Last week I played a little blog hop. I spotted this post on Carol’s blog then followed her links back to check out Melanie’s answers and Teleporting Weena, too. Sounds like a good time to me.

Here are the questions by themselves in case you’d like to play along.

1. Do you make your bed every morning?

2. What was your first car?

3. What two grocery items do you never run out of?

4. At what age did you start doing your laundry?

5. If you could, would you go back to high school?

6. Can you parallel park in under three moves?

7. A job you had which people would be shocked to know you once had?

8. Do you think aliens are real?

9. Can you drive a stick shift?

10. Guilty TV pleasure?

11. Tattoos?

12. If the world ends do you want to be one of survivors?

13. Sweet or salty?

14. Do you enjoy soaking in a nice hot bath?

15. Do you consider yourself a strong person?

16. Something people do that drives you nuts?

17. Do you have any birthmarks?

18. Favorite childhood game?

19. Do you talk to yourself?

20. Do you like doing jigsaw puzzles?

21. Tea or coffee?

22. First thing you remember wanting to be when you grew up?

23. Favorite game now?

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1. Do you make your bed every morning?  This is one of those habits I fell into sideways through marriage. Is it hospital corners, taut blankets, bounce a quarter off it kinda work? Nah, but everything’s pulled up and put together with the pillows sitting right so it’s enough to make us feel like we’re climbing into a nice bed at night.

2. What was your first car?  I bought a white Honda Accord off my dad when I graduated from college that was awesome, but my first real car – the kind you wheel and deal at the dealership for – was a red convertible Mazda Miata with tan leather interior. It was fun, it was zippy, and it made me feel like a million bucks.

3. What two grocery items do you never run out of?  Butter and eggs.

4. At what age did you start doing your laundry?  Wow, why can’t I remember this? Mom stayed home with us and I remember her handling the laundry. I’m thinking she probably taught me in my high school years before I left for college, but my siblings should feel free to let me know if I’ve got this wrong.

5. If you could, would you go back to high school?  No. Hell no. Abso-freaking-lutely HELL no.

6. Can you parallel park in under three moves?  Umm…sometimes? If I’m having a good day, and the other parked cars have stayed well within their spaces, and Mercury isn’t in retrograde then yeah, I can get it in three moves. Usually I jockey back and forth, trying to get out of the road as quickly as possible, then I can worry about curb and bumper ratios.

7. A job you had which people would be shocked to know you once had?  I can only think of seriously not-surprising jobs. Ice cream shop…teacher…my work history’s been pretty ordinary.

8. Do you think aliens are real?  I don’t see why not. I wonder if someone’s asking them if they think human beings are real.

9. Can you drive a stick shift?  Yes. I told my kids they’d need to learn, too, and they were all whyyyy, it’s too haaarrrrrddd, what does it even mattterrrr until I told them my soccer story. A friend wrecked her knee at practice one day. We had to take her and her car home but she drove a VW Beetle, a stick, and nobody else could drive it. Being able to step up and take the keys was one of those I’m a rock star moments.

10. Guilty TV pleasure?  Grey’s Anatomy.

11. Tattoos?  Two. People joke about tattoos from their college days but I’ve never been your typical duck. I got one right before I turned thirty and another in my forties.

12. If the world ends do you want to be one of survivors?  Nope.

13. Sweet or salty?  I hate to be all wishy washy but it depends on the day. Typically it alternates.

14. Do you enjoy soaking in a nice hot bath?  Once in a blue moon.

15. Do you consider yourself a strong person?  Yes, but I’m also strong enough to know when I need to take a break.

16. Something people do that drives you nuts?  Weaving in and out of traffic like squirrels on meth.

17. Do you have any birthmarks?  I don’t think so.

18. Favorite childhood game?  Life (the board game).

19. Do you talk to yourself?  Oh yeah, all the time.

20. Do you like doing jigsaw puzzles?  Yes, but I’ve got to be in the right mood. When I’m in the right head space it’s the perfect way to zone out and find my zen.

21. Tea or coffee?  Most always coffee. Hot lemon tea with honey when my throat hurts.

22. First thing you remember wanting to be when you grew up?  A teacher.

23. Favorite game now?  Bananagrams.