Are you named after anyone?: my dad’s mother, Helen. Elaine is a French version. Elizabeth is also a family name.
What’s your screen name?: messygoat
Would you name a child of yours after you?: My daughters are Helen Chandler and Alice Elizabeth, so I guess I would.
If you were born a member of the opposite sex what would your name be?: David.
If you could switch names with a friend who would it be?: I always loved my name growing up because everyone had always heard it before but I was usually the only one in my agegroup. I remember there was one girl at summer camp with my name, and one other Elaine in college. 6500 undergrads, and only one other Elaine. I thought that was cool.
Are there any mispronunciations/typos that people do w/ your name constantly?: Elain or Elane. I have never in my life known of an Elaine who dropped the final “e” or left out the “i” (unless they exchanged the “i” for a “y,” the freaks). But people do it all the time. My last name gets mistaken for Cochran, Hopkins, Poppins, etc. When we call in a pizza we usually use our first name. And at Shogun, we always make up a name because apparently our last name is just too. hard.
Would you drop your last name if you became famous?: Nope, but I’d definitely use my maiden name, too.
Your gender: Female
Straight/Gay/Bi: Straight
Single?: No
If not, do you want to be?: Nope. I love my Jerry!
Birthdate: September 3
Your height: 5’5″
Eye color: green
Happy with it?: yep!
Hair color: dark brown (used to dye it red)
Happy with it?: yep!
Left-y/right-y/ambidextrous: ambidextrous… I write, eat, brush my teeth, and shoot pool with my left hand. I do everything else with my right hand.
Your living arrangement: in a single-family dwelling with Jerry, Helen, Alice, Linus, Logic, Abbey, Minuet, Tango, and Emily. And various dustbunnies that we should probably name since they’re developing attitudes.
Your family: Jerry, Helen, Alice… Mom, Dad, Pete (Val, Brandi, Lauren, Maya), Tom (Lila)
Have any pets?: Collies Linus and Logic, Cats Abbey, Minuet, Tango, Emily
What’s your job?: SAHM, math tutor, SAT/ACT test prep
Piercings?: ears
Tattoos?: nope
Obsessions?: scrapbooking and sewing
Addictions?: see above
Do you speak another language?: not fluently
Have a favorite quote?: “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent Van Gogh
Do you have a webpage?: several
Deep Thoughts About Life and You in it?: Yes
Do you live in the moment?: Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Do you consider yourself tolerant of others?: To a point
Do you have any secrets?: Not really.
Do you hate yourself?: Nope.
Do you like your handwriting?: Absolutely. I actually practice my handwriting. I’m a freak that way.
Do you have any bad habits?: Starting too many projects before finishing old ones, frittering away time on the computer, leaving dirty dishes in the sink, staying up too late.
What is the compliment you get from most people?: “How do you do it all?”
If a movie was made about your life, what would it be called?: “She Never Slept”
What’s your biggest fear?: Alzheimer’s Disease or breast cancer
Can you sing?: Indeedy!
Do you ever pretend to be someone else just to look cool?: Only when it’s in the script…
Are you a loner?: I do my best creative work when alone and in silence.
What are your #1 priorities in life?: My husband, children, and creativity
If you were another person, would you be friends with you?: Totally! I’d irritate me, though.
Are you a daredevil?: Not at all.
Is there anything you fear or hate about yourself?: I’m too impulsive with money.
Are you passive or aggressive?: More aggressive.
Do you have a journal?: Sometimes — like when I’m going through an emotionally tough time I’ll keep one to help me through it. But this is probably as close to a journal otherwise as you’re going to get.
What is your greatest strength and weakness?: I’m very, very trusting.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?: My crappy eyesight.
Do you think you are emotionally strong?: Hell, yes.
Is there anything you regret doing/not doing in life?: I wish I had studied abroad for at least one semester, but I was afraid to do it. It was a tough time in my life, self-esteem wise. I could do it now, emotionally.
Do you think life has been good so far?: I have been richly blessed.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from life?: That it’s going to carry on, with or without me.
What do you like the most about your body?: My collarbones.
And least?: My crappy eyesight.
Do you think you are good looking?: I am not someone you’d notice in the mall for either reason, I’ll just put it that way.
Are you confident?: When I have a right to be.
What is the fictional character you are most like?: Hermione Granger. I’m a terrible overachiever with know-it-all tendencies.
Are you perceived wrongly?: Yeah, but it’s frequently my fault.
Do You…
Smoke?: No.
Do drugs?: No.
Read the newspaper?: No.
Pray?: Yes, but abstractly when by myself.
Go to church?: Yes.
Talk to strangers who IM you?: No.
Sleep with stuffed animals?: Only when the cats overeat before bed.
Take walks in the rain?: Not recently.
Talk to people even though you hate them?: I go into Debutante Mode, so yes.
Drive?: Yes.
Like to drive fast?: No, I’m a nervous driver. Especially if Jerry’s in the car.
Have You Ever…
Liked your voice?: Yes, when it’s well-practiced and warmed up, and those occasions are rare.
Been out of the country?: Canada, Bahamas, St. Lucia
Eaten something that made other people sick?: My brother is allergic to shrimp and I’m not; does that count?
Been in love?: Yes
Done drugs?: No.
Had a medical emergency?: Yes.
Had surgery?: Yes.
Ran away from home?: No.
Played strip poker?: No.
Gotten beaten up?: By big brothers
Beaten someone up?: No.
Been picked on?: Yes.
Been on stage?: Yes.
Slept outdoors?: Yes.
Pulled an all nighter?: Once in college, and I flunked that exam. Never did it again.
If yes, what is your record?: —
Gone one day without food?: Yes, when I’ve had tonsillitis.
Talked on the phone all night?: Yes.
Slept all day?: Yes.
Killed someone?: No.
Made out with a stranger?: Heh. He had a British accent and an unstoppable bod. And I was trying to make another guy jealous. That’s my excuse.
Thought you’re going crazy?: Yep.
Been betrayed?: Yes.
Had a dream that came true?: Yep!
Broken the law?: Underage drinking and speeding. But nothing more serious than that.
Met a famous person?: The actor playing “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway in 1989.
Have you ever killed an animal by accident?: I ran over a bunny in high school on the way home from rehearsal. I heard it pop. Didn’t drive on that street for weeks.
On purpose?: No.
Told a secret you swore you wouldn’t tell?: No.
Been on radio/tv?: Yes.
Been in a mosh-pit?: No.
Had a nervous breakdown?: Not in the clinical sense.
Bungee jumped?: No.
Had a dream that kept coming back?: Yes.
Beliefs….
Belive in life on other planets?: Sure!
Miracles?: Totally
Astrology?: Virgos, unite!
Magic?: Sure
God?: Yes.
Satan?: Iffy
Santa?: Hey, as long as stuff shows up under the tree..
Ghosts?: not really
Luck?: Only when it’s good luck for ME
Love at first sight?: Yes
Yin and yang (that good can’t exist w/o bad)?: yes
Easter bunny?: for my daughters, yes!
Believe it’s possible to remain faithful forever?: Yes.
Believe there’s a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?: Why not?
Do you wish on stars?: No, but I still tie straw wrappers into a knot to see if they break in the middle. Don’t even notice I’m doing it, either.
Love and All That…
Do you consider love a mistake?: No way. Even the heartbreaks were worth it.
What do you find romantic?: Silly little things. Notes in unexpected places. Phone calls in the middle of the day. Text messages. Emails. When the dishwasher gets unloaded and I haven’t asked him to do it… Little things.
Turn-on?: Sense of humor, intelligence
Turn-off?: bad teeth, sanctimoniousness
First kiss?: between 5th and 6th grade at summer camp, playing Spin the Bottle.
If someone you had no interest in had interest in dating you how would u feel?: sorry for them.
Have u ever wished it was more socially acceptable for a girl to ask a guy out: I once had to describe myself when I called to ask a guy out. He had NO idea who I was. Finally figured it out when I told him who I used to date (ugh). He said yes! And we went out for about a month or so.
Have you ever been romantically attracted to someone physically unattractive: I don’t think so, but my definition of “unattractive” may not be someone else’s.
Do you think the opposite sex finds you good looking?: Probably not anymore, now that I have Mommy Vibes. 🙂
What is best about the opposite sex?: They can do Tall People Things.
What is the worst thing about the opposite sex?: They can pee standing up without major contortions.
What’s the last present someone gave you? One of my tutoring students gave me a $100 GC to Williams-Sonoma (!!) to thank me for working with her for the past 5 years. She just graduated.
Do you consider your significant other hot?: Yep! He’s a cutie!
Who Was the Last Person…
You wanted to kill?: Yikes.
That you laughed at?: Helen
That laughed at you?: Jerry, probably.
You went shopping with?: Jerry, Helen, and Alice (Target on Sunday)
That broke your heart?: Chad. But it’s okay. He got his. LOL!
To disappoint you?: Carol
To make you cry?: Judy’s album about the daughter she lost to leukemia
To brighten up your day?: Helen: she spontaneously hugged me and said, “I LOVE you, Mommy.”
You saw a movie with?: Jerry — “The Incredibles.”
You talked to on the phone?: Mom
You talked to through IM/ICQ?: Cowtown Stacy
You saw?: Helen and Alice
You lost?: Alan, but I haven’t looked very hard. He’ll resurface eventually, and then we’ll catch up, and then he’ll disappear again. No biggie. 🙂
Right This Moment…
What are you wearing right now?: One of Jerry’s polos, jeans, and my funky summer sandals
Body part you’re touching right now: My fingers are on the keyboard..
What are you worried about right now?: Whether or not the girls will sleep for another 45 minutes like they should. They probably won’t.
What book are you reading?: “Good Night, Sleep Tight” — to help us figure out how to make sure Alice sleeps through the night and STAYS asleep long enough in the morning…
What’s on your mousepad?: laptop trackpad
Use 5 words to describe how you’re feeling: sleepy, restless, thirsty, creative, disorganized
Are you bored?: Only because I’m afraid to start something because I’ll probably be JUST getting into it when the girls wake up.
Are you tired?: Yep. Up until midnight and Alice woke me up at 6:10am
Are you talking to anyone online?: no
Are you talking to anyone on the phone?: no
Are you lonely or content?: Content, but I’ll be happy when Jerry gets home.
Are you listening to music?: no
Who is it and what song?: –
What are you going to do within the next hour?: Knit, nap, or scrapbook. And then go back to the pool with Helen and Alice (since I promised).