A Blogging Birthday.

Tomorrow is my blogaversary.

I am writing this today, however, because tomorrow I’m going to be wandering around Beaver Brook Reservation in Massachusetts with a bunch of the coolest, craziest cats this side of cyberspace. Because I’m one of the 12 people in the world without an iPhone, I’m not able to post on my actual blogaversary.

As most of you know, I’ve been involved in the diabetes community since day one. My family participated in all the JDRF Walks to Cure Diabetes, I went to diabetes camp, I was a Children’s Congress delegate and I’ve been to conferences. I’ve done all the “in real life” stuff that you can do, but there is still something incredibly remarkable about blogging and how much I have seen this change not only my life, but the lives of everyone else involved in this community, whether they are a fellow blogger, a commenter or a lurker.

I’m involved in social media on a daily basis. I read blogs for a living. I see communities formed around everything from music to food to motherhood and everywhere in between. It’s amazing the trusting relationships that can form between complete strangers. The instant communication and the constant support that comes from reading and re-reading blogs, message boards or IMing someone I’ve never met (well, in my case, it’s more like “I’ve only met once”) is incredibly uplifting. I know some people have said that when there is a cure they will stop blogging. I don’t think I’ll ever stop blogging. Sure, I will stop writing about diabetes, but all of you have become a part of my life and have helped me in so many ways. You have been a part of my life, from my West Coast life to my East Coast life, from the good days to the bad days, sharing in my accomplishments and supporting me in my depression.

I wonder if the people who first blazed the blogging trail realize how much they have changed the lives of so many people.

To me, you are not just people with diabetes. You are not just my imaginary internet weirdo friends.

You are my friends, in every sense of the word. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my three year blogaversary than at the First Annual New England Diabetes Meet-Up.

Misconceptions.

Yesterday while I was surfing the Internet, I stumbled upon this jewel of a segment:

Apparently, Good Morning America aired a segment on ways to cut your risk of developing diabetes.

Notice something strange?

That’s right. They neglected to distinguish that this was type 2 diabetes they were talking about. I did not watch the segment (thank God) but apparently the doctor on the segment did not make one attempt to indicate that you can only cut your risk for type 2 diabetes, but there is nothing you can do to cut your risk for type 1 diabetes.

A write-up of the segment was posted on their website, and quickly the title was changed to specify type 2 diabetes. But the damage was done.

Thousands - possibly millions - of people were once again fed the message that there is only one diabetes. While many people have protested against the almost criminalization of type 2 diabetes, which I am opposed to as well, the fact is that type 2 diabetes does display certain characteristics that are contrary to type 1 diabetes.

The idea that diabetes is preventable is a misconception on both sides of this coin. For type 1 diabetes, it is never preventable. Ever. It is not curable. Ever. It can simply be managed through insulin and an understanding of how food, exercise and other factors can impact your blood sugars. For type 2 diabetes, it can be preventable, but not always. Even if a person could have prevented their diabetes, there is no reason to make them feel like a bad person. Some could say that a high blood sugar reading is “preventable”, but we encourage the belief that a reading or an A1C result does not reflect the worth of a person. We need to remember that if we don’t want to be judged by our numbers, then type 2 diabetics deserve the same in return.

We are then left with the misconceptions perpetuated by the media. Already more than 80 people have commented on this story, including myself, Bernard, Landileigh and Kerri (perhaps more, though these were the only ones I know of). My hope is that this shows the producers at ABC that we will no longer tolerate these misconceptions being spread by the media.

In my view, there is no other disease that is so consistently misrepresented in news broadcasts which I feel is an enormous disrespect to all of us - people with type 1, people with type 2, families, friends and colleagues. So many hours are spent educating the public on AIDS, cancer, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and now autism.

This entire disease is ridden with media misconceptions. I’m tired of it. We’ve raised our voices inside this community with our blogs posts and message board threads. It’s time to move this conversation outside of our circle. We need to stop chastising journalists and instead we need to prevent it from even happening. Proactive, not reactive. We need to start sending these letters to those who have the biggest influence in public knowledge: the journalists. Start small. Contact your local newspaper’s health reporter. Contact your local TV channel. Tell them your story. It’s worth being told. Even if you don’t get on the television, even if you aren’t in a newspaper, at least the reporter is aware for the next World Diabetes Day, for the next celebrity diagnosis, for the next athlete’s achievement.

We need to start now.

Shifting.

I have been managing diabetes for more than fourteen years. Over time, I’ve learned that taking care of diabetes isn’t usually that hard - the actual act of finger pricks and pressing buttons isn’t a challenge - but juggling of numbers is just excruciatingly frustrating. Numbers are not my friends. I haven’t taken math since my junior year in high school and even then my grades were less than stellar. The fact I have diabetes, which requires a life of numbers, is a cruel joke. My saving grace is the bolus wizard calculator in my insulin pump.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, I don’t enjoy making modifications to my insulin pump. I suffer through days of ridiculous blood sugars and obvious patterns before finally giving in. I don’t know why it takes such effort to make these changes. But once I do, once I raise or lower my basal or bolus ratio a notch, suddenly, everything falls back into place and it’s like I’m a whole new diabetic.

Lately, my life seems to come in sweeping changes. First, new school, new classes and new friends. Then, when that was a done, I did a completely 180-degree turn and went to the other side of the country and into a profession I had absolutely no intention of pursuing. With that came a new city, a new apartment, more new friends and new doctors. Now I’m about to make another huge change by moving into an apartment with a girl I’ve known for two weeks.

Big changes have obviously had a huge impact on my life, both physically and emotionally. I’ve noticed that with diabetes, even small changes can have a huge impact. Whether it’s a half a unit more of basal, a half an hour of exercise, or a few less carbohydrates a day, the results show almost immediately in my blood sugar readings. Suddenly the anxiety from my blood sugar readings dissipates and I’m more relaxed throughout the day. Although the changes need to happen more often than I wish, the positive - or in some cases negative - results are encouraging.

So why is it, despite my obvious willingness to take such risks in uprooting my life, that I am so stubborn in making minor changes in something that has such an immediate positive impact on my health? I don’t know the answer, but I know it needs to change.

Another change. So many changes. Makes me dizzy, sometimes, and I wonder if I’ll fall down from all the shifting.

A Whole Year.

Last Saturday, I drove down to my dad’s cousin’s house for dinner after babysitting for a little girl with diabetes and her baby brother. My great aunt was also there, so we spent some time catching up on work and life. I told them about my plans for moving, talked about my job, and I found out that her daughter, my cousin lives in Israel, is going to have a baby girl soon. Then I realized that it had been exactly one year since I moved to New Jersey and I was exactly where I started. A full circle.

Today is another important date. Well, to me it is. I started my job one year ago today. I feel a little self-conscious bragging about my job and co-workers because, well, they all apparently read this. (Hello co-workers!) But needless to say, I’ve learned more about social networking and blogs than I ever did in the two years of being a blogger and I’m very, very appreciative that none of the people I work with are psychos. They are a little nuts sometimes but thankfully just the good kind.

Besides growing professionally, I also feel like this was the year I became a full-fledged adult. I pay my own rent. I have my own 401K and health insurance. I have made new friends, including some that don’t rely on artificial insulin! When I wake up in my apartment, or when I get another bill, or when I’m standing in the hallway getting a new reservoir from the closet, I still get a little thrill that this is all mine. I don’t know how long this will last… Maybe I have only a few more months before I think being a grown-up is totally overrated. Okay, occasionally I think being a grown-up is overrated, but mostly I think it’s pretty cool.

I’m excited to see where the next year leads me, especially with my impending move, and seeing how my responsibilities change both professionally and personally. I have added new freelance jobs to my resume in the past few months. In November, I signed on as a writer for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and I’m leading the JDRF Blogger Round Table, this spring I’ve been working on a new article for Diabetes Self-Management, and on my trip to Oregon, I met with the founder of SweetSpot.dm and agreed to help with publicity. I continue to enjoy exploring New Jersey, which despite the rumors is actually very nice, and the entire East Coast.

Plus I have this whole list of exciting adventures to complete.

When I moved, I knew my life was going to change dramatically. But I couldn’t imagine just how true that was going to be. Although I am living in New Jersey, a state I never imagined living in (seriously, who grows up saying “I want to move to New Jersey!”) and although I’m working at a PR agency instead of that non-profit I spent five years preparing for, I think “Allison” has still stayed the same. I try to keep the same values that I was raised with. I still hate the humidity. I think sales tax is the most annoying thing in the world. I am still frustrated that my apartment complex doesn’t support recycling. I still wish I could see Mt. Hood, I still think trees are as important as people, and I still think people need to slow down and enjoy life just a little bit more.

You can take the girl out of Oregon, but you can’t take the Oregon out of the girl.

The New Girl.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been on a mission. A mission to find a roommate. The mission began when I realized that I desperately wanted to moved out my apartment in Distant Land Away From NYC (okay, it’s not that far, but it sure feels like it sometimes) and make my way a little bit closer to, well, people who don’t have children. The town I live in is a lot like the town I grew up in, just a lot less wealthy. This town has lots of families, grocery stores, gas stations and two (!) Dunkin Donuts. It has a CVS and it has Catholic churches. It has a couple parks - one of which I live next to - and it’s cute.

What is doesn’t have is any semblance of a downtown or population anywhere close to my age.

I decided I wanted to move to Hoboken, which is this adorable little town across the Hudson from Manhattan. It’s a lot cheaper than living in the city, but it’s just as close to Greenwich or Soho as it would be if I lived on the Upper East Side, plus my apartment will be significantly bigger. I also wanted to stay somewhat close to work. Taking two subways, a NJ Transit train and a shuttle *one way* to get to work is not my idea of a good time.

However, finding a new place to live isn’t so simple. First, I can’t just pick-up and move into an already established apartment. I have a lot of stuff. I have my couch. My ironing board. A flat-screen TV, a dining table, a fully stocked kitchen and a really cute bathroom curtain of colorful butterflies. All of which I don’t want to get rid of. This meant I had to find a roommate who didn’t have any of this stuff who needed a place to live. Maybe she lived with her parents, maybe she was just graduating from college or maybe she was moving across the country.

Basically, I was looking for the me from last year.

I put an ad up on Craiglist. I said I was 22, worked in PR and looking for a roommate. I gave my pricing and a few requirements (no psychos, only nice people need apply). I received a few emails back. A couple people either were in the wrong financial bracket or they had unreasonable requests (such as boyfriend and dog spending every weekend there - uh, no. I’m moving in with you. Not you and your boyfriend.). A couple other girls seemed nice. They had steady jobs and were my age. I wrote them back and told them a little bit more about myself.

Feeling a little uneasy about the whole diabetes thing (said in a hushed voice), I quickly added at the end of the email that I wanted to let them know I had type 1 diabetes, but was fully in control (whatever, they don’t need to know the details) and that I had never had any issues whatsoever.

And guess what happened.

I never heard from them again.

Now, I know I shouldn’t be surprised or insulted by the disappearing acts of these girls. I mean, if I didn’t have diabetes and could choose to not live with a perfect stranger who had a scary chronic illness, yeah, I probably wouldn’t have written back either. But it still hurt my feelings. I debated whether or not that was really such a smart move on my part. I decided it probably wasn’t a great idea to be that up front about the diabetes especially since it didn’t give us a chance to really discuss it before they made a decision.

Finally, I received another email from a girl who lives with her parents but works in finance not too far from Hoboken. She seemed nice and we agreed to meet for dinner at Applebee’s. But I didn’t tell her about the diabetes. I figured I could eventually bring it up in conversation.

Well, it’s a lot harder to spring something like that on someone that I thought. Typically with friends and co-workers, them finding out I have diabetes never really seemed like a deal-breaker but with a roommate all of a sudden I went into panic mode.

We met for dinner during a horrible thunderstorm. Torrential downpour, lightening just miles away from us, and booming thunder that freaked me out. I came straight from work and only had my laptop bag, so I had to test my blood sugar in the car. I slipped my license and debit card into my back pocket and ran from my car inside Applebee’s using the United Nations umbrella from World Diabetes Day to shield me from becoming a wet rat (yeah, I still have it in case of emergencies - it’s nice and big).

When we sat down for dinner, we talked first about the apartment. What we liked, what we didn’t like. We talked about where we lived and what we did for a living. We talked a little bit about hobbies and what we liked to do on the weekends.

Then the Potential Roomie mentioned drinking.

“Do you like to go out and drink?” she asked.

This seemed like as good a time as any to bring up the Big D. I explained that I did drink and liked to go out, but that I didn’t drink a lot because I have type 1 diabetes. She didn’t know that much about it, so I explained that I like to keep my blood sugars pretty much under control and that I didn’t want to my roommates to feel like they had to take care of me.

“I like to be self-sufficient,” I said.

Potential Roomie didn’t know that much about diabetes, so I just explained that my body didn’t make insulin anymore that I had to take it myself. She asked me if I had that “thing” and motioned to her abdomen. A pump! She knows what a pump is! I told her I had one, and she said a girl she went to college had one too. Okay, so the girl has some experience with this. That’s good. We talked a little bit about our eating habits - turns out, she’s a vegan and probably has more restrictions than me!

After that, we talked about her dog, our favorite movies and books we were reading, and as we signed the receipts, I asked what our next steps were.

“Do you want to take some time to think about this?” I asked.

“Not really,” she said and with that, she went from Potential Roomie to The Roommate.

Sigh of relief.

The Return.

I actually wrote this on Wednesday but did not have time to post it.

Yesterday, I drove down to Eugene, Oregon, the town where I spent four years of my life attending the University of Oregon. Before I went to campus to speak at a few of the public relations class at the Journalism school, I checked into the hotel across the street.

“Are you visiting the college?” the lady at the front desk asked.

“Yes,” I replied, then realizing she meant as a prospective student, so I quickly added, “But I’m an alum.”

It was weird saying that out loud. An alum. How did that happen? I thought to myself.

I didn’t like college. It was not the happiest time for me. Changes in personal relationship and my own identity led to months of anxiety and depression. I enjoyed certain aspects of the school. I had friends and I enjoyed several of my classes, but most of my personal satisfaction came from the work I was doing in the diabetes community. But the diabetes community in Eugene is very small and I spent most of my time wishing I was somewhere else. After spending four years isolated in this town, it really doesn’t surprise me that I was so eager to move across the country.

I remember vividly driving away from the campus, from the city, from all of the people and the memories, and thinking to myself that I was never coming back.

You can imagine my surprise, then, that I came back. The journalism school has changed in the way it teaches public relations and they are starting to incorporate more about social media. STudents are now required to blog in their Advanced PR Writing class and professors are active bloggers and participants in social networks. This is how I became reacquainted with several of my former professors.

I knew I was coming back to Oregon for my brother’s high school graduation, which takes place in Portland on Friday. Initially, this trip was going to be bump and run. I would fly in Thursday night after work, take Friday off of work, spend Saturday with my family and fly out early (and I mean early!) on Sunday morning and be back at work on Monday. But in a Twitter exchange, I worked out with my professor that I could come to speak earlier in the week, which led to my weeklong visit to the state.

So now I’m back. I’m sitting on the back porch of Espresso Roma, the cafe where I spent so much of my time before, between and after classes during the last couple of years of school. Most of my friends are now gone, though I do recognize a few faces. But the students here still look the same and it’s a constant surge of deja vu. Students sit at tables, drinking their dollar coffees (yes, coffee really is that cheap here), chatting about politics, the environment and the latest drunken adventures from the previous weekend. They lean over hundred dollar textbooks and notebooks, poring over their notes as they prepare for final exams next week. Or they have completely forgone any hope of studying and instead laugh with their friends. They wear mismatched second-hand and vintage clothing, colored sunglasses and berets. Their hair is unkempt or pulled back into low-slung ponytails. They look nothing like the people on the East Coast and I miss the freedom that college allows in lifestyle. I imagine this is what old-school Brooklyn was like before the yuppies made their mass exodus from Manhattan, what with the continuing rise in housing prices to the point where only the Olsen twins and Madonna could possibly afford even a one bedroom apartment in Harlem. There are no Manolos or aspirations to be Carrie Bradshaw, and even the professors wear jeans and flannel jackets as they bike to class.
I don’t miss college. I don’t miss final exams or changing professors every ten weeks and having to re-explain my diabetes - or even skipping the five minute lecture and instead praying that I don’t have a low blood sugar before an exam. I don’t miss having my identity questioned by every social circle I came in contact with - the hippie liberals or the Christian youth groups or the preppy sorority girls (no offense to sorority girls, or Christians or hippies - honest, I love you guys). College seemed like a never ending series of recruitments to save the environment or save the country or save the babies or save your soul. Out of college, it doesn’t seem like anyone is doing any recruitment for anything. Half the time you can’t even do that because it’s against some kind of corporate code where you’re supposed to remain objective and just focus on your job. No one asks you who you voted for, no one asks you if you go to church and no one asks you if you want to save the whales.

They say you can never go home again and this is true. It’s even more true if you never even considered the your home. Your mind keeps the place in a weird time warp and I wonder if enough time will ever pass for me to like Eugene and forget some of the terrible insecurities this placed reminds me of.

But as I sit here, I instinctively turn towards the back door of the patio. I hear it creak open and my subconscious briefly hopes that the person walking in is a friend with whom I spent so many hours, laughing with, debating with and simply sitting with. I realize that this place changed me and influenced the person I have become and for that I must, at the very least, respect it and be grateful.

Lessons Learned at Powell’s in Portland

This afternoon, after my speaking gig to a group of soon-to-be graduates of the University of Oregon’s journalism program, I decided to take advantage of being in Portland and I headed to one of my favorite places in the city: Powell’s Books.

Now, despite the fact that this bookstore is on my top 10 list of Places You Must Go When In Portland, it has not always been this way. Powell’s Books takes up one city square block and is three stories high. The bookstore is divided up into rooms based on genres and each room is named by a color. Among them are the Gold room is the science fiction/mystery/thriller room, the Orange room is the business/planning room, the Purple room is the religion/language/travel room, and the Blue room it the literature/poetry room. The cases are ten shelves high and are jam-packed with books, sometimes two rows of books on one shelf. Powell’s Books is one of the largest bookstores in the world, having rightly earned the nickname the City of Books.

Unfortunately, because of the sheer enormity of the building, the bookstore had a tendency to scare me as a small child. I didn’t like to go because I was afraid of getting lost - which is not hard to imagine because even grown-ups sometimes lose their way around the building.

But now I have come to appreciate Powell’s selection and as an West Coaster-turned-East Coaster, I also appreciate Powell’s ridiculous good prices. I browsed the bookstore for about an hour with my Peet’s coffee, another love of mine, though it doesn’t rank nearly as high as Powell’s. Though Peet’s does serve as a reason for at least a couple Boston pilgrimages a year, as Boston is the only city on the entire East Coast that has Peet’s Coffee and Tea locations.

I ended up with a selection of about ten books but I knew I couldn’t afford all of them… the total price was over $60 and while that’s a steal, that didn’t necessarily mean my bank account would approve. I wheedled it down to six books for just under $50. My purchases include The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd, because I read The Secret Life of Bees and loved it so I thought I would enjoy her memoir; The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, because I saw the play last summer and loved it, plus it came highly recommended from a couple OCers; The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, which I have been nagged to death to read by several people, plus his other book Friends, Lovers and Chocolate, which is the second in the series after The Sunday Philosophy Club which I finished earlier this year; The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, which is a monster of a book but I’ve heard rave reviews about it so I’m hoping it’ll be worth my while; and finally, The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College, which I’m giving to my younger brother who is graduating from high school on Friday.

This is definitely quite a bit of reading material and I’m not even starting on any of them until I finish Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which I bought a couple months ago but just started reading on the flight out here on Saturday. I’m over sixty pages in so far and I’m really enjoying it.

In the past, I go on the book binges with the intention of devoting a significant amount of time to reading and absorbing the messages and lessons in these books. I have visions of myself curling up in a coffeeshop and reading for several hours, while refilling on cappuccinos and munching on scones. Of course, this never, ever happens. Usually I go through two - maybe three, if I’m lucky - books before craving yet another book binge which leads me with six more books that will sit on my shelf, patiently waiting to be read in a never ending queue of literature.

But I have decided that it is absolutely imperative that I break this trend. For the past few months I have become acutely aware of how much of my life has been devoted to the Internet and the mindless social networks that eat up so much of my time. I’m not even talking about the amount of time I spend on the Internet at work. I’m talking about all the hours and hours I spend glued to a computer screen, which I’m sure is going to cause brain cancer someday. As I zig-zagged through the halls of books, I realized that unless I made some serious changes to my time-management I was going to spend most of my life twittering it away and not actually do or experience anything. I mean, how much life reflection can you do on Facebook anyway?

One of my items on my 101 Things To Do in 1,001 Days is to give up the Internet on the weekends for one month (#92). But I have decided to expand it for the entire summer. It doesn’t hurt that my weekends are already swamped with plans, but adding a few extra weekends to the goal will really help me make the most of the summer before the weather turns so cold your air starts to freeze and your breathe turns into slabs of ice (okay, so that hasn’t actually happened to me, but I’m sure it could!)

Starting today and ending Labor Day weekend, I will not be using the Internet at all during the Saturday and Sunday hours. The only reason I will allow myself to log online is to get directions or look up a phone number in case I am absentminded and forget to do it at work, which, knowing me, is bound to happen. I did this last summer for a little over two months because I was without the Internet or television for six weeks when I moved into my apartment (that was the earliest the cable guy could come and install the equipment in my apartment). This meant I was forced to explore my new surroundings and I really appreciated how it helped me acclimated much faster to where I was. I felt comfortable with New Jersey much faster than I would have had there been an excuse for me to stay inside my apartment.

Hopefully by the end of the summer I will have regained a bit more of a sense of self instead of relying so much on other people’s lives to provide entertainment. I shouldn’t have a constant feeling of watching the Real World. I need to be out there. I hope you’ll join me.

MadLibs Interview

From a random stranger, dreamsofmist:

1. What do you think of Harry Potter?
Don’t hurt me, but I’ve never read the books. Well, I read the first book right before the first movie came out, but since then, I haven’t read any of the books. I’ve seen all of the movies though and I like them, but I’ve never been really into the franchise.
2. When did you last have a nice relaxing sleep?
I always sleep pretty well during the weekend, because I can sleep in. But the last time I really slept well was probably last Christmas when I was at my parents. My apartment makes some pretty odd noises. Footsteps, old pipes, televisions still on at two in the morning…. oy.
3. Love or friendship? Why?
I think friendship. Mostly because it’s the only thing I’ve ever known. I’ve never been in love, so that makes me a pretty big fan of friendship.
4. What did you have for breakfast?
Well, I attempted to have sliced bananas in milk but the banana wasn’t very good so I ended up eating a muffin and some strawberries.
5. What’s your favorite song?
Honestly, I don’t have a favorite song. I really like a lot of Moby’s songs. I can listen to his records on repeat for hours.
6. How would you react to a complete stranger commenting on your blog?
I love it! Complete strangers are just friends who haven’t commented yet.
7. Whom would you most like to meet (in terms of celebs)?
Oprah. She has such influence in the world. I think it would great to meet her and not only tell her my story, but also hear some stories from her. Besides, who wouldn’t want to meet Oprah?

From Molly:

1. What do you think of eating salad without salad dressing?
I don’t think I would like it very much. I’m a big fan of salad dressing.
2. When did you last test your blood sugar?
Lunchtime.
3. Splenda or Equal? Why?
Neither! Sweet N’ Low! I suppose I would choose Splenda, since I hear it’s healthier.
4. What did you have for breakfast yesterday?
What’s with the breakfast questions? Haha. Yesterday I skipped breakfast, but then I had some fruit and a cookie during a morning meeting.
5. What’s your favorite sweatshirt?
Actually, I don’t wear sweatshirts most of the time. I’m a huge fan of hoodies though. I have about five. I like my green hoodie from Express and the flower-pattern hoodie from Macy’s.
6. How would you like to have the power to become invisible?
I think it would be fun for awhile but then I would get lonely. It would be a nice super power.
7. Whom would you most like to ride on the ferris wheel?
This is a hard question! If I had a boyfriend, I would say him, but since I don’t, I would probably say my two best friends from high school. Hopefully I will this summer when we go to London. I really want to go on the London Eye while we’re there, even though I hear it’s ridiculously expensive.

From Aaron:

1. What do you think of CGMS?
The CGMS is an awesome idea but I wish it was more accurate and easier to get. The fact that there are so many errors make me less inclined to fight for it.
2. When did you last watch TV?
I’m watching TV right now, actually. Home early from work, so I’m watching Star Trek: Voyager.
3. Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi? Why?
I drink Diet Coke, but I like both. My dad always bought Diet Coke because it was cheaper. I’m just used to it. I have to say, I absolutely loathe all derivations, Coke Zero or Pepsi One or any of that other “no-carb-yet-not-diet” soda is gross.
4. What did you do with it?
I drank it.
5. What’s your favorite sport?
I hate sports. I’m not a team-player. Haha. I’ve never been very athletic, but I like things like ballet or yoga. Not team sports. I get anxious having to perform in front of people or impressing people.
6. How would you tell your boss you don’t want to work late?
“Tom, I’m going home.” No, seriously, it would probably be something very similar.
7. Whom would you most like to share a cab with?
A rich person so they would pay the cab fare.

From Bernard:

1. What do you think of French movies?
They are weird! Very interesting, and I like them a lot, but boy are they crazy. I remember watching a French movie in high school where a man becomes obsessed with his half-sister or cousin or something like that, only he didn’t know. It was just weird.
2. When did you last eat a chocolate pudding without guilt?
Wow, that means I have to remember when I last had chocolate pudding… I have no idea… But I don’t remember ever feeling guilty when eating it.
3. Apple pie or ice cream? Why?
Ice cream. It comes in more flavors.
4. What did you about moving across the US?
Ack! Bernard, incompletely question! Leave a comment and tell me what this is supposed to be an all edit it.
5. What’s your favorite ocean view?
My favorite ocean view so far was when I went to Mendocino, California a couple of years ago with my friend Annie.
6. How would you like to be US president for a day?
Sure! I’d overturn the veto on stem cell research and give more money to research.
7. Whom would you most like to kick?
I don’t really dislike anyone, so I have a hard time thinking of anyone I would really want to kick. There are people I find annoying, but I don’t really think they deserve to be kicked. That’s a little too mean.

From Penny:

1. What do you think of me?
I think you’re very sensitive, just like me. You’re also a very good mother, and very sweet and caring.
2. When did you last drink a regular soda?
Weeks ago. I have no idea when, though. I think maybe when I was in Boston, but I’m not sure.
3. Sweet or sour? Why?
Sweet. I love candy. I have such a sweet tooth.
4. What did you eat for supper last night?
Spaghetti and a salad.
5. What’s your favorite car?
A Mercedes-Benz. I have no idea why. I’m not even sure they’re really that great of a car. I never liked BMWs because they always seemed so boxy, but Mercedes were nice cars that looks a little more sleek. So I’ve always wanted one.
6. How would you tell someone they are dying?
Wow. That’s a tough question. I think I would talk to some of my friends who are doctors first and see if they had any suggestions.
7. Whom would you most like to meet (that is alive and well)?
Well, I said Oprah already so I’ll skip her for this question. If I was going to meet someone else, I think I would want to meet Natalie Portman. I’ve been a huge fan of hers since I was in high school and I think it would be great to finally meet her.

From Jillian:

1. What do you think of pointy toed shoes?
I like them, as long as they aren’t too narrow. It’s really shoes with high heels that annoy me.
2. When did you last hear live music?
In February. I went to see The Magnetic Fields in NYC.
3. Boxers or briefs? Why?
Whatever floats your boat… It’s not like I’m wearing them.
4. What did you last take a picture of?
I took a picture of my friend Gayle at her 30th birthday party.
5. What’s your favorite scent?
I love vanilla. It’s so soothing.
6. How would you react if a random person offered you a free hug?
Depends on if they looked like a crazy person or not. I remember in college a group of students would stand outside the student union and give hugs. I never went up to get one but I thought it was a fun idea. Makes people smile.
7. Whom would you most like to meet that you only know from the internet/blogging?
Of course, I would love to meet everyone from the O.C., but if I was to think outside the box, I would like to meet Veronica Belmont. She’s well-known in the tech circles and she seems like a really fun, smart lady. We actually know a few of the same people, so perhaps I will someday.

From Autumn:

1. What do you think of automatic faucets, soap dispensers and paper towels?
They ANNOY me SO MUCH. Ugh. Why can’t I be trusted to get my own soap and paper towels? Are we no longer smart enough to do that? I mean, seriously.
2. When did you last visit a theme park? (Disneyland, 6 Flags etc)
The last time was in July 2006, when I was at the Children with Diabetes conference.
3. Perfer to sleep in or get up early? Why?
Neither, actually. I try to get up around 10 a.m. on the weekends, which gives me a couple hours extra, but it’s not so late that I don’t get anything done during the day.
4. What did you plan on getting a degree in your 1st year of college?
Journalism. I never changed my major. I’m completely serious. I’m probably the only college student I know that never changed her major. I added to it with Religious Studies and Non-Profit Management, but I stayed in the J-school all four years. It’s probably why I ended up graduating a term early.
5. What’s your favorite pair of jeans?
I don’t really have a favorite pair. Most of my jeans are new so I like all of them.
6. How would you go about talking yourself out of a speeding ticket?
The only time I “talked” my way out of a speeding ticket was at two in the morning on the way back from a bar. However I was around the corner from my house and the police officer actually shined a light diretly on it, so I think the fact that I was already pretty much home made him a little more lenient.
7. Whom would you most like to have play you in a movie?
The only celebrity that I think looks remotely like me is Thora Birch. We’re about the same height, have the same hair and skintone. I also thinks she’s a great actress so I would be happy to have her play me.

A Brilliant Non-Post Post.

Don’t you love it when people give you a way to update your blog without really updating your blog? Thanks to Penny for this new meme!

Ladies and gentleman, family and friends, co-workers and random strangers… Fill in the blanks below with your creative suggestions and post in the comments section or send via email (amblass [@] gmail.com). I will answer your questions - no matter how insulting or intrusive! - tomorrow afternoon. It’s like a MadLibs interview!

Give it a whirl. Could be fun…

1. What do you think of ________?

2. When did you last ________?

3. ________ or ________? Why?

4. What did you ________?

5. What’s your favorite ________?

6. How would you ________?

7. Whom would you most like to ________?

I’m Kind Of Weird…

Well, technically no one picked me to do the Ten Odd Things About Me meme, but a couple people tagged “everyone” so I’m claiming those. Here are some random things you may or may not know about me. I’m also not tagging anyone, because I’m pretty sure everyone’s been tagged by now. But if you haven’t been tagged, feel free to use me as your excuse.

1. I have some odd eating habits. I love to eat kiwis with the skins still on - I like the fuzzyness. I also like to eat the tails of cocktail shrimp. Nice and crunchy. I also have to thank The Parent Trap remake for introducing me to Oreos and peanut butter and I owe my obsession with ketchup and Ranch dressing to my best friend K.

2. I sleep with a sound machine. Between the weird noises my apartment makes and the footsteps and television blaring from the apartments around me, the only way I can fall asleep is with a sound machine to give me something to focus on. I have it set to “rain,” which is a sound I got used to falling asleep to after growing up in rain-soaked Oregon.

3. I really like popcorn. I have a bit of an unusual passion for popcorn. Movie theater popcorn, air-popped popcorn, kettle corn, low-fat. I’ll even eat stale popcorn. I’ll eat pretty much any kind of popcorn, though I’m not a huge fan of white cheddar popcorn, the kind that comes in those air-filled black bags at the check-out counter at grocery stores. You know the ones. They make me ridiculously thirsty and they make my fingers sticky. So I try to avoid it.

4. I’m five foot eight. Apparently this is tall, as I’ve had a few people remark to me how tall I am. I am also, for the record, twenty-two (almost twenty-three!) as several people have also remarked to me how I seem older. I used to think that was really cool, but I think this summer might be the summer when I stop thinking that looking older is cool and start thinking that looking older kinda sucks.

5. I hate having my knees touched. I know that posting this on the Internet is a very, very dangerous thing and I swear to God I have no qualms with kicking you in the balls and screaming if you even pretend to touch them. But this list is supposed to be about weird or unusual things about me, so there you go.

6. I named my first car Buffy. True story. When I bought my car, I thought about naming it because we had christened my dad’s car the Groovy Mobile. My dad suggested naming my car Hal, but I thought naming it after a psychopathic computer that killed the crew might be sending the wrong message. So I went with Buffy, because my mom and I both thought Sarah Michelle Gellar was adorable.

7. I’m a Trekkie. Hardcore. Conventions, dressing up as characters (I was Captain Janeway for Halloween when I was 12 years old) and I even collected autographs. I know a ridiculous amount of Star Trek trivia, bought Star Trek books and went to the opening day showing of Star Trek: First Contact, which I have seen about twenty times.

8. I don’t like shoe-shopping. I’ve never been the kind of girl that has a “thing” for shoes. I find most cute looking shoes to be terribly uncomfortable, and it’s hard to find cute shoes that don’t make me come home with red welts and tears.

9. I took French for six years. I started when I was in seventh grade and went all the way up to my senior year in high school. Despite all that, I speak French very, very poorly. Reading is not too hard, but I’m terrible at speaking. It would probably take me five minutes to pull together a simple phrase.

10. The alternate choice to “Allison” was “Kirsten.” My parents still have the list of possible names for me in my baby book. My middle name, in case anyone is wondering what the “m” in my email address stands for, is Michelle.