Crazy 8's

The rules of the "game":

1. Mention the person who tagged me.
2. Complete the lists of 8.
3. Tag 8 more bloggers and tell them they've been tagged.

Sunny tagged me for this and I'm thinking in list-form lately so this is perfect.

Eight things I am looking forward to:
1. Returning to the U.S. – less than 3 weeks from now, but who’s counting?
2. My sister having her 1st baby in July
3. Spending Thanksgiving with my parents this year
4. Having access to bookstores and libraries with LOTS of books in English (see #1)
5. Harry Potter movie this summer
6. Eating donuts, Ethiopian food, real bacon, good coffee (see #1)
7. Baby #2 - somehow, some way, someday
8. Seeing friends again (see #1)

Eight things I did yesterday:
1. Made Thai green curry
2. Pet some bunnies
3. Stayed up late
4. Enjoyed lunch out with a toddler (no yelling or whining, fed herself - wow!)
5. Made some digital photo albums
6. Started reading "Revenge of the Spellmans" by Lisa Lutz
7. Talked to my sister via Skype
8. Celebrated my repaired internet connection

Eight things I wish I could do:
1. Speak Japanese fluently
2. See my family more often
3. Play golf
4. Calligraphy (well enough to get a certificate)
5. Make money by reading or blogging
6. See my Grampa again
7. Write a book
8. Cook on the fly (no recipe needed)

Eight shows I watch:
1. How I Met Your Mother
2. 30 Rock
3. The Office
4. Burn Notice
5. Psych
6. Monk
7. Top Chef (not since I left the U.S.)
8. American Idol (not since I left the U.S.)

Eight favorite fruits:
1. Strawberries
2. Apple
3. Bing cherries
4. Peaches
5. Pears
6. Blackberries
7. Pineapple
8. Watermelon

Eight places I'd like to travel:
1. Italy - esp. Florence
2. Egypt
3. Prague
4. Munich (Oktoberfest!)
5. Miami (I've been watching a LOT of Burn Notice)
6. New Orleans (jazz and cajun food!)
7. Hawaii
8. Somewhere in Africa where I can go on safari

Eight places I've lived:
1. Schenectady, NY
2. Niskayuna, NY
3. Menands, NY
4. Geneva, NY
5. Melbourne, Australia
6. Osaka, Japan
7. Seattle, WA
8. I suppose we could count my other apt. in Schenectady....

This may not be 8 but I'll tag:
Sara
Lulu
Annacyclopedia
AnnZ

What's sexy about that?

Mrs. Lemon Cake (one hot mama!), gave me the Sexy Blogger award.

I'm going to take a stab at 5 reasons why I'm a sexy blogger:

1. I shower, do my hair and apply a touch of make-up every day (okay the make-up may only happen every other day). This may not seem like a big deal, but for the first several weeks after I had Peanut, this was a major accomplishment.
2. I once owned a pair of thigh highs and I'm thinking about getting another.
3. I've been known to go all night long (reading or caring for my daughter that is).
4. I've read enough romance novels that I know quite a few fun words for the male and female sexual reproductive organs. Some of these words make me giggle. I find it humorous that we try to give these names to bodily functions and parts.
5. I'm a mom, but I'm more than that. I think it's sexy to be "all that and more"!

Honesty

Beautiful Mess gave me an award and meme. The honorees of this award are to: A) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep! B) pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

1) I am great at starting projects and terrible at finishing them. For a long time I liked to believe I was good at follow through, but now I’m trying to own up to the fact that when it comes to hobbies I just get lazy or distracted and move on. Also, I’m obnoxiously late with sending out holiday cards. You may get one from me, but it will likely be after the fact. I hate admitting this about myself.

2) I was 2 weeks away from proposing to my husband when he beat me to it and proposed to me. Our 5 year anniversary was approaching and I decided I'd just propose to him then and see what he said (I figured he couldn't refuse me!), but he surprised me by proposing just before Christmas instead.

3) I enjoy living in Japan right now and I'm glad that we're here so that our daughter can experience living with an extended family nearby. BUT, as much as I love my husband's family most of the time, I'm sad that it's not MY family we're living in close proximity to.

4) I'm a fairly shy person and sometimes have a hard time making the effort to extend invitations and “put myself out there” to make new friends, but I work hard at it because I like having friends. However, I often feel that my desire for friendship is greater than that of others who seem to already have a set group of friends and deep roots that don't include me.

5) I used to sing a lot - multiple choirs in high school etc. I gave it up in college though because the director of the college chorale was clueless. He wasn't half as good as my high school director and I couldn't stand being around someone who thought he was G*d's gift to music when I was certain I could direct better than he could.

6) I worry that one or both of my parents will die before they reach a ripe old age (say 80+ years old). Since they're already in their mid and late 60's that's not all that far off. I'd really like for them to be around for at least another 30 years!

7) A person very close to me was in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend and I still feel guilty that I didn’t see it until after the fact.

8) I’ve been a feminist for as long as I can remember. This quote from Rebecca West pretty much sums it up for me, “ I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.” This makes #7 especially hard to live with.

9) There’s a part of me that’s a little sad that I had an epidural when my daughter was born. I’m not at all opposed to pain killers during childbirth; I think everyone should have lots of options and I’m not about to judge. At the time, I was so happy just to have my baby that I didn't really care how it happened. Upon reflection I think I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t have the confidence in myself and my husband that we could work together to cope with and manage the pain. I think I’m stronger physically than I let myself believe I am.

10) I occasionally binge on romance novels – many of them quite trashy. This isn’t a fact that I share with people. I read a lot of other stuff too and I prefer to discuss my other reading habits with people rather than be judged for reading romance. This is ironic because a mentor of mine (a woman who earned a PhD while raising FOUR children) was the one who told me about how she binged on romance novels as the ultimate escape. I still respected her even after she told me this tidbit about herself and I followed her lead!

As for tagging 7 others, I'll toss out a list with the understanding that lots of people don't want to do another meme....And if you're not tagged, I've left a couple of slots open - go for it!

Tagged:
Antropóloga
Sakura Flavored
Best of Three Worlds
Sunny in Seattle
Baby Smiling in Back Seat

In a word: Me

Eva tagged me for this meme and since we've got company today this is the quick and dirty version of the one-word meme:

Where is your cell phone? America
Where is your significant other? Kitchen
Your hair color? Brown
Your mother? Funny
Your father? Sweet
Your favorite thing? Family
Your dream last night? None
Your goal? Joy
The room you’re in? Bedroom
Your hobby? Reading
Your fear? Snakes
Where do you want to be in six years? Comfortable
Where were you last night? Home
What you’re not? Fighter
One of your wish-list items? Oven
Where you grew up? Schenectady
The last thing you did? Bath
What are you wearing? Pajamas
Your TV? Off
Your pet? Zeek
Your computer? Essential
Your mood? Upbeat
Missing someone? Everyone
Your car? None
Something you’re not wearing? Swimsuit
Favorite store? Bookstore
Your summer? Hot
Love someone? Absolutely
Your favorite color? Purple
When is the last time you laughed? Tonight
Last time you cried? Weekend