mike keith tagged me with this survey and since i'm not one to turn down a good game of tag, here are my answers...

Four jobs I've had in my life:
salesperson @ express clothing company
salesperson @ hallmark creations
barista @ starbucks coffee company
assistant teacher @ the montessori school

Four movies I can watch over and over:
the big lebowski
while you were sleeping
american beauty
when harry met sally

Four places I have lived:
timonium, MD
hunt valley, MD
?
?

Four TV shows I love to watch:
scrubs
friends
project runway
oprah

Four places I have been on vacation:
hawaii
the cayman islands
ocean city, MD
mystic, CT

Four websites I visit daily:
hotmail.com
whynotuniverse.com
imdb.com
myspace.com (but only to check up on my friends.)

Four of my favorite foods:
cheese steak sub, w/ american cheese, fried onions, and mayo
store brand shells and cheese dinner
cheese ravioli with marinara sauce
otterbein's chocolate chip cookies

Four places I would rather be right now:
hawaii
cuddling with mike on the sofa
california
macaroni grille having dinner

Four bloggers I am tagging: (the real trick i guess is to see who actually checks my weblog enough to realize they're tagged!)
erin
ollie
shayna
becky

1. You have $10 and need to buy snacks at a gas station. What do you buy?
a bottled starbucks frappucino (mocha flavored), pringles, and a caramello bar.

2. If you had to be reincarnated as some sort of sea dwelling creature, what would you be?
a sea horse. just 'cause i think they look interesting. and the male sea horse has the babies. how cool is that?

3. Who's your favorite redhead?
conan o'brien. i find him oddly attractive despite the fact that he resembles a leprechaun. he's probably the funniest person on television next to (of course) zach braff.

4. What do you order when you're at a pancake house?
usually, the french toast with a side of sausage. but sometimes i'll be adventurous and order whatever promotional breakfast they're offering, ie. the pumpkin pancakes around thanksgiving time.

5. Do you own any naughty toys?
no. not to say i never would...

6. Have you made-out with anyone on your link list?
mike is linked on my blog list. so, yes.

7. Describe your favorite pair of underwear:
i'm really fond of my peanuts-themed undies with lucy on the backside screaming, "you blockhead!". heh.

8. Describe the last time you were injured:
last night actually, during a mean game of "catch phrase". *someone* chucked the discplayer directly at my chest in his attempt to not be caught holding it when the timer stopped. that game can be brutal. atleast when you play with me, anyway.

9. Are there any odd things that make you feel comfortable?
rubbing the top of my bare foot with my other bare foot; having back-ups of everything so that all i have to do is open up the cabinet or cupboard and there it is; matching my jewelry and accessories to my clothing.

10. There was no number 10, so the person that comes up with the best question in my comments will earn the number 10 spot.

11. Tell me a weird story from your high school years:
my date stood me up for my sophomore ring dance, so i called his mom, told her what he did, and demanded my money back for his ticket. mark harrison was his name. what a dick wad.

12. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?
i don't have any elaborate wallpaper on my cellphone, just a picture of a smiling frog-like creature. in fact, i have a very outdated phone and i'm perfectly content with that. i don't really understand the need for all that decadence.

13. Soda?
no, thanks.

14. Flavor of pudding?
chocolate mixed with a stripe of vanilla.

15. What type of shirt are you wearing?
striped old navy 3/4 length polo shirt.

16. Prescription medication?
oh, several different kinds. but i won't bore you.

17. If you could use only one form of transportation for the rest of your life what would it be?
i could handle living on a cruise ship and just sailing everywhere. even though i can't swim very well, i love being on or near the water.

18. How many people are on your links list?
several.

19. How many people on your links list do you know in real life?
several.

20. What are you listening to right now?
a stand-up comic on comedy central.

21. Most recent movie you watched:
"hostel". it was horribly bad. you've been warned.

22. Name 5 things you have with you at all times:
1. my glasses.
2. lip gloss.
3. my cellphone.
4. my wallet.
5. my engagement ring.

23. Would you rather give or receive a foot massage?
oh, receive. who likes giving them?

24. Name a teacher you had the hots for:
there have been two: richard anderson (8th grade history) and steven shaw (11th grade astronomy). those were the days, man.

25. What is a saying that you use a lot?
"crisscross your legs"...something i say to my students EVERY 5 SECONDS. kindergarteners have a tendency to wiggle around a lot.

26. What's one piece of advice that you think should be passed on to every child?
treat people how you wish to be treated. it's that simple.

ah, so much is happening. my mind always feels so full; there's always something to think about or plan for or consider. ever since the engagement, my time has been spent mentally planning for things both in the near and far future (i should have just said 'future' and left it at that) and trying to adjust to idea of my life changing. i'm moving into the apartment in a month. i'm not bringing a whole lot with me...just my clothes and maybe a couple pieces of furniture. it will be so nice not having to pack a bag every weekend like i have been doing for what seems like forever and living between two homes.

the idea of a 'home' has really changed over the last year for me. i'm not always sure i even know where it is anymore. the house where i still live, with my mom and sister, is my home in the traditional sense, since i spent the last thirteen years there. but since my dad left and i know they will be moving out eventually, that house will change in meaning. another family will live there, and consequently, my family will be dispersed into other individual homes that i've never shared with them. i will always be welcome in all of these homes, i know that, but the sense of home, the feeling of being in a place that is so familiar and comforting, will probably get lost somewhere along the way. of course, mike and i will be creating a new nest of our own and this sense of comfort will naturally develop, but knowing that i am leaving behind all i've ever known is bittersweet. but i suppose home is really where your heart is, anyway. as cheesy as that sounds. it's just that my heart usually beats in several places at a time. a scene from garden state comes to mind here:

Andrew Largeman: You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of the sudden even though you have some place where you can put your stuff that idea of home is gone.
Sam: I still feel at home in my house.
Andrew Largeman: You'll see when you move out it just sort of happens one day; one day and it's just gone. And you can never get it back. It's like you get homesick for a place that doesn't exist. I mean it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. I miss the idea of it. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place.

yeah, that's all so true.

so i have a new laptop coming. that's right, *NEW*. it should be here by the end of the week and i'll be playing with it feverishly i'm sure. i still remember how crazed i was when i got my first laptop four years ago. i lived, ate, and breathed that machine. [you know what's funny? my mom actually refers to computers as 'machines'. i think i've heard her say the word computer twice in my life. she's so technologically illiterate, believing we all spend entirely too much time on 'that machine'. makes me chuckle.] it's very rare that i buy something really expensive for myself and i figured now was the time to do it before i have other more important expenses. which leads me to...

...the wedding! we have an official date set: june 2, 2007. yes, that seems far away i know, but unless you've done this before, you'd be suprised at how early you need to get the ball rolling. the ceremony and reception will be at the maryvale castle and we've already selected a preliminary menu with our caterer. we met with her this saturday, and it felt weird sitting across from her and being asked all these offical wedding questions. i had always thought about a wedding in more general terms, but being asked about specifics--like the quality of the table linens--was really surreal. most of the time i was silently thinking about how crazy it was that i was actually there. i guess the process will get more real the deeper in we get, but for now it's still so hazy. i don't mean unclear or confusing; the process just has this aura of unbelievability surrounding it. i can't believe i'm actually starting to plan my wedding. as for the rest of it, we have a lot of ideas, most of which (i hope and pray) will come to fruition. i have this overall idea of how i want everything to look in my mind, so if i can honor that, i'll be happy. the three things i'm most striving for: elegance, simplicity, and intimacy. i want everything to be beautiful, but in the purest sense and i'm trying hard to eliminate anything that is completely unnecessary or campy. the bottom line is i refuse to stress about things that most of the guests probably won't even remember anyway. the ceremony, the music, and the food are most important...and if done right, are enough to make a wedding memorable.