mr. procrastination, sign in, please

Remember the Scholastic book catalogs we got in elementary and middle school? I can especially picture sitting in my third grade classroom at Roby Elementary with my favorite purchase, a “Sign In, Please” book. Each page was numbered 1-20 with a question at the top of each page. Not long ago I came across the two copies of those books that I have (Sign In, Please 1 & 2) and found that about every fourth entry was made by me. My friends, parents, and one of my uncles filled in the other blanks. I have concluded that my somewhat middle school fascination/reverting to childhood/love to reminisce that causes me to fill out every single “getting to know you” survey that I receive by email or see posted on myspace is deeply rooted in those “Sign In, Please” books from 1983. It might be an addiction. Sometimes I find myself seeking them out. It doesn’t matter if I have answered the same set of 30 questions 47 times. I’ll still do it. Is it self-centered of me? A simple way to pass the time? Is it just fun? I do not have all the answers. What I do have is answers to the following 150 questions.

100 THINGS ABOUT ME
1. How old will you be in five years? 38 (good lawd!)
2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today? Co-workers
3. How tall are you? 5’ 7½” (I’ve shrunk).
4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks? Watching Derby grow.
5. What's the last movie you saw? The Lady in the Water (and I loved it).
6. Who was the last person you called? Work blah blah blah…
7. Who was the last person to call you? Johnny G.
8. What was the last text message you received? Christy
9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail? One of my doctors’ offices.
10. Do you prefer to call or text? It depends on my mood. I’m not much of a phone person after spending most of my work day on one.
11. What were you doing at 12am last night? Dreaming.
12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? Married.
13. When is the last time you saw your mom? Last night.
14. What color are your eyes? Brown.
15. What time did you wake up today? The first time was at 5:30 for Derby potty time.
16. What are you wearing right now? Red lace overlay shirt with baby blue cami and gray pants.
17. What is your favorite Christmas song? In the Bleak Midwinter.
18. Where is your favorite place to be? Camp Loucon, my bed, worship, and/or with my puppy.
19. Where is your least favorite place to be? On the dialer. Or anywhere where I’m hot, sweaty, and around crowds.
20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere? London would be my first choice.
21. Where do you think you'll be in 10 years? In Bowling Green with lots of dogs.
22. Do you tan or burn? Burn more than tan.
23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Some lizard like monster under my bed or something coming out of the shadows.
24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh? The failed mating of cows video.
25. How many TVs do you have in your house? 1 for each person.
26. How big is your bed? Queen size.
27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer? desktop
28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on? Clothes. Fear of disasters in the middle of the night keep from going au natural.
29. What color are your sheets? Beige.
30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 4—5 on the bed at a time.
31. What is your favorite season? Autumn.
32. What do you like about fall? The crisp air, reminiscent feelings, and the leaves.
33. What do you like about winter? Cool air, snow, handknit scarves, and Christmas.
34. What do you like about the summer? Camp Loucon.
35. What do you like about spring? The new life feeling, sunshine, and flowers, and Easter.
36. How many states have you lived in? 3 (KY, IN, and TN)
37. What cities/towns have you lived in? Owensboro (Masonville), E-town (Cecilia), Louisville, Shepherdsville, Bowling Green, Henderson, Evansville, Nashville.
38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet? Bare feet.
39. Are you a social person? At times.
40. What was the last thing you ate? Steel cut oats.
41. What is your favorite restaurant? It depends upon my craving. Sushiyobi, South Street, Mariah’s…
42. What is your favorite ice cream? Graeter’s raspberry chocolate chip.
43. What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate
44. What is your favorite kind of soup? Hot & sour, French Onion, and my mom’s homemade vegetable.
45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Grape.
46. Do you like Chinese food? Very much.
47. Do you like coffee? Yes.
48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average? I try for no less than 10.
49. What do you drink in the morning? Water, green tea, or coffee.
50. Are you grandparents still living? My grandfather & my step-grandmother are.
51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes, all sides.
52. Do you know how to play poker? No.
53. Do you like to cuddle? Yes.
54. Have you ever been to Canada? No.
55. Do you have an addictive personality? I don’t think so…(see opening paragraph)
56. Do you eat out or at home more often? Home.
57. Who was President when you were born? Richard Nixon
58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? Yes, several. And one girls from middle school who was born on the same day 3 hours earlier.
59. Do you want kids? I’m not sure yet. I’m sure God will help me decide one day.
60. Do you speak any other languages? Just bits and pieces of a few.
61. Have you ever gotten stitches? Yes, for oral surgery on my lip, in my hand when I cut it at camp, and for my back surgery (or so they say, they were on the inside).
62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No.
63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool? Ocean.
64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seats? I like to look out the window. But I also like to get to the bathroom easily.
65. Do you know how to drive stick? Yes.
66. What is your favorite thing to spend money on? Yarn, bath/beauty products, and books.
67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7? My nose ring.
68. What is your favorite TV show? Grey’s Anatomy and ANTM.
69. Can you roll your tongue? Yes.
70. Who is the funniest person you know? Other than me? Eric.
71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No. But a little boy cocker spaniel has been known to sleep in my bed.
72. What is the main ring tone on your phone? Friends by Michael W. Smith (Because it’s FUNNY! Some people just don’t get the joke.)
73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? Yes, several little pink dresses and the green velvet dress my Nana made that I wore as a flower girl in Uncle Wayne’s wedding. And the red t-shirt I was wearing when I was bite by a German Shepherd. My mom put an apple core patch on it.
74. What red object is closest to you right now? My Camp Loucon Nalgene bottle. No wait, my shirt.
75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth? Yes.
76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Closed, always closed.
77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? I think I could handle the bear better. Roll up into a ball and be still. What can you do with bees?
78. Do you flirt a lot? No.
79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? BBQ sauce
80. What is your favorite food? Sushi. Chocolate.
81. Can you change the oil on a car? I’ve never tried. But I’m sure I could.
82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? No.
83. Have you ever run out of gas? Not while I was driving.
84. What is your usual bedtime? I really try for 10. But sometimes it’s closer to 11.
85. What was the last book you read? I just started Ellen Burstyn’s “Lessons In Becoming Myself”
86. Do you read the newspaper? I’m a skimmer.
87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Vogue Knitting and knit.1
89. Do you watch soap operas? As the World Turns
90. Do you dance in the car? Always. ?
91. What radio station did you last listen to? Lighting 100.
92. Who is in the picture frame closest to you? Derby
93. What was the last note you scribbled on a piece of paper? A doodle.
94. What is your favorite candle scent? Partylite Ginger Currant
95. What is your favorite board game? Bladderdash
97. When was the last time you attended church? Sunday morning.
98. Who is your favorite teacher in high school? Mrs. Inman
99. What is the longest you have ever camped out in a tent? A weekend.
100. Who was the last person to do something extra special for you? “Bill Money”

AND 50 MORE WITH SOME REPEATS…
1. What are your siblings MIDDLE names? Addington
2. Where is your dad right now? At home. Probably reading a book.
3. What was the last thing you said? “Hello?”
4. What is something you've learned about yourself recently? I’ve relearned my need to prayer journal.
5. What color is your watch? Pink.
6. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Keith Urban.
7. When was the last time you squatted to pee? The day of Katrina’s college graduation when we ran out of gas on the way there (I was not driving) or on the side of the road in a snow storm. I can’t remember which happened first.
8. Who is the last person you liked? Myself. You have to start with yourself. And let it begin with me.
9. Are you close to your mom? Undoubtedly.
10. Where does your best friend work? At home.
11. What is your least attractive feature? No....
12. What color are your pants? Grey.
13. Do you have a roommate? Derby.
14. Do you prefer paper or plastic? Paper money. Plastic cups.
15. What color is your bedroom flooring? Light blue
16. Do you have a chair in your room? Yes, the floor.
17. What time of day were you born? Lunchtime.
18. Do you know anyone engaged? Katie is the first one that popped into my head.
19. What's your favorite number? 3
20. Do you know anyone named Laurie? A third cousin on the Addington side.
21. What color is your mom's hair? Salt n Pepa
22. Do you have a dog? Three!
23. Where did you live in 1987? Half in Shepherdsville and half in Bowling Green.
24. What happened to you in 1993? I had to sing in Italian and in German for a grade.
25. What is your first memory involving your dad? I’m not certain. But I can remember looking at the fish in his church office and sitting on his lap while he did a jigsaw puzzle.
26. Do you remember singing any songs as a kid? Lots. “Lord’s Army”, “Jesus Loves Me”, and “This Little Light of Mine” come to mind.
27. When was the last time you went swimming? I cannot recall.
28. Has your luggage ever gotten lost? No, thankfully.
29. When was the last time you talked to one of your siblings? Last night.
30. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? Oh, a few times…like every summer since 1982.
31. Do you play an instrument? Guitar, piano (sorta), and I can totally play the autoharp.
32. Have you ever thought it would be cool to smash a guitar? NO. I hate that.
33. Do you like fire? Yes. (and I totally hear Beavis in my head. “Fire! Fire! Fire!”)
34. Where you ever a boy/girl scout? I was a girl scout.
35. Are you allergic to anything? A lot of things. Especially cats and grass and mold. Some trees. And iceberg lettuce and some shellfish.
36. When was the last time you cried? Sometime last week.
37. What kind of shampoo do you use? Aveda Shampure.
38. Have you ever been to a spa? Yes.
39. Were you popular in high school? In certain circles (i.e. choir geeks).
40. Did you take science all four years of high school? No
41. Do you like butterflies? No! Butterflies suck. (Who hates butterflies?)
42. What is the last book you read? I just started Ellen Burstyn’s “Lessons in Becoming Myself”. 43. Do you like Coke or Pepsi more? Dr. Pepper.
44. What is one thing you miss about your past? My grandma.
45. Did you ever see the school nurse? None of my schools ever had a school nurse (expect college).
46. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? Briefly.
47. What is one thing you've learned about life? Always wipe the seat first in a public restroom. 48. Are you jealous of anyone? My parents. They are with Derby right now.
49. Is anyone jealous of you? Everyone wants their own Derby.
50. When was the last time you were in an elevator? This morning.