The Girl from the Ghetto

1.I once got a private tour of The Mint, a bar in Hailey Idaho owned by Bruce Willis.  AMAZING.  Even got to see the secret shower room.

2. I went to college off and on for 18 years due to financial reasons, but when I graduated it was with honors, Magna Cum Laude -a 3.79.  Of, course, I’m losing my job here in Michigan and can’t use my degree as my field is cutting rather than growing here.

3. I’ve seen every episode of 90210.

4. I’m more of a cat person than a dog person.

5. I’ve traveled to 13 countries and 39 states.

6. The meanest thing I ever did was tell everyone in 5th grade that a girl got her period. Then I showed them her pads. I am still bothered by this.

7. I used to live in Vegas, and I hated it.

8. I was a published author by 19, but it’s been 9 years since I’ve submitted anything else for publication.

9. I liked the movie Across the Universe.

10. I hate chicken, turkey, and fish.

11. I have horrible ADHD, but became organized because of it.

12. I was in a rock video – Cocky by Kid Rock, filmed in Detroit.

13. I was a flight attendant and miss wearing the uniform.

14. I love to take picture, esp. landscape photography.

15. I love road trips. My longest road trip ever was 19 days, which I did twice, both times with my friend B. We traveled all over Florida the first 19 day trip, and all out west and to national parks the second time.

16. I have had three D & C’s and an endometrial ablation, which didn’t work.  My uterus split in half, so I had to have a hysterectomy in my 30s.  On top of all of this, my boss tried to lay me off the day before my surgery.  So, not only have I lost my job, but I’ve lost the ability to have children.

17. I love all things Star Wars.

18. I used to work at a movie theatre as a popcorn seller, a projectionist, and a manager. I miss getting free movie passes.

19. I own 5 cameras. My latest is a Nikon D80.

20. I was engaged for one day. I was on a plane and married within 36 hours, which was fantastic.  I’m not into all of that perfect day bullcrap.

21. I used to be a cocktail waitress in Vegas, and they forced me to stuff my A-cup bra to a size D. The horror!

22. I waited on Tupac and Snoop-Dog about a month before Tupac died. They were the nicest guys and tried to force me to take an autographed cd, which I turned down, as I had NO IDEA who they were. What a mistake that was.

23. The Beatles were and are the best band, ever. Don’t you argue otherwise with me.

24. I never knew my dad growing up. I hired a private eye to find him, and he doesn’t want anything to do with me, even though I am his only child. This really bothers me.

25. When I was growing up my mom used to prank phone call people with me.  We’d always ask them stupid stuff like Where’s the Beef? or Is your refrigerator running?  I miss the days before caller ID and Star 69.

26. Capture the flag is the best game to play as a child.

27. I am not athletic at all, but I can walk circles around anyone. Even in my condition, I walked an average of 16 miles a day when I was in Europe in 2007. (Update – By Jan 2009 I can only walk up to two miles at a time.  But I continue to walk five days a week.)

28. Eddie Van Halen was fabulous and sober in concert during the 2007 tour. I pray for his continued sobriety.

29. Bob Guinney from the Bachelor lived in my dorm at MSU. We had friends in common and went to the same parties all the time. He was an ass, but his band Fat Amy was decent.  I once had the pleasure of kicking him in the ass and calling him a big dummy. I can’t believe that chick Greenley from AMC married him.

30. I love the Beatles so much I had to go to Liverpool on my honeymoon.

31. I subscribed to 8 magazines, but since the economy sucks, I’m letting all my subscriptions go. I miss Star Magazine already.  I wish they would send me free copies every week.

32. I still have all of my Barbies, including Cher, Farrah, and all of The Sunshine People.  (Update – In early 2009 I had to make room and let them go.  I continue to mourn the loss of them.) 

33. I loved MASH and we often watch it reruns in the early evenings.

34. I am a feminist.

35. As a third grader I had a club called Hot Lips, in honor of Major Hoolihann. We would beat up boys who picked on weaker girls in our class. I even had a shirt at the mall that said “I’m with Hot Lips.”

36. I prefer writing with blue over black ink.

37. My favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh, but I went to the Ann Frank House in Amsterdam rather than visit his museum.

38. I hate all things flavored grape, and love orange flavored anything, except I hate eating actual oranges and love eating grapes.

39. I have sweared since the third grade, but never swear in front of my step-kids, which is so HARD.  (Update – When my stepdaughter discovered this fact she lol’d me.)

40. I have a cat named Beatrice. She is fat and lazy and shy and fabulous.

41. I have moved 22 times in my life.  With the economy the way it is here in Michigan, I may never move again and this terrifies me! 

42. In college I would entertain people (While drinking, of course!) by shoving my entire fist in my mouth.

43. I used to be able to put both my legs behind my head, too, but arthritis has ruined my talent…

44. I loved Michael Cera before Superbad and Juno. Watch him as George-Michael in Arrested Development.

45. I hate video games, and of course we have an X-box and Nintendo Wii.  But Guitar Hero is growing on me.

46. I love to pretend I have a British accent, just like Britney Spears did.  My family often tells me how horrible it is.

47. I once sold two stories to Star Magazine and made a few hundred dollars. It was so exciting!

48. The Sound of Music has finally beat Grease as my favorite musical of all time.

49. Halloween is my favorite holiday.

50. I have won Halloween contests by dressing up as Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton, and Michael Jackson.

51. I hate beach vacations. I have been on enough of them to last a lifetime, and after you have drank yourself sick for days and gotten sunburned I feel there is nothing else to do other than swim.

52. I’m a proud Democrat and can’t wait until Bush leaves the White house next year.  (Update – And see … he did, and I’m so happy!)

53. I miss Howard Stern on regular radio and tv. I wonder how his show is doing?

54. I’m a longtime listener to WRIF 101.1 and loved the Drew and Mike show – but I’m wondering why Drew has been gone so long. How long does it take to write a book?  (Update 1 – Sadly, he moved on, and the show Mike in the Morning just isn’t the same without him.)  (Update 2 – even more sad, he came back, and now the show is exactly the same as it once was, which bugs me, as over the years I expected it to grow and change with me.)

55. I love LOST, and can not wait for season 4 to begin tomorrow night at 9:00 pm on ABC.  When the last season ends I won’t know what to do with myself.  (Update – Still love it, and am praying that they gang is all still alive somewhere in time!)

56. I love nothing more than laying in bed with fleece pajamas – especially on a cold winter night.

57. I am Italian, Finnish, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian and French. Although if you look at my senior picture many people have commented I look Asian.

58. I know the real way Jim Morrison died. My college professor’s twin brother’s best friend used to manage the Grateful Dead and was there the night Jim died. He pulled a record player in the bathtub and electrocuted himself by accident. The people there at the party freaked out, and moved from the tub to the bed to the tub. They waited very long before calling police, too late in fact, as he was not dead right away.

59. One of my biggest regrets in life was throwing away my Breyers horses, which I only did because our home has no storage space.  I never knew that some of them sold for $50 a pop.  I had about 25 of them, and sadly, I started re-collecting them, in some weird attempt to recapture my childhood. 

60. I hate going to the gym and seeing people talk on cell phones, wear too much make-up, or couples working out together.

61. I once had a 100 things before I die list and wripped it up after I’d crossed off 75 things. I figured that was close enough.

62. I like to collect postcards, cds, books, Beatles items, and magnets.

63. I love traveling more than anything else in this world. If I was rich I would travel as much as possible.

64. I am obsessed with jewelry, and will sneak in buying some any chance I get. Pandora, Swarovski, and Troll are bad habits and are hard to break…

65. My senior class song was Sweet Child of Mine by Guns and Roses.

66. Angelina Jolie has tainted Brad Pitt for me.

67. If you must know my top 5 hot movie stars list, I’d say it was: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Edward Norton, Jake Gyllenhall and McDreamy.

68. I love violent films: Fight Club, American History X, The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Usual Suspects, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill vol. 1 (and 2) and countless others.

69. McDreamy over McSteamy any day. My step-daughter disagrees….

70. The Office isn’t as funny this season (before thewriters strike.) But I still enjoy it.

71. I have a Dwight Schrutte Bobblehead at my desk at work.  And a Han Solo, too.

72. Cameron Crowe is my favorite director, although Elizabethtown kind of stunk.

73. I love to read books about dysfunctional families, like Running with Scissors because they make me fell better about my own.

74. A mouse jumped on my head when I was 17 and I’m still freaked out by this. I have to sleep with the covers over my mouth to this day and my husband always mocks me because of this (but in a fun way.)

75. I read the entire Old Testament by the time I was 9 years old.

76. I have no religion, but I’m very interested in Buddhism.

77. I’m trying to get tickets to see the Dalhi Lama when he comes to U-M this year.  (Update – I didn’t make it, damn.)

78. The nicest thing I ever did for my mom was take her to a $500 show to see Paul McCartney. She still talks about it with joy in her eyes to this day.

79. The first cd I ever bought was The Police Greatest Hits.

80. I still have all of my old records at my mom’s house, including the soundtrack to Miami Vice.

81. I believe that what goes around, comes around.

82. I’ve decided this posting is the hardest one I’ll ever write.  (Update – It was, and so is updating it from time to time.)

83. I loved John Cusack after seeing Say Anything.

84. I was once chased by the Secret Service and outran them. It was on campus when Bill Clinton was campaigning. We were just hopping a fence to get out of the crowd to leave.

85. I loved Knott’s Landing as a teenager and wouldn’t miss an episode, even for a bar night once during college.

86. I fought off digital photography as long as possible, but now love it.

87. I text when I drive.  (Update – I barely do it now, as I bought one of those keyboard ones and its harder.)

88. I put on make-up at stoplights.  Rush hour traffic is horrible in my hood.

89. I once gave a guest lecture I wrote about my hometown at MSU.  Some students wrote on their final exams that it was their favorite short story they read that semester.  Awesome, right?

90. I grew up next door to drug dealers.

91. My mom used to charge my and my friends each $2 one way for any rides she gave us once we were in high school.

92. My house was crawling with mice who often would join me in the shower as they climbed up from the drains.

93. I think that buying a coach purse is worth it, but only if you go to the outlet store.

94. I’m addicted to red carpet coverage on E!  If there are no Academy Awards this year I will be at a loss.

95. I’ve grown bored and quit Myspace and Twitter.  I don’t have a Facebook for my blog, so you’ll just have to stop here for updates to see what I’m up to. 

96. The worst pain I’ve ever felt was when I feel asleep with fake eyelashes and contacts. They glue from the lashes glued my contacts to my eye, which I ripped off when I forced the contacts out. I had to take steroids for weeks and wear those think weird black glasses old blind people wear, even to work. My eyes were blood red. it was AWFUL.

97. If I ever had a daughter I was going to name her after my great-grandmother Rose who raised me.  (Update – No uterus = no daughter.)

98. I enjoy acting silly and goofy. If I can do a weird dance and make someone laugh, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.

99. I love to karaoke and haven’t went in a year and a half.  But when I’ve done it, it was usually sober.  I’ve even karaoked on stage in Vegas.  Terrifying, but not as scary as my choir solo in middle school.  Braver as I get older I guess. 

100. I am a secret romantic at heart, even though I make fun of all that stuff.

101. For some reason, I’m shrinking. In the past 6 months I lost a 1/4 inch, and in the past 8 years it’s been a total of 1 3/4 inches. I’m still in my 30’s … (Update – I’m up to two full inches.  I hope I won’t lose much more.)

102. In 2008 I got to be an extra in the movie Whip It staring Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore. It was a dream come true!!!

103. I have been diagnosed with Acquired Idiopathic Dysautonomia with Polyneuropathy.  There isn’t enough research on this condition and no cure and little treatment and it pisses me the hell off.  I’m going to try to change that.