Issuing supreme power to you...one moment.

My self-summary Propose an edit

to paraphrase what my pal american_idle said to me once: i smoke, but i'm not a smoker. this made me think of other supposed contradictions in my life...assuming things can be classified into easy either/or categories...which they can't...and really, what's with trying to label things anyway?! nothing is mutually exclusive (or is that statement too definitive as well?). anyway, onwards:

i go to university, but i'm not a student.
i love to learn, but i hate to study.
i'm an adult but not a "grown up".
i'm musical but not a musician.
i cycle, but i'm not a cyclist.
i love to dance (lindy hop, at clubs, etc) but am not a dancer.
i hate sports but love baseball.
i love my dog, but i'm not a dog person.
i love sleeping but hate going to bed (unless i'm perhaps sharing the aforementioned bed w/someone...then it's much easier!).
i'm spiritual, not religious.
i don't like bugs, but i won't squish them.
i'm from chicago, but it's not my home.
i love travelling, but i'm a bit of a homebody.
i love to talk, but i love to listen (and i really appreciate people who are the same).
i hate the idea of social hierarchy but i believe that one's partner/loved ones should perhaps be given higher considerations where it really matters...i've not yet resolved this one fully in my head and actually welcome discussions anyone wishes to have about it. i'm not sure this necessarily needs to be an either/or type situation either....but yeah...still figuring things out.

What I'm doing with my life Propose an edit

on august 1st, i celebrated my dog's 11th birthday. realising she's now officially "an old dog" is a bit mesmerising/disconcerting, and recently i've been contemplating the nature of love, relationships with others and the tenuousness of connection. that sounds deeper than it actually is...maybe.

i'm also trying to improve my baking skills. yes, i realise this makes me sound way more domestic than i actually am. let's just say i like to eat, and homemade is always best.

also idling in the background on my daily agenda: racking up lots of student debt. trying to work with/around the strict learning doctrines that i'm presented with on a daily basis. attempting to spend more time with friends near and far. pampering my dog. tinkering around on my guitar. looking for a viola that's worth my money. cycling to/from/around town. working weekends at a vet clinic.

i'm also trying to keep panic at bay with the sheer volume of information i'm expected to know by the time i graduate. i place high demands upon myself, and i want to be a great vet someday. this doesn't stop me from procrastinating like crazy when it comes time for studying, however. =P

I'm really good at Propose an edit

procrastinating; providing a listening ear or threatening violence, as necessary, on the behalf of good friends (if i consider you a true friend, there's not much i won't do for you); not taking shit from anyone; telling it to you the way i see it; listening to you tell it the way you see it; shaking my ass on the dance floor; staying up later than i should even when exhausted; cooking/eating; photography; making disgustingly cutesy baby noises at my dog; sleeping anytime of day; cynicism; playing wingman for my gal pals; winning in scrabble; being misunderstood. in light of a recent conversation, i've also realised i'm really good at holding a grudge. i guess that makes me good at being stubborn.

i'm also going to go out on a limb here and say that i'm pretty good at veterinary medicine, too. hey...a little bit of PMA never hurts, right?

i'm *not* really good at british crossword puzzles...really missing out on the subtle cultural references, i think. i'm also really poor at navigating (even w/the use of a map) as i discover every time i'm in a new city. navigating in chicago has spoiled my sense of direction! but i don't mind being lost; you discover things that way that you never would've seen otherwise.

The first thing(s) people usually notice about me Propose an edit

if i'm out walking the dog: auggie. i'm just background noise at that point. i don't mind; it's the price one pays when one owns the cutest dog in all of christendom. =D

otherwise, it probably depends on what i'm wearing or how recently i've showered. hey--when you cycle everywhere, you get used to funny looks.

when i do clean up though, hopefully then it's my pleasant demeanor and glowing radiance. *crosses fingers*

My favorite books, movies, music, and food Propose an edit

a) books--let's do authors (in no particular order except how i happen to read them on the bookshelf)--tolkien, voigt, mccaffrey, hornby, golden, rowling, rand, kafka, adams, herbert, niven, heinlein, anthony, sewell, farley, harris, dorland/saunders (hahaha), salinger, mirbeau, orwell, shakespeare, eco, ionesco, austen, gabriel garcia marquez (you can't not say that name in full with how it just flows off the tongue so easily), yoshimoto, herriott, glasser, maclaverty, mcconnell, bourdain, katz, anything dealing w/rabbit medicine, my pathology textbook, the small animal formulary.

b) movies--amelie, LOTR x 3, harry potter x 5, donnie darko, closer, say anything, grosse pointe blank, sliding doors, monty python and the holy grail, pirates of the caribbean, princess bride, ghostbusters, groundhog day, trainspotting, footloose, lilo and stitch, gladiator, babe, chocolat, gentlemen prefer blondes, labyrinth, the neverending story, big, almost famous, city of god, usual suspects, my neighbor totoro, finding nemo, josie and the pussycats, that thing you do, best in show, my cousin vinny, mean girls (so true to northshore chicago, it's sadly hilarious), the great escape, die hard, motorcycle diaries, godfather, 12 angry men, loneliness of the long distance runner.

i need/want to see more movies.

c) music--if you absolutely need to know what i'm listening to *right now* you can go look at this thing:

http://www.last.fm/user/SpiceRice

(though perhaps i should mention that my cd player gets more use than my winamp these days)

other sounds i enjoy: rushing streams, bird calls, thunderstorms, rain on any surface you can think of but especially through leaves, that little whuffling sound dogs make while they sleep.

d) food--i'm mostly vegetarian but i'm heavily considering becoming vegan. goddamn, but there are some mighty tasty cheeses out there i'll miss if that becomes the case...anyone know of a vegan substitute for taleggio?

other than the obvious dietary restrictions that come about from being veggie, i'll eat anything and probably in quantities that will astound you.

The six things I could never do without Propose an edit

i'm a pretty independent girl, so i imagine i could do without just about anything and handle it well. however, in the spirit of fun of this survey, i will attempt to answer...

1) my dog, Augusta Scarface 2) camera 3) front bicycle light 4) sense of the ridiculous 5) really *good* food 6) bunnies (i'm currently living w/out but miss them like crazy!)

I spend a lot of time thinking about Propose an edit

sex, if we're being honest. however, this is not an invitation for people to contact me asking for random sexual encounters...won't happen (or if it were, i certainly wouldn't be announcing it on the internet). second to that, the many aspects of veterinary medicine (natch); animal welfare ethics; why people have trouble communicating even when we think we're getting a point across clearly; music; getting out of the city; photo-editing techniques; glasgow vs chicago; chinese vs german; why my desk is a mess; what's for dinner; how do they build those construction cranes so tall (yes, i've had this explained to me on several occasions...i think i'm just going to have to see it for myself to understand); how the hell i manage to stay up so late.

On a typical Friday night I am Propose an edit

i hope to never have a typical friday night. that sounds so depressing.

The most private thing I'm willing to admit here Propose an edit

i have a huge, irrational fear of zombies (which is not good living one street away from a cemetary). let's just say my bike rides home at night are a lot faster than the same journey during the day.

You should message me if Propose an edit

you can give me a heads up when/where a construction crane will be put up next in glasgow.

you don't IM me. please please don't. i don't have the time or inclination to sit around chatting unless it's to a specific purpose (trying to ascertain my current level of horniness doesn't count).

you can handle a frequently stressed out, sometimes belligerent, american woman who believes "tact" is just an excuse for socially accepted self-censorship.

you don't think referring to myself as both belligerent and american is a redundancy.

Tests She's Taken View all