Mama Meme

Kim tagged me for an "Eight Random Facts About Me" meme. So, since M&M haven't done anything cute yet today (unless you count Molly hitting her brother or Max using a Kleenex box as a step stool), you're stuck with this. Here are the rules: Each person starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog post and include these rules. At the end of your post, you need to tag eight people and then leave them a comment telling them they're tagged (I think everyone I would tag has already been tagged, so I'm making this an open meme -- if you haven't done it and you want to, consider yourself tagged!).

1. I have certain favorite pieces of silverware that have specific functions. I always eat ice cream with a metal baby spoon (I think it was mine when I was little, but I'm not sure). It's the perfect size/strength for eating Ben & Jerry's straight out of the carton, and the small bites make the ice cream last longer and keeps it from hurting my cold-sensitive teeth. I have a funny, old round soup spoon that I always use to eat soup, but only when I'm eating soup on my own (otherwise I use the standard-issue spoons that everyone else at the table is using). Then there's the fork that I've named "Excalibur" and its counterpart, "Spooncalibur."

2. I always have to brush my teeth and go to the bathroom right before I go to bed. It doesn't matter if I've just gone ten minutes before and don't really have to go -- I have to use the bathroom again right before bed or I can't sleep. And, if I wake up in the middle of the night, I have to make a trip to the bathroom before I can go back to sleep. As you might imagine, between pregnancies and night-waking babies, that's been a big inconvenience these last few years. Likewise, I can't go to sleep with dirty teeth -- I have to floss, brush, and use mouthwash before I go to bed (but, as long as I haven't had anything to eat or drink, I don't have to repeat that process directly before going to sleep).

3. I secretly love Julia Roberts movies -- I have no idea why. She must be the actress I hate to love, and if there's a Julia Roberts repeat on cable, I'll watch it. From "Mystic Pizza" to "Stepmom" to "Mona Lisa Smile" (and everything before, after, or in between), I'll watch them all -- again and again and again. I think I might be in love with her hair.

4. Which brings me to my shameful Hugh Grant confession -- I also love Hugh Grant movies (again, no idea why). He always comes across as a bit of a git, but I love watching him anyway. "Four Weddings and a Funeral" is one of my favorites (I might also love John Hannah -- probably because he reminds me of a guy I had a crush on in high school). Although Hugh Grant can't take all the credit for FWAAF -- I also love it because they quote one of my favorite W. H. Auden poems in the movie (this one, in case you haven't seen the movie ;). I've seen "Nine Months" more times than I can count (yes, the remake, not the original), and I love "About a Boy" (but, I like Nick Hornby in general, so at least I have another excuse). And, of course, I can't forget "Notting Hill," which has the grand distinction of starring both Hugh Grant AND Julia Roberts and which I actually saw for the first time while I was in England, and I then had to do the gross tourist thing and go there to visit the Portobello Road Market. Sadly, I did not run into Hugh Grant there and he did not spill orange juice on me (*sigh*).

5. I like to go on eating holidays. When I'm planning a trip somewhere, instead of being mainly concerned with what museums or sights I want to visit, I plan out what I'm going to eat. Stone crab claws and key lime pie in the Florida Keys; deep dish pizza in Chicago; fish and chips, ploughman's lunch, pasties, and cream tea in England; clam chowder in New England; gumbo and beignets in New Orleans (well, ok, I was about ten when we went to New Orleans, so I suppose I wasn't involved in the food choices ;). I keep an ongoing mental list of all the places I'd like to visit and all the food I'd like to eat!

6. I don't like to kill insects (with the exception of mosquitoes and fleas). I'm not scared of bugs and they don't bother me, but I'd generally prefer not to have them as roommates. If I find a wayward spider or a house centipede or a pilly bug, I catch it in a jar, carry it outside, and send it on its merry way. Live and let live.

7. I've worked in the IT field for almost 13 years now and I still don't own a PDA. I prefer to carry around an old-fashioned paper planner and keep track of all my meetings, projects, lists, and notes that way. I can barely remember to keep my cell phone charged (and I'm constantly forgetting to charge up my iPod) -- the last thing I need is another electronic device to keep track of and in good working order. Although I generally don't like paper clutter, there are some things that can't be replaced with electronics -- I don't think I'll ever want to read books on electronic devices. Curling up on the couch with a Kindle wouldn't be the same -- I love the different paper and typeface and covers and sizes of a real book (and I don't have to charge it!). I spend most of my day starting at a screen -- I read books to get away from that! On a related note, I also worked on websites for years without ever having a web page of my own -- it wasn't until Max was born that I finally made myself a place on teh Internets.

8. I hate calling to order pizza -- ridiculous, but true. I actually don't really like making phone calls of any kind, although I don't mind receiving them. I'm not sure why that is -- I must have had some bad phone experience in my childhood that I've repressed. ;) It probably doesn't surprise you, then, that I think email is one of the greatest inventions ever (although I do sometimes miss writing and receiving real letters).

There you have it -- eight reason why I'm a total nut (as if you didn't know that already ;).