third blog of the day!

this could possibly be more information than i even know about myself (i stole the idea from someone else) (it only took me 4 days to complete this!)

here's 100 factoids about me.

basic biographical facts
1) i'm in the 2nd half of my 20s.
2) i have one younger brother.
3) i'm not married, but my parents still are (35 years!)
4) i have no children (that i know of!)
5) i was born in Connecticut, and have lived in 4 states (NY, IA, MN, CA) in the last 10 years
6) i am not sure what i want to be when i grow up.

the physical gumby
7) i'm 5'10" tall with shoes on
8) my nose and ears are proportionate to my face
9) i have brown hair that keeps getting lighter...some might say whiter...i like to think of it as white highlights, which are apparently hard to do at a beauty salon
10) i have good vision, hearing, smell, and taste senses
11) i'm only allergic to animals when i pet them and then rub my eyes (transferring the hair or dander i guess)
12) on my left foot my third toe is the longest toe. on my right foot the 2nd toe is the longest.
13) my jaw pops out of place due to clenching in my sleep, and it makes noise if i eat too soon after waking up

gumby's brain
14) i went to public schools and i turned out ok!
15) in fourth grade i was sent to a different school than half of my friends. it was the same year i broke my left arm.
16) in fifth grade i got mononucleosis (not from kissing though) and missed about 36 days of school in one trimester. somehow they still passed me. although i think there are some things i just never learned about.
17) thankfully some of the stuff i learned from books in college actually help me in my current job. i'm more thankful for the professors and friendships i made, however.
18) i never dropped a college class. and i never skipped class to do something fun.
19) we got our first computer at home in the 80's. i learned to type slowly then, and by 9th grade i was a typing whiz, thanks mrs. jones (my typing teacher)!
20) my knowledge of geography is decent but not stellar (i.e. i know the americas, europe, australia, antarctica, and parts of africa and asia very well)

jobs
21) my first job was either working with my mom at YWCA nursery school or working as a counselor-in-training at YWCA summer camp.
22) i'm not sure if i've had my favorite job yet, although being a teacher/mentor for an integrated science class right after i graduated from college was pretty fun.
23) i've never worked from home.
24) i like my job, have a hard time with some of the people and the drama. currently i spend most of my time tromping in the woods
25) i have worn one of those all white tyvek suits and boots and sprayed chemicals on grass for hours while sweating profusely because those suits certainly don't breathe. this job also had me hoeing weeds in ag fields at least once a week, and picking fruit the other days. sweatastic!
26) i have seriously entertained the notion of giving up working and being a whitewater rafting guide. or maybe a nature guide in costa rica, living in the rainforest.

sports
27) i took ballet and tap dance classes when i was 4-5 years old
28) i took ice skating lessons from 5-6 years old, and learned to ski around the same time.
29) i tried playing little league baseball and softball from 7-8 years old but i was more interested in doing cartwheels in the outfield. learned to play tennis somewhere around there too.
30) i played soccer for 7 years in elementary school and junior high.
31) high school sports included volleyball, indoor track, and tennis.
32) college sports included 2 years of NCAA D III volleyball and 2 years of NCAA DIII tennis.
33) i've now decided I really like RUGBY and sometimes ultimate frisbee, as well as many kinds of dancing (salsa, merengue, cha cha, samba, waltz, foxtrot, contra dance, irish jigging, hip hop, 2-step [just learned!], as well as booty shaking and just flailing around in general)

politics
34) i'm more of a 'vote for the best candidate for the job' than a party line voter. and through the years i've learned that even though i was raised republican, not all republicans are the kind of people i want running my government.
35) i have now lived in 2 states where professional actors/wrestlers have been my governor
36) i just can't believe how ridiculous george w. bush is. why did we elect him again? who voted for him?
37) i think local politics have more effect on our daily lives than big party national politics.
38) my dad was the deputy mayor of our town for 6 years, and a councilman for 12
39) i often wonder how we're faring in the war on drugs.

random favorites
40) i can't choose a favorite color because i like too many. maybe indigo. forest green. maroon.
41) i don't have a favorite tv show because i don't have a tv
42) my favorite movies are the jerk, whale rider, american beauty, office space, napoleon dynamite, shawshank redemption
43) my favorite side to sleep on is my right
44) my favorite actor is either william h. macy, george clooney, morgan freeman, tim robbins, vince vaughn, or luke wilson
45) i'm new to blogging, so my favorite blogs are posted on my blog, which, if you're reading this, you can find the links to on the sidebar
46) my favorite sport to watch is rugby!!! (rugby guys are total studs)
47) my favorite sport to play is rugby!!! (in season, *i* am a total stud)
48) i don't drink beer so i don't have a favorite beer or other alcoholic beverage
49) my favorite drink is vanilla coke or grenadine and coke, especially if they're made just right

personal failures
50) i cannot watch a scary movie and not have nightmares
51) i still have recurring nightmares
52) i try repeatedly and still i'm not getting any faster at sprinting
53) i can't draw. except for what i call scientific art. or kindergarten art.
54) sometimes i lose my train of thought for no reason whatsoever
55) sometimes when people are talking i zone out when i should be listening intently
56) i don't own a computer at my home
57) i cannot hold a conversation with the television on. it's either the person or the box and the box somehow always wins my eyes even when i don't want it to.
58) i have issues with commitment, and i've broken more hearts than i care to admit, and if it feels how i feel when my heart gets broken, i'm not going to heaven for sure with all the pain i've caused
59) i have my bachelors degree and nothing else because i'm afraid of what i should be doing with my future and don't want to limit myself
60) i don't always do what i should be doing at work (does anyone?), and the boss finally called me on it, which made me feel like complete crap and i'm wondering if i'll ever be able to untarnish my image
61) i have a very hard time participating in conversations where it's more than just me and one other person. i can listen but feel uncomfortable joining in.

i'm good at a few things
62) i know how to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
63) i used to know all the presidents of the united states in order (i have since lost that talent)
64) aside from breaking hearts, i also have a talent for making people feel good about themselves
65) i seem to be the only person who can teach my grandpa how to use his computer
66) children are naturally drawn to me. must be 'cause i'm so fun. animals, on the whole, are also drawn to me, even though i'm not afraid of them.
67) i really enjoy voluteer activities and look for them wherever i go. heavy lifting and weed pulling included.
68) i have worked on 7 habitat for humanity houses

eating
69) i have eaten so many 'new' foods since i arrived in california, foods i never would have eaten before and i'm not sure why i never tried them. these new foods include: avocados/guacamole, cherries, nectarines, plums, pistachios, almonds, macadamia nuts, rice milk, chai tea (i know there are more, i'm just drawing a blank currently - to be updated as these details rise into my forebrain)
70) i really enjoy mexican food, probably because i didn't get much of it in my youth
71) corn is my favorite vegetable but most people don't think it's a vegatable. until high school i couldn't eat it on the cob due to bad teeth in the front.
72) chocolate is my safety food.
73) potatoes are my absolute favorite food in the whole world because they are so versatile!
74) i am in love with ny style pizza, garlic knots, buffalo wings, and soda. they consist of what i consider a perfect meal without vegetables.

likes/dislikes
75) i talk on the phone often when i am home because it is the only time i can communicate with my friends who live outside the state of california. so whether or not i like talking on the phone is irrelevant, i do it out of necessity to feel sane with people who are not fruits or nuts or all granola
76) "be the change you wish to see in the world" - m. gandhi
77) i don't read much, although i have been trying
78) i actually enjoy most foreign films and look forward to international film festivals
79) i don't have a tv because i think it rots peoples brains. plus i have enough to do without one, how do people ever get anything done with it on all the time? i'm very distractablewhen i'm not focused if that makes any sense...
80) i like making out more than i probably should

better left unsaid
81) i've only ever hit a guy in the face once for saying something completely unacceptable
82) mostly i get hit on by old men
83) i've been dragged into strip clubs twice in my life
84) i frequently get wedgies
85) i don't mind doing most house chores. except dishes.
86) i swear out loud only when i'm alone
87) i go to the bathroom with the door open when i'm home alone, and sometimes when i'm not

other ideas and potpurri
88) i try to carry around a notebook with me so when i have big ideas, or even little ideas, i can write them down so they don't go into the abyss
89) i am a veritable library of song lyrics
90) i think my friends would say i'm loyal, devoted, caring, genuine, sarcastic, funny, and real.
91) i never thought i would play rugby, nevermind actually like it
92) my hobbies include photography, jigsaw puzzles, journal writing, writing letters and making handmade paper, and currently, planning my high school reunion (which is also giving me nightmares).
93) my brother has physically abused me within the last 5 years.
94) my first kiss was at age 13. his name was steve. (oy!)
95) where i live now, it's easy to ride a bike or walk everywhere. the police in town think this gives them the right to continually chalk my tires and give me 5 day notices to move my car or get it towed
96) blogging is something i just kind of fell into, and so far, i like it - i have been blogging more than eating lately...
97) my car is getting older, and i'm afraid of buying a new one
98) my nicknames include falkon, captain, bert, brother sunshine, pokemon ali, and gumby
99) i've never owned a motorcycle, i've never done any drugs, and the last beer i had was when i was ~3 years old

finally
100) i am not afraid to walk up to someone i don't know and start talking to them. you shouldn't be either. i have met up with 2 online people who i have never met before, just walking down the street. i went up to them and said hi, and i think it caught them off guard. i'm not sure what else i *should* say. but throw out that old idea that girls are shy and don't approach guys. cause you ain't seen nothing yet.