Spring Dreaming - Question 11

Quesiton 11 - Describe 10 pet peeves you have

YES!! I LOVE this question!! I have more than ten, but here are just a few.

- Businesses who leave their "Open" sign on when they are, in fact, NOT open.
- Toilet lids left up.
- People who don't use their blinkers.
- Billboards that are still up after the event is over. This runs true for yard sale signs as well.
- Books haphazardly put onto shelves.
- Bad grammar on the internet. Do people not understand that EVERYONE can see it?!!?
- Freezers without ice in them.
- Bendy straws - they never work like you want them to.
- People sitting on my bed without asking.
- Broken bindings on a book.

Oh- and stores who advertise something and then don't have it. Take the sign down if you're all out!

See you tomorrow!!

Spring Dreaming - Question 10

Question 10 - Describe your most embarrassing moment

I don't have a lot of embarassing moments. I don't embarass easily. Well let's fix that- I feel emabarrassed about things I have done (barefoot walking down The Strip, massive mistakes in relationships, calling someone by the wrong name whom I have been working with for 2 years) but I can't think of one "moment". I'm sure someone out there can. Please feel free to chime in!

Oh, and currently the state of my car embarasses me. It's a disaster and that's nothing I like people seeing.

See you tomorrow!!

Spring Dreaming - Question 9

Question 9 - List 10 people who have inspired you

- My Mom
- My Dad
- Cristin
- Emily
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Judi Dench
- Anne Bolyen
- Julia Child
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- My friends (more than ten but who cares! They are all amazing and bring something wonderful to my life.)

Spring Dreaming - Question 8

Question 8 - What are 5 passions you have?

- Interaction. This covers a lot of what drives me and makes me happy. I love to interact with people. I love to chat with the people I server food to, to the woman who checks me out at the grocery store, to the man selling me a water at the 7-11. I love to meet people and hear their stories. I love to be with people- especially my family. I am not an introvert, nor do I do well being alone. I love having my bf over for company. I love going home and seeing my family. I love calling my friends and hearing their voice. I love interacting with people and want to do it all day long.

- Food. I believe in all aspects of food but I am most passionate about the good stuff. I want to eat fresh, organic, elaborate meals filled with yummy flavors and stories about how the person came to make the dish. I love to cook with my family. I slack off when it's just me - I'm totally fine with a bowl of cereal (which is also something to be passionate about)- but I am passionate about sustainable eating, creative ways to eat well and finding new ways to eat the same thing. There isn't a symphony that goes off in my head when I eat something. It's more like I'm passionate about being able to eat what I want to eat. I hope that will more money and time I will be able to fully flush out my love and make every recipe that are currently gathering dust in my cookbook shelves.

- The Arts - Music, film, musical theater, theater, theater history, modern art, literature, hip-hop, classical dance.....it's all in there. I believe art showcases people in a way that no other thing can. It should be embraced by all, even the tone-deaf-color-blind-engineers out there. Without the beauty art brings, we have no need for the straight lines of "normal" life. Artists are a gift and I believe they should be supported wherever possible.

- Money - I do a crap job of keeping it, but I am constantly working to make more of it. I love what it can do, I love the doors it can open, I love looking at it, dreaming about it, spending it, sharing it. Money is a brilliant addition to life and I love everything about it. Especially when I have a lot of it!

- Love - I LOVE to love things. All things. And when I hate something, I LOVE to hate it. I like the all encompassing happiness love can bring to the people who feel it. I am passionate about sharing love with as many people in my life that I can and bringing love to as many things in my life as I can.

See you tomorrow!

Spring Dreaming - Question 7

Question 7 - What is your dream job and why?

My dream job is to be a working, household name actor for the stage and screen. I would like a career akin to the likes of Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, Scarlotte Johanssen, Maggie Smith, Patrick Stewart, David Tennant, Hugh Jackman, Natalie Portman, Angela Landsbury, Angelica Houston, David Craig. An ideal week for me would be shooting a movie on location, doing press for the blockbuster that is coming out in the next few months and memorizing lines for the West End show that opens in a week. I would also be working on my book, attending awards shows and movie premieres and lecturing at universities. Let's also throw in my daily workouts with a trainer and meals prepared by my chef.

Oh yes - I'm going to be huge!

Spring Dreaming - Question 6

Question 6 - What's the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

Hands down- watching my father get sick, weaken and pass away.

Spring Dreaming - Question 5

Question 5 - What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

1- ......thinking......

2- My pupster, Molly, makes me happy. She frustrates me with her need for petting, and her constant licking and her inability to just chill sometimes. But it is such a delight to have a smiling dog greet me at the front door when I get home. It is a treat to watch her bounce up and down when she realizes we are going out. It's like she has springs for paws! And it is so very very very nice to not be alone in the moments when you feel totally alone. Everything they say about owning a dog is true. It's a treat.

3- The promise of tomorrow makes me happy. I have calmed myself down about where I live and the fact that I have to work these two jobs to make and save some money. I have calmed down about taking a year to regroup and refocus and do what I need to do. I think the fact that I am finding peace in that makes it easier and more exciting to look to tomorrow. I am not scared of tomorrow or anxious or anything like that. I am ready for tomorrow. I'm excited about it. And I am happy there is going to be a tomorrow and it is going to be better.

4- My family makes me happy. I love sending them texts and calling them. I love that my mom sends me pictures of her puppy at the horse shows and Emily as she gets ready for prom. I love that I can talk with Cristin about anything and, even if we argue, we are totally good and will work through it. I love that I drink scotch with my Uncle Tim. I love that everyone in my family truly loves each other, even if they can't currently be in the same room with them.

5- Pintrest makes me happy. Damn that website!! I still get awful panic attacks and feelings of inadequacy. But the Geek boards and the Humor boards make the quiet days at work totally bearable. I get a good laugh every time I get on that site and it makes me very happy.

See you tomorrow!!

Spring Dreaming - Question 4

Question 4 - List 10 things you would tell your 16-year-old self

- It's okay to have sex with the person you love. Be safe about it, but don't think you're a bad person (or a slut) because you want to.
- Get a job. It's nice to not "have" to work, but you have no idea how to spend and save money until you don't have any. Mom and Dad won't be there forever.
- Your body is beautiful. You don't "need" to lose 10 lbs. Stop obsessing about it.
- You're never going to have big boobs. Get used to it, accept it, and start loving yourself for who you are. It will make your 20's a lot easier.
- All the stupid stuff you want to do? Do it. Play. All the time.
- College is right around the corner. GO TO UCLA!! Listen to Dad and don't take the "safe" choice. Life will always offer a safe choice. Now is the time to take a chance.
- Practice more. You need it. You're good, but you can be great if you work harder. Work harder.
- Invest. Go to Grandpa Lou and ask him to help you, introduce you to someone to invest with. Even a little money now will change your life later.
- Keep a more thorough journal. Don't just write "I'm mad at mom." Tell the future you why you're mad and what you're feeling. Get it all out there and then learn from it.
- Hug Mom and Dad and Cristin for me. I know right now you're probably at odds with them about something. But one day they won't be there for you to hug. Take that time now.

See you tomorrow!

Spring Dreaming - Question 3

Question 3: Describe your relationship with your parents.

I idolized my father. He could do no wrong and even now, five years after his death, I still have trouble seeing him for his "real" self sometimes. And I'm sure that was hard on him. He was just a guy trying to survive in this world and I laid the responsibility of hero on his shoulders. He and I would run together in the morning and have our shakes and bagels. We both loved dogs and driving fast. He would listen to my side of things and let me have my say. When I became an adult we would debate for hours and it would really bother my baby sister, Emily, because she thought we were fighting. In reality we were just disagreeing but respecting each other. We loved to go out for sushi and drink cocktails on the patio.

The past posts about my dad show how close we became as he was dying and I lived with him. I treasure those moments. They are what keep me smiling on days when I miss him so much I forget he's gone. I know my dad and I parted this earth on very good terms. And I am very excited to see him again some day.

My mother and I had a rocky relationship until I was in my mid twenties. There were many many yelling matches intermixed with her supporting me in every way, all the time. I didn't understand her and she didn't understand me. I wanted a good relationship with her, but neither of us knew how to get it. I eventually called her out on what I wanted and asked for her help. We had a few years of difficulty while we figured out how to converse and communicate what we wanted. Now, however, after all that time, we are good. We still don't fully understand each other, and I know I upset her more than I would like it. But I respect her more than I have before. What I saw before as martyrdom and passive aggressive is her coping technique. I'm not saying it's right and I'm not saying I understand it. But I am more understanding of her and what her life is filled with.

We both enjoy some of the same things, which is really nice. We like to go to yard sales and antique malls. We like wine and vodka and being in the kitchen. We love being with our family and carrying on traditions. There is still so much more to learn from my mother. As I get older I find myself more patient with her and a little more frustrated with myself for not knowing her better sooner. All I can do now is take all the moments I have with her and enjoy them.

I love my father and my mother so very very much.
See you tomorrow!

Spring Dreaming - Question 2

Question 2: Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears

- I am terrified of great white sharks. Pretty sure it stems from watching Jaws too early in life. At my bf's request I watched it again last year on the big screen and I was still terrified. I'm sure it also stems from riding the "Behind the Scenes" ride at Universal Studios Hollywood and fully believing I was going to fall into the "ocean" off the tram and get eaten by a shark. My ability to throw myself completely into rides is not always a benefit. This fear is not completely irrational. Sharks can, and do, kill people. I wade in the ocean, but don't swim out farther than where I can see the bottom. I will go on boats and ships and all that. But great white sharks scare the hell out of me and I want no part of hanging out with them. But I will do everything I can to keep them off the endangered list.

- I am scared of closed spaces I can't see out of. Crawling into a tunnel where I can't turn around, driving/walking/biking into a tunnel where I can't see the end, walking into a pitch dark space without knowing the escape route - no thank you. Not sure where this stems from. As far as I know I haven't had any trauma about this. And I love to snuggle into cozy corners. I sleep best when there is the weight of covers on me. But I can't snorkel, refuse to scuba dive, and won't be caught catching alligators in the sewers or Florida any time soon.

- I'm scared of making wrong decisions and dying with regrets. I can barely decide what to eat sometimes. I know, I know........It's going to happen because there is absolutely no way I can doit all right all the time. But it still scares me.

See you tomorrow!

A Little Spring Dreaming

I stumbled upon this list on Pintrest (damn you, you marvelous website of time-wasting, creative destruction) and thought it would be a nice way to get back into the blogging life. Let's see where the month takes us, shall we?

Question 1- List 20 Random Facts About Yourself

- I hate washing utensils
- I like throwing themed parties.
- There are two episodes of "Big, Rich Texas" on my Mac and I've seen them both over 10 times
- I fall asleep to "Toy Story", often. Like, twice a week or more, often.
- I always have at least three books I'm in the middle of reading.
- I love to clip coupons and use them.
- I have a weakness for convenience store coffee.
- I enjoy collecting things.
- Friday nights usually involve eating an entire pizza, watching a movie and at least one beer.
- I go to therapy and I like it.
- It makes me happy when my clothes are organized by type and then by color.
- I've never seen a full Dr. Who episode.
- I don't want to have kids.
- I'd like to own a goat.
- Since 1996 I have not lived at one address for more than a year. A rough count puts me at 25 address in the past 17 years.
- My life dream is to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony, and a Golden Globe. And to be a Bond girl.
- I also have a goal of owning all the Monopoly games. I currently have 4 versions.
- I have run 18 marathons.
- I love naps.
- I love, love LOVE hyperboles.

There you go - 20 random facts about Amie B.
See you tomorrow!