Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Senior Memories

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be!!

Copy and paste the questions into your notes section, fill in the answers, and tag your friends to see their answers.

IN YOUR SENIOR YEAR DID YOU...

1. Did you date someone from your school? Yes.

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Almost, but not quite.

3. Did you car pool to school? For a couple of weeks, until Ryan got tired of having to pick me up.

4. What kind of car did you have? None -- my dad told me to find a boy to drive me around.

5. What kind of car do you have now? 2001 VW Jetta with 35,000 miles on it. It's good to live in a place with public transportation.

6. It's Friday night...where are you now? Out at dinner. If I'm lucky there will be drinks, too.

7. It is Friday night...where were you then? Probably sleeping over one of my friend's houses so I can actually DO something.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? None.

9. What kind of job do you do now? Lawyer.

10. Were you a party animal? No. At least not comparatively.

11. Were you considered a flirt? I don't think so.

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Nope.

13. Were you a nerd? I think I was either a slightly nerdy normal kid or a really cool nerd.

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? Not during senior year. I think I got a one-day suspension for skipping math in 10th grade -- we got caught because we decided to get breakfast at Bageland. Although maybe that was just a Saturday detention.

15. Can you sing the fight song? Hell, no. I never could, either.

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Senior year it was definitely Ms. Arena.

17. Where did you sit during lunch? Senior year I did an "independent study" which meant that I sat in the guidance office and occasionally delivered passes. So I got to take whichever lunch I felt like - which usually meant that I took part of both, wherever my friends were.

18. What was your school's full name? Coral Springs High School.

19. When did you graduate? 1993.

20. What was your school mascot? Colts.

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Probably not.

22. Did you have fun at Prom? Yes.

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Yes, although lately it's mostly text messages.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? If I can manage it. The last one was fun.

25. Do you still talk to people from school? Yes, and not just via Facebook.

26. School Colors? Green and Blue.


Monday, March 23, 2009

My life, as described by U2

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, "cleverly" answer these questions. Pass it on to 10 people and include me!

Pick Your Artist: U2

Are you male or female: The Ground Beneath Her Feet

Describe yourself: So Cruel

How do you feel about yourself: Magnificent

Describe where you currently live: City of Blinding Lights

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Where the Streets Have No Name

Your best friend is: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

Your favorite color is: White as Snow

You know: Love is Blindness

What's the weather like: Electrical Storm

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Even Better than the Real Thing

What is life to you: Running to Stand Still

Your love life: Mysterious Ways

What is the best advice you have to give: Walk On

If you could change your name, what would it be: Miss Sarajevo

Your favorite food is: Crumbs from Your Table


Thursday, March 19, 2009

Three Things

THREE NAMES I GO BY
1. Dara
2. D
3. Pookie (but only by my sister)

THREE JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE
1. Lawyer
2. Target employee
3. Intern

THREE PLACES I HAVE LIVED
1. Arlington, VA
2. Coral Springs, FL
3. Marlboro, NJ

THREE TV SHOWS THAT I WATCH
1. Lost
2. 30 Rock
3. How I Met Your Mother

THREE PLACES I HAVE BEEN
1. Jerusalem
2. London
3. Marrakesh

THREE PLACES I WANT TO GO
1. Canada
2. Australia
3. Japan

THREE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS
1. Gnocchi
2. Cupcakes
3. Steak

THREE THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO
1. The birth of my nephew
2. Taking a vacation
3. Going to sleep

THREE PETS THAT YOU HAVE OWNED
1. Remy, the family dog
2. Assorted goldfish
3. Various betta fishes

THREE FAVORITE BANDS/ ARTISTS
1. U2
2. The Beatles
3. The Police

THREE FAVORITE TEAMS TO WATCH
1. New York Giants
2. Washington Capitals
3. Washington Nationals

THREE FAVORITE DRINKS
1. Diet Coke
2. Green Tea
3. Vodka and soda


Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Momentarily

I know I've been awfully quiet lately, posting mostly memes and quizzes. Not that I'm really still all that focused on trying to sort things out in my head, in private. Instead, I've taken a new approach to my life -- the "Stop thinking and do whatever feels good in the moment" approach.

I know me, and therefore, I know that this will not last. I am fully aware. Eventually I will need more -- I will need a plan, possibilities, an idea of what the future may bring. But right now, it's all I can handle. More importantly, it's giving me what I need.


Thursday, March 12, 2009

Author meme

List the top 25 authors who have inspired you or made you think over the course of your life (in no particular order):

1. Edgar Allen Poe

2. William Shakespeare

3. Mark Twain

4. George Orwell

5. Margaret Atwood

6. Salman Rushdie

7. Douglas Coupland

8. Graham Swift

9. Kurt Vonnegut

10. F. Scott Fitzgerald

11. Dr. Seuss

12. Vladimir Nabokov

13. Madeleine L'Engle

14. Louisa May Alcott

15. Margaret Mitchell

16. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

17. Harper Lee

18. Dave Eggers

19. E.M. Forster

20. William Faulkner

21. Edith Wharton

22. L.M. Montgomery

23. Nick Hornby

24. Gabriel Garcia Marquez

25. Albert Camus




Saturday, March 07, 2009

Thoughts on Religulous

I have always been somewhat of an agnostic, a doubter. I respect a lot of the traditions and the history associated with religion, but I have never really been able to accept that which has no proof, no physical evidence. It's gotten worse since my mom died -- I tell people that I am "off god." Still, sometimes I wish that I had faith -- that I was able to shut off my rationality and my doubt and just believe in some greater power that is more substantial than the mere feeling that putting out good, positive energy will serve me better than negative energy.

That should give you a sense of the playing field with which I went in to watching Religulous. To me, it seemed like an interesting concept: Comedian Bill Maher taking a critical look at religion and calling it out on some of its irrationalities. And the movie worked for me, right up until the end, where Maher took everything he presented over the past 90 minutes and quickly proclaimed his thesis: Religion will destroy the world.

I felt like I had whiplash. Going from "doubt is healthy" to "organized religion is going to destroy the world" is too great a leap, even for me. Don't get me wrong: I can see the absurdities in a lot of religious concepts, and I can agree that there is a level of fundamentalism that is dangerous -- particularly when people follow leaders blindly, without thought. And I guess that's the best explanation of why I disagree: It's not religion per se that's the problem; it's a lack of critical thinking.


ABC Meme

Age: Old enough to know better than to answer the question.

Believe in Magic: I am sure that there are things in the universe that we cannot explain and that others would consider magic.

Cake or pie: Both. Apple or pumpkin pie or yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

Day or Night: Night.

Eyes: Green/Blue/Gray.

First thoughts waking up: Snooze.

Goals: Being happy in the moment.

Holiday: Halloween.

Instrument: I have a guitar, a casio keyboard, a harmonica, and some maracas. I could totally start a band right now.

Jewelry: Earrings, ring, necklace, watch.

Keep a journal: Always.

Love: Books.

Movies: Gone With The Wind. Before Sunrise. Office Space.

Number: I like numbers that are divisible by 3.

One wish: Love.

Piercing: 5 earrings. One cartilage piercing. Former belly button piercing.

Quail: Once. Meh.

Reality T.V: Project Runway.

Shower: Hot.

Tattoos: Butterfly, right shoulder.

Unpredictable: On occasion. I am unpredictably unpredictable.

Vacation spot(s): Anywhere with good company.

Worst feeling: Intestinal infection. Trust me on this.

X-Rays: Teeth. Arm. Fingers. Foot.

Year it is now: 2009.

Zoo animal: Monkey.



Monday, March 02, 2009

100 (More) Things

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
On my right knee, from the metro escalator going to a Nationals game. I bled for almost the entire game, but Justin kept telling me that I didn't need stitches.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
Currently, a Beatles poster and a Sting poster.

3. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 5 WORDS
Funny, short, smart, pragmatic, logical.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
Pop and rock, mostly.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
5:16 p.m.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
Fulfillment.

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
My mom.

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)?
A letter that my dad wrote to me when I was 12, and the jewelry that my mother gave to me.

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU?
Not quite 5'2".

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
A little.

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
No. I like the dark.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
My dad.

13. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR?
That I might really be unlovable.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Dark hair, blue eyes.

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO AT?
I have no idea, but the next time it happens, I hope it's not during a football game!

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
Diet Coke or Tea.

17. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
Buffalo mozzarella.

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Something sugary.

19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME?
Unequivocally, black.

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?
No, eew.

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?
Probably the toy lamb I got from my grandfather when I was a baby, since it was the only thing he ever gave to me. But in that regard, the gift itself was not particularly meaningful, it was the circumstance of the gift.

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?
To the extent that the word "crush" implies unrequited, then no, not this minute.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
No, but I am very flexible.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?
I don't really have a favorite brand. I have a favorite store -- Anthropologie.

25. WHO IS YOUR FAV FEMALE/MALE CELEBRITY?
Tina Fey and Robert Downey, Jr.

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW?
Nope.

27. WHAT KIND IS IT?

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?
Probably not. I'm generally more guarded than that.

29. WHEN DID YOU LAST SING TO YOURSELF OR TO SOMEONE ELSE?
In the car yesterday.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
11.

31. BLONDES, BRUNETTES OR RED HEADS?
Brunettes.

32. FAVORITE QUOTE?
"If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches and poor men's cottages princes' palaces." Wm. Shakespeare.

33. FAVORITE PLACE?
Bed.

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?
Yes.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Bad knees. Inability to reach things on the top shelf. Failing to live in the moment.

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS?
Yes.

37. FIRST JOB?
Babysitting.

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
Yes.

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOUL MATE?
Yes. Maybe more than one.

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?
Watching The Daily Show.

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?
Yes, out-patient.

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
My eyes.

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?
No.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
I'm sure I'll think of something by November.

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT AND THEIR NAMES?
I would like to have at least one so that I can name her after my mom.

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
two of my great-grandmothers, but only in Hebrew.

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
I have three -- lack of intelligence, lack of humor, poor grammar.

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU LIKED ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL?
Writing classes.

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?
Aveda Shampure.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yes.

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Very rare roast beef.

53. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON?
Not particularly.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Totally.

55. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS?
Yeah, as long as both parties understand what's going on.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?
Initially, yes -- but the degree of relevance declines over time.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
Sarcasm and the occasional passive-aggression.

58. WOULD YOU EVER LIKE TO BE FAMOUS/A CELEBRITY? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
Sometimes. But only for the shoes.

59. WHAT'S YOUR MAIN GOAL IN LIFE?
Happiness, whatever that means.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
Dolls.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
A lot, since the iPhone syncs with my address book.

62. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?
Alas, I am too old to have grown up with the silly purple dinosaur!

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Yes. I'm afraid that it is my natural state.

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?
Mac and Cheese.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Sense of humor. Tolerance of me. And chemistry.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
D.

67. FAVORITE SUPER POWER?
Seeing the future.

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
Lost.

69. WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES?
Torture them.

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?
Yes.

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM?
If I bring it in there.

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT?
Sleep.

74. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE OLDER?
The South of France.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
If it makes them happy.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
Stephen Colbert interviewing David Byrne from the Talking Heads. Crazy!

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?
Diet Coke.

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My Nana.

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Eye color.

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
Sleep, read, go to movies, watch tv, hang out with my friends.

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
My situation.

82. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR?
Baseball season!

83. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY?
Peanut M&Ms.

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND?
Best friend, worst enemy, same person: My sister.

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
Brown.

86. EYE COLOR?
green/blue/gray

87. SHOE SIZE?
6.5 or 7.

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
Chick-fil-A

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
Ray's the Steaks.

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?
Yes, but I always eat too much.

91. WATCH TV TODAY?
Right now, as a matter of fact.

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
Opening Day!

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?
Piano. A little guitar.

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?
Democrat.

95. KISSES OR HUGS?
Both, hopefully.

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
Relationships.

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?
Diet Coke.

98. WOULD YOU EVER BE A HOUSEWIFE?
Yes, but it would probably drive me crazy.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
Just finished All the King's Men. Will start a new book tomorrow.

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE!
Interesting. Complicated. Impossible to explain.