They call me Mimi...

Today is just a really somber day for me. Nothing that I can really talk about here. But I'm going to try to take my mind of things by doing some blogging. Actually some meme-ing.

Must be something about memes this new year. I've found three on various blogs I read and I want to steal them all. I was going to spread them out, but why not just get them all done in one fell swoop. Be happy they're not really long ones. I am.

Since they would make the homepage ridiculously long, I'm going to put them all in the extended post.

Updated (1/9/09): Changed answers to #86 and #89 in the Try Me meme.

Four of Whatever
From AmyD of Amy's Musings.

• Four family members:
  Katie, Brian, Mom, and Dad
• Four places that I go to over and over:
  Walgreen's, Anderson's Bookshop, gas station, and home
• Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
  Katie, Scott, Allison, Sizzle
• Four of my favorite places to eat:
  Nosh, Subway, Jimmy John's, and Chipotle
• Four places I would rather be right now:
  Home, home, home, and home
• Four TV shows I watch over and over:
  How I Met Your Mother, Psych, The Office, and Seinfeld
• Four things in the room I’m in:
  Computer, iPod, Blackberry, and me
• Four concerts I’ve been to:
  Van Halen, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (and dozens more)
• Four things on my calendar:
  Lines, numbers, events, and red Xs to mark days passed
• Four fears:
  Heights, falling, spiders, and unemployment
• Four things in your purse or wallet:
  Driver's License, Debit Card, Discover Card, and car insurance (you'll note I did't say "money")
• Four chores you hate doing:
  Dusting, vacuuming, shoveling, and yard work
• Four favorite animals:
  Dogs, cats, ferrets, and monkeys
• Four speed dials on your cell phone:
  I haven't figured out speed dial on my Blackberry yet
• Four favorite pieces of jewelry:
  Wedding ring, watch, and... that's all I have; keychain, maybe?
• Four Web sites you visit:
  Google Reader, Gmail, Yahoo Start Page, and Twitter
• Four people who have been in your car:
  Katie, Brian, Mom, and Dad
• Four things you are looking forward to:
  The gym (believe it or not), losing weight, getting out of debt, and having kids
• Four favorite types of candy:
  Jelly beans, Tootsie Rolls, Take 5, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
• Four things found in your fridge:
  Milk, orange juice, apples, salad
• Four rituals you do daily:
  Wake up, shower, check e-mail, say good bye to Katie even though I know she's asleep
• Four things currently within reach:
  Keyboard, mouse, iPod, water bottle
• Four things you know how to cook:
  Pizza, spaghetti, chicken parmesan, rice
• Four Halloween costumes you’ve worn:
  Emperor Palpatine, Perseus, Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man

First
From Kazza the Blank One.

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
   I'm not sure who it was. Was it Kate or Jennifer?
2. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
   Beer, at the ripe old age of three or four
3. What was your FIRST job?
   Telemarketer for a financial services firm
4. What was your FIRST car?
   1984 Chrysler LeBaron
5. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
   AmazonMP3 (from Twitter)
6. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
   Katie
7. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
   Becky Bryant
8. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
   Florida, I think
9. Who was your FIRST best friend, and are you still friends with him / her?
   Steve Pope, no
10. Who was your FIRST kiss?
    Not sure. I think I know, but I'd better check before she reads this
11. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
    Katie, but she was half asleep so I may as well have been talking to myself or the dog
12. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
    Showered
13. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
    Kenny Rogers and Crystal Gayle
14. What was your FIRST tattoo or piercing?
    Eye of Horus
15. What was the FIRST foreign country you went to?
    Mexico, or it might have been Canada; I'm not sure which came first
16. What was the FIRST movie you saw in the theater?
    Star Wars
17. When was your FIRST detention?
    Sophomore year of high school
18. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
    New York
19. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?
    Dunno if it's truly been broken
20. With whom was your FIRST date?
    Krys
21. What was your FIRST pet?
    Tippee the gerbil
22. Who was your FIRST roommate?
    My brother, technically; but if you're talking college, then a couple of morons out at Iowa State University
23. Who was your FIRST love?
    True love? Katie.
24. What was your FIRST screen name?
    Gurgi
25. When did you have your FIRST baby?
    Haven't yet

Try Me
From Eden of So Anyway...

Bold = want to try; bold strikeout = done

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Bungee jumped
11. Sung a solo - does karaoke count?
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
17. Had food poisoning
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - only in the Venetian in Vegas, so far
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors - yeah, Pittsburgh; Kiev, Ukraine is a ways off
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted - who would want to?
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - what's with the Paris obsession?
    
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Been in a movie
55. Gone to a drive-in movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies - I'm no Chris Kattan
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - well I guess I did, but the bank transferred from savings to cover it
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Pieced a quilt
71. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
72. Eaten caviar
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand-new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - I forgot I caught and ate a fish as a kid
87. Visited the White House
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life - meant to mark this one in bold, however, I mark it tentatively as I hope to not be in a situation where someone's life needs to be saved; but I would if I needed to
90. Met someone famous
91. Sat on a jury - almost, but not quite
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit - peripherally, my parents and brother were directly involved
98. Been stung by a bee
99. Ridden an elephant
100. Owned a cell phone