Fifty Little Tidbits...

...about l'il ol' me (in no particular order):

1.) My nickname growing up was "Ladybug" because I had red hair and freckles.
2.) I have three brothers and always wanted a sister. I still do.
3.) My dad is my hero.
4.) I'm old enough to remember removing pop-tops and sticking them INTO the drink.
5.) I grew up in Berkeley in the 60's, but I'm not a hippie.
6.) I rebelled as a teen by becoming a cheerleader. That, to my radical family, was absolute defiance.
7.) I have truly loved three men in my lifetime. I still love all three of them.
8.) According to Myers-Briggs, I'm an ESFJ -- The Provider (Extroverted/Sensing/Feeling/Judging)
9.) I work in a high tech industry, but I'm not really techy. (I am, however, a geek!)
10.) I absolutely love my cat... and I swear that he absolutely loves me.
11.) I wish I were as smart as my oldest daughter.
12.) I forgot how to drive a stick shift.
13.) Deep inside of me is a broken heart.
14.) I have never loved or really accepted my body, yet I make media about positive self-esteem and body image.
15.) I remember names and dates very easily. I forget where I put things when I clean (drives hubby nuts!).
16.) I think about Germany a lot. My heritage is there and I feel it calling me sometimes... (Yes, I'm a bit nuts!)
17.) I love almonds and fall leaves.
18.) I look at men's wedding ring fingers. It's a habit; not sure why. My husband has never worn a wedding ring. I wish he would.
19.) My oldest son makes me laugh more and harder than anyone has, ever. He could absolutely be a stand-up comic if he wanted to.
20.) My twins -- the grandchildren of a German Jew -- were born exactly as the Berlin Wall was coming down. Like on that day and within those hours.
21.) Bavaria feels like home. Can't explain that one either -- except that it was my mother's home...
22.) I think a man speaking German is incredibly sexy.
23.) I seriously considered marrying a sexy Bavarian man.
24.) I kill any plant I own. I simply forget to water it.
25.) I was born with two thumbs on one hand. The extra digit was removed when I was a baby, but hands are still ugly, as I bite my nails. Tried to stop a few times; it's torture.
26.) I'm willing to bet that my youngest son will someday be a US senator... at least.
27.) I love domestics -- sheets, towels, dishes, etc. Forget the bee-line to clothes when I go shopping -- I head to the pillows and mugs!
28.) I long to go to Florence again, but I don't think I ever will.
29.) I've had some blissfully perfect days in my life. I remember the best of them by date.
30.) I do media about physical activity and good nutrition, yet I lack in both areas.
31.) I can do this bizarre thing with my tongue. I am a tongue contortionist.
32.) I should be working right now. I'm being paid to write this!
33.) I talk in my sleep. I've walked in my sleep, too.
34.) I insist on taking a bath every night. If I don't, I can't sleep.
35.) I'm curious about Ecstacy but I don't like drugs.
36.) I long to feel a baby move inside me and to breastfeed again, but I'll never again do either.
37.) I am a Certified Childbirth Educator and doula, but I haven't taught a class or attended a birth in years.
38.) I'm more comfortable in a group of men than in a group of women. Both my daughters feel the same way. I think it comes from having a couple of brothers.
39.) I love going to sleep. I also love waking up.
40.) Somewhere deep inside, I'm shy.
41.) Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" makes me instantly sob, no matter where I am. (Happened in Safeway once...) It reminds me of my mother's death because my brother played a slideshow of his kids to its accompaniment during her few last lucid hours.
42.) I would have been a good midwife. I often wonder if I went into the wrong profession.
43.) I wonder what it's like to be in my husband's head. Sometimes I totally GET him and other times I can't for the life of me figure out how he thinks.
44.) I long to go to Greece. Can it really be as beautiful as it is in movies?
45.) I have a novel in my head. Will I ever put it on paper?
46.) I love my husband, but sometimes I'd like to take a 6-month "marriage sabbatical."
47.) I think that the most exquisite and perfect piece of music ever written is Christoph Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Spirit."
48.) I'm not scared of death. That is a gift from Mom, who had a beautiful, peaceful, almost holy (especially for an atheist!) death.
49.) I'm a product developer/manager by trade, but I think I'm a marketer (and a midwife?!) at heart.
50.) I only like bacon when I'm camping. Any other time, I think it's disgusting.