Listen up

Making playlists is one of my favorite things to do, so when my friend Carrie posted about the One Song a Year challenge on the Facebooks, there was no way I could resist.

Many years were a struggle for me (how do you pick between Blood on the Tracks and Born to Run?!?), and some years I felt like I had to dig deep (2009 & 2013, I’m looking at you), but I think I could re-make this list every year and come up with different decisions. I almost made an alternates playlist, but there were a few years where I didn't have a second choice (mainly because my first pick was so solid, I didn't even go looking further. I mean, if I wanted to, I'm sure I could come up with more songs). There are some artists and entire genres missing (my early 2000s love of Eminem and hard rock is glossed over in favor of my enduring love for singer/songwriters), but decisions like that are what make this a really fucking difficult challenge. It took me the better part of a weekend to craft it, but what else do you have to do? Take it at your own risk.

The Rules: • A song from each year you have been alive • The song has to be from the year it was released • An artist can only appear once • It has to be a really good song • It doesn’t have to be the first song you found from the artist • It doesn’t have to be your favorite song from the artist, but it has to be an artist/song that has your love forever

Of course, I made it into an actual playlist, so you can listen to my list on Spotify here.

It takes more than whiskey to make that flower bloom

Now, as much as I'd like to be the cool chick who drinks whiskey on the regular, I think we all know that's not me. Sure, in my head I'm some variation on Marlene Dietrich (with better eyebrows) who is far too jaded and eyebrow-arching to drink anything other than whiskey (neat), but in reality, I'm more a Mountain Dew and margaritas woman. We can't all be smoky, dammit. Bygones. My point is this: I recently discovered Chris Stapleton. (Yes, I know, I'm about five years late to the party. Shut it.) And many (many!) of his songs are either about whiskey or feature it prominently. Sure, this seems like rampant alcoholism, but it's damn good music. And it has inspired my latest attempt at the perfect playlist, the Whiskey Mix. Sure, it's got Stapleton's version of Tennessee Whiskey (so good) and Whiskey and You (even better), and the Doors' Alabama Song. And a few others so far that evoke the right mood (Thin Line … because whiskey, and because always HoneyHoney. Always). I'll keep working on this list, because with the way the world is going, I really, really need a stiff drink. And this may be as good as it gets for me.

Update: Spotify playlist, bitches!

Movies I always stop and watch (Robert Redford edition)

For whatever reason, whenever certain movies cross my screen, I must watch them. Is that Say Anything? I am now busy for the next two hours. Most of my other must-watch list would not be surprising to any reader of this blog (Some Kind of Wonderful, Reality Bites, Gone With the Wind, Working Girl -- the classics, people). But for some reason, I cannot not watch Three Days of the Condor. Is this the best Robert Redford movie ever? No. (Probably The Way We Were wins my vote for acting and Ordinary People for best Redford movie without an actual appearance by Bobby (and also wins as one of the saddest movies I absolutely fucking love). Sure, you bitches are going to be all, "But what about All the President's Men? Or The Sting? Or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? To which I will reply: Babs. And also, have you even seen This Property Is Condemned? And you didn't mention it? Shut it.) The point is this: I have no rational reason for loving Three Days of the Condor, and yet I do. It's eminently watchable. Is it Redford playing an out-of-his-league spy? Faye Dunaway being the weird photographer who is weirdly (not weirdly! Hello, he is Robert. Redford.) drawn to the Condor? I don't know. It just works, people. It just works.

Accomplished

I think we all know that I like to set myself reading challenges. Read the complete works of Jane Austen? Sure. Finally finish War and Peace? You betcha. So I jumped at the opportunity the Book Riot Read Harder challenge presented. And great day in the morning, people! Today, I completed the challenge by finishing Faithful by Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King (added bonus: It's been on my to-read shelf since 2005!).

And to make myself even more super-gloaty, I'm ahead of my regular "read X number of books" challenge (I set it to 63, and as of today, I've read 66 books and you know I've got lots of reading left in me before the end of the year).

Here's my complete challenge list:
A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25:
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65:
MaddAddam, Margaret Atwood
A collection of short stories: The Love of a Good Woman, Alice Munro
A book published by an indie press: Once I Was Cool, Megan Stielstra (Thanks, Duff!)
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ:
The Daylight Gate, Jeanette Winterson
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own:
Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walters
A book that takes place in Asia: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See
A book by an author from Africa: Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
A microhistory: Faithful: Two diehard Boston Red Sox fans chronicle the historic 2004 season, Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan
A YA novel: We Were Liars, E. Lockhart
A sci-fi novel: The Martian, Andy Weir
A romance novel: Never Judge a Lady by her Cover, Sarah MacLean
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade: The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes
A book that is a retelling of a classic story: Beauty, Robin McKinley
An audiobook: Jennifer Government, Max Barry
A collection of poetry: Local Visitations, Stephen Dunn
A book that someone else has recommended to you:
The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion
A book that was originally published in another language: Blindness, by José Saramago
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind:
Sandman, Vol. 1, by Neil Gaiman
A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure: Now You See Him, Anne Stuart
A book published before 1850: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte
A book published this year: The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy, by Julia Quinn
A self-improvement book: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Michelle Tullier  

Reading Faithful has been so much fun, because who doesn't want to relive one of the greatest moments in Red Sox history? (I went back and forth over whether or not it was a true microhistory, but since the layman's definition of it seems to be so broad and vague, I went with it.) Other things I learned? I do not like audiobooks. And I'm not big on the self-improvement genre, but other than that, these were all books I might have read on my own anyway.

Read Hard 2: Read Harder

I think you all know I enjoy a good reading challenge. Read all of Jane Austen? Done. Finally finish War and Peace? Check. Read more nonfiction? Delightfully non-specific, but I'm pretty sure going from 0 to 8 nonfiction books read this year counts as winning. And, as you know, since Goodreads started counting, I've been challenging myself to read a certain number of books each year (and I'm already over this year's 60-book goal, and I'm planning on polishing off another one or two before New Year's).

All that said, this Book Riot Read Harder challenge seems pretty, well, challenging. And I think that means I'm in. I'm all twitchy just thinking about how I'm going to meet all of those smaller challenges that make up the larger challenge. Who's with me?

All mixed up

Well, I've done it. It's not perfect (I'm still unsure of some of the transitions), and there may be some really good Ohio-related songs out there that I've somehow missed, but I've come up with a 24-song Ohio playlist. This is not a comprehensive playlist by any accounts; I found several songs on iTunes that I could have included but I didn't. Those selections were purely a matter of my taste and what I felt was the overall mood of the playlist. (Somehow "Cleveland Rocks" just didn't go with all the other depressing/moody/dark songs on here, but I felt I had to include John Denver's song because it was about Toledo! So, as you see, arbitrary. Bygones.) I have to say, though, that I pretty much love this playlist -- although I will be the first to admit that I'm a bit biased. J.R. did pay it the ultimate compliment of "I didn't even roll my eyes once," which, I assure you, is high praise.

Here it is:
Ohio, So Far Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
My City Was Gone, Pretenders
Burn On, Randy Newman
Look At Miss Ohio, Gillian Welch
Lisbon, OH, Bon Iver
Ohio, Honeyhoney
Cincinnati, The New Seekers
Ohio, Damien Jurado
Cuyahoga River Blues, Will Quinlan
On the Banks of the Ohio, The Monroe Brothers
Ohio, Patty Griffin
Youngstown, Bruce Springsteen
To Ohio, The Low Anthem
Ohio, Over the Rhine
Cuyahoga, R.E.M.
Carry Me Ohio, Sun Kil Moon
Cincinnati, Julie Neumark
Cleveland, Jewel
Ohio, Saving Jane
Cross The Cuyahoga, Lizzy Ross
Ohio, Austin Hartley-Leonard
Bloodbuzz Ohio, The National
Ohio, The Black Keys
Saturday Night In Toledo, Ohio, John Denver

I'm gonna take this as a sign

Two albums in the last few weeks have captured me: Honeyhoney's Billy Jack, featuring the fantastic "Ohio," and Patty Griffin's latest, American Kid, featuring the fantastic "Ohio." Coincidence? I doubt it. This is clearly a sign that my home state was jealous and bitter over my previous creations of the awesome California mix and the serviceable Las Vegas mix. Clearly, I need to create an equally awesome (though likely more melancholy) Ohio mix. It's on, people.

Suggestions are welcome, as always, but rest assured I will be including Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's iconic "Ohio."

Well read

In 2011, I read 53 books, and I was pretty pleased with that number. I blew that out of the park in 2012 with a total of 79 books read. I'm pretty sure this number is unlikely to be matched this year, as I can credit last year's explosion in reading to getting a lot of mystery novels on the Kindle and blowing through them (Charles Todd and Robert Crais, I'm looking at you). My favorites were Nightwoods by Charles Frazier and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. (My least favorite was Maisie Dobbs  -- the writing was so atrocious I wanted to gouge my eyes out at several turns.) Apparently, my longest book last year was Skippy Dies at a whopping 661 pages (luckily, Skippy didn't have to contend in the year I read War and Peace).

I can't say that I have any major goals for reading this year, but I have set a personal challenge to myself to continue going through all the old books on my "to-read" list, and I would like to try to read more nonfiction. And read at least 50 books in the year, of course. Typically, this post is accompanied by a picture of the stack of books I got over the holidays, but this year I only got a cookbook and a copy of The Invisible Bridge. So my reading list is wide open, people. All recommendations welcome.

The end of the world as we know it

Depending on how you look at things, today is either the darkest day of the year, the end of the world, or my birthday. I say: Why not all three?

I can't believe it's already been another year -- I'd say I don't feel older, but after working a metric ton this past year, I definitely feel old. And I'm pretty sure there's some grey hair going on that I don't even want to think about. For now, I'm going to concentrate on my to-do list for today, which includes:

1. Get up. [Done!]
2. Drag ass to work. [Done!]
3. Blog. [Done!]
4. Marvel at the beauty of curled ribbon. [Ongoing]
5. Edit the entire world (or two mortgage magazines) before Christmas break.
6. Finish packing.
7. Get on plane.

Mysterious ways

I've been on a mystery-reading kick lately, and I've been plowing through the Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais as well as the Inspector Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd. (It helps that they're available for the Kindle from my library, which keeps me from spending $7.99-$13 on a book that I'll read in a day, but this is perhaps slowly crippling the economy, for which I feel incredibly guilty. Bygones.) I was thinking I should write up a little list of my favorite mystery authors, because I love lists and I love books, and I enjoy forcing my opinions on others. Here's what I came up with off the top of my head:

1. Elizabeth George (Inspector Lynley series)
2. Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone)
3. Charles Todd (Inspector Ian Rutledge)
4. Robert Crais (Elvis Cole/Joe Pike)
5. Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum)

And then I thought, wait! That list is not just my top five -- it's my only five. Do I read any other mystery authors? How could I forget Kate Atkinson? I love her Jackson Brodie series. And Tana French's creepy but compelling Dublin Murder Squad series! Love those. And what about Lisa Lutz's hilarious Spellman mysteries? And then I thought: This is why I don't do lists of books. Unless it's books that I had to read in high school that I hate and have scarred me for life, in which case that list goes:

1. Moby Dick
2. An American Tragedy
3. The Scarlet Letter

Topped out

Earlier this week, Eric Stoltz gave me a book with poetry in it. No, not a book of poetry – a book that had a poem inscribed in it. Sure, this was all in a dream, but it was still quite nice of him. As you may know, I am a big Stoltz fan, due primarily to his exemplary work in Some Kind of Wonderful, a movie I love, love, love with a soundtrack that inspires similar feelings of adoration. (If you must know, I have the soundtrack on vinyl, cassette tape, CD and mp3. It’s a sickness.) Bygones. The point is this: While I also own the VHS and DVD copies of the movie, I did not know until yesterday that there was a special collector’s edition available. I know. My ignorance is shocking. And while I quickly threw that bad boy in my virtual shopping cart, I still somehow feel like I’ve betrayed my SKOW-fandom. To that end, I was all, “I should make a top 5 Eric Stoltz movie list!” as I have been wont to do with other actors in the past. When I tried to compile said list, however, I came up a little short. It went something like this:

1. Some Kind of Wonderful
2. Mask

Fuck. I know I’ve seen more Stoltz movies than that. I looked over his filmography, and there were definitely other movies in there that I had seen – okay, yes, The Waterdance was fabulous (and before Helen Hunt got really annoying). And I know I saw Bodies, Rest & Motion although I don’t remember much about it, and it’s the same thing for Kicking and Screaming. After reviewing the complete works of Mr. Stoltz, I’ve come to realize there are many movies of his I haven’t seen. And most of the movies I have seen aren’t really starring roles for him. That said, I’ve gone back to the list:

1. Some Kind of Wonderful
2. Mask
3. The Waterdance
4. The House of Mirth
5. Say Anything/Singles (I have to include his cameos as the Lakeside Rooster/Mime, because, despite their brevity, they are awesome.)

(Note: It required much strength and fortitude to not put Some Kind of Wonderful on there twice.)

I got a list, here's the order of my list that it's in

Whilst driving to work today, merrily listening to the soundtrack from Some Kind of Wonderful (which I love, love, love, and no one can persuade me that it's anything other than fan-fucking-tastic), I quickly composed a list of the Top 5 soundtracks. Which quickly became the Top 10 soundtracks. And then, when glancing over my iTunes collection, quickly became more than 10. I've winnowed it back down to 10, and for the purposes of this highly unscientific and completely biased list, I've disqualified musicals and TV shows. I've also discarded the notion of "ranking," because then I'd never be done with this list, and when I'm 87, bitter and bent, I'd still be debating with myself whether Flashdance was a better overall soundtrack than Footloose or if I just gave it a better rank because it was the first cassette I ever owned (given as a gift to accompany my shiny red Walkman). The list:

1. Some Kind of Wonderful
2. Dirty Dancing
3. Flashdance
4. Footloose
5. Garden State
6. Grosse Pointe Blank
7. The Big Chill
8. Juno
9. All Over Me
10. Reality Bites

Honorable Mentions (or damn, why isn't the number 10 more loosely defined?): High Fidelity, Elizabethtown, Urban Cowboy, Holes, Hope Floats

I had impure thoughts about Wil Wheaton, and other confessions

In the spirit of getting rid of crap I don't need, I thought I should get a few things off my chest.

I was 13, and I thought Wil was so hot. There was fan fiction. I may or may not still think Wil is pretty hot.

I have a ridiculous love for Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael. Maybe it's because I had a crush on Winona Ryder and Thomas Wilson Brown at the same time. Who knows?

I enjoy driving stick shift at least in part because it makes me feel superior to those who can't.

I have considered, more than once, quitting blogging. I have also considered, more than once, what I want said at my funeral.

I have never beaten Super Mario Bros. I used to make my little sister save the princess for me.

I don't really love the Cape all that much, and winter can suck it. But, man, I will miss fall.

It's as easy as 1-2-3

I wanted to title this post L-AZ-y, or some such combination of hyphens and capitals, but I didn't. Because I have restraint! Not enough restraint to pass by a meme, but whatever. You bitches know you can't get enough of me, A-Z.

A- Alaska or Hawaii? Alaska. Requires less swimming and bikini wearing, neither of which I can nor will do.

B- Best Time: Any time at Fenway Park.

C- Cake or Pie: Cake. Unless it's icky. Then I just want pie.

D- Drink of Choice: Oh, yeah, that's a tough one. Mountain Dew.

E- Essential Item(s): Chapstick (I actually have fade marks in all my jeans from where my chapstick goes.)

F- Favorite Color: Purple. Also my class color at Wellesley, so convenient.

G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Bears. The red ones, not the clear ones. Those are freaky.

H- Hometown: Fairborn, Ohio

I- Indulgence: Real, live, actual CDs. I like owning them. Lining them up and looking at them.

J- January or February: Can we live through February? I like the challenge.

K- Kids: I have an adorable niece and nephew. And that's more than enough.

L- Life is incomplete without: Baseball. Women's basketball. Laughing hysterically for no reason with your friends.

M- Mother: The incomparable Susan.

N- Number of Siblings: Three sisters.

O- Oranges or Apples? Granny Smith apples. Or a nice clementine.

P- Pet Peeves: Incorrect use of it's versus its. Also, every other driver on the road.

Q- Favorite Quote: "That explains a lot about you, Ray."

R- Reasons to smile: Spring. Baseball. WNBA season! J.R.

S- Social Butterfly or Wallflower? What's in between?

T- Tag Someone: You know, I never liked tag as a child. Except TV tag. I kicked ass at that.

U- Unknown Fact About Me: Do I keep things from you? Okay, I went through a religious phase as a kid, and I would read books about saints for fun. Are you happy now?

V – Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? It's called the food chain, baby, and I love being at the top!

W- Wish I Could: Play guitar. Draw. Create a new template in CSS for my blog. Have any kind of artistic ability whatsoever.

X – X-rays or Ultrasounds? X-rays. 'Cause they're cool.

Y- Your Favorite Foods. Bertucci's rolls. Pizza. Cool Ranch Doritos. Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies. Mashed potatoes. Really, the more carbs, the better.

Z- Zodiac: Sagittarius on the Capricorn cusp.

So moved

I kind of knew when I woke up at 5:30 this morning with a raging headache that today was not going to be my favorite Terrible Tuesday ever. And thus, you get the following, taken directly from BunkoSquad. (Also because I like movies. And answering questions.)

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
Some Kind of Wonderful. Newsies. Ghostbusters. Princess Bride.
2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater.
Newsies. I won't say how many times.
3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Peter Sarsgaard. (Not many have seen it, but the Center of the World is really good.)
4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Catherine Zeta-Jones. She ruined Ocean's 12. Okay, it wasn't that good to begin with, but still.
5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Like Michael, I love to quote movies. Some Kind of Wonderful may be my most frequently quoted, just because "That explains a lot about you, Ray," comes in handy so often. Also, "It's good to want things," but that's from a different movie.
6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs
Sound of Music.
7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with
The above. Also, West Side Story. I feel oh, so pretty. And, fuck, yeah, Newsies, too.
8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
Like, a quality movie? That's tough. I like so many bad ones. How about On the Waterfront?
9. Name a movie that you own.
Just one? My Man Godfrey.
10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
Mandy Moore? Seriously, Mark Wahlberg is the best answer I can think of.
11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
Not to my knowledge. Update: According to my dad, he took us to the Miracle Mile Drive-in when I was a kid. He remembers it as being "some Barbra Streisand movie." Probably the Main Event, considering the time frame.
12. Ever made out in a movie?
No! I'm here to watch a movie, people. Making out comes later. I'll hold hands with you. Maybe.
13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.
Ray. Haven't been in the mood.
14. Ever walked out of a movie?
No. Wished I had, but I never could do it.
15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
Really, this isn't a difficult task. Dead Man Walking made me sob, though, and I think that's an accomplishment.
16. Popcorn?
Rarely.
17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
Way less than I used to -- maybe 7-8 times a year?
18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
Ghost Rider. Mistake.
19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
Romantic comedy. I'm not a girl for nothing.
20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
Return of the Jedi. But I remember Princess Bride more because we went to an advanced screening and got "Storybook Love" on little 45s. God, I'm old.
21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
Million Dollar Baby. I really wish I had walked out on that one.
22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
Weird because the movie was weird? Joe Versus the Volcano. Weird because no one else likes it? Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael.
23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?
Since watching Jason through a blanket as a kid, movies have to try pretty hard to scare me. The beginning of Scream freaked me out.
24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?
That I remember laughing out loud all the time? Flirting with Disaster. Not as funny anymore, but I remember just being blown away the first time I saw it.

If my life were a movie

This would be the soundtrack:

Opening credits: I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good, Carmen McRae
Waking up: He Touched Me, Barbra Streisand
First day at school: #1 Zero, Audioslave
Falling in love: Studying Stones, Ani DiFranco
Breaking up: Second Time Around, Nell Bryden
Prom: Vegas Baby, The Weepies
Life's okay: Hear You Me, Jimmy Eat World
Mental breakdown: Should I, Could I, Sarah Glynn
Driving: Ahead of the Curve, Jim's Big Ego
Flashback: Yes I Am, Melissa Etheridge
Getting back together: My Darling, Wilco
Wedding: Black-Dove, Tori Amos
Birth of child: Our Deliverance, Indigo Girls
Final battle: It's True That We Love One Another, White Stripes
Death scene: If I Fall You're Going Down With Me, Dixie Chicks
Funeral song: I've Had the Time of My Life, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
End credits: Guilty, Billie Holiday

(From this meme because I was going to write about how nearly every day is an argument with myself over something or another, but just thinking about writing about that makes me tired. Also, this was fun and oddly prescient.)

What you will, or a little something I like to call "Me.Me."

When you don't having anything else to say, talk about yourself. (Taken directly from Duff.)

48 Things You Could Care Less About

1. First name?
Jennifer

2. Were you named after anyone?
Nope. Well, my middle name was after my aunt.

3. When did you last cry?
Whilst listening to "Mosh" this morning. Look, I don't explain, I just am.

4. Do you like your handwriting?
I do when it's not an incomprehensible scrawl.

5. What is your favorite lunchmeat?
Um, turkey? I have an odd fondness for bologna.

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you?
Hells yeah.

7. Do you have a journal?
Just one? Get real.

8. Do you still have your tonsils?
Ayup.

9. Would you bungee jump?
Have I mentioned my fear of heights? No? Well, then, my answer is "fuck no."

10. What is your favorite cereal?
Frosted Flakes. No, Corn Pops. No, Frosted Flakes.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Rarely.

12. Do you think you are strong?
Freakishly strong.

13. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint with Oreo.

14. Shoe size?
6.5

5. Red or pink?
Pink. But not the artist. She's scary.

16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself?
Do you want that in alphabetical order?

17. Who do you miss the most?
As in dead people or people who live far away? I'm going to need more information.

18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you?
Um, no.

19. What color pants, shirt and shoes are you wearing?
Gray pants, blue shirt, black shoes. That seems wrong, but I think it looks fine. I think.

20. Last thing you ate?
Baby carrot.

21. What are you listening to right now?
My iMac attempt to gear up for take-off.

22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Periwinkle.

23. FAVORITE SMELL?
Fall.

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
J.R.

25. The first thing you notice about people you are attracted to?
Physical thing? I don't know. Eyebrows.

26. Do you like the person you stole this from?
Oh, yeah.

27. Favorite drink?
Mountain Dew.

28. Favorite sport?
Women's basketball, then baseball, then football.

29. Eye color?
Brown.

30. Hat size?
Seriously no clue.

31. Do you wear contacts?
I do not put random shit in my eyes.

32. Favorite food?
Mashed potatoes.

33. Scary movies or happy endings?
Scary movies with happy endings.

35. Summer or winter?
Winter.

36. Hugs or kisses?
Kisses.

37. Favorite dessert?
Brownies.

38&39 deleted.

40. What books are you reading?
How We Are Hungry, Dave Eggers; Fortress of Solitude, Jonathan Lethem; Not Dancing, Stephen Dunn; The Midnight Disease, Alice Weaver Flaherty

41. What's on your mouse pad?
Boston Red Sox.

42. What did you watch last night on TV?
Gilmore Girls.

43. Favorite sounds?
Rain. Opening a book for the first time. Popping open a can of soda.

44. Rolling Stones or Beatles?
Stones.

45. The furthest you've been from home?
Which is further, San Francisco or Seattle? The West Coast.

46. What's your special talent?
Super tweezer fingers.

47. Where were you born?
Toledo, Ohio.

48. Who sent this to you?
Hello, weren't you paying attention? Duff.

Belated

Yesterday whilst running, it started to rain ever so slightly near the end of my route, just as Honky Tonk Woman came on my iPod. It made me so freakishly happy, that combination of good music, light rain, and the end of a decent run. And then I remembered Sarah's request for 40 minutes of my running mix from 8 billion years ago, and while it is not 40 minutes, I give you my top 5 get-your-ass-in-gear songs:

1. The Distance, Cake
2. Milkshake, Kelis
3. 'Till I Collapse, Eminem
4. Put Your Back into It, Ice Cube
5. Honky Tonk Woman, The Rolling Stones

I've been hit!

The last few weeks, I have been skillfully evading -- with an artful bob-and-weave, a little dance like a butterfly, sting like a bee -- the four meme. Sure, you've seen it at kottke. You've even seen it at megnut. And maybe everywhere else. But have you seen it here? Not until now. Jen got me when I wasn't looking. (I was still basking in the glory of sleep, people! No way was I going to do it with one eye open.) And so I give you:

Books I've loved (I'm going with recently here)
You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers
Chronicles, Vol. 1 by Bob Dylan
Little Children by Tom Perrotta
Towelhead by Alicia Erian

Movies I wish I'd walked out on
Million Dollar Baby
The Portrait of a Lady
The Piano
Le Divorce
Two Jane Campion movies. Coincidence?

TV shows I love
24
Entourage
Nip/Tuck
Grey's Anatomy

Jobs I've had -- and quit
stocking bleach at a hardware store
pestering authors at a publishing house
sorting mail
washing dishes

Places I've called home
Fairborn, Ohio
Pittsfield, Maine
Billerica, Massachusetts
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

People who I wish wrote blogs
Sam (Okay, so he's a dog. I still would love to hear his side of things.)
My little sister (she's hysterical)
Jeremy Piven (just 'cause)
Any of the whack-jobs who write for the L-Word. They've got some 'splaining to do.

Foods I love
Mountain Dew
mashed potatoes
French fries
margaritas

Sing along

Allison is right: While copper kettles are nice and all, they don't quite make the list of my favorite things. Like Allison, I'll go with kissing, and add sleeping, Mountain Dew, driving fast, and margaritas. Now sing that, bitches.