Pseudo MySpace survey

Ok, pry open those memory banks with me for just a moment. Remember MySpace? Yah, come on, of course you do. That pre-Facebook social networking site with all the bugs and bad music... yeaaah, that's the one!

My friend Valerie tagged me in this blogging get-to-know-you survey thingy. It totally reminds me of the surveys folks used to fill out and post on MySpace. I thought those were fun, and yes, I miss them, so I'll oblige with this one too.

There are six rules.

1. Post these rules.
2. Post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post (i.e., Valerie's for me).
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you've tagged them.
6. No saying, "If you are reading this, you're tagged."

11 random things about me:

1. I'm nearly ambidextrous. I write right-handed, but can write fairly legibly left-handed, and can draw and paint left-handed. I can do everything else with either hand (but prefer the left).
2. I grew up on a farm in rural Minnesota.
3. Red is my favorite color.
4. I am the oldest of three siblings, and the only girl.
5. I went through a period where I was allergic to Budweiser.
6. My ancestry is Norwegian, Ukrainian, German & English.
7. There were 37 people in my high school graduating class.
8. I went to happy hour with violinist, Joshua Bell.
9. I drive a stick shift.
10. My first role in a play was Donna Lucia d'Alvadorez in Charley's Aunt.
11. My birthday is on Christmas Eve.

Valerie's questions for me:

1. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, many times, although nothing too drastic. I don't have any "I-wanted-blonde-but-it-turned-out-magenta" stories.
2. Do you prefer dogs, cats, or some other creature? Don't make me choose! I love both dogs and cats. Have cats now but would really love to have a dog again.
3. Did you participate in a sport in college?  If so, what sport? Nope, I was one of those band/choir nerds. I did go to aerobics class a few times a week though, if that counts!
4. What is your favorite hobby?  Anything art-related, specifically stained glass or drawing.
5. Where is the most memorable place you've ever been? The SS3 orphanage outside Hanoi, Vietnam.
6. What is the one physical trait you like most about yourself? Eyes.
7. What is your biggest pet peeve? Grammatical errors (their/they're/there, your/you're, using an apostrophe to make "word's" plural -- I could go onnnnnn)
8. What is your favorite thing to do for exercise? The truth is, I just plain don't like exercise. However, I could (and have) hiked all day long, or paddle a canoe for miles. I guess I need scenery to make exercise bearable! 
9. Have you ever broken a bone?  If so, where? Nope, but when I was in elementary school I always wanted to have a broken bone so my friends could sign my cast.
10. What is the worst job you've ever had? One summer when I was 15 I worked for a neighboring farmer chopping stray corn out of his soybean fields with a hoe. It was hot, muggy, buggy, and also I sliced my leg open on his barbed wire fence. Not to mention there seemed to be more corn in those fields than soybeans. 
11. If you could do anything in the world, just once, what would it be? Skydive. Just once.

MY questions for.... hmm, let's see.... [considering who might do this]................ CYNTHIA!

1. Who is your favorite band/musician?
2. Where does your furthest-away relative live?
3. Are you a nail-biter?
4. What was your major in college?
5. What was your favorite vacation as a kid?
6. What gives you the biggest thrill?
7. Have you ever sold anything on eBay? If so, what was it?
8. What's your favorite TV show of all time?
9. Have you ever run in a race?
10. If you could live anywhere but where you currently live for one year, where would it be?
11. What's your favorite thing in life?

I am in the midst of writing another blog post to get this thing caught up to my life, but this was a fun diversion. Go to it, Cynthia, your turn! ;)

Choosing my words

You know when you overhear that comment about you that you weren't supposed to hear? Something that probably would have been said in a different way with more carefully chosen words had the speaker known you'd be listening?

Yeah. That happened to me today.

We've all been guilty of bad-mouthing at some point or another. No one can be on their best behavior all the time. And while the comments I heard immediately hurt my feelings, made me defensive and stirred up a bunch of negative emotions, the words also made me think about what I had done to provoke such comments. I also got to thinking about what I say about other people who I assume aren't listening.

There is a Russian saying, "слова слова слова!" ("words, words, words!"), meaning that whatever has been said is empty and meaningless. Yet, words have immense power. Even the most innocent of remarks can cause great harm -- or great good.

How many proverbs and psalms and nuggets of wisdom have been written about choosing words wisely? One slip of the tongue can end a friendship, dissolve a marriage, ruin a business, end a political campaign or even a presidency. If words are this important, why aren't we more careful with what we say? Is it because we're lazy? Does it take too much time and effort to think about what we say before we say it -- do we think it doesn't really matter? Or is it because we live in such a fast-paced world that we assume people aren't listening most of the time anyway?

I heard a great quote by Maya Angelou when I was in college and it's one I need to remind myself of more often: "People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."

Words can wound; words can heal. Words can destroy; words can uplift. Words can ruin someone's day; words can make someone's day.

I can't control the words that come out of other people's mouths, but I can control my own. I have to believe that if I do, the likelihood of a repeat of today will be greatly diminished. And that's incentive enough for me.

Random miscellany

Nothing much to write about but feeling the urge to write. Trying to keep as still as possible directly under the ceiling fan which is on high because I'm resisting the urge to turn on the A/C in the FIRST WEEK OF APRIL. Oh, Richmond.

Does anyone else think the pollen is out of control this spring?? My red car is now a kind of yellow color. And my nose and eyes are a kind of red color. Kind of like that red bar in the graph to the left -- if you can't read it, today Richmond's pollen count was at an 11.4 on a 12 point scale. AHHH-CHOOOO Looks like we might get a little relief tomorrow.

The period key on my laptop keyboard came off a few weeks ago. For awhile I was able to press the little raised plastic thingy and it would work. It doesn't anymore. So how am I typing all these "." you ask? I copy and paste them each time. I'm kind of getting used to it. Also, my laptop is having an issue with its power source. This same problem happened about a year and a half ago. It got to the point where the A/C (different A/C) connection that the cord plugs into in the back of the computer somehow got separated from the motherboard (or something) and subsequently wouldn't charge the battery. A year and a half ago my computer was still under warranty so the nice Dell repairman came to my home to fix it.  The computer is no longer under warranty, and I'm having the same problem. It's kind of a slow computer death. Wiggling the cord helps for awhile, but eventually the motherboard connection will break completely, then the screen will go dim, then completely dark (cue Chopin's Funeral March). The hard drive is also nearing capacity, not to mention laboring to work, and the poor thing takes about 10 minutes just to start up. All this is to say that, while she's given me a good run (got 'er in aught-6), it's time to start shopping for a new laptop.

I am also shopping for a new home. My landlords next door have put their house (at left) up for sale because they are moving to the West End (in my landlord's words, "the land of plastic menus and nightmares of Cheesecake Factory") so their son can go to a good middle school. They don't really want to move there but are doing so because of their son's education. What a shame that they have to leave the city for that to happen. So, since I've been saying for awhile now that I want a bigger place, I put in my notice that I will be vacating in a few months. I really have enjoyed living in my charming little 1BR Fan apartment. But it's time to move on up (probably not to the East side though... hoping for the Museum District).

I'm flying to Minnesota in a few weeks for my best friend's son's baptism. I've been asked to be his godmother. I'm a newbie in this role so I hope I don't screw up. I'm really looking forward to meeting him. He was born about 6 weeks early and is now a handsome little heartbreaker.

A Grand Night for Singing at Swift Creek Mill is going splendidly. I have contemplated renting a harp of my own so that I can keep my fingers nimble over the summer until rehearsals start for Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming... and maybe get a wedding gig or two while I'm at it. A decent lever harp rental (like the Lyon & Healy Ogden model at right) from Virginia Harp Center is under $100/mo.

Hm..... a new computer, a new place to live, a godson, a harp, and a pay cut at work. This will be an interesting next few weeks!