Meme

Ok, I have been ignoring my blog for a few weeks. It's not that I don't have anything to say...heck, I left you guys in the middle of a story...I've just been busy. So here is a riviting meme about me me. I hope I have even 1 reader left. Hi Mother!



1.You have 10 dollars and need to buy snacks at a gas station:Diet Coke with a lot of ice, caramel Ho-Ho’s, Tiny Size Chiclets

2. If you were reincarnated as a sea creature, what would you want to be?Dolphin.

3. Who’s your favorite redhead?
My cousin Sandy and her daughter Trisha

4. What do you order when you're at IHOP?Plain ol regular pancakes and decaf

5. Last book you read?.
“While My Sister Sleeps” by Barbara Delinsky

6. Describe your mood?
Bored

7. When was the last time you were injured?
This morning when Lorenzo was insisting that I get my ass out of bed and feed him he scratched me pretty deep. I know he didn’t mean to but his claws are very long. I am not able to cut them without assistance and so far no one has offered to come over and help me...(I have this situation with all of the kitties except for Elijah. They clipped his nails when he was in the hospital.)

8. Of all your friends, who would you want to be stuck in a well with?
The one with the tallest ladder in their hand.

9. Rock concert or symphony?Rock.

10. What is the wallpaper of your cell phone?
A picture of me, my sister and my niece from when I was in the emergency room on Super Bowl Sunday.

11. Favorite Soda?Diet Coke. There is no other soda.

12. What type of shirt are you wearing?
Pink girly tee shirt

13. If you could only use one form of transportation.
Jet pack

14. Most recent movie you have watched in theatres?
Night at the Museum (I thought it was very medium.)

15. Name an actor/actress/singer you have had the hots for?
My Keanu

16. What’s your favorite kind of cake?
I’m not really a cake fan, but if I have to eat cake it would be because I wanted the frosting...and in that case it would have to be German Chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting.

17. What did you have for dinner last night?
BK Veggie Burger

20. Favorite toy as a child?
Baby dolls

21. Do you buy your own groceries?
Well, I tried sending Lorenzo & Ashleigh out to do it but they just came back with nothing but Greenies and sparkly cat nip toys so I am forced to do it myself

22. Do you think people talk about you behind your back.
Ya think?

23. When was the last time you had gummy worms?
I don’t like gummy worms.

24. What’s your favorite fruit?
Cherries

25. Do you have a picture of yourself doing a cartwheel?
Although I was the cartwheel queen in my youth I don’t believe there is any photographic evidence to back it up.

26. Do you like running long distances?
No, nor do I like running short distances.

27. Have you ever eaten snow?
Yes. It didn’t taste as good as I thought it would.

28. What color are your bed sheets?
Beige and light teal and brown, with white and grey cat hair thrown in for a little zing.

29. What’s your favorite flower?
Daisy

30. Do you do ballet?
I was a total ballerina as a child and teenager. Now I’m too fat to don a tutu.

31. Do you listen to classical music?.
Yes.

32. What is the 1st TV Theme song that pops in your head?
The theme to “Family Ties”

33. Do you watch Sponge bob?
Not usually

34. What temperature is it outside right now?I have no idea. I ‘ve been inside since 8:00 am and it’s now 11:22. It looks sunny and bright but there is a breeze.

35. Do people consider you smart?
As long as you aren’t asking either of my ex-husbands.

36. How many piercings do you have?
None.

37. Are you signed in on AIM?
Right now? No. They frown on instant messaging at work.

38. Have you ever tried gluing your fingers together?
When I was going to manicure school I super glued my fingers to someone else, does that count?

39. How do you feel about your family?
I love them more than anything.

40. Do you have an iPod?.
Yes and I used just about every day. The hardest thing about listening to an iPod is resisting the urge to sing along.

41. What time do you go to bed?
After I wake up from falling asleep on my love seat.

42. What CD is currently in your CD player?
A mix cd that I made. It has Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffet, Clash, and a bunch of others that I can't remember off the top of my head.

43. What movie do you know every line to?
Pretty In Pink, 16 Candles, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Arthur, Arthur 244. What is your favorite salad dressing?

45. What do you want for Christmas this year?
A segway. Get right on that won’t you?

46. What family member/friend lives the farthest from you?
My boyfriend lives in London, does that count?

47. Do you like hugs?. From the wino on the bus? No. From my friends and family?
Yes.

48. Last time you had butterflies in your stomach?Yesterday. I had a doctor appointment for my yearly physical.

49. What’s the way people most often mispronounce any part of your name?Instead of saying Wyatt they say, “Watt” or “White” or “Wy-At”.

50. Last person you hugged?Rebekah

Wow! If I could only live up to this....

I received another "10 Truths About Tami" from a very dear girl friend of mine. I am, once again, stunned to read the nice things people have to say about me. I hope my readers aren't getting bored with this...but honestly...I could read this all day!

So from the bottom of my heart I would like to thank Miss Archer for putting in her .02.

1. Tami is incredibly efficient and intelligent at whatever job she does
2. Tami put up with numerous random craziness phone calls from me
when we worked together.
3. Tami inspires others who are stuck with cancer (It really does
SUCK!) to persevere and move forward.
4. She loves other people's cats (especially my little sick dude).
5. She is a talented writer (I keep telling her to WRITE that BOOK!)
6. She has an amazing music collection and can put together AWESOME mix CDs!
7. She is super funny and if you read through the archives of this
very funny blog, you, too will have the pleasure of discovering that.
8. Can we talk pretty nails?
9. She can keep a secret...when I was TOTALLY lying about being out
of school to have in vitro fertilization treatments, she knew I was
lying about having toe surgery but she never said anything :)
10. And how about that really ginormous, compassionate heart?

Another brief post from a guest poster....

Well, I'm starting to feel like I have a real life fan club. How nice that the two charter members are my sister and my mother. She wrote a 10 Truths About Tami and it's enough to make me blush. After I read this I told her that she makes me sound so nice that, heck, if I just met me...I'd be friends with me!

10 - A true friend forever
9 - Sleep is a wonderful thing
8 - Gentle and easy
7 - If it bothers you - then you fix it
6 - Animals - domesticated or wild - either will do
5 - Quick wit and conversation
4 - Lets try it!
3 - My camera and everything else is in my purse
2 - Wanta be groupie for several singers
1 - Loving, caring, concerned

Now, if my chiropractor reads #3 I'm going to be in big trouble!

Thanks, Mother. I appreciate the time it took for you to make this list, now I just have to live up to it.

I want everyone to know that I'm trying to wean myself from getting so much sleep. I keep thinking that eventually I will just not be able to sleep but that hasn't happened yet. I'm now trying to stay up when I get up to feed the cats at 6:00 AM, and then I do what I can to keep myself occupied so that I don't take naps during the day. The rainy weather is not helping because my bedroom is the only room in the house that is not affected by the horrendous sound of the rain hitting my roof in my living room. I don't have any insulation in my ceiling in the living room and you just wouldn't believe how loud it is when rain hits the roof.

Next week I'm hoping to have the energy to have a repair man come over and replace my front steps and possibly install insulation in my ceiling. If I get on a roll I might even have the gas company come out and look at my stove and see if they can tell my why my pilot light won't stay lit. It will be a whole new world!

Bucket List

I'm getting pretty good at hijacking ideas from other bloggers so here I go again. I took this bucket list from Jason. http://www.jason-thejasonshow.blogspot.com/

I've accomplished a lot of things on this list but I have some things I'd like to add to my own personal bucket list...I will do that on another post.

1. Started your own blog
You’d look pretty silly being on this page if I hadn’t!
2. Slept under the stars
I have slept under the stars on a couple of occasions but the most memorable time was in 1977 when my family stayed at a place in Mission Bay called “Campland”. My sister, her best friend and I slept in sleeping bags outside of our rented mini Winnebago. I was awakened due to something touching my face repeatedly. At first I thought it was a pesky fly or something then as I was more awake I thought it was a wild animal or that prolific serial murderer with the hook for a hand...so I tried to jump up to get away…not an easy feat when you are entangled in a sleeping bag. I was very happy to discover that the wild animal serial killer who was tapping my face was a very beautiful kitty who belonged to the campers next door to us. The kitty was on a leash and he was streeeeetcccchhhhed as far as he could be in order to reach me. His hind legs were paralyzed so he rolled instead of walked. The sun was up so he thought it was time to play.
3. Played in a band
I am assuming that my tenure in the Fairgrove marching Falcons and subsequent enlistment in the Workman High School marching Lobos doesn't count.....
4. Visited Hawaii
I have been to Hawaii many times and I can’t wait to return. It is truly paradise and I would move there in a heart beat if I could get my family to move with me.
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Bathed in a river
I swam in the Colorado river but there was no soap involved.
7. Been to the Taj Mahal
I really have no desire to see that part of the world.
8. Walked on a glacier in Alaska
I stuck my foot in glacier water when I was in Canada and it was so cold that my foot instantly went numb. Does that count?
9. Caught and held a snake
Not if it would save the universe from certain extinction.
10. Spoke in front of a big crowd
I have done public speaking but never to a crowd that was so big it required crowd control. I have no fear of public speaking.
11. Bungee jumped
Not yet, but one of these days.
12. Had a whirlwind love affair that broke your heart
Not really a whirlwind kinda gal…
13. Found an arrowhead or fossil
Found the skull of an animal in the hills behind my high school…does that count?
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
I taught myself to crochet. I can’t read a pattern and I don’t even know if I’m doing it right but I’ve made several blankets and scarves and they haven’t fallen apart so I must be doing something right!
15. Rescued an animal
I have rescued a tiny baby bunny, and so many kittens that I’ve lost count. You’ve never lived until you’ve tried to hand feed a litter of kittens who need to eat several times a day while you have a full time job on the other end of town. (prepare formula, warm it up, put it in a bottle, wrap kitten in a towel or get kneaded to smithereens, feed kitten, get milk all over everything in the vacinity, burp kitten, encourage kitten to pee, clean up mess and start with the next kitten.) Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR) stinks and it's sticky. I've been covered from head to toe with it on many, many occasions.
16. Ate sweet breads, glands or tripe
Truly, truly, not if I were starving to death would I put that crap in my mouth. I would eat cement before I would eat sweet breads.
17. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
18. Grown your own vegetables
I have had many of my own gardens and while tomatoes and cucumbers are really good there is nothing better than eating sugar snap peas right off the vine.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Yes, I’ve gotten to hang with Mona. If you look in my archives…I wrote all about it and even posted a picture of her. It was a dream come true.
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hiked to base camp on Mt. Everest)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Is there anyone in the world who hasn’t done this?
24. Built a snow fort
25. Watched an animal being born
Kittens, puppies and a cow.
26. Gone skinny dipping
I have done some crazy things in my life but so far I've never been inspired to do this.
27. Learned a foreign language
I’ve taken 3 semesters of sign language in college. If you want me to tell you that you are beautiful or that someone is a flying asshole than I’m your girl! Other than that...I can do my ABC's....
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
I rode a gondola in Las Vegas. That is in my archives, too.
29. Seen a total eclipse
I’ve seen one and while I know it’s rare I just didn’t understand why it was such a big deal.
30. Stayed up for more than 24 hours
I’ve done this on several occasions. It was much easier when I was 20.
31. Trained a dog to do cool tricks
32. Been on a cruise
I’ve been on a 4 day Mexican cruise twice. I LOVE being on a ship in the ocean and I would like to do it again...maybe the 3rd time will be the charm. Both times my cruise was cursed with cold and rainy weather. Sat out on the deck just long enough to say I did it. When I got too cold I came back inside. That took about 45 seconds.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
I’ve been to Niagara Falls twice. If you get too close to the spray you need to beware because all of a sudden you will be starring in your very own yet very public wet tee shirt contest!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Last summer I got to go to Wales and I’m glad to see that I come by my affection for thrift stores because of my Welsh ancestry.
35. Seen an Amish community
I’ve been to the Amish country in Ohio twice. It is fascinating to think that there are people in today’s world who don’t use electricity yet still run a business on a daily basis. I went to a shoe store that had gas lighting and they used scratch paper to figure out the cost of my shoes instead of a cash register.
36. Can drive a stick shift car
Of course I can drive a stick shift car….easy peasy lemon squeezy!
37. Won over $1000 in a raffle or lottery
I won much more than that in a class action law suit that I never expected to produce .05 so it was like winning the lottery. (When I was married to my 2nd husband we came within one number of winning the lottery. We had all but one number but we had the bonus number. I honestly just about fainted. We did win a nice amount of money but we had to split it with 19 other people.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
My sister and I sang karaoke and cleared out the room at a littlel girl's birthday party! I have played "Rock Band" with my little nephew and I thought I was really bringing it home with "Blitzkreig Bop" until he said, "Why are you singing it like that, Momo?"
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Yes, and while it is beautiful it stinks!
43. Been serenaded
I've been sung to but not officially serenaded.
44. Visited Africa
Not yet….
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
Yes, on more than one occasion. It is always lovely, of course it is more lovely in Hawaii because the water is warmer.
46. Broke a bone
I have broken my funny bone on more than one occasion and it was painful but it pails in comparison to tearing or stretching ligaments. I’ve torn more ligaments than Carters got pills and the pain is relentless and it takes forever to heal. I highly recommend breaking a bone over tearing a ligament.
47. Started your own business
Funny you should ask…this will be the subject of tomorrows post.
48. Quit a job because you were totally unhappy
Yes. I. Did. I worked for a company who’s initials were the same as a monthly womanly plague and I swear the name was perfect. The woman I worked for was completely insane. If I could remember her name we could search for her email address and tell her that I hope she gets many painful hangnails. (I actually do remember her name…but the name she used at work was a nom-de-plume. She didn’t use her real name because the company screwed many people out of a lot of money and when they regrouped she didn’t want anyone to know that she was still working there.)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the Eiffel Tower
I’ve been to the Eiffel Tower twice and it was glorious both times. On my second visit we went to the 2nd landing. I couldn’t convince my sister to go any higher but one of these days I will make it to the top.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
I have gone snorkeling in Hawaii. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life and I can’t wait to do it again. I would love to learn how to scuba dive but I am too afraid of the tank being too heavy and drowning me.
52. Kissed in the rain passionately
53. Played in the mud
One time my sister and one of our cousins and I played in the mud when we were quite old enough to know better. We were supposed to be waiting patiently to go somewhere but we went to the mud hole instead. We were covered in it from head to toe. I remember having so much fun….but I also remember being embarrassed when we came back home and looked like a bunch of 5 year olds.
54. Gone to a drive-in
Many, many times.
55. Been in a movie
I’ve done extra work on the tv show “Life Goes On”. It was the longest 3 days of my life and that quelled any possible ambition I ever had to become an actress.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Joined a prayer group
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
Two Thanksgivings in a row I flew to Ohio and helped a church group put thousands of meals together for homeless people and elderly shut ins. It was a very rewarding experience and I was in awe at seeing so many people come together and do something nice with out fighting about anything.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
I was a cadet girl scout and I’ve been a Brownie leader and I had to sell cookies whether I liked it or not. Then I switched to being a Daisy leader because they don’t have to sell cookies.
62. Gone whale watching
I’ve been whale watching in southern California and in Hawaii. In California we got so close to whales that I thought they were going to fling our boat out of the water with just a tiny flick of their pinkie. You feel very invincible and secure in a commercial cabin cruiser until you get near a whale …that’s when you realize just how small you really are.
63. Received flowers for no reason
Both of my husbands were very generous at bringing me flowers for no reason. Of course they were the flowers that you buy from the illegal immigrant on the freeway off ramp but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
I was always too thin to donate when I was younger. You had to weigh 100 pound and I didn’t break 100 pounds until I was well in to my 20’s. Then when I was diagnosed with cancer at age 33 I wasn’t allowed to donate…so I guess the easy answer to this would be no.
65. Gone sky diving
YES!!!!!! And I want to go again. Who’s with me??
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
I haven’t done that but just recently I went to the Japanese Museum in Los Angeles and I saw their Manazanar Exhibit. It really made me furious to think that the government just plucked all of the Japanese people out of their homes, schools, jobs, etc. and put them behind barbed wire fences just because of their ethnic back ground. Innocent children…families of G.I’s who were fighting on our side….just thrown into camps so the government could keep an eye on them. It just made me sick. Then I stopped and remembered after 9/11 how afraid I was of anyone who looked like they were from the middle east. That must have been how the powers that be felt back in the days of Manzanar. I’m glad more humanity was shown to the middle eastern people of America after the 9/11 tragedy.
67. Bounced a check
I bounced one small check over 30 years ago and just about died of humiliation. Then when I was in the process of divorcing my first husband he cashed a check from our joint bank account for over $100.00 at Vons. That’s a felony! I still can’t write checks there.
68. Flown in a helicopter
Not yet but I want to. Anyone have a helicopter??
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
I have a bunch of my childhood toys. I don’t know why I insist on saving them at this point.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
Again, not if I was starving to death.
72. Pieced a quilt
I used to be the advisor of a “Key Club” http://slp.kiwanis.org/KeyClub/home.aspx and we participated in many service projects. One of the funner things was “The Binky Patrol”. http://www.binkypatrol.org/ This is a world wide group that makes blankets and then donates them to children that need them. Some of them are kept in the trunks of police cars, some of them are kept at homeless shelters, some of them are kept at hospitals…the Binkie Patrol believes that EVERYBODY should have a blankie. And I agree with them. Our group made several quilts and I know they were going to a wonderful place but they were still hard to relinquish.
73. Stood in Times Square
I’ve been to Times Square on several occasions. The last time I was there I was sitting on the steps of an Army Recruiting station and a kitty came out from under the steps. A news paper reporter took my picture and asked for permission to publish my photo. I said yes, but I have no idea what news paper it was for and thus never saw it. Also, in or around Times Square I was standing there, minding my own business, taking a picture…when…a…bird…shit in my purse and on my head. My fellow traveler thought this was hilarious. There wasn’t a napkin to be seen. She’s lucky I didn’t clean myself off with her sleeve.
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
I have been fired twice from the same company! One of my first jobs was at a bank in down town Los Angeles. I worked in the real estate loan department. I was fired for “grossly taking advantage of (my boss) good nature”. (“Good nature”!!! HA!!!!) A couple of days after being let go they called me and asked if I would like to work in the branch. Anything was better than nothing so I went back. I can’t remember how long I lasted but it wasn’t long. It was one of my many stints in Hell.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
Last summer my sister and I hoofed it all the way to Buckingham Palace from our flat nice and early so we could get a good spot to watch the changing of the guard. As the minutes passed the crowd grew larger and larger. We waited and waited and there was no changing of any guard. Apparently when there is even the slightest hint of inclement weather they do not have the ceremony. The weather forecast called for a slight possibility of rain that day but we never saw a rain drop. It would have been nice if someone could have made that announcement before we all waited for over an hour.
77. Broken something extremely expensive
I wrecked my mom’s Country Squire station wagon. Does that count?
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
Husband #1 had a motorcycle. He took me for a ride and before I got on I made him promise 2 things: that he wouldn’t go fast and that he wouldn’t go on the freeway. He did both and he’s lucky I didn’t pee his pants.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
I have been to the Grand Canyon twice. It is much more glorious than you would ever think a big hole in the earth would be.
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Got a tattoo
83. Been to a coffee shop in Amsterdam
84. Seen the aurora borealis in person
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
I could NEVER do this. This is one of the main reasons I gave up eating meat in 1974 and have never looked back.
88. Had chickenpox
Yes, and I was very pretty, as was my twin sister.
89. Saved someone’s life
When my oldest nephew was a baby he found a penny in the shag carpet and he put it in his mouth. I walked in to the room just as he was turning purple gasping for air. I swooped him up by his foot and while he was hanging upside down I slapped his back. The penny went flying across the room and he was able to breath again. I am truly thankful that I found him when I did but I am more thankful that I didn’t break his back.
90. Sat on a jury
I was a jury foreman on an attempted murder trial. It was very exciting. Our verdict: guilty. The entire jury was very smart and thoughtful….with the exception of one woman who was so dense I thought I was being punked.
91. Met someone famous
See previous post
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
My best friend died in a car accident after leaving my house and the thinking the accident had only been a fender bender her parents called me to go pick her up at the accident site. When we got to the accident site it was the most awful thing I’ve ever seen. Another story for another post.
I’ve lost all 4 of my grandparents and my dad and two beloved cats.
94. Toured the UN
95. Hiked to Machu Picchu
96. Swam in the Indian Ocean
97. Conversed with someone when neither of you spoke each others language
When I worked at the high school it was my job to enroll new students. We had people enrolled at the school from Mexico, China, Japan, Turkey, Greece and they didn’t speak a lick of English. Somehow I managed to get them enrolled and we didn’t even have to draw pictures!
98. Dirty danced
Not on purpose...but one time back in the days of disco...I was wearing a tube top underneath a sheer blouse. And I was dancing...whoo hoo...dancing machine....dancey dancin'...la la la...and I raised my arms up and the tube top went down. I tried to be as discreet as possible and then I thought DISCREET? I'm half naked here...so I just blatantly pulled it up and thanked God that YouTube hadn't been invented yet.
99. Been stung by a bee
The first time I was stung by a bee was on the road traveling with a drum and bugle corps. We were in Pennsylvania and I was standing out in an open field at a high school watching the drum corps rehearse. All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain and I thought I had been shot with a bb gun. In. My. Butt. I grabbed my butt and went running to the cafeteria where the rest of our group was and told one of the mothers my story. I was relieved to know that I had only been stung by a bee and not shot with a gun. The mother poured vinegar on it and the pain instantly went away. Remember that…it could come in handy some day.
100. Acted in a play.
My latest foray in to play acting was in 2005. I was working at the high school and they had a few parts for adults in the spring musical. I was cast at Lulu Warniker in “Footloose”. Lulu is the aunt of the main character. She doesn’t even have any lines in the moves! I had 6 lines and you could almost hear me in the front row! I never got that Tony nod I was promised….

The Jason Show Interview

For the last year I have been reading a blog by a wonderful man named Jason. http://www.jason-thejasonshow.blogspot.com/ He is smart and funny and good looking and one of these days I hope to get to meet him. He's one of the few bloggers I follow who actually lives in southern California. A couple of days ago he created this very fun project:

Jason Interviews the Blogosphere
Welcome to Jason Interviews the Blogosphere, where Jason interviews you with questions that other bloggers like you wrote! Each blogger who has volunteered to be interviewed has been matched up with questions written by other Jason Show readers.

Here is my Jason Interview:

1. What is your ultimate fantasy?

I come home from work and discover that my house key won’t unlock my front door. As I stand there thinking…”WTF”… a town car pulls up and the driver gets out and tells me that this home is not up to my standards and that my new home is now down the street. I get in the town car and we drive down Pacific Coast Highway. The driver pulls in to one of the 3 story homes that has direct ocean views out of every window. “This is your new home”, he says. “I can’t afford this, I can’t live here…” I say. The driver then tells me “This house is bought and paid for. It’s a new program send down from Heaven. Everyone who has survived the ravages of a life threatening disease gets to live the rest of their long, healthy life in the lap of luxury. This is your home.” I walk inside and all of my kitties are all ready there. They are all sweet tempered and delighted to see me. Ashleigh doesn’t dart for the opened door and Nort doesn’t wobble when she walks. They have all been trained to use the toilet and their favorite thing in the world is to have their nails clipped. The house is fully furnished with furniture that deflects cat fur.

As I walk through the house in awe I am delighted to see my reflection in the mirror. I am now much taller and I have legs for days! “OMG! Look at my legs!” I scream. My next thought is to look at my chest. “TWO BOOBS!! I have TWO boobs and they’re magnificent!” I’m so happy I start to twirl. As I spin I’m shocked to see my former husband, (Husband #2). “What are you doing in my fantasy house!!!???” I ask him. “As penance for throwing you under the bus in 2005, uhm, my job for the rest of my life is to clean your toilets, but I’m not allowed to talk to you.”, he says as he quickly disappeared.

I walk further down the hall and see a door with a sign that says “Music Room”. I open the door to peek inside and I see Jackson Browne sitting on a stool plucking at a guitar.” “Oh, hi.” he says. “I’m just working on the phrasing of a new song that Todd and I wrote about you. When he gets back, we’ll sing it for you, ok?” “Todd?” I say. “Yeah”, says Jackson. “Todd Rundgren. We live here with you and we will sing and play for you when ever you want. We will also have our friends come over and sing for you, too. You are our new best friend and we will teach you how to sing with us. Steven Tyler will be here in a while so you’d better rest up!”

My bedroom is upstairs. It has a picture window with a panoramic view of the ocean. There is a big beautiful bed full of pillows and comforters. There is a fire place off to the side. I open the door to a walk in closet full of clothes that all sort, wash, dry, iron and put their selves away. And the shoes! Oh the shoes! Glorious designer shoes, comfy fluffy slippers, fun tennis shoes and stilettos of every color known to the rainbow…and none of them make my feet hurt! There are purses to match every shoe and sunglasses to match every purse. Towards the back of the closet I see that all of the pants have elastic panels across the front and the shirts are all blousy. Maternity clothes, I wonder?

“Dinner is ready”, I hear from the kitchen. I walk toward the kitchen and I meet my new chef who will forever more do all of the food shopping, cooking and washing of dishes. I ask my chef if she knows why there are maternity clothes in the closet. She smiles as she tells me that my infertility problems are no longer an issue and that even though I’m 48 years old I have been granted the ability and energy and health to finally give birth to my very own child.

My head is spinning at this point so I go in to the dining room and sit at the lavishly set table so that I can eat dinner. I hear the door bell off in the distance and then I hear the door open and close. I hear the cook say something about “the man of her dreams”…and then he walks in to the dining room, bends down to give me a kiss and says, “Honey…I’m home.” I’m stunned as I say, “Welcome home, my Keanu. Welcome home.”

2. What is your ultimate nightmare?
Having an earthquake while I'm sitting in the doctors office being told that the cancer has come back, having an anxiety attack, with snakes everywhere and then finding out that it is true that no one reads my blog.

3. Which do you prefer, spiders or snakes?
I would rather be in a vat of spiders than to be in the same general vicinity of even a tiny little baby snake.

4. Where is your favorite travel destination?
I love Haliewa, Hawaii more than any person should love a destination. It is the most peaceful, tranquil, beautiful place I have ever been. I want to marry Haliewa.

5. Who is the most famous person you know personally?
Years ago I spent a summer in Hawaii with my sister’s family when her husband was shooting the television show, “Baywatch Hawaii”. Anson Williams, “Potsie” of “Happy Days” fame was the director. We were at the set every day and we all got to know Anson pretty well. I feel fairly confident that he would know who I was if we ran in to each other, but we do not keep in touch.

6. BONUS QUESTION: Would you rather only be able to eat super spicy foods or super bitter?
What kind of honorary Mexican would I be if I couldn’t eat super spicy foods? I live on spicy Mexican food.

Disneyland news....

Dream Maker

Does anyone remember the very short lived television show "Richard Simmons Dream Maker"?

Well, I filmed an episode but of course my segment never aired.

YAY~~~I GOT TAGGED!!!

My fabulous friend Margaret from "Mamadrama" (http://blogs.chron.com/mamadrama/) tagged me for a "Six Random Things About Me" meme. Margaret is going to having very first baby in the next couple of months...and it's a boy. I've been reading her blog at a different site before she even started writing for Mamadrama...so we go way back!

I love getting tagged!! I love that Margaret reads my blog. ( I also love that Kathy, Katie, Kristy, Kim, Big Hair Envy, Tori, Mother, Amanda, Deb, Mhari,Joy, Lois,Courtnie & sometimes Jason read my blog. If I didn't name you it's because I don't know that you are reading. Drop me a line and let me know...)

So, here's the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. CHECK
2. Post the rules on your blog. CHECK
3. Write six random things about yourself.CHECK
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up. CHECK
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1. My biggest regret in life is that I put off having a baby and then when I decided that it was time I found out that I couldn't have babies.
2. When ever I hear music I want to do 2 things: dance to it or conduct it. Most of the time I do at least one of these things, much to the chagrin of Amanda.(caveat..not when I hear rap. I don't consider that music. It's irritating noise)
3. Something I never thought I'd hear myself say but is now oh, so true: It would be the answer to many of my dreams to own my own washer and dryer. (Dream big...)
4.I didn't eat a single piece of Halloween candy.
5. I. Hate. My. Job.
6. If my sister was on the moon, and it was covered in fire and there were monsters everywhere and she needed help I'd be the first one to get up there and rescue her but if she was in the room next to me and it was full of snakes...she'd be on her own.

Sadly enough I'm not on friendly enough terms with any other bloggers so I don't feel right tagging anyone. But I'd like to encourage Tori, Amanda, Katie, Kathy, Deb, Courtnie & Mhari to start their own blogs and use this as their first post.

I was tagged!

I get so excited when someone reads my blog and even more excited when someone comments on it...but when someone goes to all the trouble to tag me for a meme and then actually write about me in an effort to introduce me to her readers...well....THAT JUST MAKES MY DAY!

This funny lady: http://bighairenvy.blogspot.com/ gave me a shout out and an invite to participate in the "7 Random/weird things about me" meme. Most people who know me would probably have a hard time narrowing it down to only 7 things but I'll see what I can do.

Here we go:

1. Don't be alarmed if you ever get something from Tanu or Tsmi. When I type too fast that is how my name turns out. I try to correct it if I see it but if I'm in such a big hurry that I can't spell my name right....there's a pretty good chance that I'm not going to see all of my mistakes.

2. I talk to Lorenzo all the time. He's deaf. He can't hear me. This doesn't stop me.

3. I used to eat pizza with a fork because I didn't like getting my hands dirty.

4. Apparently when I eat I take the food off of the fork with my teeth instead of my lips. I didn't know I did this until my nieces started to mock me and tease me about it.

5. I habitually check 5 or 6 books out of the library, only read 1 of them and then turn them all in after they are over due. If I had a credit card at the library the interest rate alone would bankrupt me.

6. I drink diet Coke. Not regular Coke. Not Pepsi. Not Diet Pepsi. There is no substitute for diet Coke and those other 3 drinks that I mentioned are weasel piss as far as I'm concerned.

7. I love it when people tell me that my daughter and I look just alike....simply because she isn't blood related to me at all. I raised her and she's mine but I didn't give birth to her.

Some of this might be old news...I can't remember what I've written before...so if this isn't new then I'll try harder next time.

She picked ME! She picked ME!

Kristy from "She Just Walks Around With It" at: http://shewalks.blogspot.com/
tagged me to do the "8 Random Things" meme. Since "She Just Walks" was the very first blog I ever read I feel as though I've been touched by a celebrity. She and I have a few things in common such as being divorced, she knits - I crochet, we both have cats and we like to make people laugh. If you do nothing else today you must go to her site and read her entries. Read her archives...she is very funny. (I've stolen the phrase "breezy elegance" from her..)

When she tagged me she mentioned that Blogger apparently hates me. The reason for this is the fact that I simply am not able to post a comment on her blog. I've tried so many times to leave a comment and when it didn't work I thought that I had just skipped a step or input some info incorrectly but no matter what I do it will not work. So instead of leaving comments I email her directly. I am happy to say that she is always so kind as to reply to my emails. You rock Kristy! Thanks for making me feel special.

So, first things first. I was told that I had to post this before I started my list:

We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.

Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So now, ladies and gentlemen...8 Random Things About Me:

1. I once got to pet a giraffe. I was at the Los Angeles zoo and they had the giraffes in a temporary pen and apparently it was not made for giraffes because there was one big ol' guy standing in the corner of the enclosure, in the moat. The enclosure was below floor level and the giraffes head just cleared the top of the enclosure. No one else seemed to notice that there was a giraffes head sticking up but I saw it immediately and I slowly walked over to it. He was trying to lick up a piece of trash. I knew he shouldn't be eating trash so I moved it out of his reach and then reached over and petted him. He felt just like a horse, short hair, soft, warm. He licked my arm with his looooong tongue and then I feared that any lotion I might have had on my skin would make him sick so I decided to leave him alone.

2. I have music from "The Animaniacs" cartoon characters on my iPod and if I'm by myself when I'm listening to it I sing along just as I would if I were listening to Jackson Browne.

3. My twin sister and I have had the same 4 front teeth capped and are missing the same first molar on the top.

4. My favorite pie is Key Lime. 99% of the time when I go to Marie Callendars and order it...they don't have any.

5. When I was in little kid I was playing in my back yard when all of a sudden with no warning a swarm of plain clothes policemen came jumping over our chain length fence carrying high powered rifles. My sister and I ran in to the house and tried to convince our parents that there were men with guns in our back yard. It turned out that they were closing in on someone who was visiting our neighbor who had just robbed a liquor store.

6. I want to start my own wedding photography business with my sister.

7. I have a new Krazor phone. It's red. I hate everything about it and should probably return it but I know I won't.

8. When I'm at home and I go in to the bathroom and shut the door I truly look forward to the puppet show of cat paws that usually follows. Now that I have 3 cats there are usually at least 3 paws and a tail waving under the door.

Now here's the really hard part. I don't have any personal friends who write a blog, (except for my niece Hannah at "Hazel Peepers"), and I'm very hesitant to tag 8 bloggers that I don't really know....so I will put out some tags and hope that none of my fellow bloggers will hold it against me. As a matter of fact if any of the people I tagged are ever in the greater Huntington Beach area...please contact me and we'll go out for a glass of insanely expensive Merlot. Except for Hannah. She can have Dr. Pepper!

All of these bloggers are very funny and brighten my day every time they post. I can't stress enough how much I want all of my readers, uh, reader, to check out these blogs,(And when you do check them out..leave a comment and tell them that TamiW sent you. That's right, no space between the I and the W.) I tried SOOO hard to post links but it wouldn't work....I'm beginning to re-think my illusion of mad computer blogging skills...)

1. Staci from "Very Pink" www.verypink.com

2. Margaret Sally from "Just Me" http://margaretsally.blogspot.com

3. Mindy Sterba from "Mama Drama" http://blogs.chron.com/mamadrama

4. Emily from "Not That You Asked" http://captainhambone.typepad.com

5. Y from "Joy Unexpected" www.joyunexpected.com

6. Hannah from "Hazel Peepers" http://hannahshazelpeepers.blogspot.com

7. Neil from "Citizen of the Month" www.citizenofthemonth.com

8. Sher from "Wiping the Crazy Off My Face"
http://ocd-chick.blogspot.com

I've been tagged!!!

This is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in weeks! I've actually been tagged to participate in a meme by one of my internet friends! "Big fat hairy deal!", you say? Well, yes it is. I have been a blog stalker for a little over a year. I leave comments on my favorite blogs and while I want to feel like I'm participating in a conversation...my comments pretty much get lost in the crowd. Like I'm talking to a wall. Then I found Staci at http://www.verypink.com/. She is very funny, she is fun, she writes me back every time I leave a comment and she doesn't hold it against me that I want to see a dog picture in every one of her entries. She and her significant other, Chris, have 4 basengis and I've come to be very fond of Gus, Ike, Lou and Abe. Staci is also an amazing knitter and she (almost) inspires me to want to learn how to read a pattern.She is my very first internet/blog friend and I'm very happy to participate in the meme. Anyone who is reading my post...please drop by verypink and start reading about Staci and her boys. Let her know I sent you.

So without any further fanfare I will participate in my first official tag.

The Rules: Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs seven facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

1. I just got a haircut and I think I now bare a sad resemblance to Little Lord Fauntleroy.

2. I tivo "That 70's Show".

3. I love to hear my 3 years old nephew refer to swim wear as a "bathing soup", so I prod him to do it over and over until he gets irritated with me and walks way.

4. I love kitty feet:


5. One of these days I hope to be able to fill my house with house plants. And I don't mean just a couple of hanging ferns...I want my house to be like a rain forest with trees and palms and flowers.

6. This guy makes my heart pound:

(Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith. I took this picture a couple of years ago and I can't find the bigger version. Sorry!)


7. I will make an 80 mile round trip for ice cream if this is what is waiting for me when I get there.

Long lost post....

This post was written way back in March when I was participating in the weekly questions posted for bloggers who needed something to write about. I did a few of them but got no comments or feedback so I stopped using that format...but as I go through my archives I hate to leave anything I've written unpublished so here goes.....


Do you like or dislike change?

Getting a new job or rearranging the furniture, taking a different route to work...that kind of change I enjoy. I color my hair and that is always an adventure in change. For some reason my hair is never the same color two times in a row. If I didn't enjoy change something like that would have probably driven me nuts by now. However, I am the person who has had "Million Dollar Red" finger nails for over 10 years. I am the one who will go to The Spaghetti Factory and order the "manager's special" every single time. If a family gathering takes place and my mom doesn't make macaroni salad I am bent out of shape for days. I hate looking like I don't have a firm opinion on this subject so after giving it much thought I decided if I had to chose between being stuck in a rut, day after day, week after week, or have my life be a whirl wind of change...I'd take the change. And just to show that I'm serious I just might walk out of the nail salon with PINK finger nails next time. I don't know if my mom, the QUEEN of routine, will be able to handle it. Have the oxygen ready.

How many times in your life had you had a broken heart?

There is a line in a song where the singer is talking about having his heart broken in 56 places. I have used that quote many, many times in regard to my own heart being broken. I was an emotional, moody child. My demeanor was only slightly better as a teenager. My heart got broken on a daily basis. As a child it was the big things that got to me; not getting my way...having to go to bed... somebody making fun of me...yeah, the big things. Then as I got older and my interest in boys grew...THAT'S when I really knew what a broken heart felt like. The fact that I wore my heart on my sleeve made it very accessible for breaking purposes. Instead of making this entry a "who's who" list I will just say that I've had my heart broken many times and it does not get any easier with age. In fact I actually think it gets harder. The last time my heart was broken it was broken in to such little shards and tiny pieces that I don't know if it will ever all get put back together completely. I truly hope my last heart break is, in fact, my last heart break.


Name a book that you'd like to see made in to a movie

Every book I read, as soon as I have embraced all of the characters and settings, I immediately cast the movie in my head. I wish every book I read was made in to a movie. I have read all of Janet Evanovich "Stephanie Plum" novels. I have a circle of friends who have also read them and we played a game where we wrote down who we would like to see play all of the recurring characters. It was amazing in that we all chose the same person to play the lead character, Stephanie Plum. Sandra Bullock was our unanimous winner. It was also amazing in that not one of us chose the same person to play any of the other characters! If anyone who reads this blog also reads "Stephanie Plum" books, let me know who you've cast as Stephanie, Grandma, Lula, Ranger, and Morelli.

If you could thank one teacher for what they taught you who would it be and what would you thank them for?
I think this will come as a shock to those who have known me since high school. Most people will assume that this post would be all about Mr. Smith, my journalism teacher. He did teach me a lot including how to maintain my dignity at an awards ceremony where I was not given any awards. I digress... This post will be about my drama teacher, Mrs. Harrelson. She was the only teacher in my life who allowed me to be me and she celebrated me. Even though I spoke up in all of my classes I was never encouraged to let the guard down and just be me. In drama I was not a stand out student. I wasn't fond of learning dialog or reciting poems or attempting to choreograph dance scenes..however...when our class got to the "Improve" section, I. ROCKED. THE. HOUSE. I stood up in front of my classmates and I made them laugh. Somehow it happened again and again. It wasn't a fluke. I was funny. Mrs. Harrelson said that she had never been so shocked. While I was never a wall flower I was not one of the typical drama students who idolized the rock band "Queen" nor did I live in the drama room or attempt to date Bobby Oliver. It was a wonderful new awakening and I'm very sorry that I waited until my junior year to take the class. So, thank you Mrs. Harrelson, for laughing at/with me and for celebrating me.

If someone made a statue of you, in which pose would you like to be?.

I would like to be in the following pose: completely ensconced in Jackson Browne's arms with him peering lovingly in to my eyes. And I would have to insist that we posed for the statue for hours and hours and hours just like they did in the old days. If Jackson Browne isn't available then My Keanu will do just fine. That sounds like so much more fun than a typical Tami pose. A typical Tami pose would be with my hands on my hips and one hip cocked out of joint and my eyes rolling in disbelief.

Because the last Feast was so popular...

Tori and I blogged our fingers to the bone yesterday and then we alerted the media. Well, not the media but I alerted my two most ardent readers. And here we sit, although still in our respective zip codes, wondering where we went wrong. No comments. No criticism. No somersaults and hoopla. Well, to that I say, "Good Day!" (think "Fez" from "That 70's Show".) We will try it again and again until we get it right.


Tami's turn:

What is a word that your family uses that would not be considered normal?
The first word that comes to mind is "furge". I believe this to be a warped version of the word "forage", which means to "scavenge", "hunt" or "look for". This was a word that my mother's parents used so maybe it's common in the coal mining areas of Ohio. Another word our family uses that is not common is "snorky". We use this word to describe having a stuffy nose or being congested. We also use the word "skeevy" to describe things we don't like or to describe how something we don't like makes us feel. ie. "I looked down and saw a skeevy band aid stuck to my shoe." or "I was so skeeved when I saw the band aid stuck to my shoe." We have a lot of words that have become common in our collective households that sprang forth from the mouths of Tori's children. We will forever have "yaps", which are actually "laps". Someone who makes me mad will either be an "idiot foolish" or a "bongi". Those big white flowers that grow on trees will always be thought of as "magmoliums". Those colorful Saturday morning television programs are permanently labeled "watchcoons". When Andrew was little, or was it Paul...someone was harassing him and he wanted to say, "you make me irritated" and instead it came out, "you make my ear bob!" So when someone in our family is being harangued we will say..."YOU MAKE MY EAR BOB!" And lastly,I just thought of another word that we use for "irritated" in this family. I think it was Hannah who was trying to tattle on a sibling and said, "I'm ir-rat-a-tated!" We vary back and forth with our choice of "irritated" synonyms.


If you could invent something what would it be?
Transportation pneumatic tubes like they use on "The Jetson's". No more gas, no more pollution, no more car sickness...you just get in to your pod and it shoots you directly to where you need to go.

What is something you would like to do but you're afraid of the risk? Invitro fertilization, and have a baby. Due to my age and my cancer history this would not be good for me or a baby. There are no words to describe how badly this sucks.

Discuss what you looked like as a teenager. What did you look like? What did you think of your looks?

As a teenager I was short and very, very thin. I had long-ish, stringy blond hair and braces on my crooked teeth. I had freckles on my nose but other than that my skin was transparent. I had a tiny waist and from behind was all butt. If you looked really hard there were boobs but they didn't really stand out in a crowd. I remember thinking that I was too skinny and too short. And too fair skinned. I never, ever appreciated my size back then and now I would give anything to be that thin again. I never thought I was pretty or attractive. I barely thought I was ok looking. Apparently when self esteem was being passed out I was having a party behind the door. Now that I'm older I'm more comfortable with how I look. I still think I'm simply ok and I'm fine with that.

Tori's turn:

What is a word that your family uses that would not be considered common?
OK, This list will be endless.... Lets start with "foughtfie" ... its a common household item used to kill flying insects. Next..."wee aker." Gardeners use them to trim around trees and curbs. "I-die-yi"... when you get a good one of these a light bulb appears above your head. " idiot foolish", thats someone who doesn't know how to use a foughtfi or a wee aker! " The green place" a place to get instant food. Some red headed ugly kid on TV in the 70's called them borgesschmord.

" Tooth" ...the switchblade version of one of these can get you in some real trouble!

" Motecnretroll" ...men think they are always in control of these. Paul hides our in high places so Jake cant find it. They are used to change the channel of the television.

" Fluffus" Used in a sentence "Our fluffus is the mama to Tami's terrorists"

" Yard Sailing" this word has become common, but I am sure we invented it!
Now my mind has gone blank!


If you could put a tattoo on someone you know, who would it be, where would it be and what would it say?

First off, I really hate tattoos. I don't see the artistic value or beauty..I just never understood why anyone would ever do something so altering to them selves, but then the trend of body piercing and ear lobe holes came into fashion, so now maybe tattoos arent so bad??

Guess I would get a small tattoo on the back of Paul's hand that said " I don't HAVE to talk all the time" This should need no further explanation.


IF you could invent something what would it be?
A pill or shot that prevents all cancers..you get it when you are born, and live happily ever after.

What is something you would like to do but you're afraid of the risk?

Become a doula, or a midwifes assistant. I think that would be the most life affirming job ever! But one thing goes wrong and someones future is changed forever!

Discuss what you looked like as a teenager. What did you look like? What did you think of your looks?

I rarely dressed trendy, trendy was not comfortable. Trendy was also expensive. I would have liked to have been taller, maybe have less in the thigh area, thicker hair would have been nice, but I was pretty happy with my looks.
I think Hannah looks just like me and Hannah is a BABE!

Feast 3 with a twist!

Today's feast has a fun twist! I gave Tori the same 5 subjects to write about and I told her that I wouldn't publish my comments on the subjects until she sent me hers. So, if you are actually getting to read this it is because my sister has decided to join me.

Ready? *Seget? GO!

If you had the money to collect something really valuable, what would it be?
It would be fun to have a fine wine collection. It would be fun to have an original Degas or Monet in my house. A couple of vintage Porsche's..woot! Fun-o-rama! Can you imagine what it would be like to open a vault in your home and see the cabinets dripping with diamonds? Ooo la la... However.. as cool as all of these things are they can all be stolen or ruined or lost. One little house fire and your Monet's and Porsche's are ashes. One little cat burglar, (would that be a "kitten burglar"?), and your wine and diamonds are all gone. So after much thought I do believe that I would collect property. It's pretty hard to lose a piece of property, I don't think even the most experienced cat burglar could steal it, a fire will singe it or a flood will make it wet, but when all is said and done after the dust settles it will still be there. I think I would buy chunks of Oahu until I owned all of the north shore. Then I'll bet those Hawaiians would give me a library card! (Inside joke. When our family went to Hawaii for the summer I applied for a library card and was turned down flat. No discussion. Just no. Go away. My friend Beth was standing in line right behind me. She gave them her application with the very same information on it and they not only gave her a library card, they gave it to her with a smile. Beth looks Hawaiian. I look Swedish. You do the math.)

If you could be on any game show which one would it be?
This will shock and amaze everyone. NOT! I tried and tried to get to be on "Rock N' Roll Jeopardy". I don't think I could be the big winner these days but I'm sure I could still hold my own. I'm sure it would be my luck that the categories would be: "Unknown Facts about Jimi Hendrix", "What Key is this written in", "Do Wop hits of the 50's", "Who wrote this: Kurt Cobain or Eddie Vedder", "Deep House Dance music of the 90's", and lastly "Death Metal Favorites".
There was a time in my not so distant youth that I could tell you more than you'd ever want to know about the stories behind songs, where musicians were from, who played guitar in which band..etc. But these days...I'm lost. I know a few of the popular names and I know where one or two of the bands come from, but the days of knowing the name of every band member and where he buys his groceries is a distant memory. So if Rock N' Roll Jeopardy comes back on television let's hope they can break it down to Rock N' Roll Jeopardy For The Middle Aged Woman. And if I hit the daily double I promise to bet it all and make it a true daily double. And if I lose then I promise to do like the avatars on the computer version of the game and fall into a heap on my podium. When we get to "final Jeopardy" if I don't know the answer I promise to write "ease o moking or ge", because I know it will make my mother and sister laugh.

Name one chore you really don't mind doing.
Well, let's see...I HATE to do dishes. I HATE to clean the bathroom. I HATE to vacuum. I HATE to change the sheets on the bed. I HATE to cook. I HATE to clean the stove. I think that only leaves one thing. I guess I don't' mind flitting around the house with a feather duster. And yes, I flit.

How many times have you moved homes in your life?
My mom did everything she could to provide my sister and I with a stable environment. We had deep roots in our house. My parents bought our familial home in the late 50's and my mom still lives there. (Much to my chagrin, but that is another whole post!) I had friends and relatives who were always moving. Packing and unpacking...it didn't seem like such big deal to me. You always wound up with a new place to live and you always got to start fresh. Fun, right? UH, NO!! I moved out of my parents house when I was 18. As of that first move I have lived on the following streets and in the following cities:
1. Granada, El Monte
2. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills
3.Ogden, Los Angeles
4.Adrienne, West Covina
5.Vista Montana, Yorba Linda
6.Terrace Lane, Yorba Linda
7.Tori's house, San Gabriel
8.My mother's house, La Puente
9.Elsberry, La Puente
10.Amar Road, West Covina
11.Rowland, Covina
12.Columbia, Hemet
13.Beachwood, Hemet
14.Some other street, Hemet
15.Hayland, La Puente
16.Sunflower, Covina
17.Badillo, Covina
17 1/2 Badillo, Covina (same building, moved down stairs.)
18.Barranca, Covina
19.Sunflower, Covina
20.Mulvane, La Puente
21.My mother's house, La Puente
22.Huntington Street, Huntington Beach

That is 22.5 moves in 28 years. I'd rather have a root canal than move again. Of all the places I've lived my favorite abode was the house on Adrianne. It was a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, living room, family room, nice size kitchen/dining room, back yard with a patio, nice view. That was the only time in my life that I was the noisy neighbor. We threw lots of parties and had many visits by WCPD. Good times. Great house.

How old were you when you had your very first kiss?
I remember that my first kiss was on the 4th of July, 1977 and it was given to me by Doug Bybee. I knew it was coming and since I didn't know "how to kiss" I tried everything to avoid it. Luckily it was just a peck on the lips so I didn't have to humiliate myself once it finally arrived. (Sad, yet semi humorous side note: after you read Tori's answer to this question...I dated Mark Pesl before she did and I never let him kiss me. Was I a bitch? Probably, but that isn't why I didn't kiss him. I didn't know how to kiss so I just never did. Problem solved. Boyfriend lost. Do ya think maybe that's why I never had more than one date with Ruben Provencio?)

End of my Feast. *"Seget" is what my nephew said when he was a baby when he was trying to say, "Ready? Set! Go!"

Now on to Tori's portion of the Feast:(I need to point out that we weren't even in the same zip code when we wrote these...)

If you had the money to collect something really valuable, what would it be?
Tropical summer homes that I could lend out to anyone who asked! I would start with One on each of the Hawaiian Islands, then venture out to Australia and Fiji. Certainly if I had the money it took to collect these homes, airfare would NOT be a problem. My conversations would go something like this... " Really Aunt Ardy, go ahead and stay in Canberra another week, I will just tell Debbie and Dan they can use the Haliewa hut this month!"

If you could be on a game show, which one would you want it to be?
"Deal or No Deal", there's no questions involved, only DEAL? Or NO DEAL? As soon as I was offered any where around $100,000 bucks, I would run like the wind! Aloha, we would all be cruising to Maui! I would allow everyone to go Venti!

Name one chore you don't mind doing. Vacuuming! It gives me instant satisfaction, it doesn't stink, and everyone can see what a nice job you did! Unlike doing the dishes. .. The soap drys out my hands and makes them crack. I hate to wear gloves because I drop things, and they usually break! And the dishes stink, and as soon as you are done, there is 5 more cups and spoons back in the sink, like no one ever did any dishes!

How many times have you moved in your life.
Lets see its all a blurrr.... think the first time I moved out it was when I moved in with Michael J in Pacoima, oops, I mean Panorama City. Then to Bayonne by Shoprite,( Best basement apartment in the history of basements! If only the windows weren't directly next to a brick wall!) Then to Adrienne(?), then back to Bayonne with the Orlandos. (rent free! had my own room big enough to stand up right and touch both walls at the same time!) Then home, moved to Glendale on Chevy Chase when I got married. Moved to different Chevy Chase address when Andrew was born.( two story apartment, with a new baby..what were we thinking?) Next moved to San Gabriel.(rented from an uncle, never rent from a relative...) From there to West Covina on Hollenbeck for 10 years. Then to dream home in Covina (Gated community, two story beauty with a semi spiral staircase... great schools. Close to mama and sister...) To castle in Riverside. Finally to dump in Riverside.That makes 12

How old were you when you had your very first kiss?
My first thought was a few hours old, I am sure my parents kissed me on 3/10/1960... but My guess is you are talking about from a boyfriend...so Lets go with 16 and Tom Abadie.... in Canada all from the teasing and prodding from the big mouth of Darla Davis. So that one didn't count. So I m going to say... 17 from Mark Pesl. Liked him a whole lot more then Tom Abadie and his kissing me was his idea, not Darlas!

Another feast

Describe your personality in terms of a particular vehicle.
Like a wave runner, I'm happiest when I'm in the ocean. I require minimum upkeep. I need a specialized diet. If I'm ignored I will fall apart. If I'm used too aggressively and not taken care of properly I will cease to run. But if I am treated the way I'm supposed to be I am usually a lot of fun.

If you won a shopping spree, from which store would you want it to be?
Wow! This is a hard one. New clothes? New shoes? Perfume for days? Taps finger on chin....I'm going to have to go with Ethan Allen. A couch and chairs that actually matched the side tables and lamp? A bed with an actual head board that matched the dresser? A computer desk that didn't take up the entire room? Colors of my choice? Styles based on what I liked and not what I could afford? I can't imagine how nice it would be to have a house full of furniture where nothing was second hand. I have very few items in my house because pretty much everything I own is still in storage, however...as I write this I can only think of 3 things in my house that are not second hand. My television is new, my floor lamp is new, (and cheap!), and my night stand is new. The night stand is from Target, so you know it's made of only the finest press board. I put it together all by myself and I was so proud of myself you'd've thought I whittled it from a tree branch.

Which television show re-runs do you enjoy watching?
I have watched pretty much every episode of "Friends" and yet if it is on when I'm flipping through the channels I will re-watch any episode I can find. I love Phoebe and Chandler, Monica and Ross, Rachel and Joey. I love Richard and Fun Bobby, Paulo & Joshua, Carole & her lesbian wife. I love Ben and Emma. I love the chick and the duck; Yazmine and Pamela. I love Frank Junior and his much older, home ec. teacher wife. I love the triplets; Leslie, Baby Girl Chandler & Frank Jr. Jr. I love Phoebe's twin sister; Ursula. I love Chandler's transvestite father and romance writer mother. Rachel's bickering socialite mother and sea faring father. I love Rachel's almost husband; Barry the dentist. I even love Gunther & Janice. I love Marcel the monkey and Mrs. Whiskerson, the hairless cat. I love the name on their tv guide subscription; Miss Chanandler Bong.

I love these quotes from the show:
When When Ross was telling Phoebe that he had always loved Rachel and only Rachel, Phoebe explained to Ross that lobsters mate for life and in summation she told him: "You're her lobster!"
When Ross and Rachel were "on a break" Ross slept with a girl from Kinkos. When Ross was explaining to Rachel that it was a mistake Rachel said to Ross; "Where were you trying to put it? In her purse?"

When Rachel needed to move in with Monica all the friends said they'd help. Joey asked Phoebe if she was going to help too and she said, "I wish I could, but I don't want to."
So I'm a tad obsessive.

If you could look into the future, how far down the road would you like to see? 10 years? 100 years?

I would love to be able to look 10 years in to the future so that I could see if Amanda is ever going to have a baby or if Andrew will ever get his act together. And..I'm sorry for that space time continuum that you are always hearing about when you watch movies that take you in to the future. They always say that you can't make any changes to the future...but if there was anything bad that I saw going on in their lives that I could prevent...I would do it in a heart beat. So you'd all better keep me out of your time machines.

Friday's Feast part two

Describe your personality in terms of a particular vehicle.
Like a wave runner, I'm happiest when I'm in the ocean. I require minimum upkeep. I need a specialized diet. If I'm ignored I will fall apart. If I'm used too agressively and not taken care of properly I will cease to run. But if I am treated the way I'm supposed to be I am usually a lot of fun.

If you won a shopping spree, from which store would you want it to be?
Wow! This is a hard one. New clothes? New shoes? Perfume for days? Taps finger on chin....I'm going to have to go with Ethan Allen. A couch and chairs that actually matched the side tables and lamp? A bed with an actual head board that matched the dresser? A computer desk that didn't take up the entire room? Colors of my choice? Styles based on what I liked and not what I could afford? I can't imagine how nice it would be to have a house full of furniture where nothing was second hand. I have very few items in my house because pretty much everything I own is still in storage, however...as I write this I can only think of 3 things in my house that are not second hand. My television is new, my floor lamp is new, (and cheap!), and my night stand is new. The night stand is from Target, so you know it's made of only the finest press board. I put it together all by myself and I was so proud of myself you'd've thought I whittled it from a tree branch.

Which television show re-runs do you enjoy watching?
I have watched pretty much every episode of "Friends" and yet if it is on when I'm flipping through the channels I will re-watch any episode I can find. I love Phoebe and Chandler, Monica and Ross, Rachel and Joey. I love Richard and Fun Bobby, Paulo & Joshua, Carole & her lesbian wife. I love Ben and Emma. I love the chick and the duck; Yazmine and Pamela. I love Frank Junior and his much older, home ec. teacher wife. I love the triplets; Leslie, Baby Girl Chandler & Frank Jr. Jr. I love Phoebe's twin sister; Ursula. I love Chandler's transvestite father and romance writer mother, Rachel's bickering socialite mother and sea faring father. I love Rachel's almost husband Barry the dentist. I even love Gunther & Janice. I love Marcel the monkey and Mrs. Whiskerson, the hairless cat. I love the name on their tv guide subscription; Miss Chanandler Bong.

I love these quotes from the show:
When When Ross was telling Phoebe that he had always loved Rachel and only Rachel, Phoebe explained to Ross that lobsters mate for life and in summation she told him: "You're her lobster!"
When Ross and Rachel were "on a break" Ross slept with a girl from Kinkos. When Ross was explaining to Rachel that it was a mistake Rachel said to Ross, "Where were you trying to put it? In her purse?"

When Rachel needed to move in with Monica all the friends said they'd help. Joey asked Phoebe if she was going to help, too, and she said, "I wish I could, but I don't want to."

So I'm a tad obsessive.

If you could look into the future, how far down the road would you like to see? 10 years? 100 years?

I would love to be able to look 10 years in to the future so that I could see if Amanda is ever going to have a baby or if Andrew will ever get his act together. And..I'm sorry for that space time continuum that you are always hearing about when you watch movies that take you in to the future. They always say that you can't make any changes to the future...but if there was anything bad that I saw going on in their lives that I could prevent...I would do it in a heart beat. So you'd all better keep me out of your time machines.

About how many times per day do you check your email?
My first thought on this question was: "about a million." But in reality I'd say probably about 30 times a day.

Friday's Feast

There is a website called "Friday's Feast" which bloggers can go to and get 5 topics on which to write. I know that my writings about myself aren't as entertaining as when I write about the terrorists or places I've been, but let's face it...new posts on this blog have become pretty scarce lately...so I decided to peruse what other bloggers are doing with the "Friday's Feast". To say that I was disappointed with what I saw would be an understatement. The boneheads who officially participate can put their names on the "Friday's Feast" website and it automatically creates a link to their page. Just about every blog I read had stupid one word or one line answers. What's the point? How do you get to know yourself or how does anyone get to know you if that is all the effort you are going to put in to writing about yourself?

So, with that as my preamble...let me post this warning...if you don't want to read about me, me and all pretty much me, then today and forever more please skip any posts labeled "Friday Feast". It won't hurt my feelings. Go read "Crazy Aunt Purl" instead.

And now we start on my inaugural "Friday Feast":

Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it?

Ok, when I read the answers that other people posted it made me laugh. Where on my body do I have a scar? The easier question would be to ask me where on my body do I not have a scar. I have approximately 11 scars to chose from so I will go with the highest one and the biggest one. The highest one is from getting hit on the top of my head with a camera when I was about 5 years old. I have a very clear memory of this incident except I can't remember if I was the monster or if the camera weilding neighbor, Beverly, was the monster. I just know that we were both growling at each other and we had our arms up over our heads. I saw the camera in her hand and I saw her raise it over her head. It was an old fashioned "brownie" camera. (For anyone younger than me who is reading this and thinks that I was hit with one of the teeny weenie pocket size camera's of today..think again. "Brownie" cameras were about the size of a milk carton. They were very large and very heavy.) As I saw the camera come down I thought for sure she was going to just psych me out and swing past my head. On the contrary. She hit me so hard that I saw stars. There was a lot of blood and at first I was more mad than I was injured. I couldn't believe she would actually hit me over the head. I can remember being afraid to show my injury to my mother because for some reason I thought I was going to get in trouble. It turned out that I didn't need stitches but for the last 41 years I have a spot where no hair will grow. I don't remember ever playing "monster" again.

Next I will talk about my biggest scar. Anyone who knows me knows that I've had a modified radical mastectomy. That resulted in 47 staples across my chest. For a couple of days after the surgery my incision area was numb and that was such a blessing. Once the numbness wore off it was like having a hot machette resting on my chest wall. Everytime I had to get up or lay back down it. Was. Hell. I had one staple that I was convince had pierced my lung. It hurt bad enough that I took it out myself. At that point I didn't care of my rib or lung came poking out of the hole. The staple came right out and the pain went away.(Anyone out there who thinks I could remove staples from your incisions....sorry. Not gonna happen. You'd flinch and I'd scream. We'd both be bleeding. It wouldn't be pretty.) What started out looking like a Frankenstein scar has morphed in to an almost invisible stripe. For a while it had a blue tint to it but now the whole area is transparent white just like the rest of my skin. The surgery involved removing skin, muscle and fat so now I have skin stretched over my rib bones with nothing in between for padding. Those of you who are lucky enough to still have your fat and muscles guarding your rib bones had better thank your lucky stars. Something as simple as my cat stepping on my rib is enough to make me shriek. It's a real party when a baby kicks me there or I roll over and wind up sleeping on a pajama button.

What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle?

Again, which incident to choose? I could go with the obvious and say that it was a miracle that having cancer twice and going through chemo and radiaton didn't kill me. But there was some sort of control in that situation so I can't really chalk it up to miracle status. It is also somewhat of a miracle that I didn't kill my former husband after he did everything in his power to totally ruin my reputation with everyone I've ever known. But there was control in that situation, too. Killing him would have resulted in me being put in jail and nothing having to do with him is important enough to do jail time. So..I think the miracle that I'm going to discuss is: many years ago I was driving down a very busy 4 lane highway and my mind was a million miles away. I was totally driving on auto-pilot. Without even realizing it was happening I ran a red light. I had a car zoom in front of me and another one zoom behind me, both going opposite directions. Why neither of them hit me I'll never know, but if either one of them had connected I would certainly not be alive to tell the tale. THAT was a miracle.

Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves.
Again, I find it hard to narrow it down to one person, so I've narrowed it down to 4 people on one network, on one show.

You have to live in the greater southern California area to understand this one. On channel 11 "Fox 11 News" we have had the pleasure of listening to John Beard, Christina Gonzalez, Maclovio Perez and Saida Pagon. All 4 of these broadcasters make me want to put my foot through the televison. John Beard is the news ANCHOR. He is the top dog. The best of the best. HE HAS A SPEACH IMPEDIMENT that is somewhat akin to baby talk. I can't exactly put my finger on it so I can't explain it but it drives me nuts. Then we have Maclovio Perez. He is the only Mexican in the world with the last name of Perez who pronounces it Pear'-es. Or at least he's the only one I've ever heard...and it bugs me. This makes me wonder if he is trying to feign that he is not hispanic.
Next is Saida Pagon. The way she says her name is worse than Mr. Pear'-es. She pronounces it as if it were all one word that was required to be said as fast a humanly possible and it comes out sounding like she is using the African click dialect. She speaks as clear as a bell, using the perfect kings english until it's time to say her name and then she's so ethnic it's like another person comes in and takes over her larnyx. However... these three people pale in comparisson to Christina Gonzalez. Or Hwreesteena Hone-zol-lays as she likes to call herself. This womans voice sounds like someone who is profoundly deaf and is maybe just learning how to read. She puts the emphasis on the wrong syllable, she ends sentences with prepositions, "Whhhere are you at, John?", and her tonality is that of someone who just had their tonsils and adnoids removed. (or at least that's how I sounded when I had my tonsils and adnoids removed.) I am continually amazed that this woman gets paid to speak on television.

Fill in the blank: I have always thought ______ was_____.
I have always thought the my sister was the funniest person on earth.

Friday Feast

There is a website called "Friday Feast" which bloggers can go to and get 5 topics on which to write. I know that my writings about myself aren't as entertaining as when I write about the terrorists or places I've been, but let's face it...new posts on this blog have become pretty scarce lately...so I decided to peruse what other bloggers are doing with the "Friday Feast". To say that I was disappointed with what I saw would be an understatement. The boneheads who officially participate can put their names on the "Friday Feast" website and it automatically crates a link to their page. Just about every blog I read had stupid one word or one line answers. What's the point? How do you get to know yourself or how does anyone get to know you if that is all the effort you are going to put in to writing about yourself?

So, with that as my preamble...let me post this warning...if you don't want to read about me, me and all pretty much me, then today and forever more please skip any posts labeled "Friday Feast". It won't hurt my feelings. Go read "Crazy Aunt Purl" instead.

And now we start on my inaugural "Friday Feast":

Appetizer
Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it?
Ok, when I read the answers that other people posted it made me laugh. Where on my body do I have a scar? The easier question would be to ask me where on my body do I not have a scar. I have approximately 11 scars to chose from so I will go with the highest one and the biggest one. The highest one is from getting hit on the top of my head with a camera when I was about 5 years old. I have a very clear memory of this incident except I can't remember if I was the monster or if the camera wielding neighbor, Beverly, was the monster. I just know that we were both growling at each other and we had our arms up over our heads. I saw the camera in her hand and I saw her raise it over her head. It was an old fashioned "brownie" camera. (For anyone younger than me who is reading this and thinks that I was hit with one of the teeny weenie pocket size camera's of today..think again. "Brownie" cameras were about the size of a milk carton. They were very large and very heavy.) As I saw the camera come down I thought for sure she was going to just psych me out and swing past my head. On the contrary. She hit me so hard that I saw stars. There was a lot of blood and at first I was more mad than I was injured. I couldn't believe she would actually hit me over the head. I can remember being afraid to show my injury to my mother because for some reason I thought I was going to get in trouble. It turned out that I didn't need stitches but for the last 41 years I have a spot where no hair will grow. I don't remember ever playing "monster" again.

Next I will talk about my biggest scar. Anyone who knows me knows that I've had a modified radical mastectomy. That resulted in 47 staples across my chest. For a couple of days after the surgery my incision area was numb and that was such a blessing. Once the numbness wore off it was like having a hot machete resting on my chest wall. Every time I had to get up or lay back down it. Was. Hell. I had one staple that I was convince had pierced my lung. It hurt bad enough that I took it out myself. At that point I didn't care of my rib or lung came poking out of the hole. The staple came right out and the pain went away.(Anyone out there who thinks I could remove staples from your incisions....sorry. Not gonna happen. You'd flinch and I'd scream. We'd both be bleeding. It wouldn't be pretty.) What started out looking like a Frankenstein scar has morphed in to an almost invisible stripe. For a while it had a blue tint to it but now the whole area is transparent white just like the rest of my skin. The surgery involved removing skin, muscle and fat so now I have skin stretched over my rib bones with nothing in between for padding. Those of you who are lucky enough to still have your fat and muscles guarding your rib bones had better thank your lucky stars. Something as simple as my cat stepping on my rib is enough to make me shriek. It's a real party when a baby kicks me there or I roll over and wind up sleeping on a pajama button.

Soup
What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle?
Again, which incident to choose? I could go with the obvious and say that it was a miracle that having cancer twice and going through chemo and radiation didn't kill me. But there was some sort of control in that situation so I can't really chalk it up to miracle status.

It is also somewhat of a miracle that I didn't kill my 2nd husband after he did everything in his power to totally ruin my reputation with everyone I've ever known. But there was control in that situation, too. Killing him would have resulted in me being put in jail and nothing having to do with him is important enough to do jail time.

So..I think the miracle that I'm going to discuss is: many years ago I was driving down a very busy 4 lane highway and my mind was a million miles away. I was totally driving on auto-pilot. Without even realizing it was happening I ran a red light. I had a car zoom in front of me and another one zoom behind me, both going opposite directions. Why neither of them hit me I'll never know, but if either one of them had connected I would certainly not be alive to tell the tale. THAT was a miracle.

Salad
Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves.

You have to live in the greater southern California area to understand this one. There is a newscaster who's name is Sayeda Pagon...the way she pronounces her name makes me want to put my foot through the television.

Main Course
What was a funny word you said as a child (such as "pasketti" for "spaghetti")?

I have had perfect diction since I learned how to talk. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. (Mother, if you have a story to the contrary please let me know...)

Where I'm From

I found another writing assignment...This one is called "Where I'm From". For your dancing and listening pleasure...Here is what I came up with. At the end I will include the template so you can do one yourself. If you do one....Please share it with the class. (If you read the template you will see that I added some of my own ideas because that is just how I roll!)


I am from pot roast and brown potatoes, Chinese noodles and no drinking with dinner. I am from Camel cigarettes and Coors Beer, from Avon "Here's My Heart" perfume and the oddly round bottle of "Shalimar". I am from barrio Puente, V13, Fairgrove Falcons, Workman Lobos. From the red kitchen counter, nicotine stained white walls, baked beans and Pyrex dripping from the ceiling. I am from the golden chrysanthemums spilling over the back fence, Nana's fern on the front porch and rose bushes from every color of the rainbow along the perimeter of the yard. I am from the long green spears of grass with black dust on the ends that are perfect for drawing whiskers on your sister's face on hot summer afternoons, from dough boy pools that seemed as big as the ocean to a 5 year old, from the play house that had real windows and a working door, from a heavy metal swing set and the best, (only), tether ball pole on the block. From the vegetable garden that produced enough tomatoes and zucchini to feed a small nation, from the pumpkin vine that was apparently planted exclusively for my turtle's dining pleasure, from the twig of an ash tree that grew so big that it uprooted my bedroom floor. I am from Fifi, Pepsi, Duke, Bambi, Geeter, Kinardly, Bootsie, Rover, Miss, Fairday, Puff, Fred & Ethel, Lucy and Ricky, Scooter, "Spoon Spoon", Edna, Kilroy, and a live chicken in my bedroom. I am from school shopping at Sears and JC Penney, no Levi's, no Bear Traps. I am from the "March Of The Toy Soldier" at Christmas and the gift giving orgy on Christmas eve, from what will I get Daddy for his birthday...and does it really matter because he won't say anything about it anyway. From cussing when you're mad and blessing you when you sneeze, from Otter Pop care packages when I'm sick to yard sale treasures. From Nancy Ann & Jaime Jose. I am from quiet weekends at Dan Dans, from taxi rides with Nana. I am from the voracious readers and left over eaters. From smokers and drinkers and vitamin takers. I am from the "Church in the Barn", from Irma and Brownie and cold folding chairs. I am from getting dressed up for church and tap dancing in the kitchen with my good shoes while I wait for everyone else to get ready. From "if you were wearing shoes that wouldn't have happened"and "if you break the law you go to jail". From "You just don't know how to listen", "I just called to say I love you". From "I'd just as leave" and "read the table", "furging through drawers" and "chicken bullshit". I am from my dad, as a small child, being so scared of Amy Semple Mc Pherson that he ran away from the church, from my mom as a small child asking her first real live negro sighting if she was "a big, black boogie?" I'm from Sweden, Wales, Michigan , Ohio , New Mexico , North El Monte, South El Monte , Altadena, Pasadena , St. Lukes Hospital . From onion consume' noodle soup, and from German chocolate cake on my birthday. From Papa not allowing us to get a spanking from Daddy when we knocked the Christmas tree over and the broken Sparkletts bottle creating a river of glass and water on the kitchen floor. From the sister putting her knee through the kitchen wall when she didn't get her way and "Yoo hoo, Nancy ..I'm over here". From "feather spray"and "Yoy!" From "Everyone thinks his ass is the prettiest", from "alright you two!" From "Ain't that the shits?", from "I love you a bushel and a peck". I am from pictures that have been in a wallet for so long that they are adhered to the plastic, from pictures in mother's hallway that are always intriguing no matter how many times you've seen them before. From the kitchen divider looking like a shrine to the Pendell children, from the pictures of the various Naval battalions hanging in the garage. Their value: less than the price of the paper they were printed on but I'd maim anyone who harmed them.

That's where I'm from.

TEMPLATE:

The WHERE I'M FROM Template
I am from _______ (specific ordinary item), from _______ (product name) and _______.
I am from the _______ (home description... adjective, adjective, sensory detail).
I am from the _______ (plant, flower, natural item), the _______ (plant, flower, natural detail)
I am from _______ (family tradition) and _______ (family trait), from _______ (name of family member) and _______ (another family name) and _______ (family name).
I am from the _______ (description of family tendency) and _______ (another one).
From _______ (something you were told as a child) and _______ (another).
I am from (representation of religion, or lack of it). Further description.
I'm from _______ (place of birth and family ancestry), _______ (two food items representing your family).
From the _______ (specific family story about a specific person and detail), the _______ (another detail, and the _______ (another detail about another family member).
I am from _______ (location of family pictures, mementos, archives and several more lines indicating their worth).