Thursday, July 31, 2008

100 Things About Me The Eighth

It's the Seventies!

72. In one magical night at the Savannah Civic Center, Harry Connick, Jr. took my hand and sang a few bars to me; THEN I met Gregg Allman, who was sitting right behind us. While I spent the rest of the evening on cloud nine, Mr. C couldn't get over the fact that we had better seats than Gregg Allman.

74. People who rattle off a long conversation and then say, "Like I said...." - and proceed to repeat the whole thing all over again - make me want to scream.

75. The best gift I ever received was the book my sister made for me as a wedding gift. It contains our family recipes, accompanied by photos and family lore. It's one of my most treasured possessions.

73. I make killer deviled eggs. Like any self-respecting southern woman, I have an enormous deviled egg serving platter. It does not look like this monstrosity, a popular item among tailgaters in Tuscaloosa - where people obviously have no taste. Except for deviled eggs.

76. The great big Kohler farmhouse sink I installed in my kitchen two years ago makes me happy every day.


77. My Lasik-corrected eyesight also makes me happy - every minute of every day. Some things are just worth the money.


78. I have never been arrested (knock on wood).

79. I once directed Hank Aaron in a television spot that I also wrote. It won an ADDY award for excellence.

80. Growing up, we had a pair of Siamese cat brothers. This statement usually confuses people at first - they think I'm talking about conjoined felines.


Monday, July 28, 2008

100 Things About Me Part Seven

I'm not sure I'll be able to stop at 100...
61. I supported myself for a year working as a waitress. I tip generously, but will speak up if the service is lacking. This irritates my daughters, neither of whom has ever worked as a waitress.

62. I have read all of Jane Austen's novels multiple times.
63. My secret wish is to spend a year traveling the U.S. in a motor home.
64. I was at LAX the day the shoe bomber was captured and travelers were first asked to remove their shoes.
65. I have what is now known as a math disability. My high school teachers gave me passing grades in Algebra so that I could graduate.
66. I have been hospitalized three times with life-threatening illnesses.

67. Buttered toast with hot tea is my meal of choice when I'm not feeling well.
68. My family's nickname for me is, "Amy-doodle."

69. I misunderstood for years the lyrics to God Bless America, singing, "...through the night with the light from a bulb." To me, this made perfect sense.
70. People who continually say, "Not a problem" irritate me.
71. In college I famously stole my boyfriend's VW while he was in a bar with another girl and parked it - doors open and lights flashing - on the front lawn of my sorority house.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The New Reality

So, I'll admit it...I watch a lot of reality TV. I follow a handful of shows based on competition where the outcomes involve some skill. I love The Amazing Race, the show that takes the viewer along on a fast-paced trip around the world as contestants struggle with fatigue, travel mishaps and challenges to win a million dollars. My whole family is riveted to every episode.

I also like for similar reasons Top Chef, Project Runway, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars. I personally do not consider them to be true "reality shows," where people are thrown together in sketchy situations and expected to act like asses for the camera.

On Dancing With The Stars, it's fascinating to watch celebrities transform into lean, skillful dancers. Their teachers are the current stars of ballroom, who have never received this kind of exposure for their talent. Not surprisingly, among the best of the celebrity contestants are professional athletes. They are coachable and have the physicality and competitive drive to excel at this new "sport" and win. But it has taken me by surprise that among the athletes who are lightest on their feet are big ol' football players - Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and Jason Taylor.

I read in the paper this week where Miami traded Jason Taylor -the six-time Pro Bowl defensive end and 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Jason Taylor - to the Washington Redskins because "management and players objected when he wasn't around for team workouts during the off season due to his Dancing with the Stars commitment." Pulleeeze! !

For those not in the know, Jason nearly won Dancing With The Stars last season. His partner was Edyta Sliwinska, the gorgeous professional ballroom dancer who's famous for wearing costumes that leave very little to the imagination. After 12 weeks of daily ballroom training, I would venture to say that Jason got his workouts. But he also got to spend the off season in LA dancing with Edyta - so I think it's more accurate to say that the Dolphins' management and players just had a bad case of being jealous and pissed off.

Footnote: I strongly object to last season's casting choice of figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi. Sure, she's an athlete, but in a sport that requires years of training in.....dancing! Hellooo! Of course, she and her partner won - but it wasn't a fair fight.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

100 Things About Me The Sixth

Think you know me well enough by now? Not even close.
51. Mr. C and I honeymooned on a 37' CSY sailboat just like this one, cruising the islands off Honduras.
52. I attended a tiny private elementar
y school near Emory University. I later discovered people thought it was a school for retarded kids.
53. I have a round scar on my scalp where my sister hit me over the head with a 2x4. This happened a long time ago and we get along much better now.

54. I can still sing my entire high school fight song, accompanied by drill team choreography.
55. The first time I met my husband it was after midnight, I was drunk, and he was wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

56. Early in our marriage, Mr. C and I owned a herd of goats, which is what happens when you bring home one male and one female goat to eat kudzu.
57. I have a weakness for dogs.
58. I am deathly afraid of snakes.
50. I first smoked a cigarette at 12 with my friend Rebbie. W
e smoked Winstons in the woods and we were super cool.
60. I love it when my Dad says, "We're off in a cloud of camel dung."

Sunday, July 20, 2008

100 Things About Me, Halfway Home

Halfway there. I'd like to stop, but I just can't.
41. People who yak on their cell phones (especially with bluetooth devices) in public places annoy the crap out of me.
42. The first movie I ever saw was Old Yeller. It made for a fun family outing until they killed Old Yeller at the end.
43. I once skied down Peachtree Street behind a Cadillac during an unusual Atlanta snowstorm.
44. My sister and I maintained the following routine for much of our childhood: Friday night we slept together on the sleeper sofa in the den watching scary movies until 1 am; Saturday morning we fixed our own breakfasts then played with Barbies for several hours. Our favorite breakfast (prepare yourself) was Vienna Sausages sauteed in butter.
45. I once appeared in a television commercial for a miniature football called "The Teenypig."
46. I believe I am the only child in Atlanta who never attended a live broadcast of "The Popeye Club" during its daily run from 1956-70. Apparently I will never get over this.
47. I was always the youngest person in my class. I turned 17 a few days before graduating from high school.
48. I have a 5" x 5" crosshatch scar on my right leg from a floor furnace burn I received as a toddler.
49. I was named for my my maternal great grandmother, Ammye Sewell of Carrollton, Georgia.
50. My parents were married for more than 50 years...53 years, to be exact.

Friday, July 18, 2008

100 Things About Me Part Fourth

It just gets better and better, doesn't it?

32. My childhood comfort item was a loveworn stuffed dog named Flop-Flop. He now lives on a shelf in my closet where I can see him every day. OK, make that an adult comfort item.
33. I love gadgets and new technology. At one time I told my family I wanted an iPhone "more than life itself."
34. I am an above-average mimic. This talent has gotten me into trouble more than a few times.
35. I will not eat the liver, gizzards, kidneys, heart, lungs, intestines, testicles, brains or eyeballs of any animal.
36. Blue eyes and big feet I inherited from my Dad, but the pug nose is mine.
37. Have I mentioned that I have two 20-something daughters who are gorgeous, smart, fun and single?
38. Heidi, my family's Dachshund, lived to be 21 years old.
39. Worst first date ever: Driving down a busy street, the couple ahead of us was having a violent argument. The driver stopped, pushed the woman onto the pavement, and ran off. To my great surprise, my date pulled a gun out of the glove compartment and gave chase.
40. My formative years were spent in a pixie cut.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

100 Things About Me Part Trois

As if you could ever get enough of these fascinating facts...
22. My paternal great-grandfather fought for the Confederacy. (I know, it seems impossible but it's true.)
23. My maternal great-grandfather was killed in his dental office by a patient who was crazed with pain.
24. My older daughter has been dating a dental student.
25. I was once engaged to a lovely man but broke it off because I wasn't sure I could live in a small town. As it turns out, I'm the one who's lived in the smaller town for nearly 30 years.

26. Growing up, I had an imaginary playmate named Follylo. I blamed him for everything bad that I did. Follylo looked a lot like Mr. Bill from Saturday Night Live, which freaks me out because that was WAY after I dreamed him up.
27. I took tap dancing from the age of 3 to 17 and was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I miss tapping.
28. In 2001, Mr. C. and I attended the New Zealand premiere of Lord of the Rings as invited guests. We walked the red carpet (directly behind the Prime Minister) and partied with the cast and crew.

29. I was a high school homecoming queen and a college fraternity sweetheart.
30. In my opinion, everyone should visit Paris. Go with someone you love.
31. When it comes to spelling and grammar, I'm kind of a Nazi. I just can't help myself.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

We have photos - lots and lots of photos.

Not yet appearing in the list of "100 Things About Me" is that I love to take photos. I've thought a lot lately about becoming more deliberate about it. Digital has made it all so much easier - and more disposable; keep the ones you really like and delete the rest. Here are a few that I like:

This is our house one Christmas a few years ago. Mr. C. said I should take an excellent photo for posterity because he would never put up those damn lights ever again. So I set up the tripod and crossed my fingers.



From Spring of 2005 near Negril, Jamaica. Driving along the coast one morning, we found an amazing beachside hotel in the middle of nowhere. Next to the hotel, the fishermen had just come in and this one was selling his catch. We had a traditional Jamaican breakfast at the hotel just after this was taken. We had salt fish, ackee, callaloo, coco bread and Blue Mountain coffee served on a covered verandah overlooking the ocean. There must have been six or seven dogs lying around us on the tile floor patiently waiting for leftovers. Heaven.




These were taken in San Francisco, Fall 2006. I kidnapped Mr. C from his office for a "destination unknown" anniversary trip. I highly recommend this tactic when you can't get your spouse to commit to going somewhere fun. I rarely take a food photo in a restaurant, but the clam chowder from the Hog Island Oyster Co. looked beautiful and tasted even better. And what the hell, we were tourists.


Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Viera, Meet Vieques

I heard the Today Show ran a segment this morning saying that Vieques Island, Puerto Rico was the number one-rated Caribbean destination. For an island without a single bona fide resort, I thought that was a little suspect.

So I found the video, and sure enough,Vieques was voted the number one island destination according to readers of Travel&Leisure magazine. That made sense, given that T&L readers are a pretty independent-minded lot, preferring to go off the beaten path as we do.

That's why I'm feeling pretty smug, Mr. C and I having owned a house on Vieques for over a decade and all.

Meredith Viera had no idea how to pronounce Vieques, which I thought was funny.

Vieques is a place we love and feel deeply connected to, but it's not for everyone. I was going to write about it eventually, but now seemed like a good time to start. Here's the segment:


Thursday, July 3, 2008

100 Things About Me Part Deux

Continuing this highly entertaining and enlightening list:
11. My sister and I have a strange language that we use only with each other.
12. Whenever I see a chimpanzee, I laugh out loud.
13. Injections don't bother me.
14. I once met all the members of Earth, Wind and Fire.
15. In my opinion, the people out on the plaza screaming and mugging for the camera have ruined The Today Show.
16. I still love Matt Lauer. The crowd thing is not his fault; notice how he tries to avoid them.

17. The Academy Awards telecast is a big deal at my house, with a themed menu and a betting pool.
18. When I was little, I was afraid of imaginary things called "the comets" that would chase me around the house. My sister enjoyed this immensely and helped them chase me.

19. I have no interest in ever taking a cruise.
20. My father was a famous big band disc jockey and interviewed, among others, Mel Torme, Doris Day and Bob Hope.

21. I once won a trip to Las Vegas in a shag contest. (For the benefit of you giggling Brits, that's dancing where I come from.)

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

100 Things About Me




With thanks to one of my favorite bloggers Kristine of A Penny For Your Thoughts, from whom I stole the idea.
I won't list these all at once, just as they come to me.

1. I'm somewhat lucky. It's not unusual for me to win a contest or find a $20 bill on the street.
2. Long eyebrow hairs and hairs sticking out of people's ears and noses REALLY bother me.
3. I once met my childhood idol, The Cisco Kid. His horse Diablo was with him.
4. I have a strawberry birthmark, and so do both of my daughters.
5. My husband and I decided to marry within a month after we met. 28 years ago.

6. I spent two years taking roller skating lessons every Saturday.

7. When I was 9, I went to the 1964 World's Fair and have loved traveling ever since.
8. Motorists in my city do not understand how to use reversible turn lanes and it drives me crazy.
9. When I was little, my hair was so blonde that a few busybodies scolded my mother for bleaching it.
10. I hate blonde jokes.