vingt cinq

Okay, fine fine fine - the noodging of a 1000 facebook notes pays off in this post.

1. Libraries are (one of) my happy places. I love wandering the stacks, picking out random books. I go to the library once a week to collect books I've put on hold. I gave away about a gazillion books when I moved from the East Coast, and I promised myself I'd use my local library. It has worked. I treasure my library card.
2. I nearly went to film school, and was accepted into a medical program. I'm so so glad I didn't pursue those paths.
3. I get all of my news from blogs. No, no - not news sites. Blogs. (Often, blog posts linking to news sites, but still. Blogs.)
4. I just bought a cast-iron pan and I'm looking forward to making pineapple upside-down cake. I'm getting more and more into cooking.
   
5. I'll never be a big shopper. I can only take about 45 minutes in a mall (I think it's the recycled air? Claustrophobia?) Then, I kind of freak out and need to leave. It's a little better strolling around a shopping district, but yeah - not a shopper.
6. I have more girl crushes on celebrities than (boy) crushes. Tina Fey, I'm lookin' at you here. (You too, Rachel Maddow and Sarah Haskins.)
7. I am not allowed to buy candles or bath & body products until I run down the current stocks. It may be a year or more.
   
8. After a self-imposed, years-long hiatus - my political/wonky self is back in full force. I am from DC, after all.
9. This shouldn't be a surprise, but I am a feminist.
   
10. If there's anything with eggplant on the menu, that's what I'll order. (See also artichokes, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, polenta, spinach.)
11. It's not eco-friendly, but I love driving. Time in the car can be really therapeutic for me.
12. I just finished training to be a Court Appointed Special Advocate. (I got sworn in today!)
13. Hulu and Netflix's "Watch Instantly" feature have broken my "Amish/neo-Luddite" ways. I haven't owned a TV in ... ever, but now - with all the material available online - I've started watching a LOT of TV online.
14. I didn't understand what all the fuss was about Twitter, but I've come to really enjoy it.
15. I'm ridiculously devoted/obsessed with Target, IKEA, and Trader Joe's.
    
16. People ask/assume I'm writing a book on a regular basis. Some day, I'll prove them right.
17. The KitchenAid Mixer is one of the best reasons to get married. (You only get them off your bridal registry, natch.) I really want one (mixer, not marriage), even though I'm pretty sure I wouldn't use it.
18. I'm assumed to be a big-time extrovert, but I only come off that way because I zealously guard my alone-time. I needs it! I must have it! MY PRECIOUS!
19. I'm so lucky I live in the Bay Area - close to wine country, and beaches (with freezing-ass water, granted), Tahoe, etc. My heart really is in San Francisco, high on a hill. I love my neighborhood and its oddly small town vibe. I run errands once a week on foot, and I know my neighbors (and their children and dogs!)
20. I'm into textiles: I sew, I knit, I embroider and cross-stitch. I find it relaxing and producing something is ... satisfying.
    
21. I go through the occasional bout of insomnia. This, above all other things, has taught me openness. I am always open to trying new things that may work. (Aromatherapy, showering at night, "sleep music" - they have all worked for me, to varying degrees.)
    
22. I'm a big-time law geek. Sometimes, when I'm reading a legal newspaper or a court decision, I'm suffused with energy and affection. I love how concepts are clarified. I love arguments, and negotiations. I love words.
23. I enjoy collecting art. Some of my favorite sites include 20X200, and the very addictive etsy.
    
24. I'm not very girly-girl, but I am very picky about my eyebrows, and nails.
25. For reasons unknown, babies and small children *LOVE* me. I think it is somehow genetic, because my father gets the same treatment.