Really Great Things

inspired by leonie

five (really) great things on a Wednesday:



1) My family. I adore them all.

2) Peaceful, sunny days like today in my new town

3) Friends, new and old, that I love and can count on (and who can count on me)

4) Summer fruit

5) Really loving my job



Those are my five today. What are yours?

Random Quote Meme

My friend Devin tagged me to complete a meme wherein the blogger picks out five quotes that resonate with you. He pointed me toward this site, but I assume that any quotes will do.

Here are my five:

1. I'm going to memorize your name and throw my head away.
   Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)
2. It's the suppression of the word that gives it the power, the violence, the viciousness.
   Lenny Bruce (1923 - 1966)
3. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.
   Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
4. Soldiers who are not afraid of guns, bombs, capture, torture or death say they are afraid of homosexuals. Clearly we should not be used as soldiers; we should be used as weapons.
   anonymous, Letter to the Editor, The Advocate
5. All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.
   Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Now I'm supposed to tag people. Hmmm... Oh heck, I'll let you tag yourselves. I'm lame like that.

Done

Following the trend, items in bold are things I've done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with wild dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said “I love you” and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby’s diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

27. Had a food fight

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk

42. Had amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”

83. Gotten flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

98. Passed out cold

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone’s heart

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a T.V. game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed

132. Touched a cockroach

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey

135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language.

141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts.

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone’s life

really good things

Leonie has offered up an invitation to list five really good things in my life, and I've decided to take her up on it. Couldn't have done this a few weeks ago when I was in the "my house will never sell" funk, but right now it's a fun, simple task! without further ado, my really good things:

1. Fifteen years with Mr. LT. Yes, I already posted about this, but it's a really good thing. Our friends all thought we were insane when we got married after only knowing one another for a few months (and living 6,000 miles apart during that time), but we knew, and we still know.

2. My girls, Burger and Zippy. You both bring me so much joy.

3. Our new town. We're thrilled to be in Bend, and we've never felt so welcomed in a new place. Thanks, Bend. You rock.

4. Less than one year until the General Election, and less than 14 months until the current clown leaves the White House. This would be a really, really good thing if we could significantly reduce both those numbers.

5. The people in my life who know me, know my flaws, and love me anyway. Or at least tolerate me with good humor. Thanks. I hope it's worth it.

I'm not going to tag anyone, but I'd love to hear about your really good things. May there be many.

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!