city, country, suburb

i think my first choice of living locations would be a suburb. i like being close to a city, with commercial locations conveniently nearby. and on the flip side of that, i think my last choice would be the country. that doesn't mean i wouldn't enjoy the country. i like the idea of being a bit secluded and having plenty of space around me. but i'd prefer the conveniences of the suburb or city. plus, being secluded and having plenty of space around me would totally play on my paranoid fears. with no one around ... who would hear me scream?
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aliens

my fluxxing experience has taught me that aliens are harder to vanquish than zombies.
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if i were the president ...

i would undoubtedly die from a series of ever-worsening panic attacks.
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i want a snow day

there's a good 3" of fresh snow outside. it's heavy, perfect for packing. it's not too cold, the sun is shining brightly. and i have to go to work? such a pity.

musical agreement?

there's a song lyric "i guess i'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all." do you agree or disagree?

if those are my options, i disagree. i'd rather be numb than constantly hurt. i think the choice to allow happiness back into your life is no easier from a place of hurting than it is from a place of numbness. so i'd choose being numb.

at least, that's my answer for today. it's a tricky question, really.
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what year to relive for eternity?

so ... i'm being forced to relive a single year of my life over and over again. the bright side is that i get to choose which year. i, of course, have questions first. for these questions, let's assume i'm reliving the year that started with my 16th birthday.

- would i be reliving 16 with the knowledge i have now? or am i literally reliving it as i lived it the first time?

- if i am reliving it as i did the first time, i'd never know i was reliving it, right? because it would feel as new to me the 67th time as it did the first.

- if i didn't know i was reliving it, would it really be that good/bad of a thing? would i be enjoying it at all?

so ... here are my rules. i will choose a year (again, let's assume 16) and relive it for the rest of my life IF ...

- i can relive 16 with the knowledge i have now.

- all knowledge gained during the reliving is kept for subsequent relivings.

- only the knowledge gained is kept. physical features/circumstances always revert back to how they were on the original day 1. (thus if i break my neck during reliving #7, it is no longer broken when i cycle back to day 1 in reliving #8.)

- all changes from the original 16 to the reliving of 16 don't distort the space/time continuum, causing my family to disappear from photographs or go bald at an early age.

yeah, i think those simple rules would make the constant reliving of a single year more bearable. i mean, imagine living one year repeatedly, knowing you're living it repeatedly for the rest of your life, but having no free will to change things up each time to relive it. that, my friends, would be horrible. and boring.

i would choose october 2009 through september 2010. (did you really think i'd relive 16?) i could choose a new way to leave my job each year. i would get to celebrate st. patrick's day in san francisco each year. and i'd have summer vacation to spend however i wanted. yup. that would be my year.
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25-word autobiography

youngest of three, surrounded by family, safe.
youth group, tight-knit friends, innocent ridiculousity.
design school, advertising, marketing.
travel, exploration, finding courage.
trusting the unknown.
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mysterious doorway

i'm standing at the kitchen sink, refilling my brita water pitcher. as i look out the window, i can see the reflection of the mud room doorway as if the doorway was out in the lawn. what would be through that doorway?

zombies

so in my explorations on ravelry.com i found this really cute amigurumi fairy pattern. it was adorable, and it went together quite easily. so i decided to adapt it a little bit and make a zombie instead. :) he sits about 4.5" tall, and his bloody stump is due to ripping off his own arm to use as a bludgeon. a zombie's gotta do what a zombie's gotta do, right?

[side note: i seriously just sneezed 12 times in a row. sheesh. here comes another one ...]

i'm very happy with how this li'l guy came out. i'm working on emptying my yarn stash, and zombie finished off both my zombie green and my gray. plus the results are encouraging me to try a pirate next. and a ninja. and ... i'm feeling endless possibilities. of course, those mean i'll probably have to buy more yarn. but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right? ;)
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vd'o - the first turn-on

i watched vincent d'onofrio's first movie today. i don't want to talk about the movie, though. suffice to say it's aptly named and more graphic than i was expecting. vd'o's character, however, humored me greatly. have you seen the episode of criminal intent where he pretends to be a mail carrier to get close to a perp's house? he's wearing cargo shorts & dancing up the street in a very quirky manner? that's what his character reminded me of. odd. quirky. a little ... off. he shows up in the opening scenes maniacally wielding a chainsaw, preparing to cut a wooden board that's resting on someone's stomach. and towards the end, he's sitting at the bottom of the lake, eyes wide open, looking for dead bodies.

if erin looked under my bed, she would find ...

a box of random artwork. photos i've printed, but never used. matted photos that were entered in the fair. a blue swirly canvas that never quite became a duck montage.

a box of random winter apparel. a few hats. mostly scarves from the scarf-making binge a couple of years ago.

a box of random cds. these are dan's. we were going to get together right after i moved south so he could get them. that hasn't happened, so they're still under the bed.
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nightmares, revisited

i really wish someone had answered no.

topic: describe a nightmare you've had recently.
post: no.

it would have been funny.

retracing my thoughts

i picked up my laptop for a specific reason, and i have no idea what it was.

i was in the kitchen, and i emptied the dishwasher. then i came back to the living room. i talked to zombie and told him i didn't feel like making him new arms & legs right now. i looked at fairy and thought i should really take her picture, but i don't want to do that right now, either. i stared at the dodecahedron for a moment, thinking i'd like to work one up with the new yarn i bought this weekend. but those weren't the reasons.

don't you hate when you can't rememb ... that was it! i was going to check my list of goals to see if any of those activities sounded like i something i want to do right now. i need to do something, but nothing sounds interesting. yes, i'll check my list for inspiration.

score one for thought retracing.

restless

i blame my current restlessness on the fact i haven't taken a trip in over 6 months. i need to go do something. i'm spending too much time sitting around and working.

now who wants to fund my travel?

describe a nightmare you had recently

i've often thought about keeping a notepad and pen by my bed, so i could record my dreams as soon as i wake because otherwise they're out of my head within about 2 minutes. i also think maybe i should keep a small tape recorder instead because it would make the process faster. but then i sold my mini tape recorder at a garage sale, and i'm too lazy to get the notepad.

i had a dream once that i returned to Old Job and took over the department. that qualifies as a nightmare as far as i'm concerned.

sure, i've had dreams where my life is in danger and i wake up with my heart racing, but i don't actually remember any of them. i'm not so sure that's a bad thing.
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what's the best feeling in the world?

easy. the best feeling in the world is sitting down with a freshly toasted muffaletta sandwich, a crisp dill pickle and a helping of mike-sells potato chips.

man, i wish my roommate hadn't eaten my mike-sells potato chips.
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the problems with zombie

i'm having extremity issues with my zombie. his arms were too beefy, so i took them off. i tried making his legs stumpy to help him stand, but they were too small. so i took them off, too.

he's still bald, but that i know how to fix.

useless facts in my head

for starters, i'm not convinced that any facts are altogether useless. i will concede, however that some do have very limited use. that's my qualifier. now for my list. :)

- penguins are highly flammable.

okay, as it turns out, it's hard to think of useless facts randomly. they need to come up in conversation. yup, that's my excuse.
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what cartoon are you most like?

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annabella's dodecahedron

see that cute li'l yarn toy annabella's holding? it's fun, right? i made that! i found the pattern at ravelry.com, and i used some extra yarn i had from the tree scarf. what makes it even better is that it jingles when you shake it. hehehe. i kinda want one for myself. :)

the 22 question survey

1. are you good at following directions? generally, yes. though i do better when i understand why i'm doing things instead of just doing them blindly.
2. do you still have clothes from high school? yes. i have my mickey mouse hockey jersey and part of my prom dress.
3. would you prefer to go out for dinner or have someone cook for you at home? in general, i would rather go out for dinner.
4. what's your favorite television show? Friends will probably always be my favorite, with Law & Order: Criminal Intent right behind it. some newcomers to the scene include 30Rock, Arrested Development and The Office.
5. what's your favorite abbreviation? L&O: CI, obviously. ;)
6. would you rather work a crossword puzzle or poke out your own eye? work a crossword puzzle.
7. do you prefer super glue or krazy glue? super glue. no ... let me take that back. i think i actually prefer Loctite. *googling to check the name* yeah, that's what i buy.
8. which two movie stars would you like to meet? johnny depp and vincent d'onofrio.
9. what color do you wear the best? black. or jewel tones. okay, i failed to answer this question. black is a non-color and jewel tones is a family of colors. so ... deep aqua.
10. would you prefer to knit or crochet? crochet! and it's just as much of an art at knitting.
11. what book would you like to have read to you? Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
12. how did you celebrate your thirteenth birthday? with a slumber party where we watched Arachnophobia.
13. what do you remember about kindergarten? reading Amelia Bedelia the same day all the girls in the class got in trouble because someone dumped her juice in the toilet.
14. what do you find most addictive about facebook? the status updates. it frustrates me when i'm bored and no one is updating. :)
15. you're starting a job at a movie theater. would you rather take tickets or pop popcorn? take tickets. that way i wouldn't be so sick of popcorn to not be able to enjoy it.
16. who would you rather sleep with - ross or chandler? ross.
17. would you accept the powers of superwoman for a year if it meant you had to give up your favorite food? first i'd have to learn what powers superwoman has. *googling* super-strength and flight? yeah, i could give up pizza for that.
18. how much money would be enough to get you to shave your head? $1,000. seriously, i think i would. that'd give me my stand mixer and a new laptop - plus give me enough to buy an awesome wig or two.
19. a killer bunny is chasing you. what color is the bunny? sky blue.
20. what movie do you not want to see? The Cutting Edge.
21. to which magazine would you like a subscription? that fun artsy one christinA showed me. what was that called?
22. what topic do you think we should all blog about? if you had one wish, would you wish for 100 more wishes?
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chartreuse

chartreuse is, by far, my favorite color. sure, i like the color green in general - but chartreuse is the best of the best. it's vibrant, lively and commands notice. it's basically the color green on a really good sugar high.

if green is snappy, chartreuse is fierce. or it would be if it was 2006. ;)
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heat wave!

when i left work today, my car thermometer registered 51.

so i drove home with my moon roof open. :)
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secret joy at work

for the past two days, the break schedule has shown my name with an apostrophe. and last night on the task list? yup, my name had an apostrophe. and those are made by different people. and not even the same person with whom i've discussed the apostrophe. that's right. i have arrived.

cookies are ...

cookies are like little parties inside my mouth. like angels dancing on my tongue.
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free day thursday

the sun is very shiny this morning. i laid in bed making shadow puppets on the side of the dresser before deciding i should get up.

today's a free day in the daily topics. i was planning to post a list of things i'd like to accomplish before going to work this afternoon. and then i read marlana's blog, and she already posted a list of what she plans to accomplish today. and then i thought it might look too much like i was copying. and then i thought maybe we've been spending too much time together. :)
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truth revealed

if you haven't read my previous post, you may want to do that before reading this.

statements a and two are true. i have been pulled over for driving the wrong way down a one-way street (although i didn't tell the cop i was doing it on purpose), and i have climbed the staircase to the top of the statue of liberty (i was in elementary school; i don't know if they let you climb it anymore or not). the last statement, however, is false. i have waded into the bay when visiting san francisco, but i have never been swimming in the pacific ocean.

two truths, one lie

you choose the lie:

A. 'becca has been pulled over for driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
2. 'becca has climbed the staircase to the crown of the statue of liberty.
3. 'becca has been swimming in the pacific ocean.
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marlana, revisited

so now that marlana has actually caught up her blog, i suppose i will tell you more than the fact that she needs to blog. :)

marlana and i were great friends in high school. and you know how great it is to have great friends in high school, right? i mean, seriously a great friend. and then we graduated, and without a lot of fanfare, we lost touch. it happens to a lot of great friends. we didn't fight; we didn't have some big wedge driven between us. we just went our separate ways and lived our lives. why do i tell you this? because it's a common story.

marlana, however, is not common.

about four years ago, marlana and i hung out. and then we hung out again. and then we started hanging out on a pretty regular basis. we had dinner at subway. and applebee's. and breakfast at an ihop, i believe. and somewhere in the middle of all of that, i rediscovered an amazing friend. she's beautiful, intelligent and witty. and above all of that, she's inspiringly independent. she's courageous and encouraging. she is uncommonly fabulous, and i love that we're back in each other's lives.

marlana

marlana needs to blog.
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oscar weekend

liz & fred came down this weekend to watch the 10 nominees for Best Picture. as was expected, we had a great time. i love those girls. we actually only watched 9 of the movies. we started to watch Inception, and then decided since three of the four of us had seen it, we'd leave it to the end. marlana's the one who hadn't seen it, so she & i are going to watch it tomorrow. i'm looking forward to seeing it again. i enjoyed it the first time, and i need it fresh in my mind so i can make an informed list ranking the movies. :)

i might be slightly OCD about ...

i think this question would be more fun if we answered it about each other. :)

but i think i'm slightly obsessed with setting goals, eating tasty food and traveling. and i'm slightly compulsive about not letting my food or silverware touch the table at restaurants. does that count? this is why you should be telling me where my slight OCD tendencies lie.
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life turning point that makes me smile

turning in my resignation. just thinking about it still makes me grin. and that's not a slap in the face to the job i left, it's just saying that i was ready to leave. and i was so excited about what i was doing next. and i was proud of myself for actually doing it. for stepping outside my comfort zone and doing something that i really wanted to do, even though the details hadn't worked themselves out yet. it was a little scary and very invigorating. i felt like i was walking on sunshine that day.
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recurring dreams

yes, i have recurring dreams. unfortunately, i also have a pretty bad memory of my dreams. i remember waking up and knowing i've just had a recurring dream. but i don't remember what the dream was about.

wait, wait ... i know that more than once i've dreamed i was in the apartment of a co-worker. it's decorated entirely in red. red walls, red vinyl furniture, red shag carpeting - it's a little ridiculous. ridiculous enough that as i'm running through it (with another co-worker), i pause after jumping over the sofa to think about how ridiculous it is. i mean, red shag carpeting? really?
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last supper

i'm dying after dinner. what do i choose to eat? mom's taco salad with a well-iced diet dr. pepper.
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weather and mothers

our sleet started monday evening. within about 90 minutes, the mother of one of our young cashiers called the store concerned about her daughter's drive home. it was a fair concern. the roads iced over quickly, the sleet was scheduled to keep falling for hours, and her daughter is a new driver. her daughter was embarrassed by the phone call, but by the time she had the ice chipped off her car she was feeling pretty okay about leaving early. she made it home safely.

when i was in junior high, we got a decent snowstorm that started around lunch. it was piling up quickly and wasn't going to stop until late that night. i was sitting in health class when i got a note from the office saying my mom had called in and i was going home early. my sister had driven all three of us to school, and my mom wanted us to start the drive home then - not in two hours when the snow was deeper and the roads messier. that was the coolest day.

i love my mom.

tired indecision

i really want to sleep, but i really want to finish this piece of the tree scarf.

i wish i could crochet in my sleep. that would be superb.

the one thing i'm most proud of

being my parents' daughter. in terms of things that bring me pleasure and satisfaction, things that bolster my self-esteen and dignity - being the daughter of my parents is at the top of the list. i could not have been blessed with more amazing parents. they're loving, caring and supportive. they're smart, sassy and ornery. and they would drop every thing to help their children. their commitment to their children and each other is beyond-words inspiring. and i couldn't be more proud to say that i'm their daughter.
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