75 Random Facts About Me

I admit, this is a bit of a self-centered post, but really, what is a blog but writing about one's self in some fashion (thoughts, feelings, opinions, business, lifestyle, adventures) and hoping that others will be interested.  So just indulge me.

1. I am deathly afraid of slugs, not just afraid, it's really more of a phobia
2. Due to being raised in a strict, conservative religion, I did not celebrate my birthday until age 19, or have a birthday cake until age 22
3. I have a swimming record at my high school – 200 freestyle relay
4.  I rarely watch TV, but when I do it's usually America's Next Top Model, So You Think You Can Dance or Jeopardy
5. I'm addicted to my To Do list
6. The first professional belly dance costume I ever bought was purchased in the Khan Il Khalili market in Cairo
7. On more than one occasion I've had women ask me where I got my hair extensions done
8. Before fires in night clubs were a big no-no, I've seen Green Day twice end their show by lighting their entire drum set on fire
9. One of my favorite games as a kid was building forts out of furniture and pretending I was a spy just like James Bond
10. I have a massive sweet tooth and have never met a cupcake I didn't like
11. Collage/visual journaling is my new favorite art form (see above picture for latest)
12. I failed the written part of my driver's test twice
13. I passed all parts of the CPA exam on the first try
14. I love watermelon and could eat a whole one by myself
15. My bucket list includes living overseas for a minimum of six months
16. Getting a B+ in school was devastating – so close to that perfect, golden A
17. I've played the violin for 19 years
18. Gwen Stefani is my ultimate life and style icon
19. Love the look of a made bed, hate actually making it
20. My favorite old Hollywood actresses are Rita Hayworth, Bridget Bardot and Audrey Hepburn
21. Veuve Clicquot (champagne) is happiness in a glass if you ask me
22. I was fortunate to never have any student loans because I was awarded enough academic scholarships to cover all of my tuition
23. I recently won a push-up contest at my office
24. I'm an INTJ – the most independent and one of the rarest (and most misunderstood) of the personality types, we work best when given autonomy and tend to be analytical and creative
25. My all-time favorite movie is Labyrinth – a Jim Henson movie with David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly
26. I really dislike unpainted toenails
27. I represented UW at a business case competition in Hong Kong during my senior year
28. My favorite Seattle coffee spot is Café Vita
29. I've met Ashton Kutcher at a movie wrap party
30. I find cheerleaders offensive and think they are a set back to women's lib
31. Sitting still is very challenging for me and doing nothing is impossible
32. After years of pouring over the catalogue, the best gift I ever got as a kid was my American Girl doll, which I still have
33. I've surfed in Mexico and scuba dived in Egypt
34. My biggest pet peeves are flakiness and bad drivers
35. I take vitamins every day
36. My all-time favorite house feature is French doors that open onto a balcony
37. I missed the first class of the first belly dance series I ever signed up for (good thing I decided to take the rest of the series and not just cancel!)
38. I believe strongly in individual freedoms, including gay marriage and a woman's right to choose
39. I once accidentally tipped over an entire grocery cart full of groceries
40. I read my own Tarot cards
41. Every time I go to the fair I eat a minimum of three Fisher scones 
42. I have a nephew who is older than I am and I'm already a great aunt
43. I miss my cat who I had for 17 years
44. Journal writing is my outlet and the best form of free therapy ever
45. My older brother gave me his Nintendo when I was a pre-teen because I was walking over to his house too often to play it
46. I love surprises
47. I was previously engaged at the age of 18
48. Sometimes I really think I was born in the wrong country and should have been a European
49. I believe that the bigger the earrings the better
50. For as long as I can remember I've wanted to write and publish a book
51. I used to have eight body piercings
52. I'm bad at almost all team sports and get nervous when the ball comes my way
53. I didn't get chicken pox until I was 12 and it was miserable
54. I love anything pink and sparkly
55. My favorite holiday is Halloween
56. I would wear costumes everyday if it was socially acceptable
57. Before turning 21 I had a fake ID
58. I think afternoon tea parties are divine
59. I wrote a college term paper on vampires for a history of death class
60. I believe in living a life of passion and adventure
61. I felt guilty after killing a spider last week that was crawling on me, so I named him Ralphie
62. I can solve logic puzzles like nobody's business, or at least I like to think I can
63. Not having brothers or sisters close to my own age, I would play Monopoly and Clue by myself, which wasn't very effective
64. I graduated magna cum laude
65. I regret never having gotten the opportunity to see Nirvana play
66. I was co-captain of the gymnastics team in high school
67. I believe that dragons used to exist
68. I am a really vivid dreamer and have multiple times "woken up" from my dream only to be in a new dream
69. Despite having tons of hair on my head, wet hair in the bath tub makes me gag
70. I had my first legal drink in Bolivia
71. The only time I've ever cheated on a test, was in third grader when I was afraid of my teacher, so I didn't tell him I didn't understand fractions and instead copied off some else's paper
72. I have never understood why anyone purposely feeds pigeons - they are,  in my opinion, rats with wings
73. If I won the lottery I would buy a one-way ticket overseas and then later go back to school for something really impractical, like folklore or medieval studies
74. My family and I were once evacuated out of our house because our crazy neighbor was shooting at us
75. I can do the yoga pose Astavakrasana (see below)

Photo Credit: yoga.about.com

Things I Love

My latest favorite discoveries and obsessions:

1. Gorgeous vintage jewelry finds at the Fremont Sunday Market. A belly dancer's dream come true!

2. Yellow Leaf cupcakes in Belltown. My new go-to spot for heavenly dessert. Not to mention that they have the most original cupcake flavors; can you say pancakes and bacon? Tomato soup anyone?

3. This breathtaking romantic view. Extra points to anyone who can tell me where this actually is!

4. And the view from my new office!

5. Show Pony - the designer consignment shop in Fremont. Didn't know this existed until last weekend. Scored two pairs of designer jeans for a price that would have only gotten me half a pair of jeans at Nordstrom.

6. Any season of HBO's True Blood. Warning: it's addicting. Sit down to watch one episode and five hours later you're wondering what happened.

7. Diva Dollz - the vintage clothing and lingerie boutique in Pioneer Square. Talk about old Hollywood glamour. Look like you just stepped out of a scene from Mad Men. Love that the shop girls are dressed the part, including winged eyeliner and beehives.

Mid-Year Goal Check-In, Part Two

Just like the rest of life, dreams and goals are constantly evolving and changing. So while I'm pretty on track with my "Celebrate and Sparkle" goals that I set back in January, since then I've accomplished some new ambitions, added some new aspirations, and also identified some elements that need eliminating from my life.

As I've progressed down my "Celebrate and Sparkle" path, there have been a couple of ambitions that came up that I've actually already been able to check off my list:

1. Take an aerial silks class.  I did this in May through Cabiri and it was amazing! The first class was a bit rough, as I felt like the body mechanics weren't clicking for me and my old shoulder injury was flaring up. Walking out of my class, that Negative Nellie in the back of mind was whispering demoralizing things like "Maybe you're just too old" and "Wow, you're really out of shape since your gymnastics days." After a short lived pity party, I'd had about enough of that, told negative Nellie to piss off, and was back at class the next week. And I was much improved! By week three I was having visions of performances and stunning feats of acrobatics.  I'm currently on hiatus due to scheduling conflicts, but you can certainly bet that I'll be back at it again this fall. Health bonus: taking the class actually ended up helping my shoulder, as I learned to engage properly through the rhomboids and stop hanging by my rotator cuff.
2. Become a subscriber at the 5th Avenue. The 5th Avenue Theater has a spectacular season coming up and I'm now officially a subscriber, which is head over heels cheaper than buying individual tickets. For the price of $33 per ticket, over the next year I'll be sitting in row 7 (yes, as in seven rows back from the stage) smack-dab in the middle while I eat my heart out watching Rent(!), Les Miserables(!!), Damn Yankees, Oklahoma!, and Cinderella.

Looking forward to summer and out through the rest of my year, my new aspirations now include:

1. Reading. Lots and lots of reading. Some of my happiest memories from childhood were the weekly summertime visit to the library to stock up on novels and then racing home to dive right into my new finds. Even now, walking into a library or bookstore gives me a great sense of peace. Each book a miniature door into possibility and imagination. The titles whispering to me to peer inside. Exotic worlds just waiting to be discovered. With those memories swimming around through the back of my head, I have a deep desire to spend a good majority of summer lazing about outside with a book in hand.
2.  Sleep more.  The health and beauty benefits of sleep are countless.  So instead of rushing out to spend big bucks on the latest beauty revolution, I've decided why not just sleep more. For free. Seems like a no-brainer. I'm pretty good about always getting a minimum of seven hours, but my body tells me that I'd really prefer to be getting at least an half hour to an hour more per night.  There will always be more dishes to dry and more status updates to read on Facebook, so instead of doing that one last thing before bed, I'm going to just skip it and go to bed. 

And some things I need to remove, smite, magically aspirate, or otherwise eliminate from my life:

1. Car problems! What is with my bad car luck?! Last year, I had my car broken into while on vacation, which was then subsequently damaged by the repair shop while they were repairing it. After having it back for a few weeks, I was then in an accident when another driver failed to yield. I thought my luck had changed this year, until I had to have it towed to the dealership for repairs in May. Which I again thought were fixed and behind me, until less than a month later, the problem started again and I had to have my insurance send out someone to give me a jump start and then drop the car off for more repairs. I am in desperate need of some kind of car karma cleansing! On a positive note, at least I'm getting my money's worth out of my roadside assistance policy.
2. Time stealers. I think we all have them - certain activities that suck the hours right out of your day. I don't really watch TV, so that's not one for me. But compulsively checking email sure is (iPhone, I love you, but this obsessive relationship needs to stop), as well as taking too long to get ready (either for work or for bed). Both can easily take me an hour or more. I don't know how. My bathroom's not even that big. I don't particularly enjoy spending time in there. Which leads me to the conclusion that there must be some time of peculiar time wrap isolated to that one room of my apartment.

How about you goddesses? How are your goals coming along for the year? What's working for you and what isn't?