Happy Trails

100 Things, 26-30

26. I blow my nose like a demented elderly man with a two day old beard and a sentimental cloth handkerchief. I never learned how to blow my nose like a lady...I've tried...but to no avail. So, I sound like a trumpet. And it's probably socially inappropriate. And I should be embarrassed. But, I'm not. I've become so used to it that I just don't care anymore. Since I'm leaving this job early to take the new position, one of my cubicle buddies has kept saying that she'll miss me a lot after I leave. Last week I blew my nose in my cubicle, and I could have sworn I heard her say under her breath, "I won't miss that." Far from being offended, I thought it was pretty funny. I wouldn't miss it either if I were her.

27. My first job was as a cavern guide. During the summer before my senior year of high school I conducted tours through a limestone cave in Southwest Virginia. I loved it. My best friend was a maroon Mag-lite that I christened the Light-saber 2000. I still have it, complete with red clay that I was never able to get out of the smallest crevices...It was a fun job. The tips were good, and I got to work in natural air conditioning. Not too bad. That summer was like my first real adventure--making my own money, I had a car for the first time, and I navigated through my first adult relationship. In retrospect, I learned so much, mostly because I was so stupid. I still love caves--I was a caving guide in college, where I actually lead trips into "wild caves" i.e. ones that weren't commercially developed for the public. Most people call it "spelunking", but I like to call it wild caving. My favorite was one that you could only get to by swimming under the base of a large cliff (it was called Aqua Cave). It was so scary, but so worth it. It was like a natural cathedral inside--no formations, just vaulted walls, and the constant sound of rushing water. In case you ever forget, "Stalactites hold TIGHT to the ceiling, while Stalagmites one day MIGHT reach the ceiling." There. Don't say I never taught you anything.

28. I never go anywhere without my Natives. If I'm not at work, you'll almost always see them sitting atop my head. Once I almost wore them into Court. Boss wasn't pleased.

29. The one thing I am MOST insecure about are my eyebrows. Pruning them is a daily occurrence, and I check to make sure they look okay whenever I pass a mirror. The first thing I notice about people are eyebrows. It seriously weighs heavily into my first impression of them. Call me crazy, but you probably didn't grow up with caterpillars across your forehead, now, did you?

30. The only bones I've ever broken are my right pinky (boxer's break during a middle school game of kickball), my left index finger (during an AAU basketball game), and my left middle finger (during AAU practice, because it was taped to the broken index finger--genius, Laura).

100 Things, 21-25

21. My middle name is Sherando. It's the name of a lake nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. My parents met there. It's a Native American word that means "clear eyed daughter of the stars". I really dig it.

22. I went to the University of Virginia for undergrad. I majored in Foreign Affairs, with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies. I could have minored in Religious Studies, but didn't. I regret that. When I think of undergrad, I think of Mandy. I think of how it felt to have hair so short I didn't have to brush it. I think of Rosemount Shiraz--the first bottle of wine I bought after I turned 21. I think about the University Guide Service, and how lame it was. I can taste butter chicken from Maharaja's, and the fried chicken sandwich at Chili's. I hear Dave Matthews, Pat McGee, Dispatch, Paul Simon, Walker's Run, John Mayer and Jack Johnson. I think of VISTA--the outdoor orientation program that I lead for first years during my third year summer. Lastly, I remember finishing my last exam in the spring of my Third Year. I walked out onto the Lawn from Cabell Hall, right before twilight. There was mist on the ground, and it was so, so quiet. Lightening bugs danced their gentle glow up the terraces. I stood there, totally alone and at peace, and smiled. I knew I would always remember that moment--it was mine, and incredibly special.

23. I went to law school at the University of Richmond--straight after college. Law school was the hardest 3 years of my life, but a lot of wonderful things happened during that time, too. I got married. I landed my first real job. I won the moot court competition, which was pretty big for me. I got my first pet--a calico cat, that I named Amelie. I lived alone for the first time. And of course, I graduated.

24. I love to dance--expressively, crazily, angrily, intensely, gently, weirdly....I dance when I'm happy, bored, depressed, feeling silly...sometimes I dance when other people would scream into a pillow. It isn't pretty...and I know that. I really don't care.

25. One of my dreams is to be part owner of a Virginia winery after I retire. I want to sell my own stained glass art, pottery, and paintings there, too. I would work in the tasting room. Hubster has been supportive of this fantasy--we're hoping to buy some land and start a vineyard one day, and have it all come to fruition. It will be okay if it doesn't. It's exciting that it could.

100 Things, 16-20

16. Hubster asked me to marry him on two separate occasions. The first was the night before I left for college. We had packed all of my things into the van--my bedroom was barren. Mom was freaking out, vacuuming the living room over and over and over again. She went between bouts of crying and snapping at all of us--it was very uncomfortable. To get away, Hubster took me up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, to my favorite overlook. I've always called it "Rifle Ridge" but that isn't its real name. There is a beautiful sandy path up to a waterfall, and tall poplars shade the entire place. It was late evening, and he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. We were both terrified at the prospect of a long-distance relationship. I said yes, but we both knew it was more of a promise that we would make it. And we did. Long enough for him to ask me a second time--and I said yes then, too.

17. There is one material thing that I absolutely cannot live without--Carmex. You know how people ask, "If you could choose one thing to have if you were stranded on a deserted island, what would it be?" People way better than me always say, "The Bible" or way cooler than me say, "my [insert instrument here]." My answer? Carmex, baby. Hubster calls Carmex "the B*tch button" because if I can't find it when I need it--watch out. His remedy? There is a tub of Carmex in every room of our house. EVERY room. I may starve on that deserted island, but by God, my lips will be soft and moisturized when I do...

18. I really hate "first days". First days of school, work, vacation, anything momentous--I hate the first day of it. I just get so frickin' frazzled...everything is new, I don't know where to go, I feel incompetent, there is so much that I want to do/master and I haven't even broken the surface yet...but then the first day is over, and I'm better.

19. I don't especially enjoy knitting gifts for people, unless the desire to do so truly comes from within--the deadline aspect of it all kind of ruins it for me. I wouldn't say that I'm a selfish knitter...I just don't like it when people expect me to make them something because I can. I don't take requests. I prefer to knit and give spontaneously. That's probably the only spontaneous thing I ever do, or enjoy doing.

20. I love tiramisu.

100 Things, 11-15

11. I miss my Granny. She was a great lady, salt of the earth. She could make anything grow, and cooked good, wholesome, southern food. I got my green thumb from her. She had the best chuckle--it was high-pitched but rocked her whole body. She was a good story-teller. She baked incredible red velvet and black forest cakes, and nobody's green beans tasted as good as hers. When she first met Hubster, she was visibly taken aback that he wasn't white. She watched us that whole day, spending time with one another. At the end of that day, Hubster politely said, "Well, goodbye Vivian, it was nice to meet you!" and held out his hand. She chuckled, pushed his hand away, and gave him a big hug. "Just call me Granny," she said. I loved it that she accepted him so quickly, and I know it meant a lot to him, too. She had a beautiful Christmas Cactus that I always admired--it lived beneath the windows in the front parlor. It was the only thing I asked for when she died. It always blooms every year around the time she passed away--in the spring.

12. I have a recurring dream that I've had since college. It's the end of the semester, and time for exams. At the last minute, I realize that I am enrolled in a class that I forgot to attend during the whole semester, and the final exam is the next day. I can't drop the class. I'm screwed. I panic. I wake up, and can't shake that panicky feeling for the rest of the following day.

13. I LOVE tea. Herbal, black, white, green, red, iced--I love it all.

14. I have light green eyes, with flecks of brown, just like my Pepere.

15. I have experienced two significant bouts of clinical depression in my life. The first was when I went to college. The second was when I started law school. Meds were necessary, and while I used to be ashamed of that, I'm not anymore. Everybody needs help sometimes. I firmly believe that one should not take anti-depressants without also engaging in some type of therapy.  Tom Cruise can kiss my ass--and don't tell me HE couldn't benefit from some clinical help. That man is some Crazy with a side of Fool.

100 Things, 6-10

6. I'm a beauty pageant queen. A real one. And I've got a crown to prove it. My senior year of high school I entered the high school beauty pageant on a lark. I was the jockish athlete who wore chap-stick, T-shirts, and a pony tail most every day. When we had to dress up for away-games, I wore a collared shirt and tie. The other cheerleader contestants couldn't believe that I had the pluck to challenge them. I was on their turf, after all. And somehow, I won the damn thing. And I got a free pageant dress out of it, which I later wore to Hubster's Ring Figure. Pretty awesome.

7. I'm afraid of the dark.

8. I love Indian food. My favorite is Chana Saag, but I'll eat most any kind and enjoy it. The only thing is, I cannot COOK Indian food to save my life. I have tried--numerous times. At least 20 different dishes over the last 5 years. And they all come out awful. So, now I just resort to masalas in a jar. While they aren't as good as what we can get out, they're good enough to satisfy the craving when it comes along--which happens pretty often.

9. I gained and lost 30 lbs. in law school. I had never had an issue with weight until then, and it was very, very difficult to deal with. I tried a lot of different things to lose the weight--healthy things, too, like calorie counting, and I even got a trainer at the Y (whose name was Scott St. John, and he's probably the best trainer EVER--and I don't say that lightly). Nothing worked, until I tried Weight Watchers. I LOVE Weight Watchers. And I'll tell anyone about it who'll listen. I'll scream it from the rooftops. It works. It really does. If you want, I'll talk to you about it, too. After 30 lbs. lost, I still am on Weight Watchers. Not because I need to diet now...It just really changed the way that I eat and think about food, and it's how I stay accountable.

10. I met Hubster on November 18, 1999 when I was 17 years old. I have been with him ever since. He's my best friend, and truly fits the description of "soul mate".

100 Things, 1-5

So I've seen this on numerous blogs, and have enjoyed it immensely. Basically the author lists 100 things about themselves. (These are typically things that help illuminate the author's personality--which in turn helps the reader put the entire blog into context). I think it's a neat idea, summing yourself up this way, and I'm running with it in unabashed, copy-cat-like fashion.

1. My first tape was the Spin Doctors, Pocket full of Kryptonite. I thought I was the shit, walking around with my huge 80's earphones, bright yellow Sony Sports Walkman, Duke baseball hat, and pink high-top Converse All-Stars. I think I may have enjoyed "Little Miss Can't be Wrong" the most. Shocker.
2. My first CD was Counting Crows, August and Everything After. It's a depressing album, but I still love it. I get nostalgic when I hear it, and enjoy thinking about how I could stare at the ceiling in my bedroom for hours, listening to this music and thinking about my angsty adolescent life while my black-light illuminated the numerous sticky stars on the ceiling.
3. The Never Ending Story is one of my favorite movies of all time. As a child I would daydream that I had my own Luck Dragon. Now I actually kind of do--River sometimes scarily resembles Falcor--especially when she's lying down.
4. I am very sensitive to touch. Growing up my parents had the hardest time making me wear socks--I couldn't STAND it if the seam of the sock wasn't in just the right spot across my toes...Dad used to call me his little "Princess and the Pea". I had a hard time with seams and tags on other garments, too. I'm still like that. It's some sort of haptic hyper-sensitivity. Hubster lost his sock privileges (he used to enjoy messing up my socks and bunching them up around my toes to watch me go crazy) as a result of this extrasensory quirk. It became less and less funny to me, and more and more intensely irksome. It fascinates him.
5. I often talk to myself. In the car, in the shower, in the house when no one is around. Sometimes I'll even have conversations with people (not voices in my head, don't worry). For example, if someone says something rude to me, and I'm so shocked that at the time I don't say anything--I'll just replay the conversation as many times as is necessary until I come up with a real zinger in rebuttal. Then I imagine them being speechless--wowed into silence by my lightening-fast wit. I have found this to be one of my most satisfying and effective means of closure.