Survey Says. . .

Amy tagged me for a survey. Woo hoo! I don't always do these because I'm lazy, so I think people just stopped tagging me.

1) What was I doing ten years ago?

1998. I had this awesome apartment in Cambridge, and that was right around the time the area became a really hot hub and housing prices started going nuts. The landlord of my building was raising everyone's rent by about $350/month, and joined a tenants' association to fight it. The association ended up winning, but I gave up long before that because I was afraid of coming home and finding all my furniture and cats in the street, so I was preparing to move BACK HOME. To Malden. Where I stayed until May 2001. I was also in a relationship with a total jackass at the time, who really wanted me to move in with him (because he really couldn't handle his money OR a job, so I'd be able to keep things afloat), but I chose to live with my parents instead (for reasons mentioned).

I also took a solo trip (without the jackass!) to New Orleans to visit old friends in June 1998, and ended up going to a funeral for an old friend who had overdosed. Joy, right?

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:

Pick up a Boston Phoenix (I know, it sounds simple, but I can be so forgetful.)
Knit
Spin
Blog
Drink beer
I've got one of the five done -- wait, two! I knit on the train!

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Watermelon (I'll have some today), cookies, cake, ice cream, trail mix. . . anything, really. I have both a sweet and savory tooth.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Pay off all of our debt
Leave Boston immediately for the South - Florida, Georgia, or, in my wildest dreams, back to NOLA. The home would need a pond with turtles in it, however.
Give my parents the option of renovating their house (it was built around 1893 and I've dreamed about restoring it to its Victorian glory) or buying them a new house
Set up college funds for all of my nieces and nephew (who is halfway through anyway!)
Open my own shop -- I'd love to have some big emporium with yarn, fiber, local artists' wares, and some hand picked vintage pieces.

5) Places I have lived:

In Mass: Malden, Cambridge, Allston, Brighton, Roslindale
New Orleans, LA

6) Jobs I have had:

Office Monkey, for a bank, insurance consultant, hotel, high-tech company, and law firms
Animal Caretaker, for an animal shelter (I got to drive the van, wheeee!) and a veterinarian from hell (the guy was the biggest dick I've ever met!)

7) Peeps I want to know more about:
Everyone who reads this blog! Just post a comment that you're doing it.

7 Random Things About Me

I was going to call this post "I Got Tagged By Poops", which, really, would have been hilarious, but decided on the more generic title. But Poops did tag me with this meme.

1. I have never ridden a bike without training wheels. I'm trying to rectify that and have been looking for bikes on Craigslist. Of course, I live on a hill so I don't know how much I'll ride it.

2. Like Penny Karma, I can fit my whole fist into my mouth. I can also pull my lower lip in and out of my mouth really fast, and make an obscene looking face that we call "octopus face". I hope to post a video of me doing all of this one of these days. I'd do it now, but I have no makeup on and have bed head, and I would like to look proper when I make ridiculous faces.

3. I am an incredibly secretive person, even when I don't need to be. If someone walks into the room when I'm on the computer, I have the urge to minimize the window. I also used to hide my drawings, stories, and other artwork from my family. I think I have a fear of criticism. It's amazing that I am able to post my FOs.

4. I used to work at an animal shelter, and at a veterinary hospital. In the early 90s, I considered studying to be a veterinarian. Eight to twelve years of schooling and a comparatively low starting salary nipped that in the bud.

5. I swear I can gain weight by just *looking* at food. Imagine what happens when I eat it, and eat LOTS of it.

6. I can sort of play the drums. Note I said sort of. I haven't played in a while, and never got really *good* at it, but have the potential of being good if I practice.

7. I have written up the seven random things about me a few times on my way to/from work, but once I sit down at the computer, I forget them! I do that often.

I'm not going to tag anyone. Just take this meme if you want it.