pickles in a bag and gas station hot dogs

first of all, i have to say that the above title contains two of the worst things ever invented by man. or god. or whomever invented pickles **especially "hot" pickles** and hot dogs **especially "gas station" hot dogs.** i have a girl in my office who loves both. and both of them make me wanna puke. and i have no idea why i felt the need to share that, but i did.

today i am annoyed with my company. they promise you one thing -- like all the travel pay they owe you -- by a certain day and nothing happens. no deposit, no money. it's quite ridiculous. even worse is when you're counting on that money to pay bills and such. **that's super annoying.** and so now i'm stuck cuz i have bills due but no money that was supposed to be deposited. they promised it by the 17th, but somehow i believe they're a company who don't [or is it "a company who doesn't"] value promises or people's welfare.

can't think of anything else to talk about this morning. i will be home in 8 days and i am **super** ridiculously excited. my own bed has been calling my name for months, not to mention colby ryan, who has called me just about every single day since i got here. hopefully i can get some major yard work done around the house. and get my car fixed. let's hope i get some money soon to do that!

anyway, leaving you with a quiz today. i have never done this one before. i think it was way fun. read and enjoy **and hayley, i'm expecting you to repost this one**

Aside from Driver's Ed, who really taught you how to drive?
*well, the first person to ever let me drive was my sister heather. and then dad turned the corner, saw me driving **at age 11** and it was all over. hilary used to let me drive her honda around the neighborhood a lot, before i turned 16. so i guess you could say i already knew the basics by the time i took driver's ed. after that, mom used to let me take the little isuzu truck to the church parking lot to learn to go from a complete stop to first gear without rolling on a hill **my parents were insistent that we all know how to drive standards and to this day, they are my favorite kind to drive**

What's the one thing you love / miss about your Grandma's cooking?
*i can't really say i miss too much about her cooking. as much as i loved my gramma, cooking was definitely not her forte. but i do miss everything else about her! except for when she used to try to make my little brother and i drink warm milk to calm our nerves at night when we would spend the night at her house and be scared. there is just something wrong with warm milk. unless it's in coffee.

If you had money to burn, what 3 charities would you donate to?
*no question about it: the american cancer society, american diabetes association, susan g. komen breast cancer foundation. all three diseases run prevelantly throughout my family.

What "Late Night Radio" song would you request to your man / woman?
*not sure . . . i guess i never really listened to late night radio like that, but i suppose it would be something like "by my side" by sade or "ai du" by ali farka toure. both are sexy, sweet songs.

What was the last high school / college project you did?
*last college project was my book of poetry for my independent studies course in college. yes, i have a book of poetry. i even had it all ready for publication, but never submitted it; i have a ridiculous fear of rejection and could never convince myself to submit it anywhere. maybe one day.

As a kid, who was the first -famous death- you remember hearing about?
*no clue . . . i don't think i paid much attention to that, to be honest. plus, i can barely remember famous people now, and you want me to remember a famous person's death years ago? **not happening**

What kind of music did your parent's listen to while you were growing up?
*a lot of beach boys on my dad's part **whom i still love to this day [especially "sloop john b."]** and my mom has always listened to **easy listening** music. not sure why, but she loves it. oh -- and a ton of church music.

Name 2 historic events that have happened in your lifetime:
*9/11 and obama.

Who taught you to tie your shoes?
*honestly, i have no idea. but take your pick of any of my brothers and sisters **excluding scott** and i'm sure he or she had something to do with me learning. maybe even my mom and dad. no idea.

Where did you go on your first official date?
*you'd think i'd remember this, but i have no earthly idea. i know it had to have been with my boyfriend at the time . . . richard mitchell. prolly to the movie or something. when i was 16. leslie and i used to sneak to the movies all the time with our boyfriends **who also happened to be best friends** so i guess unofficially richard and i had been going on dates since we were like 14. maybe he'll remember. i'll ask him next time i talk to him.

When you cruised the strip . . . who were you usually with?
*well in vegas, i was with my sister. in killeen, the "strip" was rancier. regan, lorie and i used to cruise that ALL the time . . . in regan's dad's truck. i remember one summer we put like 5,000 miles on his truck cuz we cruised so much. quite ridiculous. i'm not even sure what we were cruising for. but we did the "box" around killeen . . . WS Young / Twin Creek [depending if we wanted to drive as far as Twin Creek] to Rancier to Fort Hood Street to Stan Schlueter and around again. and again. and then again. for hours. whenever i'm stressed or just need to think or be alone, i **still** drive that route!

Who was like your second mom or second dad?
*growing up, a few people. regan's parents, leslie's parents. and mrs. frisch.

Who is your strangest relative and why?
*not sure i have any strange relatives, to be honest. i don't know all of my cousins, though, so maybe there are some weird ones there? i think we're all fairly normal, to be honest.

What's your typical ice cream order at Dairy Queen?
*mint oreo blizzard, extra oreo . . . thanks, e! but those are very rare.


This or That

Animal House or Caddyshack?
*never seen either one.

Dorito's or Frito Lays?
*mmm . . . i like doritos. the collisions with the chipotle ranch and zesty taco.

Straight-Man or Comic Relief?
*what is that?

Survivor Man or Man vs. Wild?
*man vs. wild. i have a crush on bear grylls **he's so manly**

Casablanca or An Affair To Remember?
*oh man! both are **great** movies, but i will have to go with "casablanca." something about that movie.

Princess Grace or Princess Diana?
*"the princess bride!" anyone ever seen that movie aside from me? i *lovelovelove* that movie! my second all-time favorite, behind "the sound of music" of course!

Books, Movies or TV?
*mmm . . . that's hard. definitely not movies. a tie between TV and books. but only true crime TV.

Marilyn Monroe or Anna Nicole Smith?
*ooh . . . hands down anna nicole smith. she was my hero for the longest time! while marilyn monroe was classically scandalous [or was she scandalously classic?], there was just something about anna. dumb as a board, but convinced a multi-billionaire to change his will to give her everything. **hello, anna . . . i think i lauve you**

Playboy or Hustler?
*neither . . . both are pretty trashy. and degrading. i choose women's health.

Disneyland, Disneyworld, or Universal Studios?
*only been to disneyland, so i will have to choose that by default.

Halloween or Christmas?
*christmas, for sure. i have never been a big fan of halloween. the whole dressing up thing is just too much for me. plus, no one comes home for christmas. and really, i should say thanksgiving cuz that's when i get to see most of my family. and that's always the best time.

Leading or Following?
*a good balance of both, although i was recently informed that i'm bossy. and i immediately took it as a compliment. hahaha! honestly, though. i wouldn't consider myself bossy. just right. and i like things done the correct way the first time.

Planes or Trains?
*how about automobiles? alright fine . . . planes. i've actually never ridden on a train. i think that that could be fun, actually. anyone wanna take a train-trip with me?

Yesterday or Tomorrow?
*yesterday is gone . . . i'll choose tomorrow. it's easier to look ahead.


Favorites

Painting?
*hmm . . . i'd have to say "starry night" by van gogh. mrs. frisch always had it hanging in her classroom when i was in 8th and 9th grade. i loved it.

Museum Exhibit?
*haven't been to a lot of museums in my lifetime, but i love anything WWII related. i am going to the holocaust museum this weekend **way looking forward to it**

Thing to do when you're sitting home alone and the power goes out?
*light a candle or take a nap. after you call the power company, of course.

Snack / Junk Food?
*hmm . . . i'm in love with cashews. and the southbeach living peanut butter high protein cereal bars **so so so good** and gala apples. not that big into junk food. every once in awhile i'll eat a skor candy bar. those are delish.

Pet name for your significant other?
*uh, typically "babe." i do give all my mens nicknames, but i think that those are different than pet names. those are names i give so that i can blog about them without revealing their true identity.

Nickname for your best friend?
*depends on which best friend we're talking about. i have many.

Revenge tactic?
*i don't typically seek revenge. it's not my style. i live and let live.

Song to sing in the shower?
*whatever song i have in my head. i woke up late and immediately thought, "oops! i did it again!" and what song got stuck in my head? "oops! i did it again!" by britney spears. so i will admit that this morning, that was not my favorite song to sing. i was actually annoyed, cuz that's the only part of the song i know. so i just sang that line over and over again until i could get out and turn on VH1.

Bill that you have to pay?
*do people really have a favorite bill? i guess i'd say my gas bill since it's always the lowest. or any bill that is my "last payment" to a bill. so i guess that this month it will be my capital one bill . . . finally paid off!

Cuss word?
*i try very hard not to cuss. my parents dislike it and i try to be respectful of that. so i have been saying "crimany" a lot. i like to say "bastard," but for some reason that seems to be a cuss word. either way, i'd say those two words.

Era to read about or watch a movie in?
*i like to read about WWII, but not sure about the whole movie thing. i guess there are a few movies from that era i like . . . "bridge on the river kwai" has always been a favorite; "the longest day" is another. my most favorite is "casablanca," though.

Poet?
*oooh . . . i love poetry **which would make sense since i'm a poetry major** so i'd have to go with walt whitman, william wordsworth, shakespeare, edmund spenser, who wrote this one, my favorite poem of all-time:

**One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that dost in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize!
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name;
Where, whenas death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.**

Villain in a movie?
*hmm . . . prince humperdinck from "the princess bride."

Topic to gab with your family about?
*mostly family things . . . things from the past or future. whatever is on the menu is fine with me. we talk about a lot!


And Finally...

If you could be invisible for one day, what would you do?
*oh wow. not sure. prolly the same thing i always do! i'm too boring to be adventurous.

If you could know everything that one person was thinking, who would it be?
*anyone i am dating at the time. it would prolly save a lot of heartache in the end.

If you could have coffee with 3 people, living or dead, who would they be?
*audrey hepburn, my sister who drinks coffee, and **you know i have to say it** your mom.