The Hundred (or something like it)

some of the following may seem familiar. it has been a working list from which i continually snatch tidbits for my posts and comments. the ones that sound like other people's lists had been written before i saw theirs. you'll just have to take my word on that, because i hate cheaters.

1) i don't play around when it comes to loyalty

2) i named all my dolls 'maria' as a child, because i liked the woman on sesame street and how she and luis spoke another language. i still think it's a pretty name.

3) i have a very strong attachment to my car. i drive fast. and furious.

4) i can't parallel park under surveillance, but i ace it when i'm alone

5) i can't stand having naked toenails, but i rarely polish my fingernails

6) it takes a lot of willpower to pass the plant aisle and not come home with something

7) i'd wear sandals year-round if it weren't for snow

8) i need a flat pillow; cushy pillows suffocate me because i like to lie on my side or stomach

9) i must sleep in a made bed -- even if i have to make it right before getting in

10) i like milk with my pizza

11) i don't drink enough water, maybe because i hate being interrupted by nature's call. but i rarely feel thirsty

12) i cannot create on command, i have to *feel it* first

13) if i could think faster on my feet, i'd have wanted to be an MC. (i'd still like to be an 'in living color' fly girl, though)

14) i have no problem staying awake long enough to get the job done right. even if that means no sleep for 4 days

15) my grandmother was a tailor and a genius. i own practically every craft tool on the market in a feeble attempt to continue her legacy.

16) the smell of the fabric store and the book store make me close my eyes and smile

17) i always think of the perfect thing to say 20 minutes too late and then obsess about it for days

18) i love the sound of fingers sliding on guitar strings between the notes. especially during simple acoustic songs

19) i love when music changes from major to minor

20) i don't usually think about eating until there's food sitting in front of me.

21) i could easily be a vegetarian if it weren't for cheeseburgers

22) i will sit through a terrible movie if it includes great driving or great dancing

23) my hair can be curly or straight, frizzy or calm, but won't perform on command -- you have to appreciate what you can get

24) i'm forever casting my energy in the wrong direction. when i was very young i had a crush on a twin. and it was many years before i realized the other twin had had a crush on me; it explained the hitting me with his bookbag and nicknaming me after a dessert. the one i liked couldn't have cared less.

25) i react to the sound of creasing paper like most people react to fingernails on a chalkboard

26) i love to complain, and often i'm not even looking for a solution

27) my mother is one of my best friends

28) i don't want to die before i get to be somebody's mom

29) often i get a name stuck in my head -- maybe something i heard over the p.a. in junior high -- and it will repeat in my mind for hours at a time.

30) i can't truly love a song unless i love the lyrics

31) i'm picky about what music i own. it's very upsetting when i make a bad choice

32) waking up to my dad blasting his music and coming downstairs to piping hot homemade bread every sunday morning used to annoy me, but now it's one of my warmest childhood memories

33) my mother has the voice of an angel. i sincerely wish she had gone pro; even though that means i wouldn't exist

34) pleasing my family is ridiculously important to me. however, even i have limits. that is why i am not in medical school or married

35) i have a romanticized idea of extended family because all of mine live on another continent

36) i can't keep lipstick on for longer than 1/2 an hour. long-last only stays for about 3. i don't bother to reapply.

37) horror movie music scares the crap out of me

38) i'm terribly proud of my ethnicity and that of several other peoples

39) i rarely use the product i'm paid to produce when i'm off the clock

40) i can be extremely bossy

41) i was cocky in first grade when i only sort of had the skills to back it up. today i have the skills, but doubt myself at every turn

42) I am deathly afraid anticipating something I'm scared of, but in the seconds before i do it, I get an eerie sense of calm.

43) it's a sad day when i am forced to give up on something. i have only walked out on one movie (because my friend made a stink) and out of thousands, have only left two books unfinished (The Human Stain and Sophie's World)

44) i am often disappointed. i wish i could help it.

45) i am ridiculously superstitious and i read my horoscope every day.

46) i only have two major lines on my palm -- the one that's missing could be the heart line

47) i have freckles on my tongue, with which i believe i can curse people

48) i don't really get embarrassed unless i think i've hurt somebody's feelings

49) my eyes leak tears when i'm nervous

50) i'm addicted to the snooze button

51) i wish i could get up early when i didn't have somewhere to go

52) i rarely drink coffee but the day is not complete without at least one cup of tea-flavored milk

53) i've had my heart broken twice, but only once by a boyfriend

54) i can get very angry but it's hard for me to stay that way, even when my point is valid. there are people i'm not talking to anymore, but i can't remember why

55) whenever i care about something deeply, i guard it jealously. i know this is wrong

56) i need to have a good cry at least once a month

57) i cannot stand the consistency of chunky peanut butter

58) any black-and-white movie automatically gets my attention

59) easter parade is my favorite musical, and i'm not even sure why

60) i wish we lived in a time where men wore hats and ladies wore gloves

61) my favorite holiday is new year's day -- what other day is there such a great excuse to lie around, and it's a fresh start.

62) i abhor my middle name. my favorite day is thursday and my favorite coin is the dime. of these things there has been absolutely no doubt since i can remember, any other favorites fluctuate constantly.

63) when i was in high school, i used to watch 'mr. bean' on pbs very late at night instead of studying; i think it was funnier because i was trying so hard to laugh noiselessly

64) i sincerely believe my mother is the best cook anywhere and that my dad can fix nearly anything

65) i'd rather live in a small house but take fun vacations

66) i want to drive a race car at regulation speed. just once

67) someone once told me, 'everybody needs an editor.' at the time, i thought that was awfully pompous, but now i realize it's true.

68) the reason i'd like to make money is so that my kids can attend the college of their choice

69) i love to learn new ways to make beautiful things but seldom use the things i make

70) i've sworn off giving handmade gifts; disappointment means a part of myself fell short

71) i could never get a tattoo; the holdup is in the deciding and fear of commitment

72) i hate to live alone; i need ample time to myself, but i also need to know that someone else is in the vicinity or on their way home

73) i only applied to one college because i had a *feeling* about it without ever setting foot on campus. i have never regretted it

74) i am enamored by dorks. i cannot stand geeks.

75) i have pulsating hatred for people who run away from the messes they have made

76) my partner will be able to tutor math, enjoy doing dishes and will be good at directions and foot massage. he will also value thoughtfulness and talent and will not be fazed by excessive speeds or lane changes on the highway. when his arms are around me, i will forget my problems.

77) my passion is singing along with the radio

78) bliss is being able to take a long hot shower without having to hear one commercial

79) i talk in my sleep and sometimes keep my eyes open, though i've never really walked

80) to this day i love irises because they were the first heartfelt flower given to me by a someone, whom on the first date i told, 'flowers are useless; they just die.' despite my countless retractions, it took him nearly 4 years.

81) pretentious people and the fear of drug addiction are what kept me from pursuing an art degree

82) everything tastes better in foreign countries.

83) 'you're hell to get along with' by vonnegut is one of my favorite pieces of writing

84) i'm a perfectionist and a procrastinator

85) i'm one of few people who truly love a cheesy joke

86) people who know exactly what they want amaze me

87) i'd love to compete in 'the amazing race' but only after i've found the right partner and have learned to swim better and drive stick

88) i know way too much about the tv show 'friends,' but cosby is my all-time favorite

89) my first name is german, my middle name is romanian and my last name is portuguese. i am very nearly 100% of an ethnicity that is not any of those.

90) i subconsciously believe my brother is my responsibility because i prayed for a playmate when i was four

91) my family goes bananas over mangoes. secretly i only think they're okay.

92) at age 2 i could converse in chinese. now all i can say is 'my name is cadiz' and 'i farted'

93) i would much rather give gifts than receive them

94) a careless gesture can hurt me as much as sabotage; the truth is in the details

95) however i'm consistently amazed by the power of a heartfelt apology

96) i hold those i love to impossible standards, but hold myself to even higher ones

97) i love karen carpenter and ludacris equally

98) i loathe death metal and liver equally

99) the best compliment i have ever received: 'you're definitely not perfect, but you do things perfectly.' it's not true, but it made me feel really good.

100) i never know when to go to bed