Leonie's meme

My friend Leonie recently responded to a meme, and even though she doesn't yet know I've started this blog, I'm going to respond, as she challenged her readers to respond in kind.

4 jobs I have held:

1. Lifeguard. I spent at least a portion of seven summers as a lifeguard, and it's the best summer job. Especially if you're like me -- I always asked for the adults-only pools (you make more money working for apartment/condo complexes than at public pools), and thus most of the time I was alone at the pool. At least until 5 pm or so, when the residents started coming home from work and would stop by for a quick dip and some conversation. I got to read a lot of books, and even managed to get a tan without burning, as I spent 99% of my time under an umbrella - I've never been a big fan of just baking in the sun.

2. Pizza delivery person. FUN!! I did this for one summer when I lived in Ocean City, Maryland (the summer of 1985. Yes, I'm that old.) I met tons of interesting people, wasn't shut inside the hot pizza shop (hi Pizza Tugos!) all summer, and wasn't stuck working retail (blech). I also always had ready cash at hand, and was never broke until my next paycheck like my roommates (of course, this also means that my roommates knew who to borrow money from... but that's another story).

3. Real estate appraiser. Also fun, also not stuck at a desk all day long. I was welcomed into all sorts of homes - from small shacks to million dollar mansions (that figure might not seem as impressive now as it did ten plus years ago. It sure was then!. I loved meeting new people, setting my own schedule, and figuring out what made the price set at a certain level.

4. Consultant. This is what I do now. I help companies design/test/pilot/implement/run their messaging servers. It's fun, I love my boss and have wonderful co-workers. I do miss not being tied to a desk most of the time, though!

4 movies I can watch over and over:

1. Dogma. Just brilliant. I love the story, the characters, the irreverence, all of it. I'm a HUGE Kevin Smith fan and a big geek.

2. Shag. What's better than four good friends who go to the beach when they're supposed to be doing other things? A classic chick flick, and fun fun fun!

3. Valley Girl. This reminds me of my friend Bernadette - we must have watched this hundreds of times during the summer of 1984. Nicholas Cage at his most casual.

4. The African Queen. Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. A delicious movie.

4 places I have lived:

1. Berwyn Heights, Maryland. The town where I grew up, our little Mayberry. Berwyn Heights is a wonderful little town - it's about a mile square, close to the University of Maryland. There were tons of kids in town and I spent many years playing in the town's little league. Berwyn Heights Day was always a special day, starting with a pancake breakfast (usually prepared by the mayor), moving on to the parade, games, pony rides, etc. I usually made it to Berwyn Heights day well after we'd moved away from town, and if I'm ever in Maryland the first weekend in May, I'll be back for this event! Every child should grow up in such a great town!

2. Crofton, Maryland. This is where we bought our first house. It's a much larger town than Berwyn Heights was, but we had fabulous neighbors (well, mostly. Doug and Kathy Mayer, you're the reason I have to include the "mostly". Jerks.) Burger (eldest child) went to elementary school in Crofton and to this day bemoans the fact that we no longer live there, as she would have been POPULAR. Got that? POPULAR. I ruined her life. Bad Mommy.

3. Bentonville, Arkansas. Yes, Arkansas. It's beautiful there. Unfortunately, we had to leave because:

a) I'm apparently allergic to everything there.

b) It's the bible belt. Really.

It was great living near my aunt, grandmother, and cousins for the year we were there, though, and I miss them all and wish I were more adept at keeping in touch now that we've moved.

4. Midway City, California. That's home for now. It's a tiny little town (about the size of Berwyn Heights) in Orange County, California. Unfortunately, we don't have the sense of community here that we had in the old BH. Sigh. So this may not be our last stop.

4 categories of TV programming that I enjoy:

1. Serial drama. Lost and Heroes are my favorites.

2. Family shows. Friday Night Lights is brilliant, and I'm so happy it was renewed for another season. I'm still bummed that American Dreams was cancelled a few years ago. We need more shows that we can watch as a family without having to cover Burger's eyes.

3. Reality TV. But only in very limited doses. As in limited to Survivor, Amazing Race, Deadliest Catch, and Project Runway. NO dating shows. YUK. No uber mean shows (I can't find my umulat!)

4. Good for me shows. Documentaries, history, biographies, etc. I dig this stuff.

4 places I have been on holiday:

1. Bend, Oregon. Love it. OMG, gorgeous, friendly, charming. Like a bigger Berwyn Heights.

2. Duck, North Carolina. Great place for a family vacation - we went to Kitty Hawk, spent time on the sand dunes, shopped, drove the truck out on the beach (which you cannot do in Maryland!), and had a wonderful week in Duck.

3. Ocean City, Maryland. Nothing like going down the shore. I'd kill for Thrasher's fries right about now (none better, anywhere, ever. I swear.) And I've never been to another boardwalk that's so much simple fun. You can people watch all day, ride the big ferris wheel, go in the fun house... I miss Ocean City.

4. Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Skiing with my guy when we were young. Sigh.

4 of my favorite dishes:

1. Lasagna. Home made, of course.

2. Jambalaya. Spicy, please!

3. Sushi. Anything but uni or tako.

4. Corned beef and cabbage. Simple, real food. With spicy mustard!

4 websites I visit daily:

1. www.cnn.com

2. www.msnbc.com

3. www.google.com

4. www.gymgossip.com

4 places I would rather be right now:

1. Bend, Oregon

2. St. Petersburg, Russia

3. Duck, North Carolina

4. Driving with my husband, going anywhere.

4 things I love to do in my spare time:

1. Garden

2. Cook

3. Read

4. Play

I'm opting out of tagging others, as I'm new at this game and am not quite ready to go there yet!