100 Things About Me

I know I just did the 7 random things, but in honor of my 100th post, I thought I'd post 100 things about me. Without further ado:

1. I love playing with color, shapes and textures in almost any medium
2. I don't like to do housework
3. I am not very self-disciplined when it comes to doing things that I'd rather not do (housework, paying bills, balancing the checkbook, working out)
4. I used to throw temper tantrums when I was a kid.
5. I am still not very good at controlling my temper.
6. But you'll only see that side of me if you know me really well, or I know you will never see me again.
7. I call people names when I am driving if they make me mad.
8. I am trying to stop doing that because it doesn't set a good example.
9. I am a mother of two who are often in the car when I am calling people names.
10. I pretty much thought I was never going to have kids because I just COULD NOT picture myself as someone's mother
11. Then when I was 32, I was told by several doctors that I would probably not be able to have children. All of a sudden, I felt that my life would have no meaning unless I had children.
12. After three years of trying to get pregnant, I had a surgery and afterward became pregnant almost immediately.
13. Because of that surgery, I had to have my 2 kids by c-section.
14. My doctor calls the location of my incision "my zipper."
15. When I was little, I assumed that I was going to be famous when I grew up.
16. I joined AA 20 years ago in June 1987.
17. I no longer attend meetings because I found Jesus.
18. I became a born-again Christian in January 1995 and got full-immersion baptized on my birthday.
19. I was 7 months pregnant with my son at the time.
20. I highly value integrity, honesty, love and hope, and of course, Jesus.
21. I have an older sister and two younger brothers.
22. The youngest of the younger brothers is 16 years younger than me.
23 Even though I am middle aged, I still feel young and immature, and I don't mean for my age. I mean for any age.
24. I cry really easily especially at movies. When I saw "Terms of Endearment" in the movie theater over 25 years ago, I cried so hard I was hitching and gasping and my eyes swelled up so much I could barely see as I was leaving the theater.
25. When I was pregnant, even a sentimental Pampers commercial made me cry.
26. At certain times of the month, violins playing sad-sounding dramatic music could make me cry.
27. I love food and eating, especially Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Moroccan
28. And See's chocolate.
29. I've always considered myself to be an artist, but never wanted to use it in a career.
30. I like to work with my hands, whether it is baking bread, doing ceramics, knitting, drawing , coloring, painting, making origami, even typing.
31. I am a terrible procrastinator.
32. I never know what to do with paper, like mail that is too important to throw out. It builds up in stacks everywhere.
33. I thin it out by throwing out the junk, but there are always leftovers that I am unsure what I should do with them.
34. When I put everything away, I have a hard time finding stuff.
35. I have to backtrack my logic and try and remember where I would have put it.
36. I have very low self-esteem
37. But I can also be a know-it-all.
38. People tell me I am very likable (even though with the combination of low esteem and know-it-all-ness, I'm not sure why).
39. I do really like people, all kinds of people.
40. Except when they smell. It is hard for me to like someone when they smell bad.
41. When I was a child, I am told that I would not "play" with someone if I didn't like the way they looked. They had to have a certain standard of attractiveness.
42. I am horribly embarrassed by this, even though I think it may actually be true.
43. I am no beauty myself, so don't ask me why I held others to this standard.
44. I am rigorously, sometimes painfully honest, especially about myself.
45. And self-deprecating.
46. I love to laugh so hard that tears come to my eyes and my stomach hurts. I love it when something is that funny!
47. I love how affectionate my children are.
48. My favorite color is magenta.
49. My favorite colors to wear are deep, dusky purple and a certain shade of apple green.
50. I love the smell of flowers, especially jasmine, tuberoses, gardenias and sweet peas. (not together).
51. I also love the smell of freshly mown grass, puppy breath and wool.
52. I always use garden and growing metaphors when I speak, but this year is the first time I have ever tried to grow a garden
53. I have a tendency to buy yarn when I am feeling insecure or uncomfortable.
54. I like to cook without using traditional measurements. I prefer the "pinch of this" and a "liberal handful of that" method of cooking.
56. People tell me that I am a good cook. I believe it is because I like to eat food that tastes good.
57 I make a mean potato salad!
58. I was raised with no spiritual beliefs.
59. I was one of those Asian girls raised in the suburbs who would only go out with white guys. We were referred to in college as "bananas."
60. Nowadays, I hope beyond hope that I would not choose someone because of what they look like or what social standing they have or anything else external.
61. I have had weight and self-image issues my entire life -- although I have only been categorically overweight since Emi was born.
62. I look at pictures of myself from 20 or 30 years ago and remember thinking that I was too fat at the time. I was perfectly fine. What a waste of self image!
63. I like to price shop, especially for big items. Sometimes, I will make the illogical decision of driving a far distance just to save money, and I'm talking a few dollars.
64. More and more these days it doesn't make sense. Thank God for the Internet.
65. I have a pretty good head on my shoulders. I am practical and know how to stretch a dollar.
66. I like to be generous.
67. I used to wish that everyone had to wear uniforms all the time so I wouldn't have to decide what to wear.
68. Then I just decided that I would adopt a uniform-type look and not worry about it.
69. But sometimes I miss being thin and getting all dolled up.
70. I pretty much won't wear heels anymore.
71. Or nylons
72. Biting bugs love me: mosquitoes, fleas, no-see-ums. They will chew us practically to death while others around me remain unbitten.
73. I am considered to be a patient teacher
74. When I used to drink, I would always pay my bills after "having a few".
75. After I stopped drinking, my credit rating got completely messed up.
76. I get along well with kids.
77. I have never been what you would call athletic and really don't care for exercise.
78. I have bitten my nails since before 4th grade,when I clearly remember setting my New Years Resolution to stop biting my nails and failed.
79. I try to pray and read the Bible every day.
80. But I am prone to times of inconsistency.
81. I love to sing really loud and my kids think I am a great singer, but really I'm not, I just know how to sing along in such a way that it sounds a lot like the singer. Like a chameleon.
82. I also like to do imitations of people.
83. When I was a kid, I used to like to make my family laugh by doing imitations of whoever had visited after they left.
84. My mom is my best audience and always tells me I should have a one-woman show.
85. My son is my second best audience and I like to say things that make him laugh so hard he falls on the floor holding his stomach.
86. I do kind of like to be the center of attention.
87. I also like to recount funny things that happened.
88. Of course, it's always more fun and interesting if you exaggerate.
89. But I really try my best to never lie.
90. The other day, the girl at the craft store accidentally over-credited me by $8.00 -- telling the clerk she made a mistake and returning the overage was one of the most difficult things I have done in recent times.
91. This was not made easier by the fact that she didn't thank me or acknowledge what I had done. I felt it was a huge act of integrity. She had no idea.
92. I wish I didn't crave the approval of others so much.
93. I have 4 BFFs. Really.
94. I have a distinctive, low voice that carries -- and I do not like hearing myself on tape.
95. I spend way more time on the Internet than I should.
96. I miss selectric typewriters, ditto machines, carbon paper and "white out" that came in pink, blue, yellow, marigold and buff. But not operating them.
97. I miss when everyone called copy machines "xerox" machines.
98. When I was a brand new mom I one time almost pulled out of a parking space with my newborn son outside the car ON THE GROUND strapped into his carrier!
99. After he learned to talk and he called me in the middle of the night, I would awake from a deep slumber thinking, "Why won't that lady take care of her kid already! Can't she hear him calling her?"
100. Now I respond to any kid anywhere who is yelling, "Mom! Mom!"