Tea and Books, etc.

1. I think I must be quite a prig and rather self-righteous, not to mention have more hair than wit.

2. I'm an unabashed carnivore (I'd have said "omnivore," but I draw the line at insects [never!], eggplants, cooked carrots/pineapples, yoghurt, milk, walnuts, maple syrup, molasses, olives [but yum to olive oil!] and some other things I can't quite recall, it's been so long since I've eaten them).

3. I find passive-aggressive people just as annoying and disgusting as overtly aggressive/bullying ones.

4. I don't watch horror or gore movies... because I get nightmares (Godzilla movies frightened me, and I had to sleep with the light on for 2 weeks after watching "Silence of the Lambs"); on the other hand, I love science fiction/fantasy, action, comedies, and animated movies -- and, depending on the source of the movie material, period pieces.

5. I used to be wild about Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington, and Clive Owen. You can scratch Harrison off the list.

6. I will always believe Cate Blanchett was robbed of the Oscar for best actress for "Elizabeth"; Gwyneth Paltrow was fine in "Shakespeare in Love," but nowhere near as excellent as Cate was in her role. In fact, in terms of sheer talent, I don't think there's any comparison.

7. When I was about 4, I thought I would be a teacher so I could teach kids manners; then I went to school and realized what a difficult, underappreciated, and dangerous job it is. I decided I'd be a policewoman instead; then I realized what a difficult, underappreciated, and dangerous job it is. Around age 6, I decided I'd be a doctor. That lasted several years until I realized that the bureaucracy in healthcare, like elsewhere, has a stranglehold on what should be the proper care of patients. Political pull; inequality of treatment of physicians, patients, and other healthcare professionals; waste by both the users and providers; and indifference on all sides are rife within the system.

8. I used to think I would be a great humanitarian and help save the world; now I know I'm but a teeny, tiny, minuscule, selfish dust mote in the universe.

9. Although I've traveled quite a bit and done a lot of things, I'm a homebody.

10. I had a facility for languages, which I never really used, aside from doing well enough to not need to take a foreign language at university. In less than 2 weeks, I'll be starting Spanish classes. After that, maybe Italian? Chinese Mandarin/Cantonese? German? Hmm. Maybe not German or any Eastern European languages. My tongue can never manage to pronounce guttural tones or tongue-twisty stuff. Perhaps a refresher in French.

11. I'm hopeless at housework and cannot cook/bake for my life (viz, 3 ovens, in 3 different states, over a period of 12 years, all blew up in my face, resulting in singed lashes, forearm hairs, bangs, or any combination of the aforementioned).

12. My humor runs the gamut from morbid, dry, ironic, sarcastic, risque, punny, odd, and silly.

13. I think nothing of guffawing raucously when I read something funny... no matter where I happen to be.

14. I dislike people who don't understand that modern phones, mobile or otherwise, do not require one to scream like a banshee to be heard; these are the same people who appear to believe the rest of the world is interested in their conversation.

15. I believe all rapists, human traffickers, drug overlords, and other such evil people should be drawn and quartered and vaporized. Phasers on full blast!

16. I'm compulsive (and maybe obsessive) about handwashing and can't imagine how anyone who has easy access to clean water can blithely use the restroom and not wash properly after.

17. Geometry is the easiest among the various mathematical branches, right? Ha! Says you. I'm the only member of my family who couldn't do proofs, and I have difficulty with spatial concepts such as areas/volumes under the curve.

18. I have several ear piercings but 1 tattoo.

19. I absolutely, positively, cannot have nails long enough to show white (ie, verra verra short), otherwise I will chew on them -- a disgusting habit.

20. My brother and I get along well... as long as we're not living together and don't spend more than a few days in each other's company.

21. If I had a choice, I would have auburn or mahogany hair with green or grey eyes; I'm stuck with brown/black and brown like over 3/4 of the world population (dyes don't work on my hair very well, and I can't wear contacts).

22. I love the colors blue, lavendar, white, grey, and black; I loathe pink and olive green.

23. I think I was either a mosquite, a vampire, or both in a former life.

24. If I looked like or had the amount of money as the 3 over-exposed (in more ways than one! Gag!) celebutantes Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton, I think I might be even wilder and more disgusting than they. I'm not japing, I assure you.

25. My finest contribution to humanity is that I will neither pollute the gene pool nor contribute to the domestic and international marriage/divorce/ cohabiting rates.

Some throwaways --

1. A friend of mine had the chance to work in London, and has the chance to work at the CDC; I'm positively green with envy at her talents and skills.
2. I was once among a group suspected of cheating on my final exams in school; fortunately, a teacher exonerated me.
3. I'm frightened of certain insects but not rodents or reptiles.
4. Once, when I was 18, a boy who was interested in me told me that I looked like a prostitute; he couldn't understand why I didn't think that was the compliment he meant it to be. Given that I didn't dress provocatively or wore makeup, or flirted, I was particularly vexed. Needless to say I did not speak to him again.
5. I literally burst through the door of a subway driver a few days ago; good thing the train was stationary rather than in motion and, more excellently, the most dangerous things I had in my hands were a newspaper and pen. I think my innocent (ha!) face might have helped.

And there you have it.