It's All About Me

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                It is February which means that there are just a few more weeks of cold days; a few more weeks of potential icing; and only a few more weeks in which I will wake up in the dark!  There is much hope in my heart and in my house at the moment.  That said, it is still February and a fairly interesting storm is on its way.  With this in mind, I just jumped on the chance to say pick me!  Pick me! When just run offered the opportunity.  I mean, I love questions and she was willing to send me… five!!  How could I refuse!

Thus, here are the questions she sent with my answers.  Don’t worry; you will have a chance to ask me to send questions to… you.  I know that Liz is just waiting for such an opportunity!  And David and mike are just dying to reveal all!  

1. If you could pick up your life and go today, where would you go?

            If I could pick it all up and just move… first, let me just say that I love it here.  Despite it being winter and the idea that there is more snow and ice to be had before it all ends, I do love Virginia and all that my life is here. 

And now that I have that out of the way… I would move to Italy.  I know, original right, but that is where I would go.  Italy is a gorgeous country in so many ways… and I would choose to live in the northern third, so it is even more beautiful.  But it is also the pace of life, the passion with which people truly live, the food… the gelato… *sigh*… even more, it is the location.  Italy is so close to so much history and culture.  Don’t get me wrong, like any other place, Italy has its downsides… but right now, it is where I would go if I had that option and I wanted to exercise it!

2. What's your favorite color?

My favorite color… do I have to choose just one?  It is… green.  One would never know this to look at me though as most everything I wear is black, and if I could, my house would be as light as possible.  But my favorite color is emerald green.  The bright green of life and vitality.  The green that draws you and sparkles with a glint of mischief.  The green that leaves     you looking that much harder to see what lies within its depths.  I just love green. 

3. Do you like to shop?  Why or why not?

I must admit that shopping is a mood thing for me.  I love shopping for other people and dislike shopping for myself.  I like shopping when it is quiet and there is time to laugh and chat… no pressure.  I dislike shopping when it is noisy and crowded and/or there is any kind of pressure involved.  It is no surprise that I hit the mall as soon as it opens in an attempt to minimize the crowd/noise factors.  And, believe it or not, I actually don’t mind grocery shopping! 

4. Share a funny story about your child/teen hood.

This question is the most challenging of the lot.  I have either blocked many memories from my mind or my life just hasn’t been funny.  I am drawing a complete… blank!

But… I can tell you that I picked up an empty bud bottle when I was about four and put a flower in it – it was a bud vase!  (And yes, that is what I called it)  I was also the kid that would ruin a pair of tights by falling off the merry-go-round every time I wore a dress.  I was the teen aged kid who dreamed of being a spy, who did my own thing, who left high school and college and really thought I had left; and who now, irony of irony, finds herself drawn to the discovery of facebook and reconnecting with all that was left behind.  I mean, irony is my life.  It is just so neat to find a long lost school chum on a friend list and then… wow, you are back in touch.  Or remember the star football player… he is just a normal person with a life just like mine.  Thus I don’t have funny as much as I have wit and irony!

5. If someone were coming to your city (or it's surrounding areas) what are the top 5 places you'd give them as "must dos?"

Now, given that I live just outside dc, this question is difficult.  Do I try and find things within northern Virginia that are “musts” or do I do the entire area or do I just do dc?  People tend to focus on our neighbor, dc, and neglect what this part of Virginia might have to offer.  I think I will just mix it all up!

*mount Vernon

*the national mall – this is beyond a must!

*eastern market – okay, this is one of my favorite things but I am not sure that it is one that everyone would enjoy.  It is a fun people watching fresh food buying flea market kind of thing on the weekends.  I am sure that there is a lot of history there too…

*old town Alexandria – it is all about the quaint little streets, great food, water’s edge, art, and little shops.  It is maybe what Alexandria once was when it was a new town with the Scottish influence.

*any of the Smithsonian museums… and I mean any of them.  There is something for everyone in one of those museums. 

*national archives… point being, the constitution is there on display and that, alone, is worth seeing.  It is just an old piece of paper, but that old piece of paper lays out the constructs of a government and a system with promise. 

*great falls national park… for the nature lovers because I don’t want anyone to think that the area is without natural beauty

*u street – okay, I haven’t actually done this but it is on the top of my dc “musts” lists.  It is the black Broadway of yester year… jazz, jazz and more jazz.  I want to do one of the walking neighborhood tours (okay, I want to do a lot of them) in dc because there is so much to the city that is beyond what we see on TV.

*sail the Potomac – again, this is on my “must do” list… it is just an interesting way to see this city and the area in general. 

*the supreme court in session when they are hearing a controversial case – and this one might just be me!!

I know, I know, I went beyond my five, but the area is just… huge... With so much to offer for so many and for everyone.  I would love to see what other area residents say in answer to this question. 

And now… it is your turn.  Give me the word and I will send questions your way.  I can promise you that they will be exceptional!!

If you’d like to play along, just follow these instructions:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. Be sure you link back to the original post.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Now, it’s all up to you!