Ten Middle Things

From Kwizgiver via Chili here's a meme that, due to my hefty middle name, can double as a 10 Things Tuesday.

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.

4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I'm a fan of rules and all but I'm totally not doing #4. If you feel like stepping into this then please consider this the welcome mat.

Hungry. I'm hungry right now for a snack and I've been a little hungry for comfort foods over the last few months but mostly I'm hungry for my career. I have been blessed on a few occasions to be able to spend all my time doing what I love. I am starved for that to happen again and I'm working on it. I had a productive phone call last week about developing performance and teaching opportunities for the Shakespeare show and I'm headed into rehearsal for a new version of Medea next Monday. I'm hungry but it's a complicated dish to cook.

Urp. Within my vision and hearing is a No Vomit Zone, please. I'm a sympathetic vomiter and it just gives me the willies. My hats are off to you parents and spouses who are able to provide comfort in times of urping.

New Yorker. Next month marks the 20th anniversary of my arrival in New York. While the love we have is not as idealistic as it was in my first year it has grown stronger and deeper with time and I still think he's one sexy motherfucker.

Grandmothers. I had 3 grandmothers and they all shared my first name in some way. On my dad's side my grandfather married a succession of [Not Kizz]'s and on my mom's side my grandmother's middle name was [Not Kizz].

E-mail. I love it. It's really the best invention since sliced bread, no since the wheel! In almost every instance I would rather be e-mailing than on the phone. It makes uncomfortable situations and cold calls a zillion times better and, while I know it's less personal, I am addicted. "But what about your no texting policy?" you may be asking. The dirty, dirty truth is that it's largely economic. Texting costs more so I'm keeping myself away from it so I don't fall in love with the proverbial $4,000 leather pants I can never have. In a perfect world? I'd have an iPhone on a Verizon network with free services and you might never hear my voice again until we met in person. And even then there might be days I'd text you, "Please pass the salt."

Romantic. Despite my distrust of the institution of marriage I have a pretty strong romantic streak. I still think that Pacey & Joey or Buffy & Spike or Veronica & Logan or even Rory & Logan, not to mention Luke and Lorelei can, and should, make it. I love romantic fanfic, I like romance novels (the 3 per year that aren't atrocities of grammar, plot and character development), love a good romantic comedy movie. The real revelation here, the embarrassing bit, is that...well, background. Do you remember a Judy Blume book called Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself? The girl used to spend her time making up stories in her head that, unsurprisingly, starred her. Ever since I read that book I've done that. It keeps my brain occupied on a commute where I can't reach my book, on a long walk, in a waiting room, in the shower, wherever. As I get older the stories get more complicated and I can sustain them for longer and longer, re-telling the funnier bits and incorporating parts of my real life as time goes on. Most of the stories? Romance-based. And no, I'm not telling who my co-star is these days.

Friends. I have friends from when I was a teeny baby (Queen Bee), a pre-schooler (Sara), an elementary schooler (ChemE) and beyond. From almost every major milestone move in my life I've still got people and they're all awesome. If they weren't awesome then I wouldn't still have them I suppose. For a long time I thought everybody had friends they'd known for 30+ years and then it became clear that wasn't true. While it can be difficult to know that someone has seen you through embarrassing times (e.g. The 80s) it's also a comfort to know that people know you in context and still like you. The phrase, "I knew her when" is a privilege to apply. Some of these people I've lost touch with and regained so don't think that if you don't have these people they're gone for good. I highly recommend doing the legwork to get some people back.

Ovulating. I still am and I'm still doing it just for me. I have never been a girl who couldn't wait to have kids or be pregnant. My Sally J. Freedman fantasies never included little versions of me. Jesus, I have enough trouble with the big one, the thought of adding some new versions makes me wet myself a little. Also, being pregnant is about the least appealing thing I can think of. It's got blood, hemerrhoids and vomit all wrapped up in one excruciatingly long lasting time release package. If it's your bag then I'm glad you decided to do it but it's simply not for me. If fate put me in a position where there was an immaculate conception or whatever I would more than likely go through with it, just so we're clear but there was a photo that someone forwarded to me in a group of "Wow! Nature!" photos a while ago and it was a close up of a pregnant belly with the clear as day imprint of a baby foot poking out about an inch. For me, that is the stuff that nightmares are made of. You know, that and snakes and tidal waves and my grandmother without her teeth in.

Reader. I read all the time. I read while I'm walking and I read on the subway, I read in cars and on buses and in bed while lying down on my side. I don't read fast but I don't read particularly slowly either. I'll read mysteries and some horror and very little non-fiction and a ton of fiction. I still have a soft spot for young adult fiction and try to keep up with it. I read on the internet at work, too, as I'm sure you've gathered. I recently read American Psycho and Weight and I keep forgetting to tell you about them but those will have to be their own posts.

Done. I wasn't sure I had it in me. I've been percolating this post for 4 or 5 days. I still didn't have much so I had to make notes last night like some demented version of Sudoku. Even while writing this today I had to get up and walk away for a bit to try for some inspiration for that E. Oh, and in case you're wondering, it's a family name, a traditional thing.

Hungerford.

Yes, Hungerford.