25 + 25

1. I love driving in reverse.

2. If I could sleep in a cloud, I would be so happy.

3. I love keeping in contact with people. Especially the best ones :)

4. I randomly know that 51 is divisible by 3. (Probably cause I hated on it before I realized it wasn't prime.)

5. Grammatical ignorance drives me crazy, especially in the case of homophones.

6. I don't put apostrophes in text messages though.

7. I use a LOT of emoticons. Text doesn't show emotion, therefore I include the visual as well.

8. My favorite perfume right now (at least on me) is Stella. It makes me smell like a rose.

9. I don't always think roses smell good. A lot of times they smell like the sweet stink of rotting organic material. I don't like the smell of rotting organic material.

10. My parents bought me a bag of potatoes and put them in my pantry and I didn't notice until I searched for what was causing the horrifying stench. They had liquified.

11. I can't stand the smell of cooking chicken.

12. I recently realized I love tofu. At least in the Pad Thai Doc Chey's.

13. My exes aren't from Texas. Though 3 of my 4 major relationships went long distance.

14. My first screen name was Oct1st84 but I changed it because my friends said it was hard to write, switching between the numbers and letters like that. Plus, my mom thought it would attract predators.

15. If you turn on my TV, you'd probably be watching USA, Bravo, TLC or TNT.

16. My favorite movies growing up were Cinderella, Anne of Green Gables, 10 Things I hate about you, Erin Brockovich, How to Lose a guy in 10 days and after that, I haven't watched any one movie on repeat like I did to those 5.

17. I watched "Life is Beautiful" last night. Such an amazing story. "Princepessa!" So romantic, and on so many levels.

18. I have 8 houseplants in my apartment.

19. It usually takes me at least 2 hours of lying in bed and trying to think of nothing, to be able to sleep.

20. I love Wisconsin summers but hate Wisconsin winters. (Though I do like the snow).

21. I dock a boat like a pro. (A speed/sport boat at least.)

22. I tried to be cool and ski right up to the pier (attempting to glide up to and then sit on it); however, completely smashed into it and gashed my hip and leg up really bad. I was probably 10.

23. The worst I've ever hurt myself was barefooting. I can't really barefoot. I bruised 3 ribs.

24. I've sprained both ankles more times than I can remember. Mostly landing wrong, dancing.

25. I think that I think that (repeated on purpose) I know Spanish better than I still do. It's really fading.

25 Things

1. I am endlessly entertained by disco balls (not the reflected spots of light, the actual ball)
2. If I didn't have my career aspirations, I'd be an NFL Cheerleader (they're actually dancers though).
3. Speaking of dance, I love it! We won 2nd in state in High School for Varsity Dance Team.
4. I've been to 26 different countries and I can't wait to explore more. (Italy is magical.)
5. I put a pin in a map for every place I have visited and lived. And they're all color coded.
6. Apparently, I listen to "stripper music." Haha.
7. I'd rather be: hot than cold, sweating than shivering, die of heat stroke than frostbite.
8. On the Meyer's Briggs type test, I'm ENFP (Extroversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perceiving)
9. I have 32 post-it notes on my wall near my computer desk. And they're in a grid.
10. I hate it when I'm late for anything. I put an extreme amount of guilt on myself for that.
11. I might as well be a sponsored by, or be a spokesmodel for Mountain Dew.
12. I WILL be a creative director someday.
13. The thought of being a housewife really frightens me.
14. Cadmium Yellow is my overall favorite color. Crimson, when I'm feeling emotional.
15. There are tattoos saying, "VERITAS AQUITAS" in my favorite movie.
16. I had a six-pack when I was 16. And ate more than most of the boys in my classes.
17. Prime numbers make me really uncomfortable. You will never find my volume on one.
18. If I like you, I won't wait for you to ask me out. I do love being romanced though.
19. I want a yacht with sails, and I want to wear navy blue, white and gold while I'm on it.
20. My parents paid me to get a B in 8th grade because they thought I was too neurotic.
21. I'm still neurotic, but I've got more perspective now. I'm learning to be a precisionist, rather than a perfectionist.
22. I usually wait for someone else to do the math for me. I can do it, I'd just rather not.
23. I had a belly button ring because I "wanted to be bad" when I was 16. My mom took me. I took it out at 23. 
24. I'm learning to find beauty and truth in the darkest, most painful places.
25. I am really moved by the lyrics in Jason Mraz's songs. They all make you think and they each paint an amazingly deep picture.

What's inside of a disco ball?

A disco ball shines in the spotlight and reflects glimmers of happiness and hope onto dance floors everywhere. But what is on the inside? Or in the inside? Is it empty? Barren? Void of internal satisfaction? How sad. Instead, I choose to believe that inside every disco ball is joy, happiness, love or some physical representation of it, or a spark of life from every one of its dance party extravaganzas. Disco balls entertain, yes. Amuse, check. Bring awkward strangers together to slow dance to Marvin Berry and the Starlighters', "Earth Angel," mmm, maybe . . . maybe a good knock-out punch too, now and then.

Something Interesting.

Identifying my Identity

If I were a color, I'd be both cadmium yellow and crimson.

If I were a typeface, I'd be Baskerville regular.

If I were a scent, I'd be gasoline.

If I were a food, I wouldn't have to cook it.

If I were a metal, I'd be yellow gold.

If I were a rock, I'd be transparent rose quartz.

If I were a drink, I'd be Mountain Dew.

If I were a drug, I'd be caffeine.

If I were a shape, I'd be a circle (if 2D) sphere (if 3D).

If I were an article of clothing, I'd be a Rambo style headband.

If I were a season, I'd be summer.

If I were a ball, I'd be a disco ball.

If I were an age forever, I'd be 30. 

If I were an instrument, I'd be a baby grand piano.

If I were a car, I'd be a 911 Porsche Cabriolet or a Jeep Wrangler.

If I were a sport, I'd be dance or water skiing.

If I were a temperature, I'd be 82.

If I were a holiday, I'd be the 4TH of July.

If I were a criminal, I would not be me.

If I were an animal, I'd be a Lion.

If I were to predict my last living words, I'd say thank you.

If I were a Greek or Roman goddess, I'd be Athena/Minerva.

If I were a toy, I'd be the Badgley Mischka Barbie or crayons.

If I were an emotion, I'd be surprise or amusement.

If I were an American decade of the past, I'd be the 1920s.

If I were a period in time, I'd be Hellenistic Greece.

If I were able to have a superpower, I'd be able to fly.

If I were something in the sky, I'd be a firework.

If I could secure one thing for my future, I'd secure my sight/vision.

If I were a facial expression, I'd be a smile from ear to ear.

If my life was a made into a movie, Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Aniston would play me, and they'd have stunt doubles who could dance.

If my life had a soundtrack, this is what you would hear:

1. Summer Overture, Clint Mansell

2. Shoot the Moon, Norah Jones

3. I'll Be, Edwin McCain

4. Hotel California, Eagles

5. Seven Days in Sunny June, Jamiroquai

6. Beautiful, Moby

7. Colorblind, Counting Crows

8. Wait a Minute, Osborne

9. Crazy Train (Techno Version), Ozzy Osborne & Madonna

10. Can I Walk With You, India Arie

11. Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Bach, Yo Yo Ma

12. 13.6.35, Belleruche

13. Circus, Britney Spears

14. A Beautiful Mess, Jason Mraz

15. Just Push Play, Aerosmith

16. Back in Black, AC/DC

17. Just Dance, Lady GaGa & Colby O'Donis

Where I've Stood. Where I stand.

I have made mistakes, gotten my hands dirty, bloodied my knees, and paid a ticket for a left turn in a straight lane. Yet, I'm all the better for it because I learn. I avoid making the same mistake. I'm smarter for it. I will get my hands dirty, but I'll file my nails down first. And as for those darned old bloody knees, I just need to strut more carefully on ice while sporting stilettos, especially when debuting new jeans. About that ticket, it's been my only ticket since I was 16, and I still turn left when I'm not supposed to. It feels good to be a little rebellious. And I will continue to make new mistakes.

Physically, I've put my footprint all over the globe, from Asia, Australia, and Europe to St. Thomas, St. Lucia and Aruba (inconclusive list). I've also been imprinted. My passport is my most prized possession. It is my gateway to experience. Though I don't discount the opportunity for experience in my backyard (don't really have one right now), being a foreigner allows me realize entirely new perspectives. To cause a child to cry by lifting my sunglasses and revealing blue eyes makes my world so much bigger. To be drugged in a club and rescued by friends makes my world so much scarier. To speak Spanish to a Brazilian to speak Portuguese to an Italian while standing in a place where the Roman language was created makes my world so much fancier. I've got a pin in a map for every place I've been and lived. I want to explore so many more places that the paper becomes too obscure.

Emotionally, I've explored many foreign territories as well, some places I wanted to go, and some places I'm just better for having gone through. Taking all experiences in stride requires a good mixture of catch steps, leaps and some falls. I find betrayal the most painful, learning to embrace its paradox (the fortunate in misfortune) the most difficult, and relief that a firm determination is the most consistent. I'm a lover not a hater, so when someone pre-judges my absentminded smile as plastic, my solid ambition as conceited, or my open to anything attitude as reckless, I get sad. I always wish the best for everyone.

Perfect Paradox

A perfect paradox is a contradiction in and of itself. I find them endlessly interesting and intriguing. I enjoy their raw nature. I am inspired by a paradox's innate ability to evoke the aggression of thought, between two people or one's soul, consistently. Without conflict, there would be no knowledge of peace. Without fear, no sense of security. Without pain, no pride. A perfect paradox.