Haven't Done a Screaming Meme in a While

From Miss Sheila, because this is The Cake Eater Chronicles: we're all about the quality filler!

What I was doing 10 years ago: Geez. What was I doing ten years ago? Hmmmm. It's hazy, but I was in Des Moines at that point in time. I worked. I went out. We moved into the last apartment we would live in that Bad Mojo town. The husband and I enjoyed the last of the newlywed sex before our first anniversary that August. You know, the regular.

Five years ago: Oh, the summer from hell. This I remember. The husband was back in Kuwait. Briefly. He'd been there for most of the spring and had returned for about a month. Then he left again. I was unemployed because he'd told me to quit my job as we would be moving there soon. I just had to wait out the time in between. Everything very slowly went to hell with the Kuwait move, and my sweetie was stuck in the middle east in the middle of summer---when anyone who has any sense in their head leaves because it's so freakin' hot---watching all his hopes and dreams crumble around him because of some ambitious backstabbers. He spent a miserable thirtieth birthday alone and I cried because all I could do was tell him happy birthday over the phone. (Not like he knew it then, but I suppose he knows it now. I made up for it the next year by taking him skydiving.) Every day was yet another adventure in hearing about the possibilities of the trip, but wondering about how this one prick would sabotage them next. He finally got back to the states and the cheap-asses had only paid for a ticket into Chicago. I had to borrow money to get him a plane ticket into town because the bastards hadn't paid him what they owed him.

On the upside, this is the summer I finally started writing. I banged out a little novel during his absence, just to see if I could do it. (Yes. I was that bored.) It sucked rocks and I cringe when I read it now (I keep meaning to torch it, but I keep forgetting.) but I still love how I feel when I write, so one day, it will happen.

One year ago: Pretty much the same thing as now. Not much has changed.

Yesterday: I woke up to a wonderful breeze blowing through the apartment. The husband had turned off the AC and had opened up the house. It was almost chilly, which was nice after all the heat. I power walked around the lake, where there were whitecaps because it was so windy. Then I washed the linen and cleaned the house in anticipation of the mother-in-law's visit last night. I cooked part of a pork tenderloin (rubbed with salt, pepper, and rosemary. I cut holes in the fat and stuffed chopped garlic into it. Mmmmm), steamed broccoli, made rice and a salad. Then I sat down and had dinner with my mother-in-law and the husband. When she left I walked down to Walgreens to get a pack of smokes under the light of the almost-full moon, a nice cool breeze floating around me. It was lovely.

Last night, it actually dropped below sixty-degrees and I slept like a rock. The husband said I snored. {Insert blush here} Usually that's his department.

Five snacks I enjoy: I'm not really a big snack person, but here goes... Saltines, 100,00 bars, fudgsicles, cheese (any sort, really. I love cheese.) and Carr's water crackers.

Five songs I know all the words to:

Say Goodbye---Dave Matthews Band
Vienna and Scenes From an Italian Restaurant---Billy Joel (I love The Stranger album.)
Where The Streets Have No Name---U2
INXS---Mediate (It's "Pretty Kate Has Sex Ornate" just in case you were wondering.)

Five Things I would do with $100 million: Not like I've thought about it a lot, but I would...
a. Buy a private island.
b. Go to the highest point on said island, plant a flag in the soil and declare that I'm calling this bit o' land the Republic of Kathyland
c. Hire good lawyers and acquire sovereignty and US/UN recognition for Kathyland. (If the Vatican can do it, so can I. If I do it right, I won't need guns.)
d. Build a data haven in the basement of Kathyland. (Income, kids. Income. Lots of income.)
e. Buy a really sweet throne with built in masssage features from where I might benevolently rule Kathyland for the rest of my days.

Five locations I would like to run away to:

London. The Redneck Riviera. (And, no, that would not be the one in France.) Dubai. The Maldives. Anywhere with a beach, really.

Five things I like doing:

Walking around the lakes, reading, writing, having coffee with Mr. H., staring out the window at the birds and the flowers. The world really is lovely, you just have to take the time to look at it.

Five bad habits I have: Smoking. I bite my lip when I read books. (Don't ask me why, I've done it for as long as I can remember.) I rub my palms together all the freakin' time. I slouch (although, I'm getting better about this since I started Pilates.). I have issues with finishing things I've started.

Five things I would never wear: Hot pants. Anything Versace. A muumuu. A tube top. Bowling shoes outside of a bowling alley.

Five TV shows I like: House, Lost, the original CSI, McCleod's Daughters (totally addicted! the shame of it!), and currently Bridezillas, because I love seeing brides go bat shit loco over flower arrangements and the like. It's good fun.

Five favorite toys: the laptop, aka Wee Bastard, my Braun handblender (Best. Wedding. Present. EVER. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Heenan!), the DirecTV, the DVD player, and my digital camera.

Posted by Kathy at July 20, 2005 12:18 AM | TrackBack