25 Random Things

What I'm Reading: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, A Journal for Jordan by Dana Canedy, and Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris.

What I'm Working On: Tomorrow I will be working on writing again. A two month haitus has clarified alot for me.

25 Random Things
I was tagged at Facebook to write 25 random things about myself and post them. I decided to post them here, too. If you're reading, your tagged.

1. I’d rather read than watch TV. Any. Day. Of. The. Week. Last year, I read 67 books.
2. I’m a mountain person. People either tend to be mountain people or beach people. I live 45 minutes from the beach and (other than last March) went for YEARS without visiting it. On the other hand, when I lived in Arizona, I made it to the mountains several times a month.
3. I’m a nomad. It’s unfortunate that I seem to get stuck living in one place for so long. When the kids are out of school, I want to explore the world.
4. Really good, made from scratch, with the skin-still-on-the-potatoes French fries are my favorite food.
5. I have 3 college degrees and am getting ready to start a 4th. I love going to school. All 3 degrees are different. Vastly. I guess I get bored easily and always need a change of pace. I have a BSEd in Biology and PE, an MS in Exercise Science/Human Physiology, an EdS in Curriculum and Instruction, and I’m about to start a new masters program in Writing Popular Fiction.
6. Yes, I like to write. Love it. When I grow up (don’t laugh), I want to be writer – fiction, probably YA or literary.
7. My hero is Dr. Paul Farmer. He started Partners in Health. There is a book about him. It’s called Mountains Beyond Mountains. I think he’s an amazing example of what the heroic actions of one determined person can do.
8. I have four dogs. If I lived in the country, I’d have more. Maggie is a Chow-mix mutt. Rex is a Golden retriever mix. Cipy and Alice are retired racing greyhounds.
9. I once smoked a cigar. Just once. It turned my throat and tongue black and tasted awful for hours. I kept getting up from bed all night to brush my teeth. I brushed by tongue until it was raw. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk.
10. I like to cook. I love trying new recipes and mixing new ingredients together. However, I’m not much of a baker. I don’t enjoy that at all.
11. The place I most want to visit before I die is Israel.
12. I’m completely unable to file things. If I do, I can never find it. I like stacks. Or very generic files that say things like “January”. I can always remember where something is in a stack or a “time-related” file. But otherwise, I’m hopeless.
13. I think Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the all time best TV series ever, ever, ever. The writing was brilliant. The story arcs were perfect. The conflicts exquisite. I loved that show!
14. Fall is my favorite season. (Not in Florida, but in places where you have real fall.) I like the cool bite of the air, the shade of the sky, and the colors of the leaves. Equinoxes are so much more interesting than Solstices. Plus, it’s football season.
15. I believe the best plan is one that can be easily changed. I like extreme flexibility.
16. Ever since I hit about 35, I can’t ride roller coasters, which is sad since I used to love them so much. I have real problems with motion sickness on them. Apparently, it’s tied to the migraines I’ve been having since then, too. The doc says the migraines are hormonal and that when I hit menopause (what fun) they might go away. Maybe I’ll be able to ride roller coasters again then, too.
17. I’ve voted Republican and Democrat in presidential elections almost an even number of times. I’m truly the person to which politicians are campaigning. This year, I was Obama all the way!!
18. I’m an introvert and need quality alone time to recharge my batteries.
19. I like having a fully stocked pantry, but I detest grocery shopping.
20. I don’t see the point in going “window shopping.” If you’re going to shop, it should be with a purpose. Plan on buying something.
21. I would love to live in a city where a car was completely unnecessary. Maybe Manhattan or London. I could totally get into public transportation in a city where it was efficient and well run. I like the compactness of Manhattan and London. I’m not a fan of urban sprawl.
22. No matter how many times I snorkel and despite the vastness of the ocean, I always feel completely claustrophobic wearing a mask and snorkel.
23. On the Meyer’s Briggs, I’m an INTJ (and occasionally, like 10% of the time, an INTP).
24. I once hiked rim to base to rim in the Grand Canyon in one day. The next day, I couldn’t move.
25. My glasses are progressive lenses. Isn’t that pathetic? I’m forty and basically have bifocals.