100 Things about Me, Part II

This time I saw clear to save my wine-drinking for after completing my list.

51. I know how to give subcutaneous shots. I have given shots to my cat, my husband, and myself.
52. I am the only person I know who likes to listen to NPR while working out.
53. I am not very good with the concept of right and left. I often say “Turn left!” when I mean “Turn right!” and vice versa.
54. In third grade, I cheated on a math test, a timed multiplication test. I am still feeling remorse, and no, I’m not Catholic!
55. I’m actually not anything, as far as religion goes. My parents are Methodists, but not practicing.
56. My parents got divorced when I was 5.
57. I am very independent and hate to ask for help.
58. For many years I drove a 1975 Volvo station wagon that had been in my family since it was brand-new. I really loved that car, but the New England winters with all the salt on the roads killed it.
59. I can name all 50 states in alphabetical order.
60. When I lived in France, I gave up chocolate for Lent because everyone I knew was giving up something, so I figured I might as well give up something, too. I lost my taste for chocolate during that time, but I worked hard to get it back.
61. With my husband’s help, I have come to understand that a dessert does not have to include chocolate to count as dessert.
62. I really enjoy drinking wine, but I am no connoisseur.
63. I love to learn new things and I’m always coming up with things that I would like to go back to school and study. My latest is acupuncture.
64. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What’s better than food and family?
65. I have a strict “no Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving” policy because I hate the way Thanksgiving gets drowned out by Christmas commercialism.
66. I know every single word to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.”
67. I love to travel. I have been all over the US, to Costa Rica, the Caribbean, many European countries, Canada, Gabon, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.
68. I can only stay awake for movies by eating popcorn. Otherwise, it’s lights out, baby.
69. I NEVER, EVER see things coming when I’m watching a movie, even if everyone else knows what’s about to happen.
70. I’m very gullible, except with my husband who can sneak nothing past me. I can read him like a book.
71. I hate shopping. Really.
72. I recently bought makeup for the first time since high school.
73. Thanks largely to Peace Corps, I am a pop culture void. But luckily, my husband is a fountain of random trivia and useless facts.
74. I never watched much TV as a kid, except for Little House on the Prairie.
75. I am a huge Red Sox fan (Jason Varitek is my favorite player).
76. When I was pregnant I became a football fan, although I have no real allegiances there. (I root for whoever my husband says we like or against whoever we hate.)
77. Again, I hate to choose favorites. But if forced to pick a favorite book, it would be Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.
78. I don’t like to reread books or rewatch movies. Exceptions for movies are Babe, March of the Penguins, and Lost in Translation.
79. The first concert I went to was Men at Work. I was in the sixth grade.
80. The only dogs I like are Daschunds.
81. I am one of the few people I know who really enjoys public speaking.
82. I hate ice in my drinks, no matter how warm the weather or how warm the drink.
83. If a drink has ice, the only way it is tolerable for me to drink it is through a straw.
84. I actually always prefer a straw, if a straw is available. And unless the drink is wine or beer or some other alcoholic beverage.
85. I have green eyes.
86. I love to rub my eyes and can do so even with my contacts in place.
87. I am a crier. I cry when I’m angry. I cry when I’m frustrated. I cry when I’m sad. Sometimes I cry when I’m happy. I’ve become less of a crier as I get older, but overall, crying is a good release for me.
88. For a long time (and before I was married), I didn’t think I wanted kids. Then I thought I only wanted one. Now I have two. And that is perfect.
89. No one, and I mean NO ONE, looks worse in baseball hats than me.
90. I have terrible hand-eye coordination.
91. Partially due to my poor hand-eye coordination, I am truly terrible at all team sports. Can’t throw with any accuracy, can’t hit things, can’t keep track of what my teammates are up to.
92. I hate the game charades with the passion of a thousand burning suns.
93. I’m a decent Scrabble player.
94. I passed the Foreign Service exam on the first try, but chose not to join the Foreign Service.
95. I was a good teacher, but a bad disciplinarian.
96. I was a total geek in high school and worry that my kids will get away with murder because I have no idea what kinds of naughty things teenagers do.
97. During high school, I practiced the oboe for three hours a day.
98. My daughter is named in part for Madeleine L’Engle, my favorite young adult novelist. My son is named in part for our fertility doctor.
99. I’m a Mac user, but not one of those militant, holier-than-thou Mac users.
100. I had no idea that it would be so difficult to come up with 100 things about myself.