25 Things About Me, Finally

This is basically just for Jeremiah, because I promised to blog more, and I promised to do this meme for him. So, Jeremiah, I hope you enjoy it. And if you're not Jeremiah, be prepared to be not so surprised by some of these revelations.

1. I have many deeply ingrained food phobias. American cheese makes me nervous (it feels like it's suffocating my tongue), I don't trust cold cuts (they glisten strange colors), Mayonnaise terrifies me (no explanation needed here).

2. I am secretly a very competitive person. While I can playfully resign myself to losing in situations where winning is completely beyond my grasp, I generally avoid doing anything I'm not good at. I don't have to be the best (although I prefer it), but I really need to feel like I'm better than most to feel content.

3. This shortcoming makes it very hard for me to get better at things I'm not immediately good at. This is what happened to sports (not that I had much inclination in that direction), acting, and I'm worried it's what's happening to writing too. Which is why I'm trying to blog and journal more. Although with quite mixed results.

4. I have one tradition I've pretty well adapted: I write down when and where I start my books, and when and where I finish them. I stole this trick from my brother, he started doing it while he was traveling around Scotland, and then never stopped. I love doing it. I love doing it so much that sometimes I make a point of starting and finishing books in interesting places, so that when I look back at them I'll have something more compelling to read.

5. I am trying to make traditions for myself. There are small ones, like writing in my journal every day and writing down all the books I read in a month. But then there are more ornate ones, such as: I want to be able to read "The Dead" by James Joyce to celebrate the first snow of every year.

6. Even though "The Dead" by James Joyce is one of my favorite pieces of writing ever, I've never finished reading the other short stories in Dubliners, nor have I ever read anything else by Joyce. But damned if "The Dead" doesn't just break my heart every time.

7. I have an odd fascination with names. I think it comes from being the fourth living Margaret on my mom's side of the family-- Nana, mother, cousin then me. All the good nicknames had been claimed, and so I've always been a fiendish nicknamer, and now as a grown-up a frequent baby-naming sites collecting delicious options. Eleanor, Beatrice. Jasper, Owen. They just call to me.

8. Even so though, I really like family names if they're done right. I really love my name, and I love that I'm Margaret the Second because my mom, the feminist, didn't want me to think girls weren't important enough to get a family name. I love the family names on my dad's side, that alternate between Robert Bayard Willison and Frank Armstrong Willison all the way back to before the Civil War. But I don't think my kids will have family names.

9. Unless I become a single mother, and give birth to a son, in which case I'm naming him Obadiah, after my very first documented American relative: Obadiah Willison, who fought in the Cumberland, Virginia militia in the Revolutionary War. In this version of my life, I'm moving to some small town in New England, turning my entire house into a used bookstore called Bleak House Books, and becoming the domineering and dynamic maternal figure in a yet-to-be-written John Irving novel. Because Obadiah Willison is clearly the protagonist of a John Irving novel.

10. One last point about names (I wasn't kidding about being obsessed with them): I'm only a
Margaret by chance. If things had worked out a little differently, my parents would have named me Grace.

11. Although my dad liked to kid that I would have been named Purity Supreme, after the supermarkets, if he'd had his way.

12. I'm oddly superstitious. I don't know where it comes from, but you can see it above in my asterixed ifs (don't jinx it, don't jinx it). I think I go through life knowing that I've been given an undue amount of luck. I worry if I don't take care, and tiptoe around a bit, someone in the world will figure it out, and make things even again. Like I've been given the wrong change, and want to leave the store unobtrusively so no one thinks too carefully about things.

13. I like it when hotels don't have 13th floors. It seems quaint, and old fashioned.

14. It breaks my heart to know that, except for Marie Harb, none of the people I'm good friends with now ever really knew my father. It's just so strange and disorienting. Some of them might not even know his name, because it's so hard for me to talk about him. This strange anomynity he's acquired is one of the most tangible, and therefore painful, ways his death has manifested itself. He's known more by his absence from my life than his actions in it.

15. This list has turned out a lot more maudlin than I would have anticipated. Maybe it's because I'm writing it while watching Oliver Twist on PBS?

16. Despite being a complete vocabulary snob, I am a rotten speller and know little beyond intuitive grammar-- much to Kerry Mullin's eternal chagrin.

17. I will, however, always know the difference between "it's" (contraction for it is) and "its" (possessive pronoun), because getting them confused was my father's pet peeve, and what little grammar I know I learned from him. I would write out all my papers long-hand, and he would type them, and then together we would sit and edit them. And so I can tell it's from its.

18. Even though he beats me by like a million points every time, I still play at least one game of Scrabble with Jeremiah Graves every Saturday. Because that's how addicted I am to Scrabble.

19. I have a poisonous relationship with my snooze button. I tend to set my cell phone alarm to start going off about two hours before I want to get up, and then reset it thus: first, I give myself an extra hour. Then when that hour is up, I give myself another 1/2 hour. And then, when that alarm goes off, I switch over to the plain old snooze feature, and hit it three times, with 10 minutes between each alarm. And then, sometimes, I finally get up.

20. Sometimes, when I think about it, I worry habits like this will make me absolutely impossible to live with if I ever acquire a live-in boyfriend or spouse.

21. That is, when I'm not worrying if I'll ever have a live-in boyfriend or spouse or whether marriage is really a viable institution in the first place. Which are all things I spend a stupid amount of time worrying about.

22. I would be extremely easy to disable in a fight to the death. Not only do I have weak ankles, but I only have one mostly good eye (my left one) and its easy to pick out, because it correalates with the scar I have above my left eye brow, from when I knocked my desk over in seventh grade Pre-Algebra class and had to get stitches.

23. Which is the only time I've ever had to get stitches and the only time I can remember going to the emergency room. I went once before, when I was too small to remember, because I fell out of my stroller trying to reach for a container of yogurt. Other than that though, I am accident free and broken boneless.

24. I do, however, have a predeliction for getting terrible, terrible cough that last forever. In a Victorian novel, this would mean I have consumption, and probably result in a tragic early termination to whatever passionate and ellicit love affair I was obviously conducting at the time. In real life, it just means that for weeks on end, I'll cough so hard I get dizzy, and go to bed with aching stomach muscles.

25. It took me over 3 weeks to write this list, and that's if you don't count the length of time between when I was tagged, and when I finally started. And even so, I think it's probably pretty trite.

Charlie Taft, Kindred Spirit

I found this tiny gem of a factoid in a story about the craze surrounding the (admittedly adorable) Sasha and Malia Obama. It starts with the girls, then goes on to discuss first children generally, and it ended (brilliantly) here, with Charlie Taft:

And on a much lighter note, Anthony recalls that Charlie Taft, also 11, “was not at all impressed” as his father, William Howard Taft, took the oath of office in 1909: “He was entirely engrossed in reading Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, ’Treasure Island.”’ - First Sisters Likely to Enthrall US Public, AP

Awesome, Charlie. Awesome. I wish I had a way back machine so I could go back in time and marry you.

For the one regular reader of this blog (other than Tom! Hi Tom!)

In case you ever wondered Anna, here's unequivocal proof that Sarah Palin does not read your blog:

"I would think we all tear up during the national anthem at the beginning of a baseball game, don't we? That's an alikeness between Alaskans and New Yorkers." - Sarah Palin to Esquire Magazine

A Theory, A (likely to fail) Resolution

First: I am currently reading a really interesting article from The New Yorker about adolescent sexuality in Red States v. Blue States. As one would assume from its provenance, the article has only good things to say about adolescent sexuality in Blue States (virginity lasts longer, teens are more likely to be sensible about contraceptives, tight-knit families are more important than pledges etc.) and cites the following fact to back up these theories:

The highest teen-pregnancy rates were in Nevada, Arizona, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas (all red); the lowest were in North Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Maine (blue except for North Dakota). - "Red Sex, Blue Sex" by Margaret Talbot

Now, they make one red and blue alignment-- political voting habits-- but looking at that list, I'd make another: temperature. The 5 states with the lowest teen pregnancy rates? All freezing cold 70% of the year! Maybe it's not morals, or tight-knit families, or career ambitions, or comprehensive sex ed. Maybe it's just a question of opportunity. I mean, if you're an average 15 year old couple in the Northeast, your sexing up options are severely limited by weather. It's certainly a simpler theory.

And my resolution? Predictably, it's to write more, both here and in my private journal.

We shall see how long it lasts...

As If The Number of Strange Things About Me Could Be Winnowed Down to a Mere 44...

As per request of the lovely Anna Banana (whom I miss an appalling amount), the common meme of the moment, as filled out by me:

44 "Odd" Things About Me:

1. Do you like blue cheese? I have never met a cheese I didn't like. Because American Cheese doesn't count as cheese-- it's more like a cancer.
2. Have you ever smoked? Um. Uh. Yes. But not cigarettes I buy for myself.
3. Do you own a gun? Ha. No.
4. What flavor Kool-Aid was your favorite? .....I think I remember liking those twist-off top plastic bottle Kool Aid blasters back in the day, but I don't know what flavor.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? A little. But dentist appointments are way worse.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I don't trust them, and won't eat them unless they come from:
a) Simco's on the Bridge in Mattapan.
b) Original Hot Dogs in Oakland (Pittsburg, PA, not California)
I do, however, appreciate their use in the first episode of 30 Rock.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? The Muppet Christmas Carol.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Black tea-- lukewarm in the cold months, and iced in the hot months.
9. Can you do push ups? God, just thinking about it makes me tired. Also, this is a stupid question. I think most people *can* do at least two push ups, if pressed, so this question should be "Can you do push ups well?" or "Do you often do push-ups?" or something similar. Otherwise, it's just a roundabout way of asking if someone is an amputee, and I feel like a friend's possession of arms/lack thereof is a detail you should be aware of PRIOR to asking them is they like blue cheese.
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? It's a tie between my double strand of green plastic beads, which I wear with everything, and my vintage gold locket, which I bought in Ohio and is my most treasured piece. Both are, in their own ways, irreplaceable and perfect.
11. Favorite hobby? Reading.
12. Do you have A.D.D.?It's funny that Anna is kind of asking me this, because if anyone in the world knows the answer is HECK YES, it would be her.
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Complacency.
14. Middle name? A real crowd pleaser-- Hooper Shaner.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
1. I can't wait for my mini-vacation next week.
2. I hope no one notices me filling out a blog meme at the Circulation desk instead of, you know, working.
3. I wish I could go in back and continue re-reading my Eva Ibbotson YA Romance.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Iced Tea, Water, Beer.
17. Current worry? Trying to figure out any one of my massive crowd of worries insignificant enough to mention specifically here without sending me into a dire spiral of panic.
18. Current hate right now? It's a tie between the MBTA bus system and the people who get onto the train before everyone has gotten off.
19. Favorite place to be? Outside somewhere lovely, reading something great. Or wrapped up in my bed, reading something great-- if the weather outside is frightful, obviously.
20. How did you bring in the New Year? This is a good one-- running around Boston's Waterfront very drunk and barefoot.
21. Where would you like to go? Right now, Russia and Morocco.
22. Name three people who will complete this. Um, Adrienne? And maybe Erin?
23. Do you own slippers? Yes, but I never wear them.
24. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Um, I'm wearing a dress (blue grey patterned with white) over a tank top (pale sea green) with a v-neck cardigan (black). Complemented, of course, by my signature green plastic beads.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Ick. I associate those with molesty teacher from Veronica Mars, and like my cotton jersey Bed, Bath and Beyond mabobbers just fine.
26. Can you whistle? Yes, but very tunelessly.
27. Favorite color? Green. Obviously.
28. Would you be a pirate? Um, sure. Although I think I'm not nearly badass enough.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't, because my roommate could hear me and I think it would mildly traumatize him to have any further attention called to me being female, naked, and showering.
30. Favorite Girl's Name? Eleanor!
31. Favorite boy's Name? Everyone tells me it's unspeakably cruel, but Obediah.
32. What's in your pocket right now? My dress doesn't have pockets, but I have an awful lot in my purse.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? My own joke, comparing one of my coworkers to the Joker (as performed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.)
34. Best bed sheets as a child? As a child, I had unremarkable bed sheets. Part of being a younger sibling, I think.
35. Worst injury you've ever had? The time I had to get stitches in 7th grade from tipping over my desk in math class.
36. Do you love where you live? Gods above-- yes, fervently.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Just one, but it's very big.
38. Who is your loudest friend? I have a lot of loud friends, so the competition is fierce, but I think Ryan Merrill takes the loud cake.
39. How many dogs do you have? None, literally. But in my heart, thousands.
40. Does someone have a crush on you? I thought one of my grad students did, but then I found out he had a girlfriend. Which was kind of a huge relief, actually. So no, not that I know of.
41. What is your favorite book? Like I could ACTUALLY name one without my head exploding.
42. What is your favorite candy? It varies.
43. Favorite Sports Team? HA!
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? I have no idea, but I do know I want to be cremated.

And now I have to close the library.

*NEW* Weird Names List

I have a new source of deeply strange names-- Economists whose books are reviewed in The Journal of Economic Literature. As a part of my job as a part-time Circulation Monkey (formal title) at MIT's Dewey Library of Management and Social Sciences, I have become responsible for going through the aforementioned journal and marking down which reviewed books we have in the system (plain check mark) and which ones we don't (check mark with a dour little empty circle above it). This is the kind of data entry busy work that would make me go off my head *if* the lovely Anna Mickelsen had not Shown Me The Light in the summer of '05-- the Light, that is, of Funny Name list making. And thankfully Economists are just as prone to funny names as the Tenacity students of yore. To Wit, from today we've had:

1. Jurgen Backhaus (which sounds like an outhouse made by Ikea)
2. Svetlana Boyar, and her co-author Sergei Levendorski
3. And my personal favorite....


....


....


Christian. Fries.

I know that none of these are quite as funny as the best funny name of all time (Her Majesty Gilmore), but nevertheless, they do keep a thoroughly repetitive job quite sweetly engaging.

COUNTDOWN!

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I also want to be a Spice Girl...

Maybe that should have read I WANNABE a Spice Girl?

Oh! Ho ho ho aah ha ho!

Sometimes, I kill me.

I miss Tesco's

I know, I know. I don't post for two months and then when I do post... it's a Tesco's ad.

But SPICE GIRLS! How could I not?

Blog roll added!

Check right below my archive list.

Extra super bonus points to anyone who can figure out why the blogs are listed in the order they are.