52 Things

52 Things About Me (more to come)

1. I was on the first ever women’s soccer teams at my HS and college.  I had tears in my eyes when I went to the opening game of the Women’s World Cup in Foxboro, MA.
2. I grew up with standard poodles.  They are scary smart dogs.
3. I rescued my dog from the MSPCA.
4. I will always have rescue dogs.
5. My first knitting project was a Lopi sweater.
6. Over 25 years later, I still wear it.
7. I have one sister and two brothers.
8. One brother is special needs. I have learned so much from him.
9. I am a huge soccer fan (NE Revolution, Team USA, and Arsenal).
10. My first concert was Styx at Rutgers University in 1978.
11. My second concert was the Grateful Dead at Madison Square Garden in 1979.
12. After graduating from college, I spent three summers canoeing in northern Maine.
13. I’ve skied Tuckerman’s Ravine twice. That first turn is a doozy.
14. I’ve gone on a rafting trip on Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Absolutely amazing experience.
15. Guinness is my favorite beer/beverage. It must be poured properly. A properly poured pint is a rare thing this side of the pond.
16. Ipswich IPA is my beverage of choice at home.
17. I’m a beer snob.  I’d rather have a glass of water than a glass of bad beer.  There is a lot of bad beer out there.
18. I know summer is here when Odwalla’s Limeade appears in the stores.
19. I know summer is over when Odwalla’s Limeade dissappears from the stores. (I love Odwalla’s Limeade.)
20. I have numerous food and environmental allergies.  Despite shot therapy, the environmental ones are getting worse.
21. I hate visiting family in NJ in the summer.  It’s not that I don’t like visiting the family, I have such a hard time breathing while I am there.
22. I hate eating out (see #20 above). It’s such a hassle.
23. I love going out for breakfast.  Especially when there is nothing to do the rest of the day and you can nap off the food coma.
24. I am addicted to Turner Classic Movies.
25. I used to brew my own beer.  It was quite tasty.  I just don’t have any room for it now.
26. I grew up playing sports: swimming, basketball, tennis, track, soccer, and softball.  They were games then.  Games to play with your friends.  I don’t think I would be successful in today’s intense competitive environment.
27. I am very competitive.  (Ironic, no?)
28. I was a cheerleader in HS.  I don’t know why this surprises people so much when I tell them.
29. Purple is my all time favorite color.
30. I used to hate pink, now I find myself buying a lot of pink.  Bright, Barbie pink.  Freaky.
31. I was happiest when all my belongings fit in my VW Rabbit convertible.
32. I have too much stuff.
33. I am constantly purging books and clothes.
34. I rarely buy books and clothes.  I think they procreate when I am at work.
35. There is yarn in my stash that is over 20 years old.
36. I am a recovering rape victim.
37. It has taken me decades to be able to admit that.
38. I’ve always loved photography.  I asked for a camera for my birthday when I was in 5th grade and was disappointed when I got a Vivitar pocket camera.  I wanted a ‘real’ one.  At 9 years old, I didn’t know what an SLR was called. Everyone should go to photo camp. Who knew one’s inner geek and inner child could have so much fun together!
39. My Dad’s side of the family has been here since the 1600′s and is mix of Scottish/English/Irish blood.
40. My Mom’s side of the family is 100% Hungarian and has been here since the turn of the century.
41. Oddly enough it was the Hungarian relatives who brewed bathtub gin during the Prohibition.
42. A few years ago, a cousin found our Hungarian relatives.  After WWII the town they lived in became part of Slovakia.  (While they were there, they met a man who had lived in five different countries, but lived his entire life in one house!)
43. I love living in New England. The ocean, the mountains, the history – it’s all good.
44. My earliest memory is of sitting in my great-grandfather’s lap and being fascinated by his wooden arm. I was 2.  (He lost his arm in a quarry accident.)
45. I work too much.  WAY too much.  Way, WAY, too much.
46. I was fortunate enough to know all four of my grandparents.  I wish my brothers had.
47. I have no desire to have children.  Never have.
48. I have no desire to get married.  At one point in my life, I did.
49. I was at the USA v. USSR hockey game at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.  Words can not describe the experience.
50. I saved Zelda.
51. I also memorized the pattern in Atari’s Asteroids.  I could play that game for hours and not get hit.
52. I like potato chips on egg salad sandwiches.  Lays Classic are best.