One hundred things.

In keeping with blogger tradition, here we go!

1) Posting 100 things about me has been so overwhelming that I'm eleven posts late in doing so.

2) If Mott's apple sauce were the last food on Earth, I'd be cool with that.

3) The same goes for refried beans. And brownies.

4) I get road rage.

5) When I was 9, I pushed a bully off his bike. I thought I'd killed him when he didn't get up right away.

6) I'm very sensitive to loud noises (she writes, as Harley #91 roars beneath her apartment).

7) Oh, my God. I'm only on number 6.

8) I believed the children were our future WAY before Whitney Houston did.

9) I started college as a Business Major at Marquette University.

10) I earned my BA from UW-Milwaukee in Sociology in 2001. I'll earn my MS in Counseling from UW-Whitewater in 2009.

11) I believe that helping people help themselves is what I'm born to do.

12) Despite some people's perception that I'm a "powerhouse" (thanks, Julie), I have pretty thin skin.

13) One of the most important things I've done in my life was write a thank you letter to a Holocaust Survivor on behalf of my 8th grade class.

14) I do not eat gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, or yeast.

15) Sometimes I miss gluten, dairy, eggs, and yeast. I never miss soy.

16) I used to write poems, but it's been awhile.

17) I lived in Denver, CO for 15 months after college.

18) My three fantasy jobs include Presidential speech writer, paramedic, and storm chaser.

19) I was born with a progressive condition called optic neuropathy, which means that my optic nerve is weak and malformed. My vision, at its best correction with lenses, is about 20/70.

20) I took first place in our town's bike rodeo as a kid.

21) I follow rules.

22) Sometimes this annoys me about myself.

23) I'm drawn to books that explore intense tragedy through tactile language.

24) I've met Suze Orman, Dave Eggers, Paul Rusesabagina, Jonathan Kozol, Reba McEntire, and Barack Obama. Barack Obama was my favorite.

25) I only dated two people before meeting Jenn when I was 27. They were both boys.

26) The only radio I listen to is NPR.

27) I prefer sunsets to sunrises.

28) I have an irrational fear of large dogs.

29) I was Special Features editor of my high school newspaper.

30) My first kiss was with an ultra conservative Cubs fan named Eric -- at journalism camp.

31) *shudder*

32) I used to be obsessed with the Romanovs.

33) I spent $280 on Romanov nesting dolls on a trip to San Francisco. They are now in a storage bin and I am in recovery.

34) I zone out during the "third act" of any play or musical.

35) I used to bite my nails.

36) I don't anymore.

37) I used to be sentimental.

38) Now? Not so much.

39) I love watermelon.

40) Holy crap this is hard.

41) I have two brothers. I've yet to meet one of them. I'm older than both of them.

42) My brother, Luke, is one of my favorite people in the whole, wide world.

43) Social situations involving more than four people outside my apartment give me heart palpitations.

44) I don't drink caffeine. Ever.

45) A therapist I saw twice told me that I tend to define myself by what I'm not rather than by what I am. He also forgot that I'm gay.

46) I am sure I'm not going back to see him.

47) I have really thick ankles. You might call them "cankles".

48) I think older adults are one of our greatest unappreciated resources.

49) I'm uncomfortable talking to children between the ages of 2 and 17.

50) Not really. But yes, really.

51) I'm a little bit obsessive-compulsive, especially when it comes to keeping a neat home.

52) This is my mom's doing. When I was a kid, she used to scare me into cleaning my room by telling me that the President could stop over at any given moment.

53) If she were to use that tactic today, I wouldn't give a rat's ass.

54) One of my favorite songs is 'Hail to the Chief'. I hum it to feel good about myself.

55) Back to old people -- I have to remind myself that not all of them are good people.

56) I am pro-choice.

57) I have a hard time listening to people who think pro-choice means pro-abortion.

58) I don't feel called to bear children. I do feel called to foster/adopt children.

59) This is one of the cornerstones of my relationship with Jenn.

60) The other cornerstone is midafternoon naps.

61) Someone once told me I look like a Muppet.

62) I have lived in 28 homes in 30 years.

63) I was under age 18 in 11 of those homes. I was in college for 7 of those homes.

64) I do not like strip clubs or porn.

65) I do not like church, either.

66) I'm opposed to the death penalty.

67) I believe in karma.

68) The timer for my fish sticks just went off.

69) I'm eating fish sticks. With a side of Mott's apple sauce.

70) I own my own climbing gear.

71) I've been skydiving five times. Never in a million years would I have predicted that about myself.

72) Flowers do nothing for me.

73) I prefer electronics.

74) Shoe shopping is like medieval torture.

75) I like a good beer buzz early in the morning.

76) Sometimes I confuse myself with Sheryl Crow.

77) I'm a neat freak, but not a clean freak. I can go days without showering or weeks without cleaning the bathroom.

78) I wonder why more people don't visit us?

79) When I'm feeling overwhelmed or overtired, I throw what some might call 'tantrums'.

80) I love Jenn.

81) I have a really hard time speaking in groups.

82) I've been this way since kindergarten.

83) I won 2nd place at the Wisconsin Forensics Tournament in 8th grade. I can hardly believe it to this day.

84) I love the smell of manure.

85) I'm fascinated by night farming.

86) I took piano lessons for years, but cannot play chopsticks to save my life.

87) If I could play one instrument, it would be the piano.

88) I cringe whenever I hear "Paper or plastic?". Cloth bags, people!! Come on!

89) I have a rockstar metabolism.

90) I will not carry a purse. A backpack, a messenger bag, a pillowcase -- never a purse.

91) I feel very blessed to have an amazing support network of family and friends.

92) Sometimes I'm not very good at using it.

93) I need down-time at home to recharge. (Read: introvert.)

94) It's really hard for me to relax.

95) I drive a '98 Toyota Corolla. My brother sold it to me at cost when he worked at Toyota.

96) I'm deeply concerned about gun violence.

97) I'm also deeply concerned that we don't slow down enough in life.

98) I'm very good at orchestrating meaningful experiences (e.g. weddings, goodbye parties, etc.)

99) Are you still here?

100) "I am still learning." -Michaelangelo