One hundred things
1. I have a personal bubble
2. But please, come right in. I've been meaning to get rid of this thing for ages, but you know, it's hard to get things done. Just ignore it.
3. I'm mean.
4. I like to sleep with the window open.
5. I hate going to bed when I can hear birds singing.*
6. I was born into a cult.
7. The smell of beeswax reminds me of first grade.
8. My brother was born the day I graduated from second grade.
9. We didn't have a TV until I was 7.
10. I used to regularly dance until my toes bled.
11. I wore hideous glasses until halfway through high school.
12. I stole a raincoat from my mom and took it to six countries with me.
13. I used to belong to 4-H, the cooking and sewing kind.
14. The only thing I sewed was an apron and the strings were twice as long as they should be.
15. I am a classic oldest child.
16. So are most of my friends.
17. I try to write at least a little bit every day (as the New Yorker cartoon says, showing kids with sidewalk chalk).
18. I've only ever lived alone for two months.
19. At the time, I housesat, worked part-time, and didn't do much else.
20. I've only had my own room for seven years of my life.
21. Four being before my sister was born.
22. I miss falling asleep talking to someone.
23. I own more books than fit on my shelves.
24. Children's books make me cry.
25. But I keep buying more.
26. I laugh at things that no one else laughs at.
27. Sometimes I don't realize this until someone asks me "what's so funny?"
28. I learned to knit in second grade.
29. I still have the needles that I made from dowel rods.
30. And my original knitting bag. It's hideous.
31. I like to make scarves. Ask and ye shall receive.
32. I lived in Galway, Ireland for two months, with Bee.
33. We were starving artists.
34. I lived in London for 3 months, in the lap of luxury.
35. My housing was down the street from where Virginia Woolf was born.
36. And had a view of Hyde Park.
37. I went to Greece and crossed it off my master to-do list.
38. I love lists. Which is probably why I'm doing this instead of sleeping.
39. I make a horrible night owl.
40. I'm going to bed and I'll finish this tomorrow.
41. I'm back.
42. The best Easter candy is the malt egg. It is a thing of wonder.
43. I'm drawn to bookshelves when I visit people, and titles like "Books That Build Character."
44. Then I like to have a "have you read this?" "what about this?" conversation with anyone who's willing.
45. Particularly regarding children's books.
46. I love my neighborhood.
47. Sometimes I go to the park and swing.
48. I'm a writer.
49. If you tell me a story and I like it, there's a chance it could end up in a story. Just warning you.
50. I stole the name "The Magic Bean" from a restaurant in Ecuador, and used it as a coffee shop name in a story.
51. I've never been to Ecuador.
52. I majored in English.
53. I would've minored in Art History except they wouldn't let me. I could've minor in Art, but that would involve doing art. And not the kind that uses words.
54. There's this museum? In London? That used to be a man's house, in, like, the 18th century? And it's crammed full of sculptures and sarcophagi and paintings and mirrors? And I can't remember what it's called? But oh, how I loved it. Especially the convex mirrors.
55. I love things that are red. Like our couch. And the pants that Toni "borrows" from me. And this.
56. My toes are often cold.
57. A condition which is nicely remedied by a hot water bottle.
58. When I visited Bee & Soph, I had a cold and guilt-tripped Bee into lending me her hot water bottle.
59. I am eternally grateful to her, a true friend.
60. I lean towards obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, but my desk is a mess.
61. I love to organize things.
62. Did I mention that I work at a library? Yeah. I love to organize things.
63. When I was nine, I told my mom that I wanted to work at a library.
64. I became their record youngest volunteer.
65. Then I decided that even though I love libraries, it wasn't where I wanted to work forever.
66. Then I graduated from college and went back to the nine-year-old mindset.
67. Now I work at the same library I volunteered at. With a lot of the same people.
68. I have two favorite parts - when people ask for recommendations, and they get excited when you show them things, and...
69. Picking out books for displays, and then needing to refill the display because they got checked out.
70. I'm terrified of losing my teeth when I'm old.
71. I have a few gray hairs.
72. I've been told I look like my dad more than my mom, my mom but not really my dad, and both of my grandmothers.
73. I met one grandmother once, when I was three. I've never seen her since. She's still alive, apparently.
74. The other grandmother made my sister and I dresses twice a year, for Easter and Christmas, and we adored them.
75. Until the Alzheimer’s got bad, she and her husband came to visit and took my sister and I to the beach with them.
76. I can eat dangerous quantities of ice cream.
77. I startle people who think I'm shy by busting out some sarcasm.
78. One of my favorite things about my god-daughter is when she suddenly looks pissed off just because you looked at her.
79. I used to live in a house with a chapel and a sacrificial altar.
80. That was in college.
81. When I was a kid, in the cult, my parents had a communion kit.
82. We used matzo bread.
83. I tasted matzo bread in college and had flashbacks.
84. When I first read the Chronicles of Narnia, I was convinced they were true stories (aren't they??) and had day dreams about running into the Pevensie kids and recognizing them (natch) and saying "I know. I know about Narnia. You don't need to hide anything from me. I understand."
85. I want a house with a porch when I grow up.
86. I also want to acquire a green thumb and have a riotous garden.
*87. Not because I hate birds, but because it means I stayed up WAAAY too late.
88. That happened ALL the time in Ireland.
89. This may be unrelated, but in Galway we thought up this ruined cathedral. And in an eerie, but unsurprising at the time, mind meld, we both thought “no birds.”
90. Then we separately went to Tintern Abbey. “No birds.” Although, naturally, there were. Birds.
91. I have a fondness for inside jokes.
92. Not to exclude people, but they’re hard to explain. I’ve kind of given up on the explaining. But I love the way they’re an instant link to the past.
93. I often can’t tell if something happened in real life or in a dream, and I don’t realize it was a dream until something in real life proves to be contrary to what happened in the dream.
94. I don’t like the phrase “mind meld.” I apologize for using it, but I couldn’t think of anything else.
95. I was going to watch a movie tonight, but I did this instead. Aren’t I a good, self-obsessed blogger?
96. I love photographs, especially from my childhood.
97. I sleep on my stomach or in the fetal position.
98. I’m a late bloomer.
99. I write letters. It gets me through a lot.
100. I don’t like endings.
2. But please, come right in. I've been meaning to get rid of this thing for ages, but you know, it's hard to get things done. Just ignore it.
3. I'm mean.
4. I like to sleep with the window open.
5. I hate going to bed when I can hear birds singing.*
6. I was born into a cult.
7. The smell of beeswax reminds me of first grade.
8. My brother was born the day I graduated from second grade.
9. We didn't have a TV until I was 7.
10. I used to regularly dance until my toes bled.
11. I wore hideous glasses until halfway through high school.
12. I stole a raincoat from my mom and took it to six countries with me.
13. I used to belong to 4-H, the cooking and sewing kind.
14. The only thing I sewed was an apron and the strings were twice as long as they should be.
15. I am a classic oldest child.
16. So are most of my friends.
17. I try to write at least a little bit every day (as the New Yorker cartoon says, showing kids with sidewalk chalk).
18. I've only ever lived alone for two months.
19. At the time, I housesat, worked part-time, and didn't do much else.
20. I've only had my own room for seven years of my life.
21. Four being before my sister was born.
22. I miss falling asleep talking to someone.
23. I own more books than fit on my shelves.
24. Children's books make me cry.
25. But I keep buying more.
26. I laugh at things that no one else laughs at.
27. Sometimes I don't realize this until someone asks me "what's so funny?"
28. I learned to knit in second grade.
29. I still have the needles that I made from dowel rods.
30. And my original knitting bag. It's hideous.
31. I like to make scarves. Ask and ye shall receive.
32. I lived in Galway, Ireland for two months, with Bee.
33. We were starving artists.
34. I lived in London for 3 months, in the lap of luxury.
35. My housing was down the street from where Virginia Woolf was born.
36. And had a view of Hyde Park.
37. I went to Greece and crossed it off my master to-do list.
38. I love lists. Which is probably why I'm doing this instead of sleeping.
39. I make a horrible night owl.
40. I'm going to bed and I'll finish this tomorrow.
41. I'm back.
42. The best Easter candy is the malt egg. It is a thing of wonder.
43. I'm drawn to bookshelves when I visit people, and titles like "Books That Build Character."
44. Then I like to have a "have you read this?" "what about this?" conversation with anyone who's willing.
45. Particularly regarding children's books.
46. I love my neighborhood.
47. Sometimes I go to the park and swing.
48. I'm a writer.
49. If you tell me a story and I like it, there's a chance it could end up in a story. Just warning you.
50. I stole the name "The Magic Bean" from a restaurant in Ecuador, and used it as a coffee shop name in a story.
51. I've never been to Ecuador.
52. I majored in English.
53. I would've minored in Art History except they wouldn't let me. I could've minor in Art, but that would involve doing art. And not the kind that uses words.
54. There's this museum? In London? That used to be a man's house, in, like, the 18th century? And it's crammed full of sculptures and sarcophagi and paintings and mirrors? And I can't remember what it's called? But oh, how I loved it. Especially the convex mirrors.
55. I love things that are red. Like our couch. And the pants that Toni "borrows" from me. And this.
56. My toes are often cold.
57. A condition which is nicely remedied by a hot water bottle.
58. When I visited Bee & Soph, I had a cold and guilt-tripped Bee into lending me her hot water bottle.
59. I am eternally grateful to her, a true friend.
60. I lean towards obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, but my desk is a mess.
61. I love to organize things.
62. Did I mention that I work at a library? Yeah. I love to organize things.
63. When I was nine, I told my mom that I wanted to work at a library.
64. I became their record youngest volunteer.
65. Then I decided that even though I love libraries, it wasn't where I wanted to work forever.
66. Then I graduated from college and went back to the nine-year-old mindset.
67. Now I work at the same library I volunteered at. With a lot of the same people.
68. I have two favorite parts - when people ask for recommendations, and they get excited when you show them things, and...
69. Picking out books for displays, and then needing to refill the display because they got checked out.
70. I'm terrified of losing my teeth when I'm old.
71. I have a few gray hairs.
72. I've been told I look like my dad more than my mom, my mom but not really my dad, and both of my grandmothers.
73. I met one grandmother once, when I was three. I've never seen her since. She's still alive, apparently.
74. The other grandmother made my sister and I dresses twice a year, for Easter and Christmas, and we adored them.
75. Until the Alzheimer’s got bad, she and her husband came to visit and took my sister and I to the beach with them.
76. I can eat dangerous quantities of ice cream.
77. I startle people who think I'm shy by busting out some sarcasm.
78. One of my favorite things about my god-daughter is when she suddenly looks pissed off just because you looked at her.
79. I used to live in a house with a chapel and a sacrificial altar.
80. That was in college.
81. When I was a kid, in the cult, my parents had a communion kit.
82. We used matzo bread.
83. I tasted matzo bread in college and had flashbacks.
84. When I first read the Chronicles of Narnia, I was convinced they were true stories (aren't they??) and had day dreams about running into the Pevensie kids and recognizing them (natch) and saying "I know. I know about Narnia. You don't need to hide anything from me. I understand."
85. I want a house with a porch when I grow up.
86. I also want to acquire a green thumb and have a riotous garden.
*87. Not because I hate birds, but because it means I stayed up WAAAY too late.
88. That happened ALL the time in Ireland.
89. This may be unrelated, but in Galway we thought up this ruined cathedral. And in an eerie, but unsurprising at the time, mind meld, we both thought “no birds.”
90. Then we separately went to Tintern Abbey. “No birds.” Although, naturally, there were. Birds.
91. I have a fondness for inside jokes.
92. Not to exclude people, but they’re hard to explain. I’ve kind of given up on the explaining. But I love the way they’re an instant link to the past.
93. I often can’t tell if something happened in real life or in a dream, and I don’t realize it was a dream until something in real life proves to be contrary to what happened in the dream.
94. I don’t like the phrase “mind meld.” I apologize for using it, but I couldn’t think of anything else.
95. I was going to watch a movie tonight, but I did this instead. Aren’t I a good, self-obsessed blogger?
96. I love photographs, especially from my childhood.
97. I sleep on my stomach or in the fetal position.
98. I’m a late bloomer.
99. I write letters. It gets me through a lot.
100. I don’t like endings.
posted by Jess at 11:29 PM
8 Comments:
Thanks for the support on the malt eggs/Narnia issues.
And the messiness - I figured. My perfectionist friend admits to the same problem - she doesn't want to clean because it won't end up perfect.
Scarf swap = genius.
I'm not dissing the birds, oh no, I've read your stories, Poppy! Just the...timing.
Galway - go.
Meanness - ask Katy. She'll vouch for me.
Anne - that is a little scary. I think it'll be okay. Maybe you did dream it.
That was probably the most comforting and refreshing thing I'll, read, see, or come across during this depressing friday.
Ooh run on sentence YES!!!
Thanks, Erik!
Let me elaborate on the Narnia issue - I perceived myself as living parallel to the Pevensies. Maybe a few years behind. (I read a lot of historical fiction and grew up in a cult - I didn't have a good grasp on the present day). That way, they weren't grown up yet, Narnia was still there, etc. I may have also had this daydream before I finished the series. Either way, I still think of The Last Battle as happening in the future.
The Pevensies are real, because I am going to marry Peter.
But seriously, Lewis's wardrobe IS real, and it's at my school, and they had to put a rope around it because people kept trying to climb into it and open it. I certainly did.
I'm not sure if we've discussed this, but I have an absolute, petrifying, fear/hatred of birds as well. One of my worst experiences was with pidgeons in London. Shudder.
And Jess, I'm going to email you about Greece because I'm headed there this summer with an open itinerary and we need ideas of what to do!
Sara - tell us more about this War Drobe of which you speak. And I hate to break it to you, but Peter's all mine.
Email me about Greece! I'll tell you all I can. Which is not a ton, but I'm happy to share.
At Wheaton, there is a place called the Wade Center which is houses, among other things, a huge collection of C.S. Lewis papers and research and other things. They have J.R.R. Tolkein's writing desk and C.S. Lewis's wardrobe which was the inspiration for the book.... let me see if I can find a picture. There it is:
http://www.theonering.net/scrapbook/view/4932
The movie comes out around Christmas I think.
How much do I want to go and see this wardrobe? The whole thing! Papers! Writing desks! I'm drooling here.
1. i have been a very bad blog friend. i haven't been reading. now much time has passed, and i'm getting caught up. and i like your list idea. i think i'll use it.
2. any suggestions about how we should pop your bubble?
3. the smell of beeswax reminds me of first grade too, or maybe kindergarten
4. what kind of dancing made your toes bleed?
5. how did you learn about the Magic Bean? they had great bagel sandwiches, and good hummus.
6. i wish i could borrow your red pants again.
7. number 84 is just about the most endearing thing i've read EVER. please use that in a story, or give me permission to do so.
8. if you want to comment on anything i said in this comment, go ahead. if you want me to see any of your comment on this comment you'd be wise to email it to me, because it's not likely that i'll come back and check this again.
Post a Comment
<< Home