What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was living by myself in a studio apartment on San Francisco's noisiest street and working as a web producer 20 miles south in Foster City, and really, really wanting to find a job closer to home. I had been dating my husband-to-be (now ex) for about 4 months. I'd been single for a couple years before meeting him (unless you count all those frogs I dated since my last real boyfriend) and was really happy (relieved?) to be in a real relationship.

What were you doing one year ago?
I was living in the same flat I live in now, with J, and was working in Mountain View (40 miles south!) — hating it. The job had turned into 100% project management, my boss was a micromanaging workaholic, and I was sick to death of the commute. Then, when I found out I'd gotten 1/10th of the bonus my good friend and colleague got, I began applying to jobs online. I had also just applied to Stanford's Master of Liberal Arts program and was breathlessly expecting to be accepted. Ha.

Five snacks you enjoy:
I'm not a consistent/faithful snacker. In fact, I'm quite a fickle snacker. But at the moment, I like to snack on stuff like sesame cashews from Trader Joe's (aka "crack"), rice, nori & pickles (I count these as one snack, because they must be eaten together), eggettes (amazing and addictive Hong Kong-style waffles I get at this bubble tea place in South San Francisco), apples & cheese, and greek yogurt & honey.

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
Too many to mention, especially if I were to take my misspent youth into consideration, during which I memorized every single Police, Duran Duran, English Beat and Wham! song. But that was then. For now, I thought it might be more fitting to list the songs that I've *tried* to learn all the lyrics to merely by catching them on the radio now and then (since I'm slightly busier than I was as a teenager): "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morrissette; "Loser" by Beck; "Laid" by James; "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim; "Dirty Harry" by Gorillaz.

Five things you would do if you were a multi-millionaire:
Buy houses in all my favorite places; take care of my family and friends' financial needs; adopt a couple kids and a few more pets; start a non-profit art school (a la Born Into Brothels); donate money to progressive political causes.

Five bad habits:
Biting my nails; not flossing; keeping my clothes in piles rather than putting them away; procrastinating; overeating.

Five things you like doing:
Knitting; swimming; riding my scooter; cooking; um, you know.

Five things you would never wear or buy again:
Blue-green eyeshadow in long swooshes (hello, Prom Night 1986!); big eyeglasses (big sunglasses are sometimes ok); Yukon Jack (a completely disgusting "liqueur"); spandex bike shorts (even if I get skinny again); metallic leather (so damn fugly!).

Five favorite things:
The silly behavior of my cats; my boyfriend's sense of humor; my bed; my laptop; traveling far & wide.

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Riseyp!

1. Riseyp is the last letter of the Greek alphabet.
2. Over 2000 people have now climbed riseyp, with roughly ten percent dying on the way down.
3. Riseyp is picked, sorted and packed entirely in the field!
4. If you cut riseyp in half and count the number of seeds inside, you will know how many children you are going to have!
5. Riseyp will often rub up against people to lay her scent and mark her territory!
6. There are six towns named riseyp in the United States.
7. While sleeping, fifteen percent of men snore, and ten percent grind their riseyp.
8. The fingerprints of riseyp are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.
9. Some birds use riseyp to orientate themselves during migration.
10. Riseyp can remain conscious for fifteen to twenty seconds after being decapitated.

Foo: Have a challenge for you.
RiseyP: k
Foo: Read my blog…
RiseyP: k
…
RiseyP: k
RiseyP: are you tagging me?
Foo: Consider yourself tagged.

1. I spent New Year’s Day (and Eve) 2005 in Amsty-dam!

2. I learned how to knit - yippee!
3. I got LASIK.
4. I bought a thoroughly fabulous powder blue Aprilia Mojito scooter!!
5. I visited my adorable nieces and lovely sis-in-law.
6. I went to Hawaii (the Big Island) and snorkeled on Valentine’s Day
7. I got a new job with a lot less stress.
8. My commute went from 55+ minutes to less than 20!
9. I’ve made a lot of new friends at said new job.
10. I got “promoted” at work (waiting ’til review time next year to actually benefit from it…)
11. I had a fun birthday lunch at the Ramp with a bunch of my work friends.
12. I went to lovely Telluride, Colorado for 5 days to visit my good friends Maureen and Pat.
13. I recruited three friends to come work at my new company.
14. I got 3 nice bonuses, and won a portable DVD player from work for doing the above.
15. My love and I bought a condo in Telluride!!
16. I learned some Japanese.
17. I got a gorgeous blue Betta fish, named Cruiser.
18. I bought myself an Apple iBook.
19. I learned how to use GarageBand, and even wrote a little songlet.
20. I joined the gym and started swimming again.
21. I got an iPod Nano from my lovey
22. I went to Korea *and* Japan!
23. I got to see my brother doing well in his new job teaching English in Korea.
24. I began to blog more consistently, and two people link to me now. Woo hoo!!
    
25. I got two beautiful goldfish!! Whom I am picking up & bringing home this very afternoon…*

*My lovey, who warned me time and time again about how delicate (fancy) goldfish are, didn’t hate me forever for failing to keep them alive longer than 5 hours after bringing them home…

!!!!

For tagging the whole world with a fun, fun, MeMe!

TEN random things you might not know about me
1: I have a knack for languages and have taken classes in French, Spanish, Italian, Ancient Greek and Japanese.
2: I sleep with a stuffed elephant named Heffalump.
3: I’ve saved every card, letter or email I’ve received since the age of 14.
4: I used to wear colored contacts (aqua) from age 16 to 21, then I wore glasses until got LASIK last Feb.
5: I moved six times between the ages of 5 and 18, and have been the most popular — and least popular — girl at school as a result.
7: I failed my first driver’s test and didn’t get my license until I really needed it — when I turned 21
8: I freak out if anyone touches my neck!! I have a total neck phobia because, yes, I’m a freak.
9: I was raised (very marginally) Catholic. In my teens I devoured books about astrology, numerology and the tarot. In my early 20s, I tried converting to Christianity, but it didn’t stick. Now I’m just an agnostic.
10: I worked Beach Patrol on an exclusive stretch of land in Malibu during the summer of 92, which pretty much meant I got to swim all day.

NINE places I�ve visited (in reverse chronological order)
1: Japan
2: Korea
3: Amsterdam
4: Hawaii (Oahu and the Big Island)
5: The UK (twice)
6: Italy
7: France
8: Kennebunkport, ME
9: The Outer Banks, NC

EIGHT ways to win my heart
1: Be funny
2: Love animals
3: Love food (and especially my cooking)
4: Cry at the movies
5: Love to travel
6: Laugh as often as possible
7: Be a (very) good writer
8: Be nice to people, especially the ones who are easy to overlook

SEVEN things I want to do before I die
1: Motorcycle from Paris to Prague
2: Learn another language, fluently
3: Write something I’m truly proud of
4: Take a beloved child somewhere amazing (eg their first trip to a zoo)
5: Live in a foreign country for at least 6 months
6: Snorkel or scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
7: Become a great deal better at finishing what I start

SIX things I�m afraid of
1: Desititution (essentially, losing the ability to support myself)
2: My parents becoming completely dependent on me
3: Never forgiving myself for my divorce
4: Losing my sight
5: Never owning a house that I can actually live in
6: Dying alone

FIVE things I don’t like
1: Being flaked on when I’m really looking forward to something
2: Peas (including sugar snap)
3: Being told what to do (suggestions acceptable!)
4: Eating lunch at my desk
5: Being ignored

FOUR ways to turn me off
1: Write with bad spelling or grammar
2: Mistreat a person or an animal
3: Smother or pester me
4: Guilt-trip me

THREE Things I do everyday
1: Catch up on “news” (blogs & RSS feeds)
2: Take a hot bath
3: Snuggle my love

TWO things that make me happy
1: My cats
2: The internets

ONE thing on my mind right now
1: How much I have to pee