I've Been Tagged

1.) What were you doing ten years ago?
-ten years ago I was 27. I was living in Alaska working on a job that I absolutely loved. The interesting thing is that the subject matter of my work, telecommunications (packet switching, LATAs, BillingEdge, blah, blah, blah), completely bored the living daylights out of me. But this was the first time I'd really been given a big project and told to run with it. There's nothing like having an employer exhibit such faith in your capabilities, and offer you such a meaningful challenge, to make even the most mundane topic engaging.

2.) What are the 5 things on your to-do list today?
-essay on Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal
-clean house for graduation party on Saturday
-workout
-proofread Mr. H's paper on Feminism in Iran (the only thing I actually accomplished so far)
-study for exams

3.) What Snacks do you enjoy?
-brownies
-chocolate chip cookies
-chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel covered pretzels
-ice cream
-did I mention chocolate?

4.) What Places have you lived in?
-Eugene, Oregon
-Kodiak, Alaska
-Palmer, Alaska
-Denali National Park, Alaska
-Seattle, Washington

5.) What are the things you would do if you were a billionaire?
-buy a house
-adopt as many babies as possible
-buy my mom a home
-explore the world
-travel enough that I have friends on every continent
-get my hands dirty working on volunteer projects on every continent
-find a cure for cancer
-start a whole bunch of educational scholarships for people who can never qualify for scholarships or other financial aid because they have a job - even though they barely make enough money to pay their rent
-buy a boat for my husband
-maybe a whole fleet of boats
-and the rest should make a dent in paying off our student loans

6.) Who are the People you want to know more about?
-I've been on a genealogy kick lately. I'm completely fascinated by American history, and now that I'm learning more about my ancestors, I'd like to learn more about how American history played a role in their lives and how and why they came to America in the first place. Then of course, I want to know all about where they came from and who they were in that world and what life was like for them there.




Now the rules!

Answer all the questions.
Tag 6 people, leave a comment on their blog to inform them that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for rules. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers. (No links for private blogs)

I'm tagging...

1. Kristen
2. Mama
3. Moose Nuggets
4. Janece
5. Mama's Losin' It
6. Michelle

The Art of Avoiding Homework, or What's Your Favorite Breakfast?

I've spent most of my day avoiding doing my homework. Posting to my blog seemed like a nice productive way to rationalize not doing my homework, but then writing a post seemed an awful lot like homework. So instead I'll post a meme I found on Karen's blog at Do Better.

You Are Cheerios

Like other Cheerios eaters, you want to be a responsible adult. But you can't help but still be a kid at heart! You try to make good decisions. You're a clean cut, conscientious person. You're the type of person who would never skip breakfast. Part of you thinks that breakfast is too important to miss... But a bigger part of you knows it's too fun to miss!

What Kind of Cereal Are You?

5 things

my husband has so many varied interests it just blows me away. instead of focusing on me, here's a meme of five things about my husband...

1. he is studying middle eastern history and cultures and he speaks several languages including spanish, farsi, arabic, and he is currently learning tajik
2. when he took the spanish language test in the army, he scored so high they turned around and made him take an english test to make sure he knew how to speak english.
3. he plays bagpipes
4. he trains in brazilian jiu jitsu
5. the one place on earth he wants to visit more than anywhere else is Iran

Sometimes i feel so plain next to him - i like photography and reading and cooking... but life with him is such a wild ride. he's so much fun and i never know what he's going to come up with next.

#33

he has figured out that sometimes, rather than trying to solve the problem, its better to just wrap his arms around me and tell me that everything is going to be ok

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#32

I just wandered around to see what he was up to – and he was washing the windows.


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#31

He can speak several different languages including Farsi, Arabic and Spanish – and that is just so sexy to me.

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DNA - meme

I really enjoyed this quiz - the questions were thought provoking and the measurement tools were interesting. Give it a try.

My Personal DNA Report

How you view yourself
You are an Inventor

*Your imagination, self-reliance, openness to new things, and appreciation for utility combine to make you an INVENTOR.
*You have the confidence to make your visions into reality, and you are willing to consider many alternatives to get that done.
*The full spectrum of possibilities in the world intrigues you—you're not limited by pre-conceived notions of how things should be.
*Problem-solving is a specialty of yours, owing to your persistence, curiosity, and understanding of how things work.
*Your vision allows you to identify what's missing from a given situation, and your creativity allows you to fill in the gaps.
*Your awareness of how things function gives you the ability to come up with new uses for common objects.
*It is more interesting for you to pursue excitement than it is to get caught up in a routine.
*Although understanding details is not difficult for you, you specialize in seeing the bigger picture and don't get caught up in specifics.
*You tend to more proactive than reactive—you don't just wait for things to come to you.
*You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.
*You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.
*You tend to do things on the spur of the moment, not sticking to a set schedule.

If you want to be different:
*Try applying your creativity to more artistic arenas, and letting your imagination take less practical forms.


how you relate to others
You are Benevolent
*You are a great person to interact with—understanding, giving, and trusting—in a word, BENEVOLENT
*You don't mind being in social situations, as you feel comfortable enough with people to be yourself.
*Your caring nature goes beyond a basic concern: you take the time to understand the nuances of people's situations before passing any sort of judgment.
*You're a good listener, and even better at offering advice.
*You're concerned with others at both an individual and societal level—you sympathize with the plights of troubled groups, and you can care about people you've never met.
*Considering many different perspectives is something at which you excel, and you appreciate that quality in others.
*Other people's feelings are important to you, and you're good at mediating disputes.
*Because of your understanding and patience, you tend to bring out the best in people.
*You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.
*You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.
*You tend to do things on the spur of the moment, not sticking to a set schedule.

If you want to be different:
*You spend a lot of time taking care of others, but don't forget to take care of yourself!
*Sometimes you can get overcommitted, and when you sacrifice spending time with those close to you, it can make them feel unimportant.

#30

he’s got the cutest buns


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#29

he really, genuinely wants what’s best for me


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#28

he can say just the right thing


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#27

he’s a musical genius – and he loves me even though I’m completely tone deaf.

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#26

rather than lead or follow, he walks beside me.

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#25

he can make mutton-chop side-burns look good.

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#24

I love his laugh.

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#23

he’s seen so much in his life but he still hasn’t lost that childlike sense of awe and wonder.

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#22

he wont let me forget that I’m sexy

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#21

This afternoon we stepped out of the store and saw a rainbow. He immediately reached for his camera and snapped a picture. I love that he valued the rainbow.

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identify 100 things that make me happy (86-100)

86. pasta
87. when we say the same thing at the same time
88. when my parents tell me they’re proud of me
89. memories of my childhood90. tax refunds
91. when my husband is so happy and excited about something that he can’t sit still
92. having a big family that I can count on
93. dipping grilled cheese sandwiches in cream of tomato soup
94. getting things in the mail (other than bills – maybe that’s why I love netflix so much)
95. when we go to a persian restaurant and my husband orders in farsi
96. giant fluffy towels97. strawberries, cream, chocolate, and godiva liqueur blended with ice and topped with real whipped cream
98. seeing orcas
99. daydreaming together
100. holding hands

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#20

the way he puts his hand on the small of my back when we’re walking together

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identify 100 things that make me happy (41-85 )

41. real whipped cream – not from a can
42. art that grabs me and pulls me back to it
43. watching movies
44. flow – anytime I’m doing something and so “in the moment” that I temporarily lose track of everything else
45. being out on the water
46. a beautiful view – especially up in the mountains
47. wildflowers
48. waterfalls
49. looking at the stars
50. the northern lights
51. finding the perfect gift for someone
52. greeting cards
53. campfires
54. saturday morning breakfast with my husband
55. solitude
56. quiet
57. my niece and nephews
58. walking on the beach
59. those moments when I know exactly what to do and how to get it done (happens less frequently than you might think)
60. being in a very old space – where you feel enveloped in history
61. a really good lipstick – perfect shade, texture…
62. finding an amazing restaurant
63. being the person people go to when they want a suggestion for a good place to eat in the area
64. having a nice balance of adventure and safety
65. making snow angels
66. Mariner’s games
67. exploring
68. taking a road just because I want to see where it goes
69. spontaneous adventures
70. the tail end of a road trip, late at night when were in the car together – each of us lost in our own thoughts – but completely relaxed watching the lights of other cars and distant cities come and go as we make our way back home
71. a really good steak
72. apple pie with sharp cheddar cheese
73. anticipating christmas
74. the orchestra warming up
75. spending time with my family
76. falling leaves – and in the spring, falling blossoms
77. the smell of baking bread
78. finding a $20 in an old jacket in the back closet
79. taking a class
80. being challenged
81. getting lost in a book
82. knowing I made a difference
83. a new idea that I never considered before
84. being carded
85. chocolate – I cant believe it took me this long to come up with this one!

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