Survey Says... (the responses)

My best friend and sweet sister Moe tagged me to participate in a little survey. After several weeks of intending to answer the questions, I finally did! And here are my answers:


1. If you could be friends with any fictional character who would you choose and why?
Ah. So, I read. A lot. And I often read things that I don't think other people read...particularly fantasy books. There, I admitted it, I read fantasy! I'd want to be friends Kaylin Neya from the Chronicles of Elantra series. Kaylin Neya is an officer of the law in the Elantran empire. Because of the way the author, Michelle Sagara, has written these books, Kaylin is portrayed as very human (read: full of very human attitudes and errors and emotions) and I feel connected to her through her very ordinary idiosyncrasies. But she's also got this whole "marked by ancient powers and gets involved in every crazy event" thing going on, which would make time with her exciting, unpredictable, and full of new experiences. She's also very good at working on her shortcomings - even if she doesn't immediately change, she usually gets into a situation where she has to admit a failing or prejudice and work to change it. That's an ability I admire tremendously.


2. What is the best date you've ever had? (It could be with the person you are with now or someone from the past)
This is easy! My birthday this year! Eric told me we were going out to dinner, I should dress fancy, and he'd pick me up. He shows up at my house in his dad's BMW convertible (yay! a treat for him and a treat for me!), looking very handsome. Strangely, we had both chosen to wear what we'd each worn to our friends Kara and Jeremy's wedding a little over a year earlier - it was awesome and hilarious! :) On the passenger seat of the car sat two stuffed penguins, one large and one small. They were holding an envelope with my name on it. As we're driving away to a "mystery" restaurant, I read the letter inside the envelope. The letter was from the penguins of the Newport Aquarium, inviting me to come visit them in the penguin encounter/experience; they'd heard a lot about me from Eric, so they sent two representatives (the two dapper penguins on the car seat) with their invitation. I was absolutely thrilled! Eric took me to one of my favorite restaurants, Meadowlark, where we ate incredible food and wine and, of course, dessert! As we ate, we named the two penguins; they, unfortunately, had to stay in the car during dinner. They're Roger and Perry. Perry even went to work with Eric recently (check out the wall posts page on Eric's facebook page). It was an amazing and truly memorable date! And I have to say it because it's true and I don't say it - Eric, you're the most wonderful boyfriend!


3. What was the last good book that you read?
Ha, so this is funny...but I read a book at school when I go to the gym...and I read a book at home on the weekends. The last book I read at school was the most recent Chronicles of Elantra book, which was good and certainly captivates me the first time I read it. The last book I read at home was The Perfume Guide, by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. I know, how can a guide book that review perfumes be a good book? Well, they're hilarious and eloquent with their writings. They don't hesitate to tell us something is a bad perfume or an exact copy of another perfume. And they write so poignantly, so tenderly about the perfumes they love that I want to try so many of them! Happily, I found a little website that might fulfill that desire - theperfumedcourt.com You can buy little samples, ranging from 1mL to 15mL of a perfume. I'm definitely going to go nuts here!


4. Someone gives you a hundred dollars and tells you that you have to spend it today - on yourself. What would you buy?
Oh my gosh, there are so many things I want!! (yikes, I'm very selfish!) Shoes, beauty products from Sephora, or a dress from JCrew. Those are the most likely places I'd spend the money right now. If I had to choose a single thing...I'd probably go with another pair of Ugg Dakota moccasins. They are so warm and so comfortable, and I wear my old pair all the time in the fall, winter and spring. And when I like something and wear it frequently, I have an overwhelming desire to purchase another of it...just in case something happens to the first one. :) I'm weird like that.


5. If you could travel anywhere in the world what would your top 5 places be?
In no particular order...
1) Australia/New Zealand - Whenever I see pictures or movies set in Australia or New Zealand, it looks breathtakingly gorgeous and full of such diverse, stark scenery. While I don't think I'd enjoy living in some place like the desert or the mountains, their beauty always moves me


2 & 3) Spain and Italy (with a long time in Florence!) - I've been to Spain and Italy for short trips and I absolutely fell in love with them. Honestly, I'd love to live in Spain and Italy (Florence, of course) at some point...but when I start thinking of realistic details, it seems overwhelmingly scary. So I'd like at least a long vacation there!

4) Hawaii - Moe lived in Hawaii for awhile and all of her pictures are stunning! To me, it is one of those places that is unlike any other on earth.

5) Greece - I've been obsessed with ancient Greek and Roman mythology since grade school. And Greece looks incredible! It has ancient ruins, museums full of treasures, natural geographic beauty (have you seen the pictures they use in calenders?????), good food (I may have to learn to like seafood before I go...).


6. What are 2 or 3 items on your "bucket list"?
Travel to several places around the world. Probably the ones I've listed above :) I definitely want to go back to Spain and Italy. I would even like to walk a part of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route again. And I want to take incredible pictures of these places, the kind of photos you see on postcards!

Do something big with food...like host a tv show about food (I'm thinking Alton Brown's Good Eats, where science and food play together in hilarious yet informative models) or have my own bakery (a risky business...maybe I could sell baked goods out of my home or do it catering style?). I love cooking and I love food. If it weren't so damn risky, I'd make it my career now. And this would be a way for me to do something artistic, which is something I have always wanted to do.

Use power tools! Okay, I admit I have used a drill before and maybe a staple gun. My grandfather and two of my uncles are very skilled woodworkers. Even my mom comfortably uses several different power saws and drills! I know I can do it, I just have to overcome my fear of losing a limb or an eye! Plus, I want to build something with the power tools and be able to proudly show it off to people.


7. If you could live the life of one TV character who would it be, what show are they from, and why?
Ah! Great question! It'd be awesome to be Fiona Glenann from Burn Notice - she's badass, independent, hot...but I'd have to deal with being in extreme danger at all times, not to mention deal with a boyfriend who tends to get himself into a lot of trouble. So...to make life easier on myself, I'd probably be Sean Spencer from Psych. He pretends to be a psychic and hangs out with his best friend Gus all day in a pretty awesome place. I particularly would like to solve a mystery involving a dinosaur!!! (I would have said Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, but he seems like his extreme particularities would make life stressful. So maybe I could just hang out with Sheldon instead!)


8. When you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner in a few weeks what will you say that you are most grateful for this year?
Easily, the people in my life. My parents, my relatives, Eric, Moe, Megan, Kayleigh and all the rest of my friends. They're the reason I make it through each day, they make me laugh, they touch my heart, they encourage me when I'm frustrated or quite ready to give up, they're patient with me when I'm not patient with anyone, they make me a better person. I love all of you and I am so very thankful that you are in my life.