The Next 100 Things

OK, so I know that my little 6-month sabbatical from India Ink has probably made you forget all about me. So let's get reacquainted. It's been 5 years since I compiled the original 100 Things. Presenting the next installment...

1. I once kept a live Christmas tree up until Easter.
2. I have very poor night vision and depth perception.
3. I love weather – snowstorms, rain, tornadoes, thunder. Anything but relentless sun.
4. I prefer my sun behind a cloud.
5. I have a house rule that no one is allowed to do dishes in my kitchen. I love washing dishes in my own house but don't feel comfortable doing it in someone else’s home, so I don’t allow anyone else into my kitchen.
6. I once rode an overnight police beat with the Austin TX police dept.
7. I’d like to just take all my nutrients in by IV.
8. I’ve had my ears pierced twice, and they’ve closed up both times. I don’t think my body likes being mutilated.
9. I hate fans. (The machine kind, not the human kind). I can’t stand to have anything blowing on me.
10. I rarely take naps. If I’m feeling the need for a nap, it’s usually an indication that I’m coming down with something.
11. I once visited someone who was in prison for murder.
12. Things I’ve never done (and hope I never will): drink and drive, used cell phone while driving, shoplifted, fired a gun, been arrested.
13. If you text and drive, you’re a moron. That's all I have to say on that subject.
14. I can stand on my head for over 3 minutes.
15. I don’t understand the chronically late. If you can get there at 9:15, why can’t you get there at 9:00???
16. History was my least favorite subject in school.
17. I ALWAYS eat breakfast. Without exception.
18. I eat in front of my computer.
19. I don’t get slapstick comedy. When the dufus crashes into the wedding cake, my thought is, “what a waste!”
20. So it’s ironic that I share a birthday with Charlie Chaplin.
21. I love the feeling of being up before sunrise.
22. When I come home from a trip, I don't feel comfortable until everything is unpacked and back in its place.
23. I have an autograph from Marvin Hamlisch. He was on the same plane with me once.
24. Many years ago, when I was taking an introductory flying lesson, a friend gave me a book called The Joy Of Flying. Several years later, he was killed in a plane crash.
25. I have a finicky sweet tooth. I hate chocolate cake, chocolate donuts, and chocolate ice cream, but love chocolate brownies.
26. I’m very sensitive to caffeine. If I drink coffee after noon, I won’t be able to sleep that night. And if I skip a day after having coffee for a few days in a row, I’m guaranteed a withdrawal headache.
27. I’ve been to Niagara Falls 10 times.
28. My dream retirement: an ivy-covered cottage in the woods. Secluded. With an English flower garden. Small but cozy.
29. My first real kiss happened my freshmen year in college. I know, I’m a late bloomer.
30. I love my solitude. I revel in the luxury of living alone. (That may explain #29).
31. Things that make me smile: red birds, fireflies, the silhouette of a tree against the sky.
32. I have one niece and one nephew. Whom I don’t see often enough. (Hint, hint...)
33. If you ever want to blackmail me, you can track down a picture of me skinny dipping on a deserted beach in New Zealand, some twenty years ago. Somewhere out there, one of my companions, whom I've lost touch with over the years, has the evidence.
34. I'm more embarrassed about stupid things I've done when I was in love.
35. In 2003, when I sent an email to my friends telling them I was starting a blog, only two knew what a blog was. Everyone else said “you’re starting a WHAT?” I had to add a line to my FAQ page explaining what a blog was.
36. I’ve always wanted to shave my head completely bald. Someday.
37. I love a good surprise.
38. I love unpacking in a new house. But I hate looking for new houses.
39. When I visit a place I’ve never been to, two things I always check for first are the botanical garden, and the women’s bookstore.
40. Toilet paper feeds from the bottom, not the top, thank you very much…
41. I’m a packrat, but a very organized one.
42. I never do the chain-letter email things. So don’t bother sending me any.
43. Long ago, someone told me I look like Lesley Ann Warren, who played Cinderella in the '70s. It boosted my self-esteem considerably and I’ve never forgotten it.
44. I currently have 39 pairs of shoes in my closet. It’s not because I have a shoe fetish; in fact I hate shoe shopping and wear the same 2 pairs all the time. It’s because I can’t throw them out. See #41 above.
45. I’m a morning person. I have no problem rise-and-shining at 6 AM. But my energy goes down with the sun. I think that makes me an eco-friendly person.
46. In the "What WAS I Thinking" category: My girlhood crush was on a drug dealer who was a regular customer at the Dunkin’ Donuts I worked at while in high school. He used to sit behind the counter and stare at my legs. I still have the 45 LP “If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don’t Want To Be Right” I bought with him in mind. (I told you I was a pack rat. See #41, again).
47. Smells I love: sourdough bread, freshly cut grass, lily of the valley.
48. Ways in which I’ve been an early adapter: e-mail, blogging, self-publishing.
49. Ways in which I've not: cell phones, Blackberry, UTube, Twitter.
50. I am allergic to Cipro (an antibiotic) and all kinds of buzzy insects.
51. Once when I was madly in love, I paid an exorbitant amount of money to a scalper for two Bob Dylan tickets because the object of my affection was a Dylan fan. Then, just days before the concert, we broke up. Stupidly, I gave him the tickets when I moved out.
52. My favorite quote is “new experiences, new synapses.”
53. The subject I took in high school that has been the most useful in my life is Typing.
54. Astrologically speaking, I have no identity crisis. I was born under the sign of Aries (the Ram) in the Chinese Year of the Ram. Double dose of stubborn.
55. I don’t like the taste of alcohol. Especially Polish vodka. Eeeww.
56. I don’t like very hot or very cold food. I’ll usually wait until my food is room temperature before eating.
57. Four years of living in India, and I never got used to spicy food. Might as well just pour acid down my throat.
58. If I could have any superpower, it would be to telecommute long distances instantly.
59. I think this is going to be our next big thing.
60. I’m not to be confused with Basia the singer, the bag, the botel, the magazine, the yogini, the bistro, the deli or the restaurant.
61. I don’t get the attraction of Desperate Housewives.
62. I started out liking Lost, but very quickly got lost myself. It was too much work trying to keep the storyline straight.
63. My guilty pleasure is reading magazines. Unlike Sarah Palin, I can even name some: MS. Adventure Cycling. National Geographic. People. Oprah. Time. Newsweek. Ode. Out. The Sun. Yoga Journal. And dozens of others that have gone out of existence over the years.
64. My car’s name is Cory. As in, Toyota Corolla.
65. I’ve been to Paris in the spring. It was overrun by blatant heterosexuals.
66. Mary Tyler Moore used to be my celebrity crush. I wanted to move to Minnesota just so that I could walk around the lake and throw my tam o‘shanter up in the air like she did on the Mary Tyler Moore show.
67. My current celebrity crush is Kalinda Sharma on The Good Wife. I've come a long way.
68. I don’t have any tattoos. If I’m still kicking at 75, I might get one then.
69. Subjects that make my eyes glaze over:  Golf. The Super Bowl. The cute thing your pet did today. Harry Potter. Vampires.
70. I’ve been to the Olympics (Los Angeles, 1984).
71. Pippi Longstocking and Nancy Drew were my childhood heroines.
72. I only eat my cereal with very warm milk.
73. I never feel lonely or bored.
74. I’ve had my picture in 7 newspaper articles, in 3 countries.
75. Paul Newman filmed his movie The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man In The Moon Marigolds in my high school in Bridgeport, CT. Then, he called Bridgeport the armpit of Connecticut. Nice. I still liked him, in spite of it.
76. I don’t know what hour of the day I was born, and I wish I did.
77. Alaska is the only state I’ve never been to.
78. The most overused phrase in the media: "Breaks his silence." Someone hasn’t spoken for 24 hours, and all of a sudden they Break Their Silence!! Arrgh…
79. If I could bring only one item with me on a desert island, it would be my laptop. Yes, this island would have to have internet access, or I’m not going. ;o)
80. I never use an alarm. I don’t know how it happens, but I just naturally wake up at the time I want to wake up.
81. I often crave tangy (fermented?) foods such as sauerkraut, Parmesan cheese, kefir, pickles, sourdough bread. I remember reading somewhere that this means something about my body chemistry, but I can never remember what.
82. In my younger days, I took part in numerous marches for gay rights, reproductive rights and against domestic violence.
83. Want to make my day? Offer to drive. I hate driving.
84. So it’s crazy that one of my dreams is to drive an RV through every state in the U.S.
85. Someday, I’m going to open a restaurant called Lemon Poppy. That’s as far as I’ve thought this project through, just the name. Guess I still have some work left to get that project off the ground, eh?
86. Why do people say “bless you” when someone sneezes? I mean, I know the origin of this peculiar little behavior, but why do rational people STILL do it?
87. I am enthralled by Andy Goldsworthy.
88. I’ve never regretted taking too many pictures, but I often wish I had taken more.
89. My adult weight has fluctuated between 175 and 124 pounds.
90. I’m intrigued by Tumbleweed homes. I think I want one.
91. If the name wasn't already taken, I would re-name my blog Tumbleweed.
92. Chopsticks befuddle me.
93. I’ve never been on a school bus.
94. I donated the hair from my last cut to Locks of Love. It's probably the last time I'll be able to do that, since they don’t accept gray hair.
95. I’m a liquor lightweight. It doesn’t take much booze to put me to sleep.
96. I’d sooner skip my daily shower than my daily yoga.
97. Talk radio shows annoy me. I have to switch the channel.
98. I’ve had a book dedicated to me.
99. I’m generally an excellent speller; misspelled words jump out at me. But for the life of me, I can never spell these 5 correctly: occassion, diety, accomodate, mispelled, harrassment (I mean: occasion, deity, accommodate, misspelled, harassment).
100. I would rather take public transport than a taxi.

When I published my original 100 Things list, I was advised by a friend in India (that would be you, Ranga!) that I should have made it 101 Things, because odd-numbered lists are auspicious signs of happiness and wealth. So this time I’m around, I’m not taking any chances, and adding that extra item:

101. One of these years, I’m going to run a marathon.

Comments

[Sue Norman]

Have missed your blogs! Good to see you back!

[Tereska]

Thanks Basia It's wonderful to read your things. Gets me thinking. Talk to Sierra about shaved heads. She did it in 1993. After reading your first 100, I tried to write my own. Not so easy after the first dozen. Keeping track and not duplicating is hard! Next project up the anti to 1001! On another note, real happy to see your photos in publishable form. Way to go!

[Joanne]

LOL at #53! I wholeheartedly agree! So where is your next adventure going to be?

[Robyn]

Yay! Good to have you back in my inbox!

[Shannon]

Don't leave us again.. you really really were missed. We know the world is awaiting for you to show it to all of us who "don't ever get there"

[Basia]

Sue: Thanks! Happy you're still here..

Tereska: Yeah, it's harder than it seems, getting to that 100. The first 15 or 20 are easy, but after that you really have to dig deep. That's probably why it took me 5 years to get the next 101. Let's see, at that rate, I should be able to get to 1001 by....2051?

Joanne: Not sure how many travel adventures I'll be doing this year, work is kind of getting in the way. Just trying to make my life be an adventure-

Robyn: Glad to know you're still on here! Loved the last set of pics you sent-

Shannon: Ok, I won't! ;o)