Wednesday, November 09, 2005

So There's This Guy...

...OR A Story in the Third Person...

His name is John. He has a friend named Steph. He is a very good friend to everyone he knows, but especially to Steph. It's not always easy being Steph's friend, but John makes it look easy. He is always there for her, no matter what. He calls her for no other reason but to tell her she's special. He texts her for no other reason but to make sure she has a great day. He e-mails her weekly to tell her what a great friend she is, but Steph knows that it is John who is the great friend. They haven't always seen eye to eye. They have had heated debates over important subjects. He always thinks about it and later tells Steph thank you for showing him something he hasn't seen before. John shows Steph what unconditional love and friendship means. He not only deals with her baggage, he accepts the whole matched set. He sends her purple flowers, listens to her when she cries about her life, and prays that she'll get a good night's sleep. Steph wishes she was as good a friend to John as he is to her, but she knows she hasn't been. She tries, but she knows that his friendship is not dependent on it. He's going to love her anyway. He thinks she's funny, smart and makes her feel like she's valuable. He teaches her a lot about relationships. He is the definition of kindness, and shows her how to be a good parent, because John is the best dad that Steph knows. John does all of this from 1,000 miles away. Steph can't thank him enough.

"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth." ~Robert Southey

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Random Questions, With Even Randomer Responses...

I shamelessly stole this from Kate's site...

Name someone with the same birthday as you.
Bruce Springsteen. When I was in high school and college, I was a huge Springsteen fan - I still love his old stuff but I don't get into his new CD's as much. To this day my brother calls me every year on my birthday and leaves the same message on my voicemail..."Hey, don't forget to call Bruce today and wish him a Happy Birthday. Never mind, I'll tell him when I see him." It never gets old.

Where was your first kiss?
I was 14 and it was after a Sadie Hawkins dance. Freshman year, I asked Darren Uecker who had hair like a helmet. It was 1981 and he smooched me goodbye after the dance. He was a sophomore.

Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
Well, it depends on what you consider "seriously." Once when I was nine, my cousin Rick and I went to a construction site where they were finishing new homes and pushed a bag of wet plaster off the second story onto the first floor. At the time we just thought it was cool, but it had to have been a huge mess for the construction crew the next day. I've felt guilty about it ever since I realized that it wasn't really nice.

Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Yeah, my brother. We got in a really big fight once after a long night of drinking. I was 19 and he was dissing my boyfriend REALLY bad. So when we got home, I sort of pushed past him on my way into the house. He stopped me, pointed his finger in my face and very slowly and calmly said, "Don't EVER touch me again." I figured I had one shot. So I wound up and slapped him as hard as I could across the face and then ran like hell into the house screaming, "MOOOOOMMMM!!!!"
And one time I threw my keys at my ex-husband, aiming at his head. He ducked, but I had thrown them so hard that they stuck into the wall behind him.

Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
Of course. Not only the alcohol induced karoake nights where my sister and I sounded like the Chipmunks, but I was also in the Gospel choir at my church for a couple of years.

What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex?
Their "presence." You know, how they carry themselves. And their eyes, to see if they're kind.

What is your biggest mistake?
Underestimating myself in so many ways.

Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Not like you would think. But I do have this propensity to not eat when I'm depressed or stressed out. Most people have just the opposite - they eat or overeat under stress. The fact that I don't eat makes me wonder if I'm purposely trying to regain control, and that has got to be self-destructive.

Say something totally random about yourself.
Sometimes when I have to have an important conversation with someone, I not only go over it in my head first, but I also cover every possible outcome. I get so carried away with it sometimes that I find myself talking to myself and gesticulating in my car while I'm driving. I've looked over several times to see people looking at me like I'm crazy!

Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?
Yeah. When that show Hotel was out in the 80's, people said I looked like Connie Selleca. I've also been told I look like Marlo Thomas on That Girl. Of course, there's always the super model references.

Do you still watch kiddie movies or TV shows?
Yeah! I like some shows on Disney Channel that I watch with my daughter, and how about Finding Nemo?! "You are a squishy and you will be my squishy!!" :)

Did you have braces?
Yeah. And let this be a lesson to every teenager out there - WEAR YOUR RETAINER!!!
I didn't and now I have them again. Only this time they're the invisible ones that come off. I only wear them when I sleep. But I can't believe how great they're working!

Are you comfortable with your height?
Yeah I am. I'm only 5'1" and although I'm shorter than literally everyone I know, I've always liked being small. If I had to be a different height, I would be like 5'10". That's cool.

What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you?
Well, the way my ex-husband proposed was pretty cool. But once on my birthday, someone made such a big deal out of it and even took me to a ballet when he would have rather had a tooth drilled than sat through that. And the whole night was cool like that.

When do you know it's love?
When you realize that the other person's baggage is not a deal breaker, when you run to the front door every time that person walks in, when you see the future and they're in it.

Do you speak any other languages?
I thought I spoke passable Spanish, but the other day at work I tried to interview a customer in Spanish and I ended up asking her how much money she makes per table instead of per month.
If I'm in France, I can ask where the bathroom is.

Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
Yeah, you know in the 80's when that was big, but not recently.

What magazines do you read?
I love O. I also like the gossipy ones like People. I get Gourmet every month and rip out the good recipes before I toss them.

Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Lots of times.

Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Yes. Both of my grandmas. They were both so awesome.
But the one that hit me the hardest was my friend Cindy. She was only a couple of years older then me and passed away about a year ago, quite unexpectedly. She impacted my life when I really needed her and losing her was devastating.

Do you watch MTV?
No, only when my daughter has it on, but I usually end up making fun of it.

What's something that really annoys you?
People who take their bad moods out on others. I don't get it, I don't do it and I have no patience for it.

What's something you really like?
Jacuzzi's! Looking at stars while I'm in a jacuzzi. Looking at stars and hearing the wind blow through trees while I'm in a jacuzzi.

Can you dance?
Kind of......I'm really good at faking it, like Big Band stuff. I can fake my way through any Jitterbug and stuff like that. I can dance well if I like the music, but if I don't, you can tell I'm faking it.

What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
Until 8:30 AM after gambling all night in Vegas with a very young man that I met that night.

Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
Yes. October 23, 1999. I was in a 280Z, passenger side, and got hit on my side with a Dodge Ram truck that ran a red light and hit me broadside. After 150 feet of locked braked skidmarks, the truck hit me at 60 MPH. Should have died, but God had other plans. I'm so glad.