The A to Z of Me

I don't usually do random memes, but I saw this one over at Jenn Flynn-Shon's Randomness and Lunacy and decided to go for it.

So without further ado, here are twenty-six utterly useless facts about me.

Age:     I just turned 40.  I'm thrilled.  Can't you tell?

Bed size:     King.  When Tom and I got married, he had two cats and I had two cats, and our respective cats had territory disputes.  Even with all the extra space in the bed, it still wasn't enough.  My two are still with us and his two have died, poorly replaced by a feline juvenile delinquent he picked up at an Iowa shelter.  Now all three of them camp out on or against me, and leave him alone.

Chore you hate:     Anything to do with cleaning.  Seriously, I need to find room in the budget for a cleaning lady.  Soon.

Dogs:     I've never had one, but we like the idea of a big dog for the kids.  Maybe someday when we achieve that magical combination of having a yard big enough to accommodate a big dog, stability enough to believe we won't be moving away from that yard anytime soon, and the disposable income sufficient to see to the dog's needs, then we'll do it.  Of course, by then the kids will have moved out and have families of their own...

Essential to start my day:     On January 2nd I gave up coffee in an attempt to beat the insomnia that's plagued me for the last twenty-five years.  (It wasn't a New Year's resolution; that's just the day I ran out of coffee beans after weaning myself down from three cups to two to one.)  Since then I've been experimenting with various herbal teas, but I haven't hit on a winner yet.  So really, I have to admit that I haven't effectively started my day since January 1.  (And no, I'm not sleeping any better.)

Favorite color:     Green.

Gold or silver:     I've always been partial to yellow gold.  Silver, white gold, or platinum just doesn't look good with my skin tone.

House or apartment:     We're renting a very nice house right now, and definitely have a strong preference for houses over apartments.  I don't want to hear my neighbors, and I don't want them to be able to hear me.  Maybe someday we'll buy, but not with housing prices being as stupid as they are right now.

Instruments played:     Once upon a time I played a halfway decent campfire guitar.  Maybe when my kids get a little older I'll break it out again and begin to teach them the basics.  I don't think I've touched it (other than to move it from one house to another) in about twelve years.

Job title:     Mommy, wife, homeschool teacher, household manager, writer, owner and editor-in-chief of Quiet Publications, treasurer and office manager of Quiet Software.

Kids:     I've directly or indirectly referenced my kids in three of my answers so far.  I've got a four-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter, and they are my life.

Live:     Wherever it makes sense.  Right now Nashua, New Hampshire, and hopefully that won't change anytime soon.  This is where both Tom and I fell most at home.

Married:     When some of my husband's siblings first met me they described me as the 'Female Tom.'  I beg to differ.  Tom is the 'Male Karen.'  Neither one of us is perfect (thank goodness!) but we're perfect for each other.

I'll give you a moment to get over the sugar shock from that last one.

Never again:     Rural ministry.  I realize there are some decent congregations out there in rural areas (at least I've heard rumors to that effect) but my own experience was so toxic and damaging that my family and I are still dealing with the fallout three years later.  It's extremely unlikely I'll ever serve in parish ministry again, but if I do, I'm looking at urban ministry, possibly suburban.

Other fun fact:     Oh boy, what to do with this one.  I've decided that 2013 is the Year of Quiet Publications.  I've been writing a lot of devotions for the daily devotions feature I'll be relaunching on May 19, in the hopes that I'll have enough of a cushion that I won't fall behind again if (when) life gets in the way.  I'm nearly finished editing a bible study I plan to publish, I'm working on a novel, and I've got to choose from half a dozen nonfiction projects I'm planning.

Pet peeve:     Political extremism.  As long as we're spending our efforts demonizing those who don't agree with us and uncritically justifying our own positions, nothing's going to get any better.

Quote:     So many to choose from!  "When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye.  I turned to look but it was gone; I cannot put my finger on it now.  The child is grown; the dream is gone."  -Pink Floyd, "Comfortably Numb"

Righty or lefty:     I'm a righty, but my mother was a lefty and taught me how to do everything as a lefty.  So now I'm fairly ambidextrous, which I've found comes in pretty handy sometimes.

Siblings:     None, and I hated it.  That's why I knew I had to have at least two kids.

Time you wake up:     Several times in the night.  Lately I've been trying to get up at 7:30 so I can have some writing time before everyone else gets up.

University attended:     Rhode Island College, UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, Fitchburg State College, Western New England College, Lesley College (actually graduated with a bachelor's!), Andover Newton Theological School, Boston University School of Theology, Wartburg Theological Seminary (actually graduated with a master's!), Northeastern University.  Also sampled Boston College, Harvard Divinity School, and UMass Lowell.  Maybe I ought to write another blog post explaining all that.

Veggies you dislike:     I'm with Jenn on this one.  Mushrooms--blech!

What makes you run late:     My kids.  (That's my story and I'm sticking to it, even though those who have known me for a while know that I've always run late, long before I had kids to blame it on.)

X-rays:     I've had a few, but none recently.

Yum food:     Peanut butter and dark chocolate.  I've been known to take a spoonful of peanut butter (I use the kind that has one ingredient: peanuts) and scoop it up with little Dove Dark Promises.  If I'm more in the mood for salty, then I pop popcorn the old fashioned way (in oil, on the stovetop) and flavor it with copious amounts of salt and melted butter.

Zoo animal favorite:     It's been so long since I've been to a zoo that I can't honestly answer this.  Guess I'll have to take my kids this spring and find out.  I'll get back to you.