20 FOR 20

I've been tagged twice via Facebook to participate in this exercise. Today I felt pensive enough to respond. I'd like to share with you the 20 random items I posted. Happy reading.

20 FOR 20 by Michelle Witt

1. I have never been skiing or camping.
(In the eyes of my fellow Coloradans, I might have well said, "I eat aluminum foil" or "Breathing? What is this 'breathing' thing of which you speak?"

2. I love a simple breakfast.
(Not a huge eggs and potatoes person. Just give me a bowl of healthy high-fiber cereal, some 1% milk, maybe some fruit, and a small glass of OJ, and I'm pretty happy.)

3. Someday I'd like to build a little studio for myself made from as much salvage material as possible.
(I used to see small abandoned shacks by the road while driving somewhere with my parents when I was little, and used to dream of fixing them up so I'd have my own cozy little nest. Probably the same urges at work.)

4. I sleep with a teddy bear.
(When I'm not with Charlie, that is. It's a habit I picked up after a devastating break-up about 8 or 9 years ago and it just stuck.)

5. I *love* writing implements.
(Sharpies, full-size and ultra-thin. Mechanical pencils. Fine point ballpoint pens. Metallic gel pens. Sparkly gel pens. Highlighters. And...oooooh...fountain pens.)

6. Someday I'd like to do some sort of project that involves interviewing lots of people.
(I love hearing peoples' stories, and I have a deep desire to use stories to bring people together in some way.)

7. I recently had a horrifying experience--visiting the Denver Regional Landfill.
(Depressing, desolate eyesore of a place. If you are not overly concerned about the environment, please visit your local landfill. You'll never want to use a plastic bag again.)

8. I'd like to see the handwritten letter make a comeback.
(It may not have the immediate gratification of e-mail, but does anything match the thrill of going to the mailbox and finding a letter from a friend? **If you send me your postal address, I will write you your own handwritten letter!)

9. Someday I'd like to finish my undergraduate degree.
(Third time's the charm? I just need to figure out if I really need a $20K pat on the back in order to fulfill my dreams, or if the personal satisfaction I'd get from attaining that goal is worth it in and of itself.)

10. I can't stand to watch the animated Rudolph Christmas special.
(Everyone is so *mean* to Rudolph. Santa chastises Donner for being the sire of a buck with a shiny nose. Donner treats Rudolph like crap. Oh, but then they find Rudolph can be *useful* to them! How nice! Let's watch Santa suck up to Rudolph! If I were Rudolph, I'd just tell Santa to take his toys and stick 'em up his...uh, no, I'm not taking it personally. Why do you ask?)

11. I enjoy temp work.
(The technical work is not rocket science; I often say that the key to my success is the client's low expectations. The challenge and the fun comes from constantly changing scenery, having to make quick work of assessing the job and the people, finding areas needing improvement and implementing changes. Then you get to leave before it gets too boring, having saved the day or week or month.)

12. I love fuzzy socks.
(I'm not a clothes horse--Charlie has a larger wardrobe than I--and I don't own 10 pairs of shoes. No, my weakness is a nice pair of soft, velvety/furry socks.)

13. Someday I'd like to move back to Beverly, MA
(I lived there after the devastating breakup, and fell in love with the place. It felt like home.)

14. I have had my tonsils removed.
(Scheduled during February vacation, circa 1984. Mom told stories of Mark and Mike getting their tonsils out when they were little and eating hot dogs the next day. Oh, to be so lucky. I was in agony and subsisted on Popsicles for a whole week. The only good thing about the experience was a hospital visit from a boy I liked--Ed Cope--the night before surgery.)

15. "Strange conveyances" was a popular motif in my childhood dreams.
(Often, a rectangular piece of cardboard that would glide across pavement like a skateboard. Most notably, a rolling typewriter case that unfolded into a motorcycle.)

16. I will begin an annual tradition this year: celebrating Groundhog Day with a viewing of the movie by the same name.
(It's one of my favorite movies of all time. It also brings up a great question: what would you do if you had the same day to live over and over again?)

17. I own three thriving plants.
(Yes, they are the hardy kind--two of them are ivies--but it's a major accomplishment for me. I have traditionally been something of a plant-killer in the past.)

18. Someday I'd like to visit France.
(Dust off my extremely rusty French and visit a small area, moving from town to town, following the market days.)

19. High school track saved my life.
(I was profoundly depressed, and joining the track team gave me another place to focus my attention...then there's the camaraderie, endorphins, and the joy of a challenge.)

20. I'd like to facilitate creativity groups again.
(This is something I did back in MA; it was a wonderful, juicy time. Helping people exercise their creativity and their "courage muscles" helped me do the same for myself.)