Many of you who know me are aware of my abundance of “food rules”. I also have clothes rules: No wearing street clothes in the house, ever — they go straight to the hamper. Just for me, though. You can wear your street clothes in my home. Although, really, what kind of cray-cray wears their train pants on their couch?!
*Unless you wear bus pants over your train pants, your train pants are yucky.
(Thanks for the photo, Sheila!)
I saw Sphinx on HBO when I was 8 years old.
Fast forward to 6 minutes:
THAT is what shaped my idea of a pat-down, and why for me it is a FREAK THE FUCK OUT idea in my mind to be patted down by a stranger.
I won’t be flying until I know I won’t be patted down if I say no. And I do have the TSA Office of Civil Rights programmed into my phone.
I love that you are not perfect.
I love that you always say “excuse me” after you burp, even if you’re in the car alone.
I love that you are not a bragger. Or a braggart.
I love that you love your cats more than life itself.
I love that you are not better than others.
I love that you love vegetables but sometimes say you don’t.
I love that you love chicken but 84.7% of the time say you don’t.
I love that you love movies.
I love that music is your drug of choice.
I love that you choose savory snacks over sweet.
I love that you love to travel.
I love that you have finally figured out your style.
I love that you won’t give up on good friendships anymore just because there’s a hiccup.
I love that you can go places alone and feel completely comfortable.
I love that you listen to other people’s opinions, but don’t make their opinions yours simply out of peer pressure.
I love that you can do a job but it’s not what defines you.
I love that you are so comfortable in front of crowds.
I love that you enjoy the camera, from both sides.
I love that you followed your heart.
I love that you choose to miss people and things instead of live a miserable life.
I love that you can handle a lot of complication, even if you don’t like it.
I love that you help your friends when you can.
I love that you can take care of yourself.
I love that you let other people take care of you when you need it.
I love that you don’t care about money.
I love that you love your boots too much.
I love that you are finally comfortable carrying a purse around.
I love that you love museums.
I love that you love trains, above or below ground.
I love that you love space.
I love that you believe we’re not alone in the universe.
I love that you hate the phone, but not because of who’s on the other end.
I love that you will stick up for your beliefs.
I love that you will choose not to care what other people think.
I love that when you need someone you reach out.
I love your quirkiness.
I love that you haven’t figured it all out.
I love that you love to learn languages.
I love that you love squirrels.
I love that you love the ocean.
I love that you love animals and plants and trees and nature.
I love that you hate to hike and camp despite your love of nature.
I love your button nose.
I love your intelligence.
I love your compassion.
I love your ability to love so much, even when it hurts.
I love who you are.
In the words of Bruno Mars, who Adam can’t stand because he’s an old man who hates current music:
Nothing because I am amazing just the way I am. 
I would keep the baby.
That said, I would never intentionally try to become pregnant without careful and considerate consultation with the man I love.
Family and friends who support me through good times and bad. “Right now” is irrelevant.
I have a history of depression. It’s a common occurrence to consider giving up on life. It is never a viable option, just a considered option. I don’t know any other way of living. For me, I appreciate my life much more because I can have the dark moments of pondering what it would be like to not be here anymore.
For anyone who isn’t reading my words carefully enough: I am never going to give up. There is a difference between thinking about it and doing it. I don’t believe in taking my own life.
I was on a field trip with my fifth grade class hiking Mount Mansfield. It was a warm day, but the mountain hadn’t quite thawed from winter yet. I took a misstep onto an icy patch and as I was about to slip off the edge of the rocky cliff over the 50 ft drop into the trees below I grabbed my classmate Leslie’s arm and she pulled me back. Don’t remember anything else about her, other than she and I weren’t even friends, but she was closest to me as I was about to fall.
Moral of the story: Reach out for help when you really need it, even if you’re reaching to someone you don’t know.
(Mom, I might never have mentioned this to you. For good reason.)
I break rules. I’m grabbing a few of my top 25 listened to songs in iTunes and telling you who they remind me of.
1. Brass Monkey by Beastie Boys
This is a goofy rap song about an alcoholic beverage. Beasties rap it well, but its significance to me is that this is one of Lisa’s favorite songs.
(Pretty sure she still loves it.)
Beastie Boys > Brass Monkey
2. Cobrastyle by Robyn
Crys once recommended Cobrastyle by adding it to one of her fun videos.
I loved this song so much that I went right out and bought it and any other Robyn music I could find.
3. Cars That Go Boom by L’Trimm
“We’re Tigre and Bunny and we like the BOOM.” First heard this song in a mix from Dawg‘s iPod.
It’s really fun, adorable, and it made me wonder what happened to them… and then one day I heard a Ke$ha song and was convinced that Bunny was singing on it. Turns out it was Ke$ha. Oops.
4. Bridges by Jets Overhead
This one time when I was in the process of uprooting my Vermont life and moving it to NYC Britt had mentioned that she loved NYC and dreamed of living the lifestyle here.
I made her a redonk video about travelling to NYC but used this song. The entire video is of me driving, over bridges, and you really shouldn’t take video of that but for some reason I didn’t notice any of the signs that said “don’t video or photograph the bridge YOU TERRORIST” on the way there. Every time I hear this song I think of Britt.
5. A cause des garçons by Yelle
At the end of my time in Vermont I played an obscene amount of Guitar Hero III with Break Boy and whoever else wanted to play/watch.
One of the bonus songs is called Mauvais Garçon by Naast but when I looked for this song on iTunes I instead found the Yelle song and it was super catchy so I bought it and replaced the memory of me playing the Naast song with Break Boy with the Yelle song.
I wish I had moved to New York City in the late 90s when I knew I wanted to be here. I let someone hold me back. Never again. Obviously I got a second chance at this and I’m here now. Thank goodness for second chances.
Happy Halloween, by the way.