at:
Anything requiring spatial ability, making and keeping friends, taking care of myself when I'm sick, using a curling iron, quickly getting ready in the morning, writing endings of stories
Things on your desk:
My desk at home: laptop, water glass, framed photos of college friends and my sister and me, jewel case for New Pornographers' Mass Romantic, scrap paper, a pair of earrings I really should put back in my jewelry box, a couple small stuffed animals (two bears [Bob Bear and Jasper], one cow [Daisy], one frog [Herbert The Frog], and one monkey [Little Zachary]).
My desk at work: flatscreen monitors, Post-It notes with people's phone numbers on them, a napkin, my (uncharged) cell phone, regular phone, pencil cup, metal Caribou Coffee thermos, red Ikea lamp, a book called Assessing Reading, paper cutouts of happy insects from Big S books, recycle paper pile, Panera Bread Co. potato chips my boss always gives to me, notes from a meeting, multiple to-do lists
Right now you are:
Somewhat sleepy. Taking a break from writing tests. Wearing a cute lacy shirt I hardly ever wear because it buttons down the back. Wondering if there's a difference between "buttons down the back" and "buttons up the back."
Facts about you:
I'm really short. I have an excellent memory. I have very poor vision, and I can tell it's getting worse. Right now, I have 7 or 8 mosquito bites. My skin is very fair, and I get a lot of freckles on my shoulders in the summer.
Things to do before you die:
Publish a novel (or two, or three). Live in New York City. Become a more dependable person. Find out more about my parents' pre-me lives. Read a classic novel in a language other than English. Travel everywhere.
Things you are afraid of:
Loud sudden noises (mostly balloons popping, but also gunshots in controlled settings -- plays, and the openings of athletic events), sobbing in public, witnessing violence and having no escape (whether in a movie theater or in real life), small spaces, losing my motivation, losing people I love
Things that make you laugh:
The Comics Curmudgeon, The Office, watching my dog turn into "Crazy Gus" when he zooms recklessly all over the house, Adam's tasteless jokes about my novel, drawing vengeful crayon pictures on the tablecloth at Macaroni Grill
Things that make you cry:
frustration and sleepiness, thinking about The Book Thief, watching curtain calls (seriously)
Things you love:
Adam and my family and my dog, travel, my fictional characters, Faulkner, running and walking, going to the mountains, singing, musicals, weekend mornings, oatmeal cookies, meeting weird people, Decemberists concerts, the smell of convenience stores, listening to "The Bleeding Heart Show"
Things you hate:
When basic communicative etiquette is abandoned in the name of "free speech," the smell of Adam's favorite Polish dinner (sausage and sauerkraut), misplaced apostrophes, driving in Atlanta
Things you don't understand:
Casual disregard for civilized society (i.e. when people litter, run red lights, decide they don't want the package of chicken in their grocery cart and leave it to perspire in the magazine rack); the appeal of yarn, baseball, Coke, Nicholas Sparks, and nu-metal bands; boredom and the people who suffer from it
Things you're good at:
Imitating Kate Monster from Avenue Q, writing language tests, writing manuals to teach other people how to write language tests, cooking tofu, finding things on the Internet, taking second place in bar trivia, spouting Simpsons quotes, writing beginnings of stories
Things you suck at:
Anything requiring spatial ability, making and keeping friends, taking care of myself when I'm sick, using a curling iron, quickly getting ready in the morning, writing endings of stories
Things on your desk:
My desk at home: laptop, water glass, framed photos of college friends and my sister and me, jewel case for New Pornographers' Mass Romantic, scrap paper, a pair of earrings I really should put back in my jewelry box, a couple small stuffed animals (two bears [Bob Bear and Jasper], one cow [Daisy], one frog [Herbert The Frog], and one monkey [Little Zachary]).
My desk at work: flatscreen monitors, Post-It notes with people's phone numbers on them, a napkin, my (uncharged) cell phone, regular phone, pencil cup, metal Caribou Coffee thermos, red Ikea lamp, a book called Assessing Reading, paper cutouts of happy insects from Big S books, recycle paper pile, Panera Bread Co. potato chips my boss always gives to me, notes from a meeting, multiple to-do lists
Right now you are:
Somewhat sleepy. Taking a break from writing tests. Wearing a cute lacy shirt I hardly ever wear because it buttons down the back. Wondering if there's a difference between "buttons down the back" and "buttons up the back."
Facts about you:
I'm really short. I have an excellent memory. I have very poor vision, and I can tell it's getting worse. Right now, I have 7 or 8 mosquito bites. My skin is very fair, and I get a lot of freckles on my shoulders in the summer.
Things to do before you die:
Publish a novel (or two, or three). Live in New York City. Become a more dependable person. Find out more about my parents' pre-me lives. Read a classic novel in a language other than English. Travel everywhere.