The 101st

Without realizing it, my last post brought me to a milestone, my 100th. Somebody out there is like, “Wait a minute, “I only count 89!” If that’s you, I’m torn between being flattered and worried. Flattered that you actually read this and worried that you counted blog posts. I only have 89 posts because the others were either, considered by me, to be too personal, borderline offensive, or just plain awful to release. Some were released and much like Disney movies, returned ‘to the vault’ because something changed or I felt they no longer represented my true feelings.

Life is messy, relationships are weird, unpredictable and much like water when it spills from a glass, flow where they will flow.

I decided for my 101st to make this a sort of time capsule for me to come back to. I completed a Things About Me quiz, the kind that people tag you to do on Facebook. Here it is:

1. Are you named after anyone?

    A. Actually no, when I asked my parents who I was named after, they shrugged their
shoulders and said “we just liked the name”. Recently I learned that it was my
Dad who ultimately picked it.

2. Where did you grow up?

   A. In the suburbs of Orlando, Fl.

3. What inspires you?

   A. Reinvention. People who no matter how old they are, or the circumstances of their life,
continue to reinvent themselves, who have fears but do it anyway. Also, creativity, being
with creative people tends to inspire me to be more creative myself.

4. What has required the most courage of you in your life so far?

   A. There have actually been a couple things. The first time I went on stage to do improv. I was really nervous the first time I performed a ballroom routine in front of an adjudicator.
The time I needed the most courage though, was giving the eulogy at my Auntie G’s funeral.

5. What is your favorite childhood memory?

   A. Being with my grandparents on my birthday. They always made it a point to delay going
back north until after my birthday in early July. It must have been a sacrifice, not getting
back to their friends and other family, but it meant the world to me that they were with me
on that day. We went to Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor and had special birthday sundaes. Every
birthday in spite of the fact that they passed away several years ago, I still miss them.

6. Are you a good cook?

   A. Actually I am. My dad graduated from culinary school and created two (2) restaurants, owning and operating an italian restaurant when I was born and he passed a lot of his knowledge
and techniques to me. I am told he built a nursery in the back of the restaurant so that I
could be with my parents when they were working. To this day, I love to cook, particularly
italian food.

7. Do you sing in the shower?

   A. Absolutely. I sing in the shower, in the car, in the kitchen, at my desk while working, when I
am working out, basically all the time. I’m pretty annoying about it. What do I sing…where do I start? Broadway show tunes, 80’s top forty, country songs, Motown, Disney songs (a lot), and people are usually shocked to hear how much ABBA I sing.

8. If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life, what would it be?

   A. Self Doubt. I wish I trusted myself and my instincts more. It would help my improv, writing and  a lot of other things as well.

9. Who was your first celebrity crush?

  A. Probably everyone, including my Mom and Dad assumed my first celebrity crush was Ricky
Schroeder. I thought he was the one everyone wanted me to like, so I was like, ‘okay, I think
Ricky Schroeder is cute’. I didn’t. My first celebrity crush was really Julian Lennon, and I still find him attractive. For the record, I never usually like who I am ‘supposed to’, i.e., I never found Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise particularly attractive. However, I’ve been
in love with Robert Downey Jr., for years. I’ve always loved him 3000.

10. What is something that amazes you?

   A. I read that sea otters hold hands (flippers) while they sleep so they don’t drift apart or lose
contact with each other. I don’t know if I am more amazed or touched by that.

11. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

  A. Night Owl. I have to get up early most mornings for work, so I’ve learned to ‘do mornings’, but my mind and my sociability, etc. are most active at night.

12. What is the last movie you saw at the cinema?

  A. Avengers- Endgame. Actually I believe I’ve seen all 22 in the MCU (Marvel
Cinematic Universe) and heretical as it may be, my heart still belongs to Thor: Ragnarok. I’ve
never laughed as hard or left a movie feeling as great as I did after Ragnarok.

13. Are you 'high maintenance'?

  A. It depends on who you ask. I've been called many things, intimidating, complicated, and my co-worker used to call me a princess until I finally broke down and said how much it bothered me. The intimidating moniker baffles me, to this day I can't listen to Don McClean's 'Vincent' without tearing up and I'm actually very soft-hearted, but I don't often show it. Maybe all of this boils down to being a little, 'high maintenance'.

14. Do you believe in love at first sight?

   A. I used to. Now I am more inclined to think that often attraction is mistaken for love. I've been attracted to people at first sight. I think that's a chemical reaction in our brain where we are hard-wired to value some features more than others. To me, love is something that develops over a period of time, and it isn't always a person that we are going to date or be with intimately. It's a person who has your best interests at heart and for some reason, you share kinship, common goals or just when you see them, your heart is full of affection for them. You cherish their dreams and their goals and want the best for them. It doesn't mean they are the right partner for you. I think finding the right partner takes time and work to develop.

15. How old were you when you found out Santa isn't real?

  A. Santa isn't real!  Actually I don't know that I was ever really encouraged to believe in Santa, per se. It wasn't really emphasized in my home. I do though to this day, believe in the spirit of Santa. I love those stories of people who perform random acts of kindness or make a little kids' day with a new bike. In fact, that's what I love best about Christmas, how it (hopefully) brings out the best in us, brings out joy, where we laugh a little more with each other and remember all of the good and the bad that happened in the year.

Thanks for reading the last 89. Now you know a little bit more about me, ( I do too) and my values.
See you next time.