Need a Break: For those of you who know the insanity of this week (and the anticipated insanity of next week-- leading up to my big event) understand why I need this mindless break.
1. What is your current problem? Too much on my mind. There are so many details I am trying to remember for this event, not the mention that this leaves less space for remembering all the OTHER life things. (Yes, I have To Do Lists, leave myself voice mails, etc...)
2. What do you love most? My absolutely fabulous support network
3. What makes you most happy? Travel, good food, ice cream, loving touch
4. Are you musically inclined? No.
5. If you could go back in time and change something, what would you change? Nothing. There are things that I wish hadn't happened, but nothing I would go back and change...the woman I am today is a result of all of those things.
6. If you MUST be an animal for ONE day, what would you be? A bird with a lot of stamina and great eyesight...one that could fly much of the world in that one day.
7. Ever have a near death experience? No. I have been closer to death than I would like, but have not had a near death experience.
8. Name an obvious quality you have. Talking (not necessarily obvious in Blogger, but obvious to anyone who has been within 100 yards of me)
9. Name someone with the same birthday as you. I don't think I know anyone. But Watergate happened on my birthday, as did a stock market crash.
10. Have you ever vandalized someone's private property? Yes, but not in the last 20 years.
11. Have you ever sung in front of a large audience? Not too large-- or important. I had several solos in chorus in middle school.
12. What do you usually order from Starbucks? Skimmed chai
13. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? When I was a kid, people said I looked like the neighbor Harriet on Small Wonder. Not a compliment.
14. Did you have braces? Oh yes! From 4th grade until 10th grade!
15. Are you comfortable with your height? Yes. Only 5'2 but I'm ok with that. I wish I had a less "volumptious" build on that small frame, but oh well.
16. What is the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you? Sent me flowers on my first day of work when I moved to Boston.
17. Do you speak any other languages? Embarassingly no.

Random Fact from PSD: On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 PM, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04-05-06. This will not happen for another thousand years.

Aren't You Curious: I got this long, odd list of questions from the "TMI" (too much information) website that I read all too often. How fitting that I will now give you TMI...
1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:45. It was not a hairwashing day so I got to sleep "later". But I was have a series of nightmares from about 5:00-7:45 so it was not restful sleep.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds. Simple and not too much...but maybe I say that because I couldn't have the gaudy kind. But I am not a pearls kinda girl. Now amethyst or garnet, that's another story!
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Inside Man. I liked it a lot. I love movies that make you think but its neither deep nor dumb, potty humor. I love heist movies...Sneakers, Oceans Eleven...
4. What are your favorite TV shows? Crime and labs, with some Survivor thrown in. CSI, Law and Order, Crossing Jordan, Cold Case...and I love the new show Convictions, as it is a mix of crime and soap opera.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee with skim milk and sugar at home, and oatmeal at about 9:30 at work.
6. Favorite cuisine? Indian probably.
7. What is your middle name? Harshman, my mom's maiden name. My brother has the same middle name, as do my six cousins (the kids of my mom's 2 sisters)
8. What food do you dislike? Cauliflower, Olives, Peaches. I don't eat red meat, pork or shellfish, but I don't necessarily dislike them.
9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? The mix cd I made from my iPod.
10. What kind of car do you drive? 2005 brick red Toyota Carolla.
11. Favorite sandwich? Grilled cheese (cheddar probably) on 9 grain bread with one layer of tomato and brown mustard. Or, similarly, the Quigley at Tommy's, which is a grilled pita with 5 cheeses, green peppers, tomoato, and lettuce...with great mustard. YUM!
12. What characteristic do you despise? Mean-ness. Irresponsibility. Tardiness (related to irresponsibilty I suppose).
13. Favorite item(s) of clothing? Jeans and a black shirt.
14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Thailand.
15. What color is your bathroom? White (tiles walls and floor, white shower curtain). Red bathmat and towels.
16. Favorite brand of clothing? I don't know that I have one.
17. Where do you want to retire? Depends where my friends and family are. Without that datapoint I would say the Bay Area (San Fran)
18. What was your most memorable birthday? Either my 13th (i.e. Bat Mitzvah) or 30th (when I had a fabulous Ladies Night Out and a housewarming party to celebrate buying my first house..condo)
19. Furthest place you are sending this? Well, theoretically this can be read all over the world, so... My aunt in Israel may read this.
20. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? Not applicable, since this is being posted on Blogger rather than emailed. But I would be very surprised if my brother took part in one of these exercises.
21. Person you expect to send it back first? I don't expect anyone else to do this, since everyone but me is probably sick and tired of filling these things out. Emily or Eva might do an abridged version.
22. Favorite saying? "Perhaps" "Schmintresting" "Abso-shoot-ly"
23. When is your birthday? October 20
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning. Not real early, but I wake up pretty ready to get out of bed and don't hit snooze etc. I am most productive at work in the first half of the day. I am an early to bed person unless I have something, or someone, to keep me up.
25. What is your shoe size? 6.5 but people think my feet are even smaller...people always say "you have the tiniest feet"
26. Pets? Nope. Not a pet person.
27. What did you want to be when you were little? An actress. A teacher. As I became a teenager, a philanthropist or "in charge of an organization"
28. How old are you today? 32
29. What is your favorite candy? Take 5. Peanut butter Kisses. ADDICTED to jelly beans this week, but I only buy one bag each year for Easter-time...a good thing because I can't stop eating them once I open the bag.
30. What is your favorite flower? Don't really have one. Eva, want to suggest one?
31. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? April 23, when my big event is done. May 2, when I leave for Croatia and Slovenia for work. July 1, the begining of Emily and Nat's wedding weekend.
32. What is your cure for depression? Depends. Ice cream. Calling friends always plays a role. Sometimes therapy. Sometimes crying a lot. Sometimes distracting myself. Sleep.

The Earth Dedicated to Paul and Eva: I dedicate these fantastic environment, world-impact, makes ya feel very big (as in taking up too much space) links to Paul (because he sent them to me and is very "up" on these things) and Eva (because she is the most green, environmentally sensitive person I know). Really interesting to explore...this, and this, and this.

Sex in the News: Today I have learned of: an article explaing "persistent sexual arousal syndrome (PSAS) experience constant, unprovoked feelings of excitement", an article about Internet controlled sex toys, and an article considering whether or not there is a such thing as being asexual.

Famous Tomas: See the cute kid on the bottom left corner of this Filene's ad??? Its Tomas, the adorable (one of three) son of my friends Amy and Jose. A star is born!

27 Out of 50: (No not, in in the NCAA) BBC has published 50 foods to try before you die. I am 27/50. I must say, there are few things that are not on my list that I really feel the need to add. Haggis? Guinea Pig? No thanks.

Two days, ten people simultaneously on the roof, hundreds of shingles thrown from above, and $6800 later...there is a new roof on my house. Woo woo! (sarcasm)

Travelin' Fool: Lots of planes in the next few months...upcoming travel update...
March 15- Philadelphia for MIT event
March 24- Cleveland to see Rebecca and go to family celebration
April 8- Chicago and Detroit for work events (I hope to see my high school chemistry teacher in Chigago!)
May 2- Croatia, Slovenia and Venice with an alumni trip
June 2- St. Paul for college reunion
June 10- Cape Cod with MIT alumni for post-Reunion (no plane involved in this one)
June 20ish- Washington DC and NYC for work retreats

Back from LA: I returned last night from a great, non-work related, trip to LA. Some of the highlights included...
- The Huntington Library Gardens. Gardens included an herb garden, children's garden, Shakerspearean garden, rose garden (not many roses), Japanese garden, and overall gorgeous grounds.
- Silver Lake neighborhood. Cool vintage shops. Hip people. Bought a cool new "un-Kim" shirt.
- Malibu. Wow! We took a beautiful drive through Laurel Canyon, where I exclaimed "Oh my God, look at THAT house" about 300 times, and ended overlooking the ocean. We took a nice little walk to look out over the water and drove down the PCH through Malibu to Santa Monica. Love it!
- Fabulous food. Dinner at Mexican restaurant that has no written menu but a fabulous five course meal, and at a sorta Carribean/Latin tapas place. A fabulous breakfast with eggs, fabulous homefries, 9 grain toast, and turkey sausage (and a gorgeous waiter). PLUS $1 ice cream sandwiches at a place where you pick two warm homemade cookies and your flavor of ice cream!!!!!
- Wonderful company. I had a great visit with both Paul and Judi. I wish that it wasn't so far to LA, as I would go more often if I could. The airfare is reasonable and I just love seeing my friends out there. If only there weren't 3000 miles between here and there.

Sad Sad News: Dana Reeves, widow of Christopher Reeves, died of lung cancer at 44. Not only did the world lose a strong, courageous spokesperson, but more importantly, her poor children lost a second parent.

I'm All for Paradigm Shifts But...: Hood College has named a lesbian woman Homecoming King. A transgendered person I can understand, but I am not sure if we want to equate being a lesbian with being a man. Am I the only one that thinks this might send the wrong message?

Smiles: Ok, I admit that I have spent WAY too much time reading this blog today (while at work), laughing out loud, tearing up, smiling, and overall enjoying myself. This posting from last October needs to be posted, as not only is it exactly how I feel about some of my friends, but I was just thinking about this exact thing the other day...The blessing of friends who: 1) really care how you are, 2) really care to hear the DETAILS to the story, 3) know you well enough to know why the details are all important, and which details are REALLY important, 4) you want to hear their life too...details and all, 5) you hang up the phone/drive home thinking "I feel so much better after having talked to him/her" even if you were only discussing a minor detail of your day at work. As a single woman, I think I am particularly appreciative of those in my life who listen (and care) about the details of my life. Thank you!
Post from Faking It Blog
I spoke with one of my close girlfriends over the weekend and it was a very normal conversation for us:
How are you?
How are you?
But it occurred to me, as we were talking, how very lucky I am. Because, you know, she really meant How are you? As in: I want to hear everything and if life is less than fantastic, I want to hear that too, and not so I can fix it but just so I can know, because you're my friend and I love you. I got all of that with her How are you? And I meant all of it back to her as well. I've been blessed in my life: I have girlfriends like this. When they ask How are you? I can answer, "Oh, pretty shitty." Or, "I hate my husband." Or, "My kids are driving me up the wall." And they know my life is pretty good and that my husband is a great guy and that my kids are my life. They get it. I can say that Nolan keeps biting me and I wish I weren't breastfeeding and they know I mean I'll nurse this child until he is 2...and I'll do it marching down Main Street. They've got my back. I cannot possibly tell each of you what you mean to me. So I'll just say hi here. You know who you are. You who make me laugh and let me cry. You who are passionate and intelligent and insightful. You who make me think about things in new ways. You who support me and guide me. You who nod in understanding and you on whom I lean. I love you all.

Oh Yeah, I Forgot I Am Good at That: Earlier this week I was asked to present to a group of students who volunteer with the Alumni Assocation on "The Art of Small Talk". I recieved very positive feedback. Two weeks ago I taught two classes at MIT's Charm School, "Impressive Interviewing Skills" and "Dealing with Difficult People/Situations". Today, a colleague who I don't know too well came by my office to see if I could talk to her about some troubles her teenage son is having. Both instances were nice reminders of additional things I am good at and enjoy. It always nice to "access" those part of my being. ;-)

Fabulous!: A whole web site just about airplane meals! Its amazing that some airlines are eliminating (some are going to start charging for soda) while others (especially the international airlines) serve unbelievable, multi-course meals! I could spend quite a bit of time clicking around on this site. (I don't know if that says more about me or the site...)

Happy Valentines Day!

Smintresting (and Encouraging): Wal-Mart said today it plans to start stocking and selling the emergency contraception drug Plan B at its 44 Massachusetts pharmacies after receiving a directive from state regulators. The retailer said it is also giving serious thought to carrying the drug at all of its 3,700 pharmacies nationwide. Um, ya think so?

Everything Happens For a Reason: As a result of Jen having to work all weekend, and therefore my leaving Austin on Friday rather than today, I am at home, and not stranded in Austin or Chicago or who knows where. Apparently more than 2000 flights have already been cancelled for today! (And I just walked through the blizzard to get the paper and I confirm that planes will not be flying to Boston.) So, here I am, safe and sound, with the yummy veggie chili I made yesterday and TiVo-- what more can a girl ask for?

So, I may be home for the next 36 hours, as a huge blizzard is on its way, so I suppose I have nothing better to do than...Four Things Meme:
Four Jobs I've Had: waitress at Ruby Tuesdays (and Captain Tony's), counselor at Camp Kamaji(where I spent my summers as a kid in northern MN), Reproductive Health Counselor at Shaw High School Health Center, Associate Director for Alumni Education at the MIT Alumni Association
Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over: Shawshank Redemption, Sixteen Candles, When Harry Met Sally (was on this weekend), Grease
Four Places I've Lived: Our nations capital, Kansas (just ask Judi), Uptown uptown Shaker Shaker Heights, Winter Hill
Four Current TV Shows I Love: CSI (regular and Miami), Law & Order (regular and SVU much more than Criminal Intent), Cold Case, Crossing Jordan (notice a trend?!?)
Four popular TV shows that I've never watched a single minute of: How I Met Your Mother (written by a SHHS grad), Entourage, Grey's Anatomy (which I would probably like but it is on at the same time of some other show I love...don't remember which), Gilmore Girls
Four Places I've Vacationed: Israel, Toronto, Palm Desert, Cancun (I am very blessed and have vacationed many places)
Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now: Away from the incoming snow, Phoenix, in someone's arms, Australia
Four of my favorite dishes: really good pizza, Sam Camera's pad thai, Christina's coffee oreo ice cream, the chicken stuffed with mushrooms in some sorta spinich cream sauce at Tu Y Yo
Four dishes I will never eat again: meatloaf, cauliflower and olives (not really, but I would if I coudl help it), never say never
Four sites I visit daily: cnn.com, Chowhounds Boston, The Angus Index/ True Epicure Says, the registration update of my April event
Four bloggers I am tagging: you, you, you and you

Roommates in the Media: (all over!) A feature on John Legend, my brother's freshman year roommate at Penn on CNN.com (discussing that she sang at the Super Bowl, is performing at the Grammy's, has the most nominations, and generally has, shall we say, hit it big.) And to think, Kevin was with him when he was a little 18 year old.