because the world is round, it turns me on

I'm feeling much better today, I promise. To answer the call of fellow weblogging friends, I present my answers to the following questions. Actually, I don't consider this a freebie; making lists is something I'm dreadfully bad at, but I relish the challenge. This is my life, and it's ending one second at a time.

ten years ago: would put me at the ripe age of 17, just beginning at U of Michigan and desparately trying to find my niche there. I lived in 4th Cooley hall of East Quad, which I chose because someone in high school told me, "That's where the freaks live." Sweet. Me and my orangey-blonde dyed hair will fit right in. I was learning how to make friends where you don't know anyone, which is tough when you're an introvert. Also quickly deciding that frat parties were hideous but minor theft to decorate your dorm room was okay (read: shopping carts, street signs, and dorm lounge furniture). And so the journey began, for the next 6 years.

five years ago: well, apparently I was still at U-M, only in grad school instead. I was married to the person I had dated on and off since senior year in high school, and everything was looking peachy. I rode my bike everyday to my research lab, 5 miles one way up and down through Ann Arbor--it was lovely (you can hit 10 over the speed limit going down Broadway hill without pedaling). This was right around the time I discovered that Allegra and drinking don't mix. When four drinks puts you in a near-coma state on the floor of the bathroom, something is awry. You'd think they'd put warnings on the prescription bottle, no?

one year ago: some things remain constant, while others change. Learning who I was all over again. Finding strength in my faith. Re-prioritizing my life. Struggling desperately with life and God. Coming to terms with a failing relationship. Growing more in a few short months than in the previous five years.

yesterday: the morning was a hideous lack of motivation, in spite of copious amounts of tea. Switched to coffee in the afternoon and the situation began to improve somewhat. By mid-afternoon I was wired, but still not getting anything done (see anxiety post below). Excited by the prospect of going to a meeting in Ann Arbor to talk with some BLUELab folks about an engineering project in the Dominican Republic to improve water quality in a remote village. Eat a lovely fresh mozzarella and pesto sandwich (from Amer's Deli) at the meeting. Unexpectedly watch The Red Violin and love it. End up having an amazing night that was the polar opposite of the morning.

5 songs I know all the words to: "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" - REM (if you sing it at karaoke, people are extremely impressed); "Walk on the Wild Side" - Lou Reed; "Flim" - Aphex Twin (trick answer: it has no words, but I can sing the whole thing in my head because it's my favorite song in the world); anything off of They Might Be Giants' album Flood (Brian and I used to drive around singing it for the better part of high school. We'd even take separate vocal parts when appropriate); "Her Majesty" - the Beatles (thrown in for complete randomness; plus it's one of the best album-ending songs ever).

"I want to tell her that I love her a lot /
But I gotta get a bellyful of wine"

5 snacks:
toasted almonds, unsalted
blueberries, especially with ice cream or in 2% milk;
pears, lately, but not those green ones
peanut butter on toast, where the peanut butter gets a little gooey and delicious
sticky rice wrapped in nori, though I've only had it in Japan--it was fabulous.
anything with coconut in it (including coconut popsicles).

5 things I'd do with $100 million: well, if it weren't for the feds doling out money like crazy, I'd say build 1,000 homes in hurricane afflicted areas. Oh, I'd probably keep some for myself and spoil the family and friends as well, but that's really what I'd like to do.

5 Places I'd Run Away To: Brooklyn. Paris. My own private tropical island. Somewhere where people live happily without electricity or cars, but I'm vetoing Amish country. SE Asia (if only for the food).

5 Things I Would Never Wear: self-tanning spray, though body glitter is totally okay. a speedo, unless I was in a swimming race, which I don't plan on so there. High heels (my calves look just fine in flats, thank you). A pocket protector, ironic halloween costumes excepted. Thrift store socks or underwear (I don't even know why it's there).

5 Favorite TV Shows: Frontier House on PBS (that reality show where people lived in 1880s-era Montana). Simpsons. Kids in the Hall. That show where they operate on people on Discovery Channel. Any nature show with Lorne Greene narrating.

5 Greatest Joys: people. peaceful mornings.
lying underneath trees, looking up through the branches, and listening to the wind. music that is so good it hurts. watching someone you love sleep peacefully in the wee hours of the morning.

5 Favorite Toys:
age 5: bicycle and sandbox.
age 8: bicycle and G.I. Joe guys.
age 11: BB gun to shoot G.I. Joe guys.
age 14: toys are dumb.
age 27: bicycle.

5 Favorite Movies: they're in my blogspot profile, I'm too lazy to repeat them here. Actually, I can't even say these are my favorites, they're just movies I've seen a lot. The best film I ever saw was this short film at the Ann Arbor film festival. It was totally silent, hyper-saturated 16mm shots of Hong Kong where suddenly giant 747 jumbo jets would fly over the scene in slow motion. I sat enraptured for the eight minutes or so of the film. If anyone could ever tell me what the name was or who did it, I would be eternally grateful (this would have been around 1997 or '98).