One Hundred Things About Me

I'll admit it: I'm a talker. I'll chatter on about world events, school, and the superiority of a regular spoon over a soup spoon. Knowledge-- or lack thereof-- of a particular subject doesn't stop me either. Rattling on and on about nothing is a quite a talent of mine.

However, one subject with shut my mouth tighter than a sprung bear trap: Me. Ask me about myself and I will immediately clam up, hemming and hawing until the asker simply gives up. It's not that I don't have things to say or that I'm ashamed of myself. My mind simply goes blank.

This became quite a problem when I was being interviewed by Phi Sigma Pi initiates.

"Tell me about yourself," they would say.

"Err," I would reply cheerfully. And that would be the end of that.

After about seventeen such encounters, I decided that something must be done. So I sat down and made a list of 100 things about myself. Not secrets or anything, just things that people might be interested to know. I did this just to prove to myself that I can find something to say about myself.

I include this list in my blog because, if there are any regular readers out there, they might find that some of the items that I put in the list explain the way I think. Or not. Whatever. :)

Anyway, feel free to reply. They always make me smile. With further ado, I present...

100 Things About Me

1. My father's nickname for me is "Pumpkin."
2. If asked what my favorite movie is, I will always say The Blues Brothers.
3. I've been going to/working at the same Jew camp for ten years.
4. I honestly couldn't tell you what my favorite book is.
5. Secretly, I admire my little brother.
6. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I "grow up."
7. I still consider myself a kid.
8. I write better at night.
9. When I buy a house, I want it to be near a large body of water.
10. I'm teaching myself how to play the harmonica.
11. I absolutely cannot stand math.
12. I have trouble making up my mind about things.
13. I am convinced that Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is never wrong.
14. My favorite playlist on my Ipod is 136 songs long. I have only reached the end twice.
15. I played the marimba--badly-- for three years in high school.
16. I played the flute--even worse-- for six years before that.
17. I love to imitate Tim Curry's voice while singing "Sweet Transvestite" from Rocky Horror Picture Show.
18. The Billy Joel concert I went to with my mother is the best thing that has happened to me this year.
19. I'm a natural blonde.
20. I can't bend all of my toes, but I can pick up things with them.
21. I took Tae Kwon Do for five years.
22. I collect vintage kimonos.
23. People think I'm a goody-two-shoes.
24. People are surprised when they find out that "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is my ringtone.
25. The blue that Israelis paint their doors with in Sfat is my favorite color.
26. I had a parakeet (budgie) named Schmaltz for eight years. I still miss him.
27. I blush very easily.
28. I went to Israel on a Birthright Oranim trip.
29. I've become a less picky eater these last few years.
30. I adore sketch comedy (Monty Python, Kids in the Hall, SNL, etc.).
31. I inherited my dorky dancing style from my father.
32. Creating things with my hands makes me incredibly happy.
33. After college, I would like to join the IDF.
34. I have no cousins.
35. I always giggle when I'm trying to lie.
36. Countries I've visited: Israel, Canada, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales.
37. I'm one-fourth Scottish, one-fourth German, and half Lithuanian.
38. I think that any time before 11 AM is un-G-dly early.
39. I will watch crappy movies just to see actors that I like.
40. There are about three songs written in the last five years on my 136-song playlist.
41. I listen to the blues, oldies, folk, and classic rock.
42. My dream job would be one that lets me travel.
43. When life gets too tough for me, I watch "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" to assure me that the world is just as crazy as I think it is.
44. I look forward to blogging each day.
45. I go to art museums just to see Italian religious paintings. The ones with the Virgin Mary are my favorites.
46. I've never been very interested in dating.
47. I accidentally walked on to the set of Rocky VI when coming out of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
48. I've got pictures of Sly Stallone from that encounter.
49. I'm a very tactile- and scent-oriented person.
50. I love the smell salt marsh grass.
51. I used to be afraid that Nazis would get me.
52. My goal is to get to Australia to see the wild parakeets.
53. I'd like to swim with the dolphins someday.
54. I am pro-Israel, pro-choice, and pro-stem cell research.
55. I put myself down as an Independent so I wouldn't get Democrats and Republicans calling me at all hours of the day.
56. Sometimes I zone out and miss whole lectures in class.
57. According to LivingWaters.com, I have broke every single one of the Ten Commandments.
58. I had a private celebration the day Yasser Arafat died.
59. I used to hate Ariel Sharon, but now I'm just confused.
60. However, I did cry when Sharon went into his coma.
61. I can't stand religious people who are self-righteous.
62. My real name is Kathryn.
63. Nobody can spell my last name.
64. I believe that there is a special place in hell for people who try to convert me.
65. I love to sing, but I don't do it very well.
66. I like to go to Catholic mass when I can't get to synagogue.
67. My parents are convinced that I will become a rabbi one day. Uhh.
68. I envy Philip Roth's writing style.
69. I enjoy going to events in Washington, D.C.
70. When I get extremely frustrated with something, I refuse to have anything to do with it for several weeks.
71. As much as I dislike President Bush, I think that he would fun to sit with it at a dinner party...
72. ...plus, I think his dogs are adorable.
73. Politicians make me feel all icky.
74. I was voted third most likely to become a politician in my senior class. Oh G-d!
75. I have a secret fantasy of being in a Broadway show.
76. I love strawberry cheesecake-flavored Hawaiian ices topped with marshmallow.
77. I find that dancing with drunk people is exhilarating.
78. Being a daughter of a cop has endowed me with a strong guilt complex.
79. I have never done illegal drugs.
80. I get chest pains from Vicodine and codeine.
81. I'm an agnostic.
82. For many of my friends, I am the first Jew they have ever met.
83. I plan to be Jewish for the rest of my life.
84. I bristle every time someone condemns mixed marriages.
85. I find accents sexy.
86. Sometimes I wish I had curly hair.
87. I once tried to teach myself Scottish Gaelic.
88. Whenever and wherever I hear the song "Cotton-Eye Joe," I will drop what I am doing and perform the corresponding line dance.
89. I swear that all of my favorite songs describe me in some way.
90. I was the only Jew in my elementary school.
91. I swam in the US Maccabi Games for four years.
92. I was invited to swim at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.
93. I quit swimming because I was no longer having any fun.
94. Sometimes I don't feel worthy of anything I have.
95. I mentally correct people's grammar...
96. ... Then I feel like a total moron when I get something wrong.
97. I am a Red Cross certified swimming instructor and lifeguard.
98. I still sleep with the same stuffed bunny that I've had since I was a baby.
99. Certain songs and movies make me cry uncontrollably.
100. I have realized that there are too many things about me to fit within 100 points.

K.