05 May 2008

The Inquisition: Meme Style

My new favorite blogger, The Pagan Sphinx, recently tagged me with one of my favorite types of memes: listmania! I love making lists. I love writing about me. So lists about me … well, that’s just blogging gold, dear readers.


Ten Years Ago
I was working for The Coca-Cola Company and living with the Beloved Ex. Next to our first six months — that phase where everything is golden and giggly and glittery — that was probably our best time together. We were living in a condo with a yardette — an 8’ x 18’ yard with a privacy fence, which we turned into a riot of English garden color. Gardening wasn’t the extent of my Martha Stewartism: For Easter I baked a batch of sugar cookies shaped like eggs; Beloved Ex and I then decorated them like Easter eggs with buttercream frosting and those baking thingies, putting them on a bed of plastic basket grass (note that I even use Martha’s lingo).


Five Things on Today’s To-do List
Notice my priorities.
1. Call mechanic about the latest Check Engine light
2. Find pirate costumes [DONE]
3. Start on Friday’s mix tape [DONE]
4. Balance my checkbook and rework my budget
5. Write this meme post [DONE]


If I Were a Billionaire
So many things I’d do. P.Sphinx didn’t enumerate her If I Weres, but I’m going to give you five What I’d Dos:
1. Set up. I wouldn’t want my family or friends working. Sure, it’s a grand gesture, but it’s also a selfish one: If I decided to up and fly to Madrid, someone has to be able to go with me.
2. Donate. Time and money. I’d give money to organizations that put the majority of their donations in the field, such as Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse. I’d also start organizations to get less-privileged children and teens interesting in books and art.
3. Settle. I’d buy a house in the mountains, somewhere in western North Carolina or eastern Tennessee. New York is where I’d rather be; I just adore a penthouse view. And I’d keep a home in Decatur to be near family and friends.
4. Travel. I’d rather stay in fabulous hotels that have homes dotted across the world.
5. Reestablish. By buying my great-grandfather’s old grocery store. I’d start an art gallery collective, where the artists being shown would help man the gallery. It would be named Hamilton’s Market, as it was named in the 1940s and 1950s. We’d have live bands, author readings, all sorts of creative and cultural events.


Three Bad Habits
Boy, it’s hard to come up with three. Okay, to be honest, it’s hard to pick just three.
1. I bite my nails. Sometimes, like now, I can stop and let them grow … but I’m sure I’ll be gnawing again soon.
2. I interrupt. It’s the Coffey conversation style — perfectly acceptable around our dinner tables, but rather rude when chatting with people. I try not to, but then I get a thought in my head and …
3. I procrastinate. So many things can be put off until the last minute, y'know.


Five Places I’ve Lived
Although I always wanted to, I’ve never lived outside Georgia; in fact, other than my two years at the University of Georgia, I haven’t lived outside the metropolitan Atlanta area. Because most of you aren’t familiar with the various Atlanta neighborhoods, I’m going to pretend I’ve lived in these cities:
1. New York City
2. Paris
3. San Francisco
4. Sydney
5. Portland (preferably Oregon, but I’d fake Maine, too)


Five Jobs I’ve Had
I’m going with the non-career gigs:
1. Babysitter Extraordinaire, my neighborhood
2. Denim Shopgirl and Okefenoke Swamp Ridegirl, Six Flags Over Georgia
3. Route Accounting, Coca-Cola Bottling (high school and college summers/Christmas breaks)
4. Public Relations/Public Affairs Director, WRAS (Georgia State University)
5. Bookseller, Bookstar


I’m Tagging
1. The Beloved Ex met the challenge!
2. Write Procrastinator met the challenge!
3. Skyler’s Dad met the challenge!
4. Mathdude met the challenge!
5. Eebie met the challenge!

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19 Comments:

At 5/05/2008 07:55:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I LOVE your reestablish idea under the if you were a billionaire question. Wow.

 
At 5/05/2008 08:01:00 PM, Blogger SkylersDad said...

Sweet Beth! I am on this, now if I can only jump-start these three remaining brain cells...

 
At 5/05/2008 08:05:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The best towns I have pretend lived in. 1 Bar Harbor Maine
2 Toronto Canada
3 Rodanthe N.C.
4 Aspen Colorado
5 Islamorada Fla.

 
At 5/05/2008 08:16:00 PM, Blogger Writeprocrastinator said...

I'll have it done by dinner, Pacific Standard Time...hopefully.

 
At 5/05/2008 09:39:00 PM, Blogger Writeprocrastinator said...

All done.

 
At 5/05/2008 10:13:00 PM, Blogger lulu said...

Anytime you want to travel the world....

 
At 5/05/2008 10:52:00 PM, Blogger Eebie said...

Excellent stuff! I am so happy that NYC was top of the list and Paris was second.

And whoa, ouch, for all the meme's I've seen, first time I've been tagged. It will probably take me two weeks to reply but I'll squeeze it in as I'm honored and ... well, crazed with enthusiasm, y'know, we all love attention...just ask any politician.

 
At 5/06/2008 02:55:00 AM, Blogger Joe said...

Cool list. I saw a lot of the Samaritan's Purse folks in New Orleans, and they seemed to have a good operation going.

So what's the deal with the pirate costume again?

 
At 5/06/2008 08:18:00 AM, Blogger DaBich said...

Your answers to the billionaire question show what a generous person you are!
Now, don't blush ;)

 
At 5/06/2008 11:08:00 AM, Blogger Fran said...

WAIT A MINUTE (sorry for interrupting!)

Those are my bad habits!!!

 
At 5/06/2008 11:49:00 AM, Blogger SkylersDad said...

It's up Beth, come on over and bore yourself...

 
At 5/06/2008 03:05:00 PM, Blogger Barbara Bruederlin said...

You have no idea how much I wish I was at the newly reestablished Hamilton's Market right now. Just thinking about it nourishes my soul.

 
At 5/06/2008 03:15:00 PM, Blogger Boldly Serving Up Wheat Grass said...

I've pretend-lived in New York, too. I'll second what filegod implied, though, about Bar Harbor, ME. Beautiful city. For that matter, the whole outer banks, too.

 
At 5/06/2008 03:23:00 PM, Blogger BeckEye said...

Since you haven't gotten around to yours yet, can you add "Work out a new budget for BeckEye" to your list?

 
At 5/06/2008 04:59:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

This was great, Beth! Loved it! And no wonder you didn't mind being tagged for this, you're really good at it! :-)

There's so much I could comment on but what got me the most was how you and your ex comment on each other's blogs. My and ex and I do the same. I only read one of your comments on his blog but the tone is similar in that comment to the ones I exchange with my own ex.
We've become pretty good friends.

 
At 5/06/2008 11:16:00 PM, Blogger a said...

Yeah, yeah... I've been tagged. DONE. So, go view it already!

 
At 5/07/2008 05:14:00 PM, Blogger Moxie said...

I love #5 on the billionaire list too. And darling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue! :-)

I do love how you call Dan the Beloved Ex. You Southerners are so gosh-darn polite. I was talking to a few writers in ATL today and they were all so nice and friendly. I like that in a reporter, don't you?

 
At 5/08/2008 03:16:00 PM, Blogger Katie Schwartz said...

The mere mention of buttercream frosting slathered all over a homemade sugar cookie made my vulva flutter. I'm just sayin'.

Great meemish. My favorite was Reestablish.

 
At 5/17/2008 01:53:00 AM, Blogger Coaster Punchman said...

I too realize interrupting is very rude but then do it myself sometimes when I get excited about what I'm talking about. Not a good habit.

 

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