Hella Hold'em

With the raging popularity of the "100 Things..." lists, I decided to put one together of my own. It seems a bit narcissistic, but.. what the hell.

1. I turned 30 last year and my sis-in-law threw me a surprise birthday party - the first surprise party I've ever had.
2. I live with Randy and 4 cats - Maverick, Goose, Merlin, and Randy's cat Fenway.
3. I went to a Catholic grade school for 8 years, then to a public high school (much to my mom's disappointment).
4. I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, then packed up a UHaul truck and moved to Philadelphia after college at the age of 22.
5. I lived in Philly for 4 years before moving back to Chicagoland.
6. I'm 5 foot 5 3/4 inches tall. (Yes, the 3/4 inches counts).
7. I finished my last class for my masters degree yesterday (woohoo!)
8. I now have a masters degree in education, a bachelors in information systems, and associates in science, and a collection of computer industry certifications (MCSE, A+, Network+, CIW Professional Site Designer, WOW Certified Web Developer, CIW Certified Trainer, yada yada yada).
9. I am a geek (if #8 didn't make that obvious).
10. My first car was a 1984 Pontiac Sunbird.
11. I used to have a tupperware cup velcro'd on to the center console of that Sunbird, to collect spare change from friends for gas. (I was the one who drove everybody to high school).
12. Once I was proud to be one of nine people squashed into a 1988 Ford Escort (back in high school, with my friend Sue, on the way home from the Clash of the Titans concert).
13. My musical taste has gone from Cindy Lauper and Madonna (Material Girl days), to Poison and Cinderella and Warrant, to Anthrax and Slayer and Megadeth, to 10,000 Maniacs and Belly and Tori Amos, to Nirvana and REM and Dave Matthews Band.
14. DMB is my favorite band these days, but I still love to listen to everything I've ever liked.
15. Arby's beef and cheddar sandwiches with curly fries are my favorite fast foods.
16. Outback Steakhouse makes the best hamburger in the whole entire world. Fuddruckers is in 2nd place.
17. I like to eat. I wish I liked the treadmill as much.
18. My worst scar is on my arm, from one of my old cats jumping out of my arms when he was sick. My second worst is on my right middle finger, a result of a computer repair injury (slipped while inserting a PCI card and sliced the top of my finger open on the video card). Yeah, refer to #9.
19. My favorite number is 47.
20. Top Gun is my favorite movie, though anything by Kevin Smith is right up there (Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy in particular).
21. Between my brother and I, we can recite in entirety both Top Gun and the Breakfast Club. We sometimes do when drinking.
22. I have one younger brother, Eric, who is 27 and lives about 40 minutes from here and just found out that he and his wife are having a baby! I've never been an aunt before.
23. My brother married my childhood best friend, Amanda, who I've known since I was 5 years old. (She attended the aforementioned Catholic grade school with me). We were in Girl Scouts together.
24. No, it's not weird that my best friend is now my sister in law. It's pretty cool, actually.
25. My high school boyfriend used to eat cat food. He could also kick himself in the head. He's now married to the girl he broke up with me for.
26. I'm not a fan of vegetables. Corn, lettuce, and green beans are OK, but don't come near me with spinach.
27. My current jobs: I teach web programming and computer repair at a local community college, and have a little web development company on the side.
28. I'm not good enough at poker to consider it my job, though I wouldn't mind earning some supplemental income from my poker obsession someday! I do love poker.
29. I am obsessed with hockey. It is the only sport that matters. I used to watch baseball (Chicago Cubs) but became disinterested in the 90's after a few heartbreaks.
30. Ryne Sandberg was my favorite Cubbie.
31. I played second base (see #30) and was a pitcher for 7 years as a kid, when I played 12 inch softball (girls fast pitch).
32. My favorite memory of softball was my dad assistant-coaching, and one game where I threw a 9-pitch inning and got all 3 batters out on strikes. My dad told that story for years to anyone who would listen.
33. My dad died 5 1/2 years ago of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, most probably caused by benzene poisoning at his job. He was 46 years old. I was 25. I miss him every day.
34. I love Christmas lights. I go nuts putting them up at my house every year, and love to drive around looking at them.
35. My favorite holiday is the 4th of July.
36. I've been playing an online role playing game called Ultima Online for 7 1/2 years now.
37. My favorite high school/college jobs were delivering pizzas, and working in gas stations. They both allowed me to do my homework during downtime. And I love driving.
38. My favorite drink is a midori sour, followed closely by amaretto stone sours, followed most recently by Smirnoff black cherry Twisters. Oh, and I love flavored martinis. Vodka, goooood.
39. I used to love assembling things (like furniture and whatnot), but these days, I'd rather pay someone to do it. Too much of a pain in the ass. When necessary, though, I'm proficient enough with the hammer and power tools to get by.
40. I am terrified of stinging insects (bees, wasps, etc).
41. My dream car is a new 2005 Ford Thunderbird convertible in Torch Red. Damn, those are sexy cars. I currently drive a maroon 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT convertible, which I love to death.
42. I play the flute. Yes, I was in band camp. I started in 4th grade and played all the way through marching band in high school. We were one of the top 10 bands in the state back then.
43. The tallest guy I've ever dated was 14 inches taller than me. I've never dated anyone shorter than me.
44. I've never been married, though was engaged twice as a youngster (last at age 22). I hocked that ring on eBay for $300.
45. With any luck, I'll manage not to screw up this time around and marry the love of my life, who is currently living with me (Randy).
46. I generally hate shopping.
47. I also generally hate talking on the phone.
48. My typical wardrobe includes jeans, t-shirts, and hockey jerseys.
49. I currently own 23 hockey jerseys of various teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Colorado Avalanche. I wish I had a Boston Bruins jersey.
50. My favorite hockey team is the Philadelphia Flyers, followed closely by the Maple Leafs and the Bruins. I like the Blackhawks, though probably won't become a big fan until their owner dies and is replaced.
51. Pet peeves: when drawers or cabinets aren't closed all the way, when a piece of hair gets stuck on me (especially in the shower), when people drive under the speed limit for no reason whatsoever.
52. Favorite TV show: Six Feet Under (HBO). I'm also a closet fan of Everwood and Gilmore Girls (guess I'm out of the closet now, eh?)
53. I took bowling lessons when I was a kid. I still suck at bowling, but enjoy it every now and then.
54. I'm a big fan of miniature golfing, though I've never golfed "for real" before.
55. I tried to take up smoking cigarettes when I was 19, because I couldn't afford food (away at college) and figured I'd smoke instead of eat. I had a total of 4 cigarettes. It was then that I discovered I'm allergic to cigarette smoke (amongst other airborne allergens). Had I not tried smoking, those allergies would have probably stayed dormant all my life. Damn cigarettes.
56. I've smoked pot a handful of times over the years, mostly between the ages of 19 and 22. Actually, that's the last time I did. Damn. That was almost 9 years ago. I am old.
57. I've never done any other "illegal" drugs. I do like to drink every so often, and prefer to at least get a good buzz on when I do (otherwise, it's just a waste).
58. I've never even seen cocaine or heroin or ecstasy or any other drugs in real life.
59. Every speeding ticket I've ever gotten has been out of state, on the interstates/highways.
60. I'm not into politics but do vote in every presidential election.
61. I'm a night person by nature. If I have to be at work before noon, it's rough on me. Sleeping 2am-10:30am is just about perfect.
62. Honestly, I prefer to get 9 hours of sleep a night. I'm horrible if I get less than 7 hours - both in terms of personality and performance.
63. I was in a spelling bee in 8th grade. I used to spell very well. Now, my brain is too full of other things to be as good at spelling as I used to be. Thank goodness for spell check.
64. I am a sucker for a good vocabulary. I love words.
65. I met Randy while playing craps at a local casino, where he worked (and still does).
66. I like pepperoni on my pizza, with extra cheese. If there has to be vegetables involved, I vote for sausage with onions. But that's it.
67. Someday I would like to have a dog - maybe a husky or a retriever or a rott. I lived with a rott once - she was the sweetest, most loyal dog I've ever known.
68. Childhood pets included hamsters, parakeets, chameleons, hermit crabs, goldfish, and very briefly a dog and a cat. (The cat got hit by a car and the dog was given away because he did over $10,000 of chewing damage to the house in the 9 months we had him).
69. I don't mind porn or the use of the "c" word. I use it myself on occasion.
70. I have a mouth like a trucker. The word "fuck" comes out of my mouth quite a bit. My favorite curse phrase: "fucking whore"
71. I can turn off my swearing like flipping a switch though - I don't swear at work or to my students.
72. I don't go to church, though sometimes I think about going.
73. In high school, I claimed to be agnostic. I don't know what I am now, but I'd say I'm more spiritual than religious.
74. I practiced wicca for a year or so in college. I still find it beautiful to honor nature and our environment in that way.
75. I was a vegetarian for about a year in college as well. I like meat too much and dislike most vegetables, so it didn't work out too well.
76. I read astrological birth charts and tarot cards as a hobby. Both have been very helpful to me over the years, if only to inspire me to think about things from a perspective I wouldn't have thought of on my own.
77. I love statistics and numbers and math.
78. I was a smart kid in school, and back then it wasn't "cool." To this day I tend to downplay my smarts for that reason. Like - there are people that would read #77 and say, "I thought you hated math!" I'm sure I've said that I hate math. It's not true though. I'm just so conditioned to pretend I'm not smart, to "fit in" with everyone else.
79. I have never been very good in the "self esteem" department. I'm better now as an adult, but still struggle with it sometimes.
80. My favorite town in the U.S. is Athens, Georgia (where REM is from). Vegas is my favorite place to go, though.
81. I have 4 tattoos: one on my left leg (a monkey with explosives on his back and the Nirvana logo), two on my right leg (a spooky tree, a la Wizard of Oz, and my sign - Libra), and one on my lower back (a goldfish named Barbara).
82. Randy named the goldfish on my back and took care of her while she was healing.
83. I have 5 earrings in my left ear, 2 in my right, and one nose ring. No other piercings.
84. My second toe is longer than my big toe on both feet.
85. I have very small hands and small fingers.
86. I've had every length of hair you can imagine, from down to my ass, to half shaved.
87. My favorite hair color is dark red. I've had it that way for years. My natural color is dark brown.
88. I have green eyes.
89. I was born in the year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese horoscope (specifically, the wood tiger). It's assessment of me is right on.
90. I often cry at movies.
91. People sometimes think I'm stuck up or aloof when they meet me. It's because I'm so shy around new people that I can hardly speak.
92. I've been building my own computers since 1997. My current machine is an AMD Athlon 64 3500+ on an Asus A8V Deluxe motherboard, with 1 GB of Corsair XMS DDR 400 dual channel ram.
93. I need a new video card, badly.
94. In my living room, I have a green couch, a yellow recliner, and a red armchair (all from IKEA).
95. I bought my first house 3 1/2 years ago (where I currently live).
96. I love thunderstorms. If I ever win the lottery, I will spend at least one season as a storm chaser in the midwest.
97. Also with those lottery winnings, I'd go to college forever and get degrees in things like psychology, literature, writing, and meteorology. Maybe some more computer stuff too.
98. My mom lives about 20 minutes away from me, and I am so glad to have grown up to be her friend.
99. I'm not a cheater by nature, but I did used to steal money from the bank in Monopoly when I was younger. (I resist the urge these days).
100. My favorite games are Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble.

Whew! I didn't think I'd make it to 100! Well, there ya have it. Everything you never wanted to know about me.