I was going to write about the Adoption Workshop on Race I Attended Friday Night, but Instead I am Going To Do Nic’s MeMe…

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?

Camping really takes it out of you.

2. How much cash do you have on you?

Some change.

3. What word rhymes with “DOOR”?

Porfavor.

4. Favorite Planet:

I’m with Nic on this one…I’m more into stars. Antares is my favorite star. It is the orange nebulous one in the constellation Scorpius, right where the scorpion’s heart would be. That is so way cool. It even looks orange with the naked eye. Antares means “war,” and all the stars in Scorpius have Arabic or Sumerian names, so I wrote a poem about Scorpius that ended up being about Iraq and the numwits way that Bushie has destroyed all possibility for tolerance in the Middle East. And our reputation to boot.

5. Who is the 4th person on the missed call list on your cell phone?

Well, I just checked, and it says Restricted. This is very fascinating to me. All the missed calls around it are from Mr. SBird. I have no idea who Restricted is.

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?

Pachabel’s Canon is my ring tone.

7. What shirt are you wearing?

White Brooks Brothers no-wrinkle man’s-style shirt.

8. Do you “label” yourself?

Absolutely.

9. Name the brand of shoes you are currently wearing?

JCrew.

10. Bright or dark room?

It’s late, the sun is going down, it’s not so bright.

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?

She is a wacky and kind person who raises the cutest little beasties.

12. What does your watch look like?

Silver link Swiss Army with a candy-apple-red face.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Camping with Mr. SBird on top of the mountain.

14. What did your last message you received on your phone say?

It was from my fertility clinic wanting to know whether I was going to participate in an IVF in January or not (I told them last June to call me closer to the end of the year). Not.

15. Where is your nearest 7-11?

20 miles away, in town.

16. What’s a word you say a lot?

Fascinating.

17. Who told you s/he loved you last?

Mr. SBird.

18. Last furry thing you touched?

My dog Gus. He and I are mostly inseparable.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?

None. (do vitamins count? I’ve taken vitamins.)

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed?

We still have some rolls from our trip to Italy last year.

21. Favorite age you have been so far?

I always claim that 24 was really, really good.

22. Your worst enemy?

Time. To a poet, Time is always the spoiler.

23. What is your current desktop picture?

My daughter, Emme Lu, in her “I AM A BEE” photoshop picture.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?

“What are you doing?” (To my dog, Gus, currently chewing some paper or another on my office floor.) *Update: it was the manila envelope that holds my student evaluations that I need to hand out to my students in two weeks. Good doggy.

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?

The right answer is probably something like: flying because then I could make MORE than a million bucks off of it.

But I am an immediate gratification kind of gal, so, in truth, I would probably take the money.

26. Do you like someone?

Yes.

27. The last song you listened to?

“Black Cadillac” by Roseanne Cash. *Update: “How to Save a Life” by The Fray.

28. What time of day were you born?

8:40 PM Pacific Time.

29. What is your favorite number?

8.

30. Where did you live in 1987?

South Hadley, Massachusetts.

31. Are you jealous of anyone?

All the time.

32. Is anyone jealous of you?

I don’t find that that’s an emotion easily or readily expressed, so I don’t know.

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened?

At home before leaving to teach. I slept in an extra 30 minutes that morning because my dog, Spot, had been skunked the night before, and I was up until all hours on the 10th washing him in vinegar and tomato juice in our tiny little bathtub. I watch the Today Show religiously, but I hadn’t turned it on that morning because I was still so sleepy, but I called my neighbor who was already at work to let her know that she had a skunk in her driveway, and she was crying and semi-hysterical on the phone. That’s when I turned on the TV.

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?

Curse a fucking blue streak. Think about karma. Do vending machines have a next life?

35. Do you consider yourself kind?

When it’s warranted.

36. If you had to get a tatoo where would it be?

Ankle.

37. If you could be fluent in any other language what would it be?

Mandarin. I lost my near-fluency in French years ago, but it would also be a nice thing to have back.

38. Would you move for the person you loved?

I’ve already done it. And I plan to do it again–for Emme Lu.

39. Are you touchy feely?

No. I suspect people who are. I am skeptical by nature.

40. What’s your life motto?

Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.

(with thanks to John Lennon)

41. Name three things you have on at all times?

My wedding band and the ring R. gave me for our third anniversary–but only because I can’t get it off. They are the only things that go in the shower with me. So, that’s only two. I also wear a necklace almost all other times that has the name “Emerson” stamped on a gold dogtag, and two little gold circles with my and the hubby’s initials stamped on them. I actually wore that in the shower this morning, come to think of it.

42. What is your favorite city/town?

Venice, Italy.

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?

Fair Trade organic dark chocolate bars, at church this morning.

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?

Yesterday. I am a card and letter person.

45. Can you change the oil on a car?

My father made me learn to diagram an engine before he would let me drive. Lawn mower engine first, then a car engine. So, in theory, yes. But I choose not to.

46. Your first love: What is the last thing you heard about him/her?

That he is building a new house where his parent’s house used to be in my hometown. He has three daughters, and his wife is one of a set of twins. I would think it would be weird to be married to a twin.

47. How far back do you know about your ancestry?

On one side, all the way back to the 1600s. Supposedly, my ancestor was William Penn’s first mate on the boat that brought them to Pennsylvania.

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy?

My 40th birthday in September in Las Vegas. I wore a gray silk dress and heels. Heels=fancy, in my book.

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now?

On my upper back, in between my shoulders.

50. Have you been burned by love?

I’m divorced, so it sort of goes with the territory.