Fifty things

1. I think tomatoes are nasty yet ketchup is a necessity.2. Smart is sexy. Funny is sexier. Talent is necessity.

3. I have gone on dates with at least three men who ended up gay.

4. I have no hometown. If asked, I answer �Erie.�

5. I am less than six degrees from Kevin Bacon.

6. My favorite WDW ride is �The Haunted Mansion.�

7. I have a fascination with famous murders (the Bordens, Jack the Ripper, etc.).

8. I have a small, select collection of pig-related items. I also collect Campbell Pottery and Belleek at the rate of one or two pieces per year.

9. I have written a novel two novels

10. I am fascinated by maps and love reading anything from globes to close-ups of my neighborhood at MapQuest or at Google Maps.

11. Crafts I do regularly include: knitting, crochet, scrapbooking, embroidery, cross-stitch, some sewing, decorative painting, stenciling, floral arrangement. I like things that are unusual and not too �crafty� looking. I made my first complete outfit (from a pattern) at age 10 or 11. I learned painting (and sewing) from my mother, who had a ceramics shop in the garage in the late 1970s.

12. If I were a stripper, my stage name would be Ginger Hale and I would only dance to the Stones.

13. Magazines I regularly read are Entertainment Weekly, Cottage Living and Bust. I would rather read some obscure hobby or sports magazine in a waiting room than pick up a copy of People.

14. I have been under general anesthesia three times: wisdom tooth extraction, some kind of gall bladder scope and lap choli. I have had spinal blocks for two Caesarian sections.

15. I never had a nickname until I went online and even then it�s a stretch of the definition of �nickname.�

16. I am adopted. My birthmother found me in April 2006 and we connected in a very positive (and ongoing) way.

17. I am a shameless liberal.

18. I�m a suburban mom but only in the literal sense. We now live in the country.

19. In the early 80s, I was a �Duranie.�

20. My first job out of college was in the customer service department in a Burdines. I worked there for a year. I became manager of the customer service department after six months and quit six months later.

21. I am fascinated with package tracking.

22. I am a witch.

23. I do not own a turtleneck.

24. I have lived in four states and in 27 places.

25. I garden. My favorite way to garden is with bulbs � plant and forget.

26. I am an alumna of Florida State University.

27. I have ridden an elephant.

28. I read in the bathroom. I also read in bed almost every night.

29. If I were to start my own business, I would sell one-of-a-kind handmade items like handbags, jewelry, lip balms, knit goods, etc. or I would open a yarn shop and witcy supply place.
30. I have had letters published in EW and in Mode, a plus size fashion magazine that no longer exists

31. My first job was the equivalent of a coat check girl but at a public pool. I also occasionally worked the concession standand was known as theQueen of the Graveyard. A Graveyard is a drink made of many or all the available drink choices from a self-serve drink fountain. The key is adding a dash of a flavored soda, like straight cherry or orange.

32. I have touched a giant snake. I don�t remember if it was a boa constrictor or a python. I do not care for snakes. The smaller and skinnier, the worse they are.

33. At parties, I hover around people I know and prefer to blend in.

34. I do not store things under my bed.� I now store stuff under the bed.

35. The pet in my life the longest was a Jakey the Jakedog. Second was a black cat named Midnight.

36. I have attended Lutheran and Baptist private schools. Denominations of churches where I have attended services include Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episocpalian, Roman Catholic and Christian Missionary Alliance.

37. My only piercing is my ears (single pierce) and I have no tattoos.

38. I have belonged to NOW and Planned Parenthood. I currently belong to Americans United, which strives to defend the separation of church and state.

39. My favorite movie as a kid was The Wizard of Oz. I acted it out all the time, carrying a little basket full of faux fruit.

40. I have a scar on my eyebrow from running into a marble coffee table when I was a toddler. It�s hard to see, thanks to the gifted doctors in Manassas, VA circa 1973.

41. I prefer skirts to pants, provided the weather is conducive, and I often wear skirts around the house.

42. I do crossword and other puzzles in ink. Crosstics and logic puzzles are my favorites.

43. I own about 5 pairs of shoes I regularly wear. I have about 6 pairs of dress shoes that rarely see the light of day. I sold those shoes on eBay for about $85. I am not a shoe freak by any means and only have the dress shoes from my working days. If asked, I could probably rattle off the list of all my shoes (and count them on two hands and maybe a foot).

44. In my old age, I would like to be known as a bohemian and I would like to live in a big house or a beach cottage, surrounded by ongoing art projects (paintings, pottery, etc.). Naturally I would have several gardens to tend and a hunky young gardener.

45. My favorite sport to watch is college football.

46. I had part of a letter published in the 2000 ed. (ff) of The Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World. It was under the �American Experience� portion of EPCOT.

47. You can also find my writing at your local bookstore with this ISBN number: 1573441600.

48. Charities I have donated to include Witchvox, The United Way, Heifer Int�l, Habitat For Humanity, The Erie County Humane Society, Oprah�s Angel Network, The March of Dimes, Big Brothers Big Sisters and America�s Second Harvest.

49. At a coffee shop, my most likely order is a decaf latte. Second choice is chai.

50. I love Mad Libs and board games yet have trouble finding a partner for either.