Blog Redux - 200 Things Part 2

As promised, 50 more things about me: (a reminder, this post was originally written in 2007, any updates are in parenthesis)...enjoy!

51. I have had the good, the bad, and the ugly of jobs in my life. I'm glad at I'm at a "good" one right now.


52. My first job ever was the same as most teenage girls, I babysat. I babysat a little girl who's name I can't remember, but I remember her parents were named Robert and Roberta...


53. I also babysat Damian himself. A next door neighbor who was so wild that it's a wonder he didn't kill himself or anyone else during his childhood. Seriously, he was out of control.


54. I have since found out that Damian had entered the Army and is now an upstanding member of society, doing fairly well for himself. I'm glad to hear that, I always thought he'd end up in jail for arson.


55. Damian's father hired me one summer to help "clean" his house. I spent the better part of three months trying to find the floor in his office, which was buried under about 4 feet of paperwork. I never did reach ground level.


56. He was a college professor, a freakin' genius, but eccentric is putting it mildly. Still, I liked the guy.


57. My first real job, where taxes were actually taken out, was at McDonald's.


58. My boss at McDonald's was a little rat guy who everyone hated, but since he worked days and us "high school" kids worked nights, we didn't have to deal with him that much. We had a lot of fun working there.


59. After McDonald's I got a job working for a record store called Coconuts Music and Movies. I was a shift manager, and really enjoyed the perks of that job.


60. My cd collection is upwards of 500 cd's, but most of those are from all those years ago when I worked at the music store. Record label reps gave me a lot of free music while I worked there.


61. I quit that job when I found out my manager (another rat like little bastard) was keeping from his employees the truth that the store would be closing in a few weeks, and they'd all be out of a job. He had a bunch of college kids trying to pay tuition working for him, and I felt this was inconsiderate, so I told him to take my job and shove it.


62. That was the only time in my life that I quit a job without another job lined up.


63. The very next day I walked around the mall asking for applications and was hired on the spot at a book store.


64. I loved my job as shift supervisor at the bookstore, and boy, those perks were even better for a book lover like me.


65. My manager at the bookstore, is, to this day, one of my favorite bosses ever.


66. I kept that job through college, while working work-study jobs, and temp jobs during the summers.


67. One of my temp jobs was for a company that "scored" standardized tests for elementary and high schools throughout the country. Our job was to sit and read the responses to the "essay" portions of these tests and give them a "grade" based on a scale.


68. Besides being boring as hell, this was one of the most depressing jobs I ever held, because it was trully sad to see how undereducated some parts of our country are. When you can't distinguish a 9th grader's essay from a first grader's essay, you know something isn't quite right.


69. When the bookstore I worked for went out of business, I got a part time job at a lawfirm in Boston,where I was promised a full time position upon graduation.


70. I worked at that firm for about 2 years after graduation, doing a semi-paralegal, but mostly "office manager" type job.


71. There was a whole lot of controversy with that firm when half the lawyers and paralegals up and left in the middle of the night one night, taking their case files with them, and opening up a new firm.


72. I was not in that department, and was therefore, left behind. However, the day I came in to discover everyone had flown the coop, was also the day I was coming in to give my notice, because I had gotten a new job.


73. My boss at that firm was the coolest guy ever, and I've used him as a reference for every job I've had since. He keeps asking me to come back and work for him.


74. My next job was as a paralegal in a firm that represented mostly landlords and property management companies, and we handled all their eviction work.


75. Horrible as it sounds, I loved that job. Evicting people isn't so bad when you realize that their share of subsidized rent is about $8 a month, and they'd rather spend that on getting their nails done or buying designer jeans.


76. I had great relationships with our clients, and enjoyed how much responsibility this job offered me. But my boss was crazy with a capital C...she once threw a stapler across the room, missing me by mere inches, because there were no staples in it.


77. I lasted at that job for about 3 years before I realized that if I stayed any longer I was going to go crazy myself, so I quit.


78. My next job was as a paralegal and yet another Boston firm, but nothing very exciting ever happened at that job. I was mostly a glorified file clerk. A very overpaid, glorified file clerk.


79. I left that job both because I was bored silly, and because I didn't want to work in Boston anymore. That's when I came to "The Firm". ("The Firm" was the job I had when I wrote this post...I no longer work there, I now work as an executive assistant to the president of a credit union, a MUCH BETTER job).


80. At one point, about 2 years ago, The Firm almost went under, and more than half our work-force was laid off. If you haven't noticed, I've closed down 3 business already, and was afraid my curse had followed me here. (The music store, the book store, and the firm where half flew the coop). But thankfully, we're still here. (I was eventually laid off from my job because their financial troubles continued, but I just recently heard that they are still in business, and doing fairly well for themselves again).


81. I also had a direct sales job for about 3 years, working for The Body Shop at Home. I really loved that job, but quit a few years back, because I just don't have the networking capabilities needed for something like that anymore.


82. Now that I've completely bored you with my employment history, let's talk about something more fun. How about boys?


83. I was a late bloomer, not having my first boyfriend or kiss until I was in high school.


84. High school was tough for me, in a lot of ways, including "boys", but now that I look back on it I realize I actually had more fun than I realized I was having at the time.


85. I think I bloomed fully when I arrived in college, and was pretty popular with the guys all through that time.


86. I would honestly say I've been in love with three men in my life, although I think only one of them REALLY loved me back. Well, maybe two...maybe not.


87. I have now been single for at least four years. And by single I mean I could probably count the number of dates I've been on in that time on the fingers of one hand. (I've now been single for a lot longer than four years...let's not dwell on the exact numbers...lol)


88. I don't have a problem with that. (um...maybe a tiny little problem)


89. After my last break-up, I needed some time to focus on myself, and on becoming a better version of me, so I took what I called at the time a "self-imposed dating hiatus".


90. I didn't expect the hiatus to turn into a cancellation.


91. Life in the last few years has been wonderful to me, and I've rarely missed the drama that comes with dating and relationships.


92. But sometimes, I do.


93. The only regret I have about not being married yet, is that I really wanted to be a mother by the age of 30.


94. I wasn't ready to be a mother at 30.


95. I do hope to get married one day, and am ready to allow that whole dating drama to enter my life again...maybe.


96. I now say I want to be a mother by the age of 35. (I wasn't ready to be a mother at 35, I'm 35 now...)


97. I don't think I'll be ready to be a mother at 35 either. (nope)


98. But if I am, and I'm still single, I have every intention of seriously looking into adoption options. I've always wanted to adopt a child. (I've been thinking about this a lot lately)


99. Even if I'm married and have kids of my own, I will adopt a child. It's something I've always known I would do one day.


100. In the meantime, I love playing with other people's kids. And the best part is, you can give them back when diapers need changing, or scoldings need giving.

Reading this post again made me realize a few things...one of which is, I can be pretty funny when I'm talking about myself...

Maybe next weekend I'll give you the 2nd half of my 200 things...

Blog Redux - 200 Things

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm UNPLUGGED this weekend. Which means, no internet. Which means, no blogging. Which means, this post was pre-written and scheduled to post today.

SO, I figured I'd just revisit some of my old posts for you...

I give you 200 Things about me, Part 1: (this original post was written in 2007, the parenthesis are the updates done today)...

1. I was born in Africa

2. Specifically, I was born in Luanda, capital city of Angola a country on the western coast of Africa.

3. Angola was a Portuguese colony at the time, and my parents both moved there as youngsters, met and were married there, and had me.

4. That last one wasn't really about me, but it was about my history so it counts.

5. I left Africa when I was 8 months old, for Portugal

6. I lived in Portugal until I was almost, but not quite, 10 years old.

7. While I lived in Portugal, we moved 9 times.

8. I have wonderful memories of my childhood in Portugal, and even though money was tight, I only remember ever being happy and thinking we had it all.

9. My brother was born when I was 9 years old and became the love of my young life.

10. To this day my brother and I have a bond like few siblings I know. I don't think we've ever had a "real" fight, and I love that even now, at 23 he still comes to me for advice and support. (he's 26 now, but the rest is true).

11. I'm really proud of the man my brother is finally growing up to be. (yep, more and more each day)

12. I left Portugal for the U.S. the day before my 10th birthday.

13. I became a U.S. citizen at the age of 17 (I think) because my parents took the citizenship test while my brother and I were still minors so we'd become citizens automatically.

14. I have now lived in this country about three times as long as I lived in Portugal.

15. I consider myself to be an American in every way that matters.

16. I think this country is flawed in many ways, and wish we'd do a better job of being Americans.

17. That said, I'm proud to be an American, love the freedoms and opportunities that this country has afforded me, and don't plan on ever living anywhere else.

18. However, I do have fantasies of retiring to some tropical beach somewhere in Mexico or Jamaica, and won't completely rule out that possibility.

19. Since moving to the U.S. I've moved 5 times, the first four within the same city, the last time to the next town over, about 5 minutes from my parents' house.

20. I live about 45 miles north of Boston.

21. I went to college in Boston, at Suffolk University.

22. Suffolk was a commuter school at the time, so I never had a "campus" college experience.

23. I don't have a problem with that.

24. My time at college was what "they" say high school should be. "The best four years of your life"...or something like that.

25. College was really an eye opening experience for me, I learned a lot about myself, about life, about others.

26. While in college, I went to school full time, worked full time, and still managed to have time for a pretty darn active social life.

27. I also managed to keep a GPA above a 3.5 the entire time I did the above.

28. My major in college was Communication and Journalism because I wanted to be a reporter or just any kind of writer when I "grew up".

29. I had a minor panic attack my junior year in college when I realized I'd never get a paying job doing the above, and I had way too much debt to risk it, so I added a paralegal minor when most other students were taking the "rocks for jocks" sorts of classes.

30. Suffolk is NOT a sports school, our most celebrated sport at the time was soccer, but the only one we all partipated in attending was intramural basketball. Which was HUGE and I loved going to see.

31. Therefore, I never experienced the "college" sports phenom that seems so widespread in this country.

32. So, most of our extracurricular activities involved more cerebral or artistic pursuits.

33. On that note, I joined the Forensics team my junior year in college. (Yep, along with adding a minor and working full time).

34. No, Forensics doesn't actually have anything to do with dead bodies and CSI investigations. It's just a fancy word for the Speech and Debate Teams

35. I was actually pretty good at this Speech stuff, and won several awards in my short time on the team.

36. With the Forensics team I was able to travel to several schools in the New England and New York area for competitions, and also to a national competition in Flagstaff, Arizona.

37. That trip to Arizona is pretty much when the travel bug bit me long and hard, and hasn't let go yet.

38. One of the speeches I delivered was an informative speech on Pez (yes, the candy). Go ahead, ask me anything about it's history, I can tell you.

39. From the time I was young my dad would tell me that I should become either a lawyer or a politician because of how much I loved to debate.

40. At one point I had aspirations of going to law school and becoming a hot shot Boston lawyer, litigating major cases like you see them do on Law and Order type shows.

41. I knew, however, that it's not exactly like that in the real world, so decided to work in a law firm as a paralegal for a while after college, to decide if that was in fact the world for me.

42. It is now 10 years later, I'm at my fourth law firm, and still working as a paralegal. Obviously, I decided against law school. (except now I don't work in the legal field at all anymore - I'm an executive assistant to the president of a credit union).

43. I'm extremely confident in that if I had chosen to go to law school, I would have done well and would be, in fact, working at some Boston firm, making good money.

44. But I'm even more confident that I made the right choice when I decided that I just didn't want the school debt to enter a career that would practically require me to give up any personal life I have in order to be successful. (AMEN, AMEN, AMEN)

45. I think it is extremely tough for a female to be taken seriously in several different professions, and law is one of those professions, and therefore, women have to work twice as hard as men, in order to be seen as the "bitches" they need to be to be taken seriously. I didn't want to deal with that crap.

46. Most lawyers I know, male or female, hate their jobs.(still true)

47. I won't tell you that being a paralegal was or is my dream job, but I actually enjoy what I do, and aside from my gripes here at The Firm, I like my job. (I wasn't exactly "lying" here, but I think I was in serious denial...I hated that freakin' job. My current job, however? I LOVE).

48. I especially like the fact that when I leave at the end of the day, I leave my job behind me. I don't take work home, I don't have to think about it until the next morning, and I can focus on the rest of my life. (I still love that and it is actually true of this job).

49. While at one point I thought I would be a "career driven" person, I've realized that my motivation to work has changed as I have gotten older. I'm now driven by the desire to have a good, happy, comfortable life. I work to live, I don't live to work. (yep)

50. I don't have a problem with that.

I'll give you the next 50 tomorrow. ;-)

Truth on Tuesday

I have a confession to make...

I told you all a little lie yesterday. In THIS post. Just a tiny lie.

See, the cartoon socks I was wearing in that photo? I never wear them. Ever. And immediately after I took that photo, I took them off.

Now, hold on, don't get mad. Let me explain.

I love cartoon socks. I wear cartoon socks all the time. That part was true.

It's just those socks...these socks:

are incredibly uncomfortable for me. See...a little unknown fact about yours truly...I have webbed toes. Nothing freaky and weird, just a slight webbing between the 2nd and 3rd toes on each foot. Hardly noticeable at all...except when I try to do something silly like wear toe socks.

OUCH...not comfortable.

So, there you have it, now you know a little known fact about me. Also, please don't send me toe socks, because I might love them, and keep them, as I have this pair, but I really can't wear them.

Re-Run Wednesday - 200 things (well...50)

As I stated last week, on Wednesdays I'm going to be revisiting some of my old posts, so I figured what better place to start than the 200 things about me series I did in 2007? I'll start with the first 50...with some edits and commentary (because I can never just do a "copy/paste" post...come on folks, you know me...I'm a talker.

So I give you - 200 things about me: - The first 50

1. I was born in Africa

2. Specifically, I was born in Luanda, capital city of Angola a country on the western coast of Africa.

3. Angola was a Portuguese colony at the time, and my parents both moved there as youngsters, met and were married there, and had me.

4. That last one wasn't really about me, but it was about my history so it counts.

5. I left Africa when I was 8 months old, for Portugal

6. I lived in Portugal until I was almost, but not quite, 10 years old.

7. While I lived in Portugal, we moved 9 times.

8. I have wonderful memories of my childhood in Portugal, and even though money was tight, I only remember ever being happy and thinking we had it all.

9. My brother was born when I was 9 years old and became the love of my young life.

10. To this day my brother and I have a bond like few siblings I know. I don't think we've ever had a "real" fight, and I love that even now, at 23 he still comes to me for advice and support. (he's 25 now, but the rest is true).

11. I'm really proud of the man my brother is finally growing up to be. (yep, more and more each day)

12. I left Portugal for the U.S. the day before my 10th birthday.

13. I became a U.S. citizen at the age of 17 (I think) because my parents took the citizenship test while my brother and I were still minors so we'd become citizens automatically.

14. I have now lived in this country about three times as long as I lived in Portugal.

15. I consider myself to be an American in every way that matters.

16. I think this country is flawed in many ways, and wish we'd do a better job of being Americans.

17. That said, I'm proud to be an American, love the freedoms and opportunities that this country has afforded me, and don't plan on ever living anywhere else.

18. However, I do have fantasies of retiring to some tropical beach somewhere in Mexico or Jamaica, and won't completely rule out that possibility.

19. Since moving to the U.S. I've moved 5 times, the first four within the same city, the last time to the next town over, about 5 minutes from my parents' house.

20. I live about 45 miles north of Boston.

21. I went to college in Boston, at Suffolk University.

22. Suffolk was a commuter school at the time, so I never had a "campus" college experience.

23. I don't have a problem with that.

24. My time at college was what "they" say high school should be. "The best four years of your life"...or something like that.

25. College was really an eye opening experience for me, I learned a lot about myself, about life, about others.

26. While in college, I went to school full time, worked full time, and still managed to have time for a pretty darn active social life.

27. I also managed to keep a GPA above a 3.5 the entire time I did the above.

28. My major in college was Communication and Journalism because I wanted to be a reporter or just any kind of writer when I "grew up".

29. I had a minor panic attack my junior year in college when I realized I'd never get a paying job doing the above, and I had way too much debt to risk it, so I added a paralegal minor when most other students were taking the "rocks for jocks" sorts of classes.

30. Suffolk is NOT a sports school, our most celebrated sport at the time was soccer, but the only one we all partipated in attending was intramural basketball. Which was HUGE and I loved going to see.

31. Therefore, I never experienced the "college" sports phenom that seems so widespread in this country.

32. So, most of our extracurricular activities involved more cerebral or artistic pursuits.

33. On that note, I joined the Forensics team my junior year in college. (Yep, along with adding a minor and working full time).

34. No, Forensics doesn't actually have anything to do with dead bodies and CSI investigations. It's just a fancy word for the Speech and Debate Teams

35. I was actually pretty good at this Speech stuff, and won several awards in my short time on the team.

36. With the Forensics team I was able to travel to several schools in the New England and New York area for competitions, and also to a national competition in Flagstaff, Arizona.

37. That trip to Arizona is pretty much when the travel bug bit me long and hard, and hasn't let go yet.

38. One of the speeches I delivered was an informative speech on Pez (yes, the candy). Go ahead, ask me anything about it's history, I can tell you.

39. From the time I was young my dad would tell me that I should become either a lawyer or a politician because of how much I loved to debate.

40. At one point I had aspirations of going to law school and becoming a hot shot Boston lawyer, litigating major cases like you see them do on Law and Order type shows.

41. I knew, however, that it's not exactly like that in the real world, so decided to work in a law firm as a paralegal for a while after college, to decide if that was in fact the world for me.

42. It is now 10 years later, I'm at my fourth law firm, and still working as a paralegal. Obviously, I decided against law school. (except now I don't work in the legal field at all anymore - I'm an executive assistant to the president of a credit union).

43. I'm extremely confident in that if I had chosen to go to law school, I would have done well and would be, in fact, working at some Boston firm, making good money.

44. But I'm even more confident that I made the right choice when I decided that I just didn't want the school debt to enter a career that would practically require me to give up any personal life I have in order to be successful. (AMEN, AMEN, AMEN)

45. I think it is extremely tough for a female to be taken seriously in several different professions, and law is one of those professions, and therefore, women have to work twice as hard as men, in order to be seen as the "bitches" they need to be to be taken seriously. I didn't want to deal with that crap.

46. Most lawyers I know, male or female, hate their jobs.(still true)

47. I won't tell you that being a paralegal was or is my dream job, but I actually enjoy what I do, and aside from my gripes here at The Firm, I like my job. (I wasn't exactly "lying" here, but I think I was in serious denial...I hated that freakin' job. My current job, however? I LOVE).

48. I especially like the fact that when I leave at the end of the day, I leave my job behind me. I don't take work home, I don't have to think about it until the next morning, and I can focus on the rest of my life. (I still love that and it is actually true of this job).

49. While at one point I thought I would be a "career driven" person, I've realized that my motivation to work has changed as I have gotten older. I'm now driven by the desire to have a good, happy, comfortable life. I work to live, I don't live to work. (yep)

50. I don't have a problem with that.

Okay, I'll leave it at that for today, but maybe next Wednesday we'll do the next 50...

200 Things - Part 4 - the Final 50

The long anticipated (by whom?) conclusion to my list of 200 things about me. You can find the first three parts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.


Now, where was I? Ah yes, I was discussing how much I love the males of our species, and how they fascinate me.


151. I have always gotten along well with men (boys, guys, blokes, whatever), and in fact, through most of my life, I always had more male friends than female friends.


152. This is no longer true, and in fact, with the exception of a couple of male friends who live hundreds of miles from me, I don't currently have all that many guy friends.

153. I think this probably has something to do with the fact that I'm single, and most of my guy friends have gotten married, and well, it just doesn't do to have a "single female friend" when you are married does it? From a wife's point of view, I can see how that would be an issue.


154. I miss having guy friends, they always bring an interesting perspective to things.


155. However, for the first time in my life I have this amazing conglomerate of female friends.


156. I honestly believe I have been blessed with some of the most amazing friends a woman can have.


157. I have friends from all walks of life, and from different times in my life, who sort of "Fit" into different areas of my life. For example, I have my shopping buddy, my travel buddy, my serious conversation "oh my God my life is falling apart" friend, my martini friend, and so on and so forth.


158. I do not, however, have a "group" of girlfriends like most women do, a la "Sex and the City" who all know each other, and do things together.


159. Most of my friends have, however, met each other, because at least twice a year I host a "girl's night" at my place, and bring all my girlfriends together.


160. These evenings when I gather sometimes as many as 16 girls under my roof are some of my favorite evenings every year.


161. As blessed as I feel I am in my friendships, it wasn't always so. I've suffered a lot at the hands of so called friends, and more than once have had to remove myself from unhealthy "friend" relationships.


162. I've come to terms with those painful times in my life, and feel I have learned from them. The most important lesson I have learned, is that it is okay to walk away from a toxic friendship.


163. Besides my friends, I have my family, and within my family, I have yet more amazing friendships with my cousins, and of course, my mother.


164. My mom is without a doubt my best friend.


165. She is also and has always been, a fantastic mom.


166. The older I get, the closer my friendship with my dad has become as well.


167. He too, is a fantastic parent, and probably one of the nicest people you will ever meet.


168. My parents, my brother, and I have a very tightnit family like few families I know.


169. I am very blessed in this regard as well.


170. At the moment I have a pet Beta fish named "Blueberry 2.0".


171. He lives in a fish bowl on my desk, at work.


171. There was a Blueberry 1.0, but he died a few months ago, so 2.0 took his place.


172. No offense to the original Blueberry, but 2.0 is a much friendlier and livelier fish, and makes me smile daily with his antics in the fishbowl.


173. I've been writing poetry and short stories since I learned how to write.


174. I always thought one day I'd be a "writer", and although I'm not published, I very much consider myself to be a writer.


175. I finished a novel at least 10 years ago, but never went back to edit it, and finalize all the important details.


176. I look at my unfinalized manuscript every few months and tell myself I'll work on it, but for some reason, I never do.


177. One of these days, I'll actually complete the damn thing.


178. Sometimes, when I read some of my older works, I'm surprised by how good they are, and am impressed that I created them.


179. Sometimes, I laugh at how bad other pieces are.


180. I'm glad I've gotten back into writing more often, and I have "blogging" to thank for that.


181. I've recently discovered a love for photography I didn't realize I possessed.


182. More interestingly, I've begun to realize that I actually have a decent eye when it comes to taking photographs, and can take some pretty good pictures.


183. This makes me want to learn as much as I can about photography, so that I can add this skill to my creative outlets.


184. There is something about both writing and photography that feels almost spiritual to me. As if these art forms open my eyes to a part of the world I wouldn't otherwise see.


185. I wonder if all artists, writers, etc. feel this way.


186. I'm a very introspective person, and spend a lot of time analyzing my feelings and emotions in relation to the world around me.


187. Due to this, I'm constantly questioning society's norms and rules and expectations.


188. This is why I have a hard time conforming to any one belief system, any one political party, and probably why I have always surrounded myself with people of different races, ages, economic backgrounds, and walks of life.


189. In terms of religion, I am Catholic by birth and baptism. However, I've always struggled with organized religion, and questioned whether it was the place for me.


190. As I get older, I become more and more comfortable with my faith, but in doing so, I realize that for me, faith isn't so much about the organized religion part, as it is about my inner spirituatlity.


191. I'm comfortable and at peace with that.


192. Now that I've accepted this, I feel stronger in my faith than I ever have before.


192. In terms of politics, I'd say I'm pretty liberal minded, but don't pigeon hole me, that never works for me.


193. I don't discuss politics or religion very much in public, because my views are pretty much always controversial, and as much as I love a good debate, I don't enjoy debating with people who get too emotional about such things.


194. This does not mean I am not passionate about my beliefs, it's just that I'm just as passionate about my belief that everyone has a right to their beliefs as well. Even if I think they're wrong.


195. Unless your beliefs directly harm " an innocent", then I'm all over you like white on rice.


196. Once I do allow myself to get started "fighting" for something, you'll be hard pressed to get me to back down until you've proven to me that you have enough knowledge to back up your position.


197. If you show me you do, I won't necessarily agree with you, but I'll agree to disagree.


198. I think life is way too short to waste any of it actually "fighting" about trivial things and could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of "fights" I've had with anyone in the last 5 years.


199. I don't think I'd need my whole hand.


200. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that I've been single for most of that time?


;-) If you've read this far, thanks. I can't believe I really wrote all that stuff about myself. It was fun in a self-indulgent sort of way. If you're not bored yet, scroll down, I posted quite a bit this weekend, including my entry into the world of Martha Stewart (not really) and an update on the situation with Lawboy.

200 Things - Part 3

Wordless Wednesday is below this post.

And now, for the next 50 Things about Me. You can find Part 1 and Part 2 at these links.



101. Even though I have no children, about six years ago I started hearing the slight ticking of my biological clock.

102. I was waiting in line at a Dunkin' Donuts at the train station on my way to work one morning and walked by a sign for the Big Brother, Big Sister Organization.

103. I knew instantly that this was what I needed to do next with my life. I called that very afternoon.

104. Within weeks, after an extensive interview process and thorough background check, I was introduced to Lil' K, my little sister.

105. I fell instantly in love.

106. Lil' K was 8 years old, absolutely gorgeous and with dimples to die for. She was also extremely shy and a bit apprehensive.

107. After introductions were made, I took her to the mall for our first outing. It was her first time going to the mall.

108. By the end of that afternoon, we had formed a bond that goes beyond explanation.

109. In the last 6 years I've seen Lil' K turn from a little girl into a young woman. She is now 14 and has started highschool.

110. I am ridiculously proud of her, and love her as if she was my own child.

111. Although I'm glad I've been able to provide her with experiences she'd never have had, trips she'd never have taken, culture she'd never have been exposed to, and so many other things, I'm even more grateful for all that she's given me.

112. It is because of Lil' K that I have no doubt I will be a good mom one day, and look forward to that opportunity.

113. It is also because of Lil' K that I'm glad I'm not a mom to a teenage girl yet. Boy is that a tough age to discipline!

114. We're getting serious again, let's go back to more fun topics. Let's talk about my "vices".

115. I'm a self-proclaimed shopaholic.

116. I don't have a problem with that.

117. I have a serious love of fashion, and own more clothing than any one woman really needs.

118. And yet, I probably wear 95% of all the clothing I own.

119. The other 5% is probably my work-out gear.

120. As evidenced by my constant talking about it, I have a very serious addiction to shoes.

121. Again, I don't have a problem with that.

122. I quite honestly own at least 75 pairs of shoes. I started the summer at 69, but have bought quite a few throughout the summer, and have given away a couple more pairs, so once again, I have lost count.

123. Although I own so many shoes, I don't spend a lot of money on my shoes. My most expensive pair cost me around $60, and I still regret spending that much.

124. More than being a shopaholic, I am the epidimy of a bargain hunter.

125. If it's not on sale, it is most likely not being purchased. I will step away from it, and only come back for something full price if I absolutely cannot get it out of my mind for a week or two.

126. Barely a weekend goes by when I don't go shopping, even if I buy nothing. For me shopping is a sport, and I take true pleasure in browsing.

127. As much as I shop, I am incredibly good with managing my money, and never buy anything I cannot afford.

128. I've always been proud of the decisions I've made for myself financially.

129. Shortly after college, I began looking into renting an apartment with a friend. I decided that I didn't want to waste my money on rent, and chose to stay home with my parents instead, and save.

130. I lived at home until the month before I turned 28 years old.

131. I don't have a problem with that.

132. I saved enough for a down payment, and bought my own condo, all by myself, at the age of 28.

133. I've had some tight times financially since buying the condo, but I've always managed to handle it on my own, and of that, I'm extremely proud.

134. I absolutely love living on my own, and wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

135. I love the home I've created for myself, and still get a great sense of pride and comfort every time I turn the lock and walk in.

136. I've spent a lot of time alone in the last 4 years, but I've rarely felt lonely.

137. I've learned to appreciate my own company, and the ability I have to entertain myself with my many interests.

138. Living alone, has however, given way to a serious addiction to television.

139. I've always been a fan of tv and all things pop culture, but I now seriously am a tv addict.

140. I'm grateful to Tivo for giving me the freedom to be an addict, but to be able to record things, so that I can indulge my vice in my down time.

141. I'm also seriously addicted to trying new foods and cuisines and learning all there is to know about exotic and original flavors.

142. I don't cook very often, because I don't find it that much fun to cook for one, but I do love to cook.

143. I think I'm a pretty good cook, having inherited my mother's ability to just throw things together and have them come out tasting great.

144. I'm not a heavy drinker by any means, but have developed an interest in expirimenting with martini flavors and have a lot of fun creating new drinks.

145. I took a bartending course a few years ago, but have never attempted to actually get a job as a bartender.

146. I think I would have a lot of fun as a bartender, if I ever needed a second job.

147. As much as I enjoy my solitude and alone time, I am absolutely a people person and love to be surrounded by people.

148. I am the biggest flirt you will meet, and I will flirt with anyone from babies to old ladies. To me flirting is simply about talking to people, and showing an interest in them.

149. Lately, I'm not so good with the flirting with members of the opposite sex thing, but I'm working on feeling more comfortable doing that again.

150. Contrary to popular belief, the fact that I've chosen to not date for such a long time does not mean I don't like men...I absolutely find them the most fascinating creatures and have always loved being around them.

The last 50 of the 200 things will be posted sometime tomorrow...stay tuned!

200 things about me- Part 2

I'm finally feeling better. Thank you to everyone for your well wishes yesterday...I wound up going home early from work and sleeping most of the afternoon and night away...with interruptions only for bouts of coughing. Anyway, I still have a cough today, but overall am feeling much better...so let's get on with the 200 Things About Me posts I've promised. Here are The next 50: (You can read the first 50 here).


51. I have had the good, the bad, and the ugly of jobs in my life. I'm glad at I'm at a "good" one right now.


52. My first job ever was the same as most teenage girls, I babysat. I babysat a little girl who's name I can't remember, but I remember her parents were named Robert and Roberta...


53. I also babysat Damian himself. A next door neighbor who was so wild that it's a wonder he didn't kill himself or anyone else during his childhood. Seriously, he was out of control.


54. I have since found out that Damian had entered the Army and is now an upstanding member of society, doing fairly well for himself. I'm glad to hear that, I always thought he'd end up in jail for arson.


55. Damian's father hired me one summer to help "clean" his house. I spent the better part of three months trying to find the floor in his office, which was buried under about 4 feet of paperwork. I never did reach ground level.


56. He was a college professor, a freakin' genius, but eccentric is putting it mildly. Still, I liked the guy.


57. My first real job, where taxes were actually taken out, was at McDonald's.


58. My boss at McDonald's was a little rat guy who everyone hated, but since he worked days and us "high school" kids worked nights, we didn't have to deal with him that much. We had a lot of fun working there.


59. After McDonald's I got a job working for a record store called Coconuts Music and Movies. I was a shift manager, and really enjoyed the perks of that job.


60. My cd collection is upwards of 500 cd's, but most of those are from all those years ago when I worked at the music store. Record label reps gave me a lot of free music while I worked there.


61. I quit that job when I found out my manager (another rat like little bastard) was keeping from his employees the truth that the store would be closing in a few weeks, and they'd all be out of a job. He had a bunch of college kids trying to pay tuition working for him, and I felt this was inconsiderate, so I told him to take my job and shove it.


62. That was the only time in my life that I quit a job without another job lined up.


63. The very next day I walked around the mall asking for applications and was hired on the spot at a book store.


64. I loved my job as shift supervisor at the bookstore, and boy, those perks were even better for a book lover like me.


65. My manager at the bookstore, is, to this day, one of my favorite bosses ever.


66. I kept that job through college, while working work-study jobs, and temp jobs during the summers.


67. One of my temp jobs was for a company that "scored" standardized tests for elementary and high schools throughout the country. Our job was to sit and read the responses to the "essay" portions of these tests and give them a "grade" based on a scale.


68. Besides being boring as hell, this was one of the most depressing jobs I ever held, because it was trully sad to see how undereducated some parts of our country are. When you can't distinguish a 9th grader's essay from a first grader's essay, you know something isn't quite right.


69. When the bookstore I worked for went out of business, I got a part time job at a lawfirm in Boston,where I was promissed a full time position upon graduation.


70. I worked at that firm for about 2 years after graduation, doing a semi-paralegal, but mostly "office manager" type job.


71. There was a whole lot of controversy with that firm when half the lawyers and paralegals up and left in the middle of the night one night, taking their case files with them, and opening up a new firm.


72. I was not in that department, and was therefore, left behind. However, the day I came in to discover everyone had flown the coop, was also the day I was coming in to give my notice, because I had gotten a new job.


73. My boss at that firm was the coolest guy ever, and I've used him as a reference for every job I've had since. He keeps asking me to come back and work for him.


74. My next job was as a paralegal in a firm that represented mostly landlords and property management companies, and we handled all their eviction work.


75. Horrible as it sounds, I loved that job. Evicting people isn't so bad when you realize that their share of subsidized rent is about $8 a month, and they'd rather spend that on getting their nails done or buying designer jeans.


76. I had great relationships with our clients, and enjoyed how much responsibility this job offered me. But my boss was crazy with a capital C...she once threw a stapler across the room, missing me by mere inches because there were no staples in it.


77. I lasted at that job for about 3 years before I realized that if I stayed any longer I was going to go crazy myself, so I quit.


78. My next job was as a paralegal and yet another Boston firm, but nothing very exciting ever happened at that job. I was mostly a glorified file clerk. A very overpaid, glorified file clerk.


79. I left that job both because I was bored silly, and because I didn't want to work in Boston anymore. That's when I came to "The Firm".


80. At one point, about 2 years ago, The Firm almost went under, and more than half our work-force was laid off. If you haven't noticed, I've closed down 3 business already, and was afraid my curse had followed me here. (The music store, the book store, and the firm where half flew the coop). But thankfully, we're still here.


81. I also had a direct sales job for about 3 years, working for The Body Shop at Home. I really loved that job, but quit a few years back, because I just don't have the networking capabilities needed for something like that anymore.


82. Now that I've completely bored you with my employment history, let's talk about something more fun. How about boys?


83. I was a late bloomer, not having my first boyfriend or kiss until I was in high school.


84. High school was tough for me, in a lot of ways, including "boys", but now that I look back on it I realize I actually had more fun than I realized I was having at the time.


85. I think I bloomed fully when I arrived in college, and was pretty popular with the guys all through that time.


86. I would honestly say I've been in love with three men in my life, although I think only one of them REALLY loved me back. Well, maybe two...maybe not.


87. I have now been single for at least four years. And by single I mean I could probably count the number of dates I've been on in that time on the fingers of one hand.


88. I don't have a problem with that.


89. After my last break-up, I needed some time to focus on myself, and on becoming a better version of me, so I took what I called at the time a "self-imposed dating hiatus".


90. I didn't expect the hiatus to turn into a cancellation.


91. Life in the last few years has been wonderful to me, and I've rarely missed the drama that comes with dating and relationships.


92. But sometimes, I do.


93. The only regret I have about not being married yet, is that I really wanted to be a mother by the age of 30.


94. I wasn't ready to be a mother at 30.


95. I do hope to get married one day, and am ready to allow that whole dating drama to enter my life again...maybe.


96. I now say I want to be a mother by the age of 35.


97. I don't think I'll be ready to be a mother at 35 either.


98. But if I am, and I'm still single, I have every intention of seriously looking into adoption options. I've always wanted to adopt a child.


99. Even if I'm married and have kids of my own, I will adopt a child. It's something I've always known I would do one day.


100. In the meantime, I love playing with other people's kids. And the best part is, you can give them back when diapers need changing, or scoldings need giving.

Stay tuned for Part 3, sometime tomorrow...

This is my 200th Post - 200 Things - Part 1

WOW, 200 posts! I'm pretty impressed I reached this number so quickly. I've only really been actively blogging on a daily basis since June.


So, in honor of my 200th post, I've decided to do something I've seen others do, and that is give you a "100 things about me" post...times two. However, because I don't want to hog all your "blog-hopping" time today...I'm going to break this up into pieces. I'll give it to ya 50 at a time.

So I give you - 200 things about me: - The first 50


1. I was born in Africa

2. Specifically, I was born in Luanda, capital city of Angola a country on the western coast of Africa.

3. Angola was a Portuguese colony at the time, and my parents both moved there as youngsters, met and were married there, and had me.

4. That last one wasn't really about me, but it was about my history so it counts.

5. I left Africa when I was 8 months old, for Portugal

6. I lived in Portugal until I was almost, but not quite, 10 years old.

7. While I lived in Portugal, we moved 9 times.


8. I have wonderful memories of my childhood in Portugal, and even though money was tight, I only remember ever being happy and thinking we had it all.


9. My brother was born when I was 9 years old and became the love of my young life.


10. To this day my brother and I have a bond like few siblings I know. I don't think we've ever had a "real" fight, and I love that even now, at 23 he still comes to me for advice and support.


11. I'm really proud of the man my brother is finally growing up to be.

12. I left Portugal for the U.S. the day before my 10th birthday.

13. I became a U.S. citizen at the age of 17 (I think) because my parents took the citizenship test while my brother and I were still minors so we'd become citizens automatically.

14. I have now lived in this country almost three times as long as I lived in Portugal.

15. I consider myself to be an American in every way that matters.

16. I think this country is flawed in many ways, and wish we'd do a better job of being Americans.

17. That said, I'm proud to be an American, love the freedoms and opportunities that this country has afforded me, and don't plan on ever living anywhere else.


18. However, I do have fantasies of retiring to some tropical beach somewhere in Mexico or Jamaica, and won't completely rule out that possibility.


19. Since moving to the U.S. I've moved 5 times, the first four within the same city, the last time to the next town over, about 5 minutes from my parents' house.


20. I live about 45 miles north of Boston.


21. I went to college in Boston, at Suffolk University.


22. Suffolk was a commuter school at the time, so I never had a "campus" college experience.


23. I don't have a problem with that.


24. My time at college was what "they" say high school should be. "The best four years of your life"...or something like that.


25. College was really an eye opening experience for me, I learned a lot about myself, about life, about others.


26. While in college, I went to school full time, worked full time, and still managed to have time for a pretty darn active social life.


27. I also managed to keep a GPA above a 3.5 the entire time I did the above.


28. My major in college was Communication and Journalism because I wanted to be a reporter or just any kind of writer when I "grew up".


29. I had a minor panic attack my junior year in college when I realized I'd never get a paying job doing the above, and I had way too much debt to risk it, so I added a paralegal minor when most other students were taking the "rocks for jocks" sorts of classes.



30. Suffolk is NOT a sports school, our most celebrated sport at the time was soccer, but the only one we all partipated in attending was intramural basketball. Which was HUGE and I loved going to see.


31. Therefore, I never experienced the "college" sports phenom that seems so widespread in this country.


32. So, most of our extracurricular activities involved more cerebral or artistic pursuits.


33. On that note, I joined the Forensics team my junior year in college. (Yep, along with adding a minor and working full time).


34. No, Forensics doesn't actually have anything to do with dead bodies and CSI investigations. It's just a fancy word for the Speech and Debate Teams


35. I was actually pretty good at this Speech stuff, and won several awards in my short time on the team.


36. With the Forensics team I was able to travel to several schools in the New England and New York area for competitions, and also to a national competition in Flagstaff, Arizona.


37. That trip to Arizona is pretty much when the travel bug bit me long and hard, and hasn't let go yet.


38. One of the speeches I delivered was an informative speech on Pez (yes, the candy). Go ahead, ask me anything about it's history, I can tell you.


39. From the time I was young my dad would tell me that I should become either a lawyer or a politician because of how much I loved to debate.


40. At one point I had aspirations of going to law school and becoming a hot shot Boston lawyer, litigating major cases like you see them do on Law and Order type shows.


41. I knew, however, that it's not exactly like that in the real world, so decided to work in a law firm as a paralegal for a while after college, to decide if that was in fact the world for me.


42. It is now 10 years later, I'm at my fourth law firm, and still working as a paralegal. Obviously, I decided against law school.


43. I'm extremely confident in that if I had chosen to go to law school, I would have done well and would be, in fact, working at some Boston firm, making good money.


44. But I'm even more confident that I made the right choice when I decided that I just didn't want the school debt to enter a career that would practically require me to give up any personal life I have in order to be successful.


45. I think it is extremely tough for a female to be taken seriously in several different professions, and law is one of those professions, and therefore, women have to work twice as hard as men, in order to be seen as the "bitches" they need to be to be taken seriously. I didn't want to deal with that crap.


46. Most lawyers I know, male or female, hate their jobs.


47. I won't tell you that being a paralegal was or is my dream job, but I actually enjoy what I do, and aside from my gripes here at The Firm, I like my job.


48. I especially like the fact that when I leave at the end of the day, I leave my job behind me. I don't take work home, I don't have to think about it until the next morning, and I can focus on the rest of my life.


49. While at one point I thought I would be a "career driven" person, I've realized that my motivation to work has changed as I have gotten older. I'm now driven by the desire to have a good, happy, comfortable life. I work to live, I don't live to work.


50. I don't have a problem with that.


Check back tomorrow for part 2, or The Next 50.

Also, check back later for Follow-up Friday.