20 Random Things About Me
I just found this old post on my Facebook page. And since you guys aren't on Facebook with me, I thought I'd copy it over. So here are some extremely random things about lil' ol' me. :)
1. Ok, warning...this is weird, but I'm weird. So just deal, accept, and move on. If I'm driving and I'm bored, I will speak out loud in pretend foreign languages. I actually know a little bit of Russian, one phrase of Italian and a few sentences in French. So I just make similar sounds and hold animated mock conversations. I'm just practicing in case any of those countries take us over! Da. Si. Oui.
2. My friends and I made a mock-slasher movie called "Balzak Attack" just after we graduated High School. I don't want to spoil the suspense or anything , but I die three quarters of the way into the story. The laughable thing is that I was cast as the "Bad Girl". It's a hoot watching my attempt at being "Bad". (I still have a copy. Maybe if your super nice, I'll humiliate myself and let you watch it someday....maybe.)
3. When it comes to technology, I'm like an 80 year old. I just don't get it. For instance, it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to do this post. And to make matters worse, I think that my 88 year old Great Aunt might just be better at understanding technology than I am. Sigh.
4. On that same note, I tend to hold strong affection for anything old. Not geriatric (although please don't misinterpret. I love the elderly.) I'm referring to "old" as in classic, retro, nostalgic. I pine after classic cars. I love decorating my home using antique accents mixed with modern fare. I adore old books, and will pick them up at garage sales, flea markets, Powell's, wherever. It's simply exciting to discover a story written decades ago, that still holds relevance.
5. I'm a bit of a neat freak. I have to make my bed every morning. I always think "Today I'm not going to make my bed." But then I do it anyway. I think it's the morbid side of me. I always imagine that if I die, I rather have my relatives come and pack up a tidy room rather than having to pick up my mess.
6. I can juggle. Yep. You heard me. Juggle. And I do not, I repeat, I do not wear a clown suit whilst doing it. I have my limits you know. However, my skills have mystified and transfixed many a 2 year old while working in the nursery at church. Screaming child? Send them my way.
7. I've attended both a 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars' exhibit, and I'm not ashamed to say it. "Kahhhhhhhnnnnnnn!!"
8. I miss my dad. He died the day after my birthday in December of 2007. I know I'll see him again in Heaven. But it's hard not getting his bear hugs in the here and now. He's the one from whom I gained my love of the above mentioned "Star Trek", "Star Wars" as well as all things of a literature nature.
9. I find that my most amazing hair days happen 10 minutes before I'm going to bed. I also find that if I'm grungy, gross, have a huge zit on my nose, and haven't showered that day, I will assuredly run into someone at the grocery store, whom I haven't seen in 15 years. Thanks Universe!
10. I love my life. I'm truly blessed. Believe it or not, I'm nowhere that I thought I'd be in life. I figured I'd be married, raising kids and going to PTA meetings. But the Lord has me single, without children and going to Business meetings. Do I still want all those things? Sure! And should the Lord see fit, perhaps one day I will be a wife and mother. But I'm thankful for contentment. I'm surrounded by wonderful friends, a loving family and a great fellowship. Life is good! Can I get an amen?
11. I like optimism. It's a beautiful thing. We have enough yuck in the world. Why contribute to it?
12. I also like pessimism in it's proper place. There's always room for realists in this world.
13. I tend to have a split personality. :)
14. I don't enjoy conflict, and will do almost anything to avoid it. I know, I know. All of you psycho analyst-counselor types out there are shouting at the computer screen "Not Healthy Behavior!" You'd think being part Italian, I'd be a supporter of loud exuberant honest exchanges. I must take after the other part of my heritage. There have only been a couple of times in my life, where I have been pushed to my limit. But once I take a header over the "cliff of no return", watch out! Because people, it takes a LOT to get me there.
15. I LOVE Battlestar Galactica, Pushing Daisies, Chuck and The Office. I weaned Heroes out of my life because it was well, stupid. Shows take commitment like a friendship in a way. So I don't let myself commit to more than a couple in any given season or my behind would be permanently connected to my eggplant colored couch cushion. And who wants that?
16. For Christmas my Brother taught me to crochet. I've now made 4 hats, zero scarves and zero sweaters. (It looked better to have a longer list instead of just saying "4 hats".) I plan on branching out to tea cozies, pepto pink TP holders shaped like Barbie doll dresses, and hanging plant holders any day now!
17. Music brings me joy! I love play guitar or to sing with my iPod plugged firmly into my ears (sorry eardrums). I sing at the top of my lungs in the car, while doing dishes or just about anywhere, as long as I'm the only one home. Chris Tomlin, Third Day, The Decemberists, Neil Diamond, Jennifer Knapp, Seventh Day Slumber, Fireflight, James Taylor, U2, Crowded House, Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol, Bethany Dillon, Bebo Norman. On and on I could go. (Oh, and Kelly Clarkson. I'm a little emberressed about that confession, but I love her live acoustic version of "Beautiful Disaster.") I also have such amazingly talented friends who can write the most touching worship songs and can sing as beautifully as angels. One of my favorite things to do, is to hang out with friends, and pass the guitar around. Everyone plays their newest stuff, or breaks out their old classics. Harmonies envelope me like an old familiar sweater, and I close my eyes in perfect contented peace.
18. I love to write. Poems, short stories, my blog and children's books. I actually won a poetry contest in grade school and got to travel to University of Oregon for a writing retreat. What was my winning entry you might ask? It was a deeply political expose titled "Oh Why Am I A Babysitter." Hey did you expect Woodward and Bernstein? I was in 5th grade. I'm working on two children's books right now. "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" is a story where the rancher goes to town for supplies. While he's away, the animals have some fun. For example "The pigs played pinochle on the porch" or "the horses hopscotched by the hay". The other story, is called "Sossy and Flo - Professional Grandmas Incorporated". Sossy and Flo are two older ladies (see, I do like the elderly) who jet off around the world whenever a child needs a fill-in Grandma to help them do things like learn to ride their bikes, or how to bake cookies etc.
19. I'm fascinated by claymation (or stop motion animation). When I was younger, I used to freeze frame the "California Raisins" VHS tape so I could sketch the characters. I then molded the characters out of clay and lined the egg shelf in our refrigerator with them. This meant that every time you opened the Wilber family fridge, you were greeted by Carrot people, eggplant people and onion people. I even had (still do) a signed copy of the VHS tape, signed by Will Vinton himself (of Will Vinton Studios). And by the way, Will Vinton studios is now called "Laika". They are based out of Portland and are building a large campus in Tualatin. Their newest movie coming out in theaters is called "Coraline". Yeah, I'd be a janitor just to work around that creativity!! But so far, no openings for "sanitation engineers" have come up. Oh well.
20. And finally, I like to be different. So I'm ending on 20 instead of 25, because I'm humble and do not like to drone on about myself (ha ha). And I'm too wordy as it is. It's one of my shortcomings. Although there's nothing short about writing too long. :)
1. Ok, warning...this is weird, but I'm weird. So just deal, accept, and move on. If I'm driving and I'm bored, I will speak out loud in pretend foreign languages. I actually know a little bit of Russian, one phrase of Italian and a few sentences in French. So I just make similar sounds and hold animated mock conversations. I'm just practicing in case any of those countries take us over! Da. Si. Oui.
2. My friends and I made a mock-slasher movie called "Balzak Attack" just after we graduated High School. I don't want to spoil the suspense or anything , but I die three quarters of the way into the story. The laughable thing is that I was cast as the "Bad Girl". It's a hoot watching my attempt at being "Bad". (I still have a copy. Maybe if your super nice, I'll humiliate myself and let you watch it someday....maybe.)
3. When it comes to technology, I'm like an 80 year old. I just don't get it. For instance, it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to do this post. And to make matters worse, I think that my 88 year old Great Aunt might just be better at understanding technology than I am. Sigh.
4. On that same note, I tend to hold strong affection for anything old. Not geriatric (although please don't misinterpret. I love the elderly.) I'm referring to "old" as in classic, retro, nostalgic. I pine after classic cars. I love decorating my home using antique accents mixed with modern fare. I adore old books, and will pick them up at garage sales, flea markets, Powell's, wherever. It's simply exciting to discover a story written decades ago, that still holds relevance.
5. I'm a bit of a neat freak. I have to make my bed every morning. I always think "Today I'm not going to make my bed." But then I do it anyway. I think it's the morbid side of me. I always imagine that if I die, I rather have my relatives come and pack up a tidy room rather than having to pick up my mess.
6. I can juggle. Yep. You heard me. Juggle. And I do not, I repeat, I do not wear a clown suit whilst doing it. I have my limits you know. However, my skills have mystified and transfixed many a 2 year old while working in the nursery at church. Screaming child? Send them my way.
7. I've attended both a 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars' exhibit, and I'm not ashamed to say it. "Kahhhhhhhnnnnnnn!!"
8. I miss my dad. He died the day after my birthday in December of 2007. I know I'll see him again in Heaven. But it's hard not getting his bear hugs in the here and now. He's the one from whom I gained my love of the above mentioned "Star Trek", "Star Wars" as well as all things of a literature nature.
9. I find that my most amazing hair days happen 10 minutes before I'm going to bed. I also find that if I'm grungy, gross, have a huge zit on my nose, and haven't showered that day, I will assuredly run into someone at the grocery store, whom I haven't seen in 15 years. Thanks Universe!
10. I love my life. I'm truly blessed. Believe it or not, I'm nowhere that I thought I'd be in life. I figured I'd be married, raising kids and going to PTA meetings. But the Lord has me single, without children and going to Business meetings. Do I still want all those things? Sure! And should the Lord see fit, perhaps one day I will be a wife and mother. But I'm thankful for contentment. I'm surrounded by wonderful friends, a loving family and a great fellowship. Life is good! Can I get an amen?
11. I like optimism. It's a beautiful thing. We have enough yuck in the world. Why contribute to it?
12. I also like pessimism in it's proper place. There's always room for realists in this world.
13. I tend to have a split personality. :)
14. I don't enjoy conflict, and will do almost anything to avoid it. I know, I know. All of you psycho analyst-counselor types out there are shouting at the computer screen "Not Healthy Behavior!" You'd think being part Italian, I'd be a supporter of loud exuberant honest exchanges. I must take after the other part of my heritage. There have only been a couple of times in my life, where I have been pushed to my limit. But once I take a header over the "cliff of no return", watch out! Because people, it takes a LOT to get me there.
15. I LOVE Battlestar Galactica, Pushing Daisies, Chuck and The Office. I weaned Heroes out of my life because it was well, stupid. Shows take commitment like a friendship in a way. So I don't let myself commit to more than a couple in any given season or my behind would be permanently connected to my eggplant colored couch cushion. And who wants that?
16. For Christmas my Brother taught me to crochet. I've now made 4 hats, zero scarves and zero sweaters. (It looked better to have a longer list instead of just saying "4 hats".) I plan on branching out to tea cozies, pepto pink TP holders shaped like Barbie doll dresses, and hanging plant holders any day now!
17. Music brings me joy! I love play guitar or to sing with my iPod plugged firmly into my ears (sorry eardrums). I sing at the top of my lungs in the car, while doing dishes or just about anywhere, as long as I'm the only one home. Chris Tomlin, Third Day, The Decemberists, Neil Diamond, Jennifer Knapp, Seventh Day Slumber, Fireflight, James Taylor, U2, Crowded House, Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol, Bethany Dillon, Bebo Norman. On and on I could go. (Oh, and Kelly Clarkson. I'm a little emberressed about that confession, but I love her live acoustic version of "Beautiful Disaster.") I also have such amazingly talented friends who can write the most touching worship songs and can sing as beautifully as angels. One of my favorite things to do, is to hang out with friends, and pass the guitar around. Everyone plays their newest stuff, or breaks out their old classics. Harmonies envelope me like an old familiar sweater, and I close my eyes in perfect contented peace.
18. I love to write. Poems, short stories, my blog and children's books. I actually won a poetry contest in grade school and got to travel to University of Oregon for a writing retreat. What was my winning entry you might ask? It was a deeply political expose titled "Oh Why Am I A Babysitter." Hey did you expect Woodward and Bernstein? I was in 5th grade. I'm working on two children's books right now. "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" is a story where the rancher goes to town for supplies. While he's away, the animals have some fun. For example "The pigs played pinochle on the porch" or "the horses hopscotched by the hay". The other story, is called "Sossy and Flo - Professional Grandmas Incorporated". Sossy and Flo are two older ladies (see, I do like the elderly) who jet off around the world whenever a child needs a fill-in Grandma to help them do things like learn to ride their bikes, or how to bake cookies etc.
19. I'm fascinated by claymation (or stop motion animation). When I was younger, I used to freeze frame the "California Raisins" VHS tape so I could sketch the characters. I then molded the characters out of clay and lined the egg shelf in our refrigerator with them. This meant that every time you opened the Wilber family fridge, you were greeted by Carrot people, eggplant people and onion people. I even had (still do) a signed copy of the VHS tape, signed by Will Vinton himself (of Will Vinton Studios). And by the way, Will Vinton studios is now called "Laika". They are based out of Portland and are building a large campus in Tualatin. Their newest movie coming out in theaters is called "Coraline". Yeah, I'd be a janitor just to work around that creativity!! But so far, no openings for "sanitation engineers" have come up. Oh well.
20. And finally, I like to be different. So I'm ending on 20 instead of 25, because I'm humble and do not like to drone on about myself (ha ha). And I'm too wordy as it is. It's one of my shortcomings. Although there's nothing short about writing too long. :)