Stealing

I get a lot of inspiration from the blogs I read. In other words, I steal a lot of people's ideas. Mostly because when there is an interesting Meme going around the blogosphere, I'm not interconnected enough to get tagged for it. So what do I do? Take the meme and spread it through the 4 person blogworld that I am connected to. So here is the most recent meme I wanted to partake in, stolen from Los Angelista's blog (who HAS commented on my blog once or twice!).

You, from A-Z:

A- Agnostic. Having been exposed to many different belief systems, including the Quakers, Christian Science, Southern Baptist ministries, Catholicism, Seventh Day Adventist, Paganism, Atheists, Buddhism, and random other assortments, I am currently in limbo as to what I believe. I think that as human beings were are naturally curious about things, and are constantly in search of answers. I used to think that people made up the existence of an afterlife, or some God-like entity in order to cope with the pain of unexplained tragedies, and to quell the fear we have about what happens after you die. I still believe that many of the details and rules of each religion are human-created and irrational, but there has to be an explanation as to why so many different cultures have been fascinated and devoted to the idea of a higher power. I pray/meditate sometimes, though I still have some questions as to WHO or WHAT I am praying to.

B- Breasts. Ok, I know, TMI. But honestly, as much as I hate to admit it, they have been a defining part of my persona since I was about 11 years old. They have been a source of torture and humiliation, personal hatred, and complete embarrassment. I think it was described best in Reviving Ophelia, that the day a girl realizes she is no longer a just a kid, but a sexual object, a period of mourning begins, that no one ever acknowledges. The day I discovered that my breasts were not something I wanted to hide, but served a useful purpose, was a great day in deed. Thanks LB. Thanks for appreciating the boob juice.

C- California/Colorado. The love/hate dynamic that revolves around these two entities, is almost as interesting as the love/hate relationship between Colorado and Texas. Since I was born in California and have ended up in Colorado, I try to minimize this fact as much as I can. We Durangoans have the perception that Californians move to our quaint little town, find the most pristine cliff with the most gorgeous view, and subsequently build a 3400 sq ft Pink Mansion on it. Which is not to minimize the Texans who haul ass into town, driving the biggest, yellowest Hummer, and shoot all the protected wildlife they can get their paws on. AHHHH gotta love it.

D-Daughter. I am one of two daughters. There were no brothers in my family. My mom's brother has only one daughter. My dad's sister has one daughter. I only have 3 cousins, and I don't really know the male one. When my cousins got together with my family, it was like I had two extra sisters. We are family of daughters. Now I have my own child, continuing the cycle of daughters. Oh, and that Pearl Jam song is really good.

E- Egg Donation. This is a term I never thought would come to identify me, but it has. I'm proud to have helped a couple become a family, not to mention sticking myself in the booty while looking over my shoulder in a mirror is quite a skill to have mastered :P

F-Feet. I know lots of people (mostly city people, I've discovered) HATE feet. They are sweaty, misshapen, stinky objects that touch a most disgusting entity: the floor. Some people quiver at that thought of the germs traveling from the floor to their feet. I'm not one of those people. I was the kid who was barefoot 90% of the summer. Having spent the first half of my childhood on the Orange County beaches, and the second half running through the rolling hills of rural Vermont, I was shoeless for the majority of my prepubescent life. I hate socks with a passion. I refuse to wear socks around the house. If my shoes are coming off, so are my socks. I would rather have icicles on my feet than wear a pair those sweat-catchers. I also think I have rather attractive feet, hence the reason I own so many strappy sandals.

G-Gypsies. I've moved almost every year of my life. Most of my past is still in boxes.

H- Hippies. Skinny-dipping in hot springs. Tabbouleh, hummus, carob, lemongrass, patchouli, sage, phoney baloney, fakin' bacon, tofurkey. Sewing triangle patches into the leg of my jeans. Playing hide and go seek in fields of....well, I found out LATER in life.

I-Inquisitive. I remember asking "why" a lot. It infuriated everyone, and I think a lot of people thought I was extremely rude for asking. In high school, I used to hound my best friend for every piece of information I could. She always did whatever she felt like, and I was intrigued by this. In my family, you were held accountable for everything, so I was used to producing answers. Jiji finally turned on me one day, saying exasperatedly "THERE DOESN'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE REASON FOR EVERYTHING!" I finally have come to understand this, thank GOD, its a weight off my shoulders.

J- Jolly Rancher. My favorite quote used to be: "Happiness is a fruit punch Jolly Rancher." Deep huh?

K- Kitsch. A word I learned in college while studying media criticism. A word I began to hate, since it only made me realize how insane we are all making ourselves over what is considered "good" and "bad." What is considered worth while, and what is just a load of crap. This word also entered into many a late night Denny's conversations on what was "art." Those conversations usually led to endless cups of coffee and the sun eventually rising without any sort of resolution. What a waste of time.

L-The Lorax. This is the only Dr. Suess story that my parents really pushed on me, though Horton Hears a Who was a close second. "I am the Lorax, and I speak for the Trees!" Ah yes, the Hippie in me will live forever.

M- Musical Theatre. During my high school career, I was in Annie, Grease, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Damn Yankees and a crappy Grease-rip off called Ducktails and Bobbysox. By the time I got to college, I was informed that Musical Theatre was for complete Tools, and that if they heard another song from Rent, they would dig out their ear drums with wooden spoons. One of my film professors told the class "How dumb do you have to be to a Musical Theatre major? There is ONE street where you can get any work."

N- Navajo. Jiji's mom is Navajo. Jiji's middle name is Nizhoni, which means beautiful. Durango is about 60 miles from the Navajo reservation. It is the largest Indian Reservation in the USA, and it is also the poorest. This is due in part to the refusal to build casinos on tribal land. In high school, one of our student teachers decided to start the class off by speaking to us in Navajo. I thought that something was wrong with my ears. If you really want to understand the complexity of the Navajo language, click here.

O-Orion. This was the name I was going to give to LB before she was born. This was also before she came out as a girl instead of a boy. In utero, LB was a head-down boy named Nathan Orion. In the flesh, she was a speed-demon girl who decided to go feet first down mama's birth canal three weeks early.

P-Pisces. Obviously.

Q- Quiche. Just another dish made with my most hated of food: Cheese. I can honestly say that I have never eaten quiche in my entire life.

R- Rally Cars. I like driving fast. I no longer do much of this, due to a very small person in the backseat, but I definitely had a phase were I wanted a race car. I was a pizza delivery girl for a good amount of my late teens/early twenties, and I prided myself on getting where I needed in record time. It was also at this time when "The Fast and the Furious" and "Gone in 60 Seconds" hit the big screen. I owned a Volkswagen Jetta, and managed to send it into a 180 degree turn while driving over a mountain pass. Maybe it was a good thing I never had anything faster.

S- Single Mom. Another thing I never thought would define me, and now gives me a sense of pride.

T- Techno, which led to Trance, which led to Club Music, which led to trying to DJ on my own computer. Which led to spending most of my leftover paycheck on downloading new tracks. Which will probably not lead to a lucrative career in music, but makes me happy nonetheless.

U- Unconscious. Dreams. Psychology. Hopefully I will go back to school and get my Masters in something related.

V- Vagina Dentata. OMG have you SEEN the previews for this?

W- Winter. I was born in the winter. If you compare the seasons to age, winter is the last stage, the end of one year, and the preparation of rebirth. Those who are born in the winter are supposed to have an "older" mentality. They are supposed to value introspection, theories, philosophy, analysis and deep thinking. They are supposed to have a somewhat darker look on life, but also one of peace and acceptance. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, so I'm supposed to be the equivalent of a 90-100 yr old (as far as my philosophies go).

X- Xander Cage. Triple X. Vin Diesel. Had a crush on him at one point. In film school we always debated on his likability being based on how ambiguous he was, as far as race and sexual orientation. All my gay friends agreed.

Y- Yo. What my basketball coach called me.

Z-Zelda. The first video game that made me throw the controller at the screen, after numerous attempts to beat it. I never did. It shall always be my nemesis.