me, me, me ... A to Z

Got tagged by Kerstin for an A to Z meme. 

Accent - Yer basic 'merican.  I also have a good ear, and have been able to absorb accents from lots of different places.  This also means I'm a bit of a chameleon ... when I hang out with my friend G from NC, I find myself slowin' down mah speech and soundin' a bit ... suuthern' ... and when moved back from Oz, my US friends said I sounded slightly Australian.  (to the aussies, i never sounded like anything but a yank ...)  I think the chameleon talent has also helped me avoid most Jersey-like accent tendencies (... or so i'm told ...).

Booze - Not often.  I have very little tolerance for alcohol ... if I drink half a glass of wine, I'm loopy ... and then it's time to snooze.  (guys love it, i'm a cheap date ...)  But I do like wine.  Red wine particularly.  If I don't have to drive anywhere, I might go wild and drink a whole glass or two.  (and i recently got introduced to a champagne that could turn me into an alcoholic ...)

Chore I hate - Anything requiring a left brain. 

Dogs/Cats - Don't have any pets at the moment.  (although i kinda think of my plants as my 'green pets' ...)

Essential electronics - Cell phone, laptop.  I miss having a digital camera.  (the one i used in the past belonged to the guy formerly known as schweetie.)  (must look at the financial picture and see when I can get one ... [uh oh, an activity for that pesky left brain!] ... then again, we could always think about it tomorrow at tara ...)

Favorite perfume - I have a really keen sence of smell.  Daf (what i'll call the ex-husband/friend who i usually call 'ex-husband/friend,' but it's too damn clunky, so ... henceforth he shall be known as 'daf' - which is already one of his nicknames, so it's easy to use ...) ... Daf used to be amazed by how I could smell someones perfume from the other side of the room - or how I could smell someone smoking a cigarette in the car ahead of us - even when all our windows were closed.  He'd often wonder aloud "how could you make some money with that nose?"  Alas, if there was a way to make bucks with this nose, our paths have not crossed.  (yet another infinite option i can cross off the list.  wheew, one more down ... one step closer to discovering "the thing.")  (yeah, right ...)

So anyway, with a strong sence of smell, it's no wonder I like perfume.  They're another touchstone of memory that I really enjoy - and there are several perfumes that I use regularly.

There are actually two tiers - the first: which get a lot of wear, and then the "occasionally rotated" second tier...

Of the favorites, the one that's been with me the longest and still gets the most use? Arpege. It was discontinued for nearly a decade and I really missed it.  Smells like longing and possibility.  The other favorite is Kis Unisex.  I discovered it in Australia and you can't get it anywhere but there, so I order it and have it shipped to the US now.  I adore it.  It smells like possibility and freedom and sensuality ... which is pretty much how I felt living in Australia. 

The "second tier" of scents include: Dune.  This one is borderline top tier.  It smells like a combination of a creamsicle, sex and a day at the beach. Somehow they all mix and it smells incredibly sexy. Oscar de la Renta ... smells like my junior year in college.  Escape.  Started wearing this during my first years working in theater so it always reminds me of those days ... and a fun, wild affair with an actor I had then.  Peace & Calming - an essential oil blend that is yummy, and kinda does have a calming effect. 

As for natural perfumes?  Honeysuckle all the way.  Smells like spring ... also smells like lust on a humid summer afternoon when the sky is about to open up with rain.  Yum.

Gold or Silver - Silver. Except for Mom's gold ring.

Hometown - Several.  Homes of the heart include: Berkeley, CA (and the entire bay area); Sydney, Australia.  I've lived in and around Princeton, NJ for the longest chunk of my life, so it - and the entire NJ/NY area - winds up feeling the most "home-like" area in the world. 

Insomnia - Sometimes ... not often, thank god.  Happens more often when I'm stressed.  (and any time you have it, it SUCKS.) 

Job title - Ay, there's the rub.  We just don't know, do we Deb?  There's making money and there's what you're supposed to be DOING with your life.  Hm ... stay tuned.

Kids - Stepson Charlie.  Graduating from high school in two weeks.  Can't believe it.  Wasn't he just 5 a little while ago?  Oy; I feel old.

Living arrangements - Living with dear friend LMD (i used to refer to her as D, but LMD is short for a nickname that i actually call her, so henceforth the roomie shall be known as 'LMD').  We're going on 2 months living together and it's been a delightful thing.  If you're going to end a 2 1/2 year relationship, having a friend like LMD who opens her arms and home to you is really something.  I'm a lucky gal.

Most admired trait - In other people?  Tenacity, humor, irreverence/reverence, an open mind, loving heart, artistic sensabilities, an ability and willingness to talk ... about almost anything.  Sure there's more, but that's just off the top of my head.  What do others admire about me?  Hard to say - you'd have to ask them ... but I tend to think that the things you admire in other people are things that matter to you about yourself.  I guess I'd hope those are the sorts of things others see in me.

Number of sexual partners - None 'a yer beeswax.  (and then, as bill clinton might say: it also depends on what you mean by sex ...)

Overnight hospital stays - 1) When I was born.  (i'm a wiseass, i know ...)  2)  When I was 19, for a wicked case of mono.  3) In my mid-thirties to remove a fibroid tumor from my uterus that was the size of a small cantaloupe (i have pictures of it too - and they are strangely cool).   4) Stayed over with my mother in her room during the last week of her life ... tough stuff, but I wouldn't have missed being able to do it for nothin'.

Phobia - Don't think I have any true phobias, but I can make just about anything terrifying.  (it's that infinity thing again!)

Quote - I'm a collector of inspiring quotes/song lyrics/poems and it's hard to pick just one ... so I won't.  My top five in no particular order:

• "We must overcome the notion that we must be regular.  It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary and leads to the mediocre."  ~ Uta Hagen
• "Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing there is a field.  I'll meet you there.  When the soul likes down in the grass the world is too full to talk about.  Ideas, language, even the phrase 'each other' doesn't make any sense."  ~ Rumi
• "If you hear a voice within you saying: 'You are not a painter,' then paint, and that voice will be silenced."  ~ Vincent Van Gough
• I love Mary Oliver's The Summer Day poem, but there's something really special about this part: "I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
• And even though David Whyte's poem is called The Truelove, I don't think it's only about the love between romantic partners.  It's how I'd like love with a partner to be (so far i've only had hints of it myself) ... but I also feel like it's about finding alignment with the cosmos and taking your place in it.  And it is one luscious poem.  (hearing david whyte read it is even better ...)

Religion - Not a big fan of religion.  I'm a Yoda following, Jewish-Buddhist-leaning believer in love, nature and the Force.

Siblings - Older sister "Suz" is 1 year, 2 weeks, and 1 day older than I am.  (a seriously determined sperm fought its way through my mother's diaphragm to get me conceived.  needless to say, my folks were ... uh ... surprised to learn that i was joining the party ...)  If I falter on my "U" (below), Sister Suz can usually fill in the gaps. 

My brother "Bean" is 6 years younger than I; when we were kids I thought his reason for being was to tease me incessantly and bring me to tears. Now he is an amazingly loving father and his little kids bring me to delightful tears all the time.  A worthwhile exchange methinks.

Time I usually wake up - work days I have the alarm set for 6:19 (i don't set alarms on round numbers ... an old habit), and on non-work days?  I sleep as late as I can!

Unusual talent - I have an almost scary memory for pop culture trivia ... particularly bubble gum music of the 60s, 70s and early 80s.  (and back to the letter A, ... i can do accents pretty well too ...)

Vegetable I refuse to eat - Mushrooms.  And lima beans.  Asparagus is kinda wasted on me too.

Worst habit - Getting stuck or getting into ruts.  Actually don't know if it's a habit, but it might be.  (it's often related to the letter C issue ...)

X-rays - when necessary.

Yummy foods I make - Dad follows the Pritikin diet, but he says if he knew his number was up, he'd have me make a batch of my chocolate chip cookies (with walnuts and raisins) and snarf 'em all.  They're really good if I do say so myself.  I'm also "famous" for my Pavlova (this link doesn't go to my recipe ... but it gives you the idea ... it's heaven on a plate ...).  Got a few other favorites: ratatouille, veggie split pea soup, African peanut soup. 

Zodiac sign - Capricorn ... with a bit of Sagittarius and Cancer rising or mooning.  Don't really follow the horoscope thing, but had my chart "done" once and it was kinda interesting.  Insightful about some re-occurring patterns in my life; I actually learned from it.  It gave me a different perspective (which i'm always up for getting).

So there you have it ... A to Z all about me. 

Not tagging anyone, but if you want to play, have at it.  It's a cool writing prompt.

Comments

[maria]

This was FUN, Deb! I keep learning new things about you with every post, in addition to things I already know, like your uncanny and vast knowledge of pop culture. The chocolate-chip cookies I didn't know about, though. You've been holding out. :-)

... and thank goodness for that very determined sperm, huh? (even if it meant your mom had her hands full there with the two of you so back-to-back). At least you weren't twins.

[Kerstin]

Some great answers here, Deb!

I am with you on your regular perfumes although I don't know any of the first tier ones. I hope mine wasn't too much for your supernose when we met, I tend to overdo it at times because I can't smell it myself anymore. With your keen sense of smell you should definitely read the book "The Perfume" by Patrick Suesskind, it's very compelling.

Also really liked your quotes, they are all new ones to me.

By the way, it is typical Capricorn to not really follow the horoscope thing! :)) Alas, as you have discovered, there are some intriguing findings to be made when having your chart read. A 'good' astrologer can pretty much nail your personality down to a good sized tee.

I enjoyed this :)

Hope all is well,
Kerstin