[Started on 9-30-05 after switching themes and becoming semi-inspired … and here it is two years three years four years six years later, unfinished still. I must not have been *too* inspired]
I used to think these lists were dumb, but I’ve changed my mind because it turns out I like knowing these little (and not so little) things about other people, total strangers or not. And anyway, after you read one of these, the author can never be a total stranger to you.  Unless, of course, it’s not all true.  Or, in some cases …. just true at the time.

1. I think I’m losing my mind and it colors everything I think and do now.
2. I’m totally jazzed about seeing Serenity tomorrow. [Loved it!] And now I just saw Transformers. Liked it a lot, but not as much as Serenity.
3. I’m married to husband #3, and have one offspring by husband #2. The offspring is male and smart and beautiful. Thank goodness he took after me!
4. I love music and it’s an important force in my life. I’ve learned that if my interest in music drops by the wayside, it’s time to work on the depression problem. It’s a very reliable indicator for a high-functioning depressed person.
5. Bands/musicians I like: Radiohead, John Hiatt, Trent Reznor, Tori Amos, King Crimson, Otis Taylor, Keb ‘Mo, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton (especially older), anything Finn brothers, okay, basically, I like everyone who is good and not overly pop or country western pop. Shit. This is the dumbest list I’ve ever made. I mostly listen to blues now. [update 11-09:  Saw Buddy Guy in Marin.  AWESOME FUCKING MUSICIAN.]
6. I’ve been trying to compile an All Time Favorites Top 10 list of music, but it’s slippery. All I can say for sure is NIN’s Pretty Hate Machine is in the top 5, and so is Derek and the Dominoes’ Layla.  Buddy Guy’s Blues Singer
7. I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was growing up. Found drugs, sex, and rock and roll and took a permanent detour. That sucks. Now I’m a computer geek but it’s not very fulfilling.
8. Relating to 7, I was convinced that I completely understood my animals when I was young. I swear they thought so, too.
9. I like dogs and cats equally, and must always have at least one living with me. Right now we have two dogs and two cats that mostly live inside. [Update: 3 dogs and 3 cats in, 2 cats out]
10-1-05
10. I love sci-fi movies and books. Good ones, anyway.
11. I’m a mildly geeky Information Systems manager working in a mid-size association.
12. I commute an hour each way unless there’s traffic, and then it’s worse.
13. I made the job and have worked for the same company for 17 years. I couldn’t use a computer or type when I started. Now I manage the network, 35 desktops, two satellite offices, and the web, mail, and file servers for all. And I can type 90 words a minute and build a network or a server.
14. I don’t have a college degree, but I’ve taken a lot of college classes. Mostly IT related courses. I’ve never been able to decide if the lack of a degree has held me back or not. I make decent money for no degree.
15. I love to read but I haven’t read any books lately – I just listen to them now during the commute. Makes the whole thing bearable. The last thing I listened to was Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card. It was very good. [Okay, now the last thing I listened to was Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Good-bye, and thanks for all the fish! And now it’s the DaVinci Code, and the Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman – VERY good if you like stories about myths and roots. And American Gods, also by Neil Gaiman. And now it’s Pride and Predjudice, which I absolutely love. Had I read this as a teen, I would be a very different person now. Maybe. Who knew that was what conversation was supposed to be about? And now I know why Neal S. thinks the Victorians were the best we ever have been. ]
16. I detest abridged versions of anything.
17. My favorite author is William Gibson. I wish he’d hurry up and write another book.
18. My favorite author for a long time was Frank Herbert. I read and re-read all of the Dune series 3 times. Or maybe 4. I tried to read the ones by his kid but they weren’t even close. Penny Arcade had the same reaction … FH had amazing insight into what makes a culture tick.
19. I love a good martini. Almost as much as I love 5 or 6 shots of really good tequila. Except that now that I’m old, the tequila always makes me sorry the next day, dammit.
20. I like to cook, but I’m only so-so at it. Pretty average. I don’t have a specialty or anything. I can make a mean bowl of cereal, though. With bananas! Had chicken breasts with a sage/vermouth sauce tonight. Not bad.
21. I like to eat more than I like to cook. Good Thai is my favorite of the moment. And sushi. I like Vietnamese cooking, too, when I can find it. And real bacon. I was a vegetarian for a few years and the only thing I missed was bacon.

22. Did you see that GlueTrain quote? Funny. But you had to be there! A million years ago [1995 +-], I found this strange guy on the internet, he was on the edge and interesting, and he started a mailing list. I was on it when there were less than a 100 people listening to him. Do I rock, or what? He was dynamic and manic and creative and he wrote the ClueTrain Manifesto and Gonzo Marketing. Very hot on the lecture circuit for awhile. Chris Locke. We got to watch him reach his zenith and then hit the dirt. The first part was exhilarating; the second was sad, sad, sad. He had some substance abuse problems. He was *really* hot for awhile, though. It was fun being on the bleeding edge with someone. I might do it again sometime. I looked him up and he’s back, sort of. Running the Mystic Bourgeoisie blog. I’m not sure how I feel about it, yet. It strikes me as sort of bombastic now. * And later, he created The Bombast Transcripts. I bought it, couldn’t get through it. Too bombastic. 🙂
23. Mounds is (are?) my favorite candy bar, with Almond Joy a close second. Dark chocolate wins over almonds.
24. I only wear comfortable shoes. It’s a real challenge to find shoes that look good AND feel good; consequently I wear semi-ugly shoes fairly often and it breaks my heart because I’m a real shoe hound…. I just gave 20 pair to somebody who was having a garage sale. I had been carrying them around like a security blanket for 30 years, no shit. Don’t worry, though, I have *lots* more left.
25. I live an hour north of Sacramento, CA. I drive 40 minutes to get my hair done once a month [lowlighting, softening/tweaking the red and gray]. My hairdresser flies in from Texas once a month to do it. I’m not making this up. [Update: she finally moved back to CA] **  [Update2: We moved! Still the same amount of time away but now work is 20-30 minutes only.  YAY!]
26. My second favorite author right now is Neal Stephenson. He writes deliciously long sci-fi novels. Snow Crash and The Diamond Age : Or, a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer are my faves so far.
27. I don’t watch PBS or listen to NPR. I used to now and again. But never anymore.
28. I like Kung-fu movies, and kickboxing. And ballet. But I don’t like figure skating. Go figure.

2-. …working ….. working …. working I’m having a hard time coming up with 100 things, but I’ll keep banging away at it. I should probably pull this until I’m finished. That would be the intelligent thing to do. If only I could keep from making it my life story!
29. My favorite flower is Iris. Not the dutch type, but the big, showy fuzzy-tongued variety. In any color, except maybe yellow. My grandma used to grow iris. When they were in bloom she’d cut me a bouquet’s worth, we’d wrap the stems in a wet napkin and a plastic bag and I’d carry them on my lap for the hour drive home.

30. Here it is, the end of July 2007. This illustrates another thing about me: not much follow through. Lots of great ideas, but I’d just as soon leave all the details to someone else.

31. I’m a loner. Don’t have any tight friends except my husband. I have a person I eat lunch with most days, but we rarely do anything outside the office. She’s getting so damned cranky and negative these days I may have to cut the lunches back. I hate soaking up the negativity. It’s hard on my psyche.

32. I started taking hormones recently. So far, so good. The best part is that in certain ways I really feel like my old self. This manifests mainly in that I’m now horny again most of the time like I was for the previous 35 years. I missed that! Part of that “being alive” thing.

33. AND some months after I started taking hormones #1 no longer applies. Who knew hormones (or lack thereof) could so radically alter one’s mental processes? Geez. Fuck the all-natural -Eat-Your-Soy way. Give me drugs!

34.  11-09   New top five favorite author = Cory Doctorow.

35.  Lost a shitload of weight, gained some back.  Don’t look too bad for an old lady.

36.  I hate my job, it’s turned into a nightmare.  Mostly because the boss was on a diet and he’s diabetic.  He was insane.  Really.  Yes, I’m still working there because I am too paralyzed to write a decent resume.  The boss seems to approve of me this week so I’m very confused.

37.  Still married to husband #3.  That’s a good sign, we’ve been together 7+ years now.

38.  [2011 – time flies!] I joined Foodzie and they send me a tasting box every month now.  This month had nickel sized shortbread cookies with figs and blue cheese in them.  TO.  DIE.  FOR.  Wow.  The perfect blend of sweet and savoury.  Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

39.  Still working at the same place, boss still a maniac and he’s on a diet again so I’m keeping my head down.  Mostly it’s not so bad here now.  Yes, I should leave. No, I probably never will.  They are making me go on stage next week for an award for being here 20 years.  That’s a long time, d00d.

40.  Dying for an iPad 2 now.  I’ve been wavering between the Xoom and an iPad.  I’m going to go with ease of use.  Also, the cover is cool. 🙂  No geek cred for using an Apple product but it’s sort of refreshing to work with something that has been so refined.