mostly 5s meme

As seen at Tartelette.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was getting used to the idea that I had almost died and hadn’t. In January 1997, I had a catastrophic brain hemorrhage caused by an Arterio-Venous Malformation. There was a good chance I could have died from it, and when it became obvious that I was going to live, my doctors (yes, I had an entire team of doctors) warned me that I would probably never be able to read again (the part of the brain that focuses my eyes was damaged) and that I could have lingering side effects similar to what stroke victims suffer (lack of control on one side of the body, for instance). My AVM was inoperable by traditional means because doctors would have had to cut my head in half to get to it, so I elected to have a stereotactic radiation treatment in June 1997 to cause the AVM to wither away over time. For about two years after my brain hemorrhage, I had intermittent numbness/pain/weakness in my hands, arms, legs, and feet; those gradually faded away. Obviously I can read, although it takes much more concentration from me now than it did pre-hemorrhage. Everything takes much more concentration from me now than it did before, but I’m not complaining.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Finishing up my dissertation. I wrote the bulk of it during six weeks of summer 2006.

Five snacks you enjoy:

1. a perfectly ripe peach
2. dark chocolate
3. whole wheat toast with butter and apple butter or jam
4. Swiss cheese
5. fresh vegetables and warm pita with hummus

1. the coroner’s song from The Wizard of Oz
2. ”Go Insane” by Lindsey Buckingham (who knows why I know these lyrics, but you’d be surprised at how often it seems appropriate to burst into singing this song)
3. ”Changed the Locks” by Lucinda Williams
4. ”Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
5. ”Happy Birthday” (I’m desperate--I’m not really a lyrics person, I must admit)

1. Give half my money to my sister (we made a pact years ago that if either of us ever gets rich, we’ll split the wealth).
2. Pay off the house.
3. Start a foundation to give college scholarships to single mothers, ex-cons, and whoever else strikes my fancy.
4. Travel the world, starting with Peru.
5. Tell T to quit working. He’d love to be a house spouse and I’d love to have a house spouse.

1. Eating too many yummy desserts. I have a model diet—lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains; no bad fats—with the exception of the desserts I eat. I love excellent desserts—ice cream, cake, pie, cobbler, mousse, oh my.
2. Obsessively checking email (I’m working on it).
3. Multitasking. It never works out well for me. My concentration level is pretty crappy anyway, but whenever I try to do two things at once, like writing a blog entry while having a conversation with T (hypothetically), I end up coming off as an idiot.
4. Starting to read multiple articles and/or books all at once. I usually have one book at work that I’m reading, one in the bedroom, and one in the living room. Plus articles, which I usually carry around with me in my purse and read in short bursts while I’m waiting for something. This relates to multitasking, obviously.
5. Misplacing my coffee. I make a cup of coffee and carry it around with me until I’m done with it, except that I somehow seem to leave the coffee in a random place before I’m actually done with it, and then I’ll be sitting at my computer and realize I don’t have my coffee, and then I have to retrace my steps until I find the coffee.

1. Reading. I love to read fiction, non-fiction, letters, blogs, news, magazines, student writing, pretty much anything. When I was a kid, I would read everything on the cereal box while I ate my cereal. If there are words in front of me, I’ll read them.
2. Working out.
3. Listening to someone tell a good story. My dad tells a great story; even if he’s telling a story I’ve heard a hundred times already, I am happy to hear the story again because he tells stories with such flair.
4. Hanging out with loved ones. Spending even a few minutes with T, Lily, my sister, my dad, or a good friends can be like a mini-vacation.
5. Planning, cooking, and serving a really good meal. I like figuring out the perfect balance of flavors, textures, and colors for an occasion.

1. Tall bangs. I had some really tall—I mean scary tall—bangs in the ‘80s. Not a good look.
2. Tapered pants. Again, not a good look.
3. Neutrogena SPF 70 sunscreen.
4. Pointy toe shoes. Yeah, they look good, but they make me bitchy.
5. Giant shoulder pads. I never wore really huge Dynasty ones, but I did wear ones that were out of balance with the rest of me.

1. Capresso. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my coffee center?
2. Laptop. I use it constantly.
3. Cell phone (for texting, not talking—I hate talking on the phone)
4. Lily’s bike. These days, there’s nothing more fun than running behind Lily while she peddles madly down the sidewalk.
5. Yoga mat. Keeps me sane.

tags: coffee  dessert  food  health  lily  me  meme  technology  

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