47 in 42: Crowd Participation

Question: What surprises you the most about me?

47 in 43: Fill in the Blanks

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments...what do you get?

1. Produce: avocado

2. Bakery: King's Hawaiian rolls

3. Meat: carne asada

4. Frozen: Drumsticks!

5. Dairy: Brie

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?

3 articles of clothing?! COME. ON. I need 3 pieces of luggage for a weekend!

1. LBD

2. a pair of dark denim

3. black sweater

If I was to listen in on your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?

1. "Seriously?!"

2. "No problem. It's what I do."

3. "I hate people."

4. "You're welcome."

5. "That's my job."

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?

1. eating breakfast

2. listening to music

3. laughing

We're talking a 3-hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?

1. napping

2. reading Twitter

3. taking BuzzFeed quizzes

4. online shopping

5. writing

We are going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?

1. Giraffes

2. Lions

3. Seals or Sea lions

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?

1. Law & Order: SVU

2. Ellen

3. Pretty Little Liars

4. Tonight Show w/Jimmy Fallon

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?

1. Moose Tracks

2. Chunky Monkey

3. Baskin Robbins' German Chocolate Cake

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?

1. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

2. keychain iPhone charger

3. NARS matte lip pencil in Damned

4. a bottle of Aleve

5. my work ID

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?

1. Wine bar owner

2. shoe designer

3. stylist

4. photographer for Rolling Stone magazine

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?

1. Do NOT get a perm. Repeat - do not get a perm!

2. Stand up straight. Everyone would love to be as tall as you.

3. You chose good friends.

4. Don't buy the espadrilles! You'll have to walk home and you'll be sad. But, you'll have a great story to tell your friends later! And they'll never let you forget it. 

47 in 44: Mailbag

Today, we delve into the mailbag to answer reader questions.

Becky, a reader from Riverside CA asks what is my biggest regret EVER. 

Well, Becky...I don't have any regrets. Have I made poor choices? Yep. Have I made questionable decisions? Uh huh. Have I done things that cause me to make that scrunched up cringe-y face? Without a doubt. I chalk 'em all up to lessons learned. 

I do wish I never entered into an abusive relationship. The thing is, you never know it'll be abusive until you're already in it! I wish I had the strength to leave. I wish I had the knowledge and the tools to leave. That being said, if I was never in that relationship, I wouldn't be the person I am now. Corny, cliche', whatever...it's the truth. 

Along the same line, is a question from Monica, also from Riverside CA: "If you could go back in time what would you change?" 

There are a few instances where I let my insecurity and fear take over; really wish I'd have more confidence in myself.

Next, a question from Lori in Washington state: What five (5) things would you like to accomplish before your 50th birthday?

Lori, thanks for your question. Even though you mention the "F" word. Let me deal with the rest of my 40s. I'll breakdown soon enough!

5 Things:
- complete the Artist Management program/find a band to manage
- get another country stamp in my passport
- be able to say I have a handle on my hoarding
- see the Northern Lights
- be in love again

That's all the time we have today, folks! Thanks for the great questions - keep 'em coming!

3.16 Daily Haiku on Love

"I am growing old

and I’m doing it alone. 

Won’t you age with me?"

by Tyler Knott Gregson

47 in 45: Quirks Edition

I sleep in my glasses.

Until I moved into this apartment, I'd lived with roommates. I was so excited to finally live on my own. 

The week I moved in, I started reading a book about a landlord who assaulted women living on their own for the first time.

Since my first night here, I've worn my glasses to sleep.

3.15 Daily Haiku on Love

"I split in pieces,

a murmuration of me,

they all flew to you." 

by Tyler Knott Gregson

47 in 46 - The Name Game (repost)

(Originally written/posted in 2009.)

the following is an in-class writing assignment in which we have 10 minutes to write about a particular topic; this time limit does not always allow for nice, wrapped-up endings...I apologize now for the abrupt one here.

Write about your name...

My mom is an opera singer. She has the most beautiful soprano voice...her favorite singer is Risë Stevens. Now, Rise Stevens spells her name R-I-S-E with an accent mark over the E. Apparently, my mom found that to be much too pretentious, so she changed the spelling to HER liking ~ R-I-S-S-A. 

I never game my name much thought, really...until I got a new bike in the 5th grade. Every kid in the neighborhood got bikes that Christmas. Susan Gilbert got a new bike. Mary Roberts got a new bike. Sara Palmer got a new bike. Kevin, Brian & Jimmy Hill, Lisa & Ricky Jones, Larry & Tammy Castleman all got new bikes. They all got new bikes with blue & yellow license plates bearing their names. Yep. Every last one of them had their names on a license plate. When I asked my parents for a license plate with *my* name, Mom had to gently explain there wasn't one. I was having NONE of it. She had to be lying. Somewhere there had to be a shiny blue & yellow license plate with my name on it. There just *had* to be! That became my quest, my obsession - find a mug, a magnet, a keychain, a something with my name on it! 

For my birthday that year, Mom gave me personalize pencils ordered from the Lillian Vernon catalog. And thus began my Mom's 'signature' gift - personalized [fill-in the blank] ~ towels, bathrobes, blankets, gym bags, lunch bags, coffee cups, luggage, luggage tags, sweatshirts, t-shirts, backpacks, car mats, car seat covers, door mats, wine carafes, wine glasses, wine. Good grief! I've got my name on everything now.

Except a little blue and yellow license plate.

47 in 47 - Why?

Why am I doing this? Good question.

I'm doing this for Teenage Me. 

Teenage Me had goals and dreams. She thought this age would look different, feel different. She thought this age would be different. Honestly, until recently, I held those thoughts and dreams, too. And because I didn't/couldn't make them come true, Adult Me failed her.

With '47 in 47' I'm going to show Teenage Me we didn't fail. We succeeded! And, we're okay.

In less than 50 days...

In less than 50 days, I will be 47 years old. For the first time since entering my 40s, I am not caught in a downward spiral of depression. But, I teeter on the edge and fight not to fall. To keep me from falling, I've decided to celebrate ME with a "47 in 47" countdown - sharing stories, answering questions, posting stuff about me. The bragging and over-sharing starts Friday :)

Daily Haiku on Love

"Sometimes it saves you, sometimes it can set you free. Oh but it will hurt." - Tyler Knott