Choices

Hey, kids, make some.
For real.

I like choices. They’re fun.

50 things about me

Take notes, there will be a test.

 

1. I like the color red. A lot. Quite possibly, more than I like you.

2. I lived in Hong Kong.

3. I have worn the same Claddagh ring for seven years.
4. I have enough underwear that I could survive for six weeks without laundering my delicates.
5. I used to play both upright and electric bass. But I’m silly and I didn’t keep up with either.

6. I worked at Washington Irving’s estate, Sunnyside, as a guide and had to wear hoop skirts.

7. When I was 12, I was the keynote speaker at the Tarrytowns’ Fourth of July celebration.

8. I was in a made-for-tv movie in Hong Kong. I was part of a dance troupe at HKIS and we did the lantern dance.

9. I like nicknames and terms of endearment. If I can get away with calling you anything other than your given name, I’m a happy camper. You’d be wise to return the favor.

10. Quite unsuprisingly, I love songs about “Molly.” My favorite is by God Street Wine. Learn it. Sing it. I’m yours forever.

11. I love teen melodrama. I cannot get enough DeGrassi.

12. I read (and still have) numbers 1-75 of the Baby Sitters Club series.

13. I still have a stuffed Grover I got for my first Christmas. On my bed.

14. Knee socks make me happy.

15. I was a theater major for a couple of years and miss it more than anything.

16. I just learned to knit.

17. In second grade, I was the first person in my class to pass the D’Nealian penmanship test.

18. I am fascinated by language and the word choices people make.

19. I am a feminist.

20. I’d do anything for my little sister.

21. Thunderstorms make me happy.

22. I was a competitive swimmer for ten years.

23. I don’t believe in love at first sight.

24. I rode bareback on an elephant in Thailand. His name was Jumbo and he could peel bananas and throw away the peel.

25. I ran away from home once. I’m glad I ran back.

26. My mother is the best person that I know.

27. I am working on a novel and want to be published.

28. I am afraid of Vampires.

29. I like to touch people when I talk to them. I really like holding hands.

30. I had a fake ID in college. It said I was from New Jersey.

31. When I was seven, I ran into a pillar and had to get stitches above my eye. There’s still a scar.

32. I’m a huge nerd and the only person who really understands my brand of dorkiness is my dad.

33. I hate Jagermeister. (College party. Whole bottle. Sick for days. Never again.)

34. I would rather take care of someone than let someone take care of me.

35. I have a large collection of books and cannot stand to throw/give them away.

36. I want to live in Italy.

37. I’ve never been arrested.

38. I once body-checked Johnny Depp into a wall.

39. I would rather love someone who didn’t love me back than not feel for someone who feels for me.

40. Sometimes I think that summer camp was the best time of my life.

41. I can snap really loudly.

42. I write letters that I never send.

43. I make amazing chicken and potatoes.

44. I think sarcasm is a way of life.

45. Of all the places I’ve lived, I liked Atlanta the best.

46. I miss my mommy every day.

47. I know every word to every song in the muscial “Oklahoma!”

48. I’m a night owl.

49. I like freckles. If we’re friends, I’ve probably already picked out a favorite freckle. (Ask me, I’ll tell you which one.)

50. I have remarkably small thumbs.

I miss New York

Damn, man, I miss New York. I’ve been here in DC for a little more than a year and while there are some great things about this city, I just can’t help but miss home.

This is thrown into relief every time I meet someone here in DC. It’s such a transient place and everyone wants to get something and get out. Work experience, real estate, good connections, laid … whatever it is that people want, it’s never a long-term deal. I’ve yet to meet a single person who says, “Yeah, this is the spot for me.”

I’m certainly not one to ignore a good thing that’s right in front of me, and my life here in DC is pretty sweet. But lately I’ve just found myself homesick, wishing that I could put some of you in my pocket and take you back to NY and say, “Now, friends, this is where we’re going to live. We’re going to be very happy and listen to good music and eat great food and have fun and love the place we live in a way that most people never experience.”

And then I realize that to make NY what I truly want it to be, I’d need some of the things that coming to DC brought into my life.

Summer house. That’s the answer.

Or Guinness. Guinness is also an acceptable answer.

Sharing time is over.

Untied Nations

(Yes, I know I wrote “untied” instead of “united.”)

I generally like the UN. We’ve had some good times together. But sometimes the UN starts making you question other alliances. And that’s tough. Oh, mutually beneficial allegiance, you’re fucking up my trade routes.