A to Z Meme

[A is for age:]
34. Not quite on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but occasionally in the neighborhood.

[B is for booze of choice:]
Patrón Añejo neat.

[C is for career:]
Junior high English teacher—the best job in the entire world, but shhh, that's a well-guarded secret.

[D is for your dog's name:]
Don't have one yet. But when I do, it will have a person name.

[E is for essential items you use everyday:]
Blistex DCT. Purpose moisturizer with sunscreen. Antibacterial hand wipes. My glasses. Right now, hydrogen peroxide, cotton swabs, sterile gauze pads, rolled gauze, splint liners, and my custom splint.

[F is for favorite song(s) at the moment:]
Bubba Sparxxx Heat It Up, Dem Franchize Boyz Ridin' Rims, Chamillionaire & Scarface Rain

[G is for favorite games:]
Pool, Nertz, Poker, Rummy

[H is for hometown:]
Riverside, California, whose biggest redeeming quality is its relative proximity to other far more enjoyable places.

[I is for instruments you play:]
Hammered Dulcimer, and then only a limited repertoire of traditional Irish jigs and reels.

[J is for jam or jelly you like:]
APRICOT!

[K is for kids:]
I'm working on that. . . .

[L is for last kiss:]
D. This morning.

[M is for most admired trait:]
Confidence. Hope. Optimism. Tenacity. What do you call all of those together?

[N is for name of your crush:]
My husband. But I also see every non-horror Josh Hartnett movie, and I think Carlos Mencia is adorable.

[O is for overnight hospital stays:]
Once when I was a toddler. Later, I stayed with my mom after my dad died.

[P is for phobias:]
1. The house burning (with cats inside) because of items left plugged in/the stove being on/the dryer being on/etc.
2. Germs. Door handles, hotel rooms, some people's kitchens and the food that comes from them, thrift stores, public microwave ovens.
3. Cockroaches. I grew up in the tropics where they are the size of dachshunds and they fly.
4. Books stored upside down.
5. Lakes.
6. Tsunamis.
7. Speaking in front of large groups of adults. Speaking on the phone with anyone not on my very short comfort zone list.
8. I'm not thrilled about heights or flying. Or boats. Falling, crashing, drowning—not feeling the love with any option there.

[Q is for quotes you like:]
“ There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less.” —Kurt Hahn

“Even if it’s a little thing, do something for those in need of help, something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.” —Albert Schweitzer

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” —Leo Buscaglia

[R is for biggest regret:]
Trying so hard not to disappoint people, and living small as a result.

[S is for sweets of your choice:]
Mom's chocolate cake, Cold Stone Rocky Road, See's Scotchmallows, Starbuck's Toffee Almond bar, coffee ice cream with hot fudge, dark chocolate, coconut syrup—why can I buy everything else in the universe except coconut syrup? Why doesn't Hawaii export?

[T is for time you wake up:]
Early. 4:30 September through June, and whenever I please in July and August so long as it's at least an hour before d wakes up.

[U is for underwear:]
Always matching sets, and always thongs.

[V is for vegetables you love:]
Red peppers, tomatoes, green beans, eggplant, asparagus, onions and chiles, peas

[W is for worst habit:]
I'm bad at follow-through. And I procrastinate. Because I'm lazy.

[X is for x-rays you've had:]
Besides dental x-rays, I've broken my left arm twice and my left pinkie once. In high school, I had CT head scans to rule out brain tumors because I had headaches.

[Y is for yummy food you make:]
All completely from scratch: Lemon Blueberry muffins, oatmeal pancakes, banana nut bread, pineapple cake, lasagne with lots of rosemary, tequila lime fettucini, vegetarian meatballs, pesto seared tofu, lentil soup, yellow coconut curry

[Z is for zodiac sign:]
Virgo. To the extreme.