Saturday 9: Hey Jealousy

1. When was the last time that you got jealous?
I honestly don't remember. I really don't. Way back in the past I used to let the green-eyed monster get the best of me, but now I recognize whenever jealous impulses come along, and I try to stop them.

2. At what point do you finally decide it's time to move forward with your life (like, major changes)? How do you know? What do you do?
Whenever some major catastrophe has occurred. The best thing to do is learn from your mistakes, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and forge ahead. Sounds cliched, I know, but it's true. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

3. When is it time to just let it ('it' can be whatever you choose) go? How do you know? What do you do?
I always go with my cut. My intuition has never, ever let me down. Whenever I've gone against instinct, I've had to pay for it dearly.

4. How many times must someone push your buttons before you've just had enough? Why?
Depends on who's doing the pushing and what the situation is.

5. If I S/O were to cheat on you, could you ever see yourself giving them a second chance? Or a third?
No. Effing. Way.

6. What was the last thing that someone did that you were very grateful for?
Papa Cat's offer to help me negotiate a deal for--and pay for--my new car.

7. How much time do you spend online in a given weekday? What about the weekends?
One or two hours seven days a week.

8. How many online journals/blogs do you read regularly? What are some of your favorites and why?
I have a lot of blogs in my readers, as you can see, but I usually only make it to three or four per day. Look in my sidebar to see my faves!

9. What was the last major purchase that you made?
A new car. Signed the paperwork yesterday.

Saturday 9: I Started a Joke

It's been a while since I did a Saturday 9 meme. I just read Jodi's answers and she inspired me to do this one. Thanks, my friend! I've missed you!
1. Tell us a joke that you think is funny. If you don't tell jokes tell us why.
I don't really tell jokes. I just make observations about people and life that I think are funny. I think a lot of the traditional "chicken crossing the road" or pun jokes take too long to set up, and once you get to the punchline, you're half asleep.

2. Where do you buy most of your clothes?
Wherever there's a good sale. I particularly enjoy the outlets. Lane Bryant and Old Navy have awesome sales. And my friend Chantal and I love to peruse the clearance racks at Macy's for all the good deals.

3. Which famous person would you like to meet? Why?

Because he's really funny and a class act. And he seems like a really nice guy to boot.

I'd also love to meet Carol Burnett, since she was my first comedy hero. Oooh, better yet, to meet Coco and Carol at THE SAME TIME!!! SQUEEEEE!!! (Of course, the odds of that ever happening are very, very, very slim to none, sadly).

4. What is your ultimate ambition?
I enjoy what I do for a living, but I would love to be a professional writer or a librarian. Or both!

5. Do you like to live in the area of your country or would you prefer something a little different?
I'd like to keep my house here in Connecticut, and have a house somewhere in a warmer climate. I don't mind the cold and the snow, but it sometimes wreaks havoc on my mood. Maybe when I retire I'll become a snowbird...

6. Has a newspaper or television reporter ever interviewed you? If so, what were the circumstances and what did you think when you read or saw what you said?
Twice. I was once interviewed when I was in middle school for an article about our new principal. In high school I was interviewed with a group of friends about Pope John Paul II's visit to the United States. The reporter asked us our opinions on the Pope's influence on young people.

7. What was the last CD/mp3 album that you purchased? How did you like it?
Vampire Weekend, Contra. Love it! I love how the band incorporates so many different musical styles into one CD.

8. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
1. Diane Birch, "Nothing But a Miracle." This is my absolute favorite song of the moment. She's just got such an amazing retro-pop sound. I love anything retro.



2. Amy Grant, "Stay for Awhile."
I first heard this song during my freshman year in college. It became a part of the first mix tape I made that year. Back then, it reminded me of friendships in high school I was trying to hold onto. These days it reminds me of old friendships that I still maintain.



3. "Blessed," Elton John
I feel that this is God's song to me. I first heard it when I was going through a rough patch during my sophomore year of college. Whenever I had moments of self-doubt, this song would immediately come on the radio. Yes, I know it was popular at the time, and yes, I know the cynics will be very quick to point that out. But it's been fourteen years since I've heard that song and it still comes on the radio or my iPod just when I need to hear it most.



4. "These Are Days," 10,000 Maniacs
This was the theme song for my college orientation. I made some of my best friends in life during my college years. It still reminds me to treasure the present day, and to look for the good in each day.



5. "Hungry Heart," Bruce Springsteen

Because it's Bruce and I love him. And I love this song.


9. Do you are your partner usual begin intimacy?
N/A.

Saturday 9: Wedding bell blues

1. If you have been or are married, tell us about your wedding. If you are not, tell us how would you want it to be.
Well, if the big day ever happens, I'd like to keep it small. I hail from a large Italian family, so this is impossible. Papa Cat is going to hand me a list of people whom I haven't seen since infancy and inform me that they have to be invited. In an Italian family, that's what you do.

That's about all I know right now. If I meet the right person, I'll give you more details. Right now I ain't gotta clue as to what my wedding would be like. Haven't given it much thought other than the size.

2. What age would you encourage your children to get married?
Late 20s/early 30s. I'd like for them to have the ability to be independent and take care of themselves (do laundry, cook, balance a checkbook) before they get hitched.

3. Who got married at the last wedding that you attended?
What WAS the last wedding I attended? Oh yeah...I think it was one of my neighbors. It was his 4th marriage, his wife's 3rd. The minister, after the readings, asked him, "What the hell are you thinking?"

4. Do you enjoy weddings and receptions?
For the most part, yeah. It all depends on who else got invited. Once I went to a wedding where I was the only one who knew the bride, but everyone else at my table was really friendly, so that made things a lot easier. It's not so much fun when people aren't so welcoming.

5. Have you cried at a wedding?
I have, yes.

6. Would you prefer a lavish event or a intimate ceremony?
See #1.

7. Have you ever been in some one’s wedding party? If yes, do tell.
I was a bridesmaid when my best friend from college got married. Her anniversary was this past Tuesday. I haven't seen her since her wedding day. We just kinda drifted apart.

8. Does a wedding make you happy and sentimental or grouchy and skeptical?
It depends on the circumstances of why the couple is getting married. I've been to a couple of weddings where I wasn't sure that the couple was marrying for the right reasons. In one case, my gut was right. They ended up divorcing a few years later.

9. Why do you think our divorce rate is so high?
There are a number of reasons. I think a lot of women get married for the sheer romance of having the white dress, the flowers, and the bridesmaids. I also think there are a lot of women who marry out of panic; they feel that if they're not married by a certain age, they've failed. There are some who think that marriage will correct the negative traits of their partners, or it will automatically make them more responsible people.

I've never been married, but I do know that relationships take a lot of work. There's a lot of compromise and give and take involved in their maintenance. They can't just function on love alone. Love is the foundation of any relationship, but it's not the sole factor that determines its success.

Saturday 9: With a little help from my friends

Click here if ya wanna play along.

1. How many of your friendships have lasted more than ten years?
Many, mostly from college. We're all very close. We're like the family members we've chosen for ourselves. We get together for many different events, and are always there for each other.

2. Which of your current friends do you feel will still be important to you ten years from now?
Most of them, but my BFF in particular. Ever since we became friends fifteen years ago people have asked us if we knew each other all of our lives. That's how close we are.

3. It’s Friday evening and you’re planning your weekend. What’s on your agenda?
Catching up on sleep, mostly. Taking some time for myself.

4. What was the most recent movie to scare you or give you the creeps?
I don't watch scary movies. Not a fan at all.

5. Finally, the new cast and movie of Star Trek are out. Excited or indifferent?
Very, very indifferent. Several of my friends are die-hard Trekkies. Mama Cat and Sister Kitten watched Star Trek: The Next Generation every week as I was growing up. I admire how it's become this whole pop sub-culture, but I just don't get the hype.

6. Do you have any nervous habits?
I bite my nails. I stopped trying to grow them out because they break so easily.

7. Do you swear in general?
Yes. I swear more often or less often depending upon whom I'm with.

8. Do you swear on your blog?
What the hell are you talking about?

9. Does it bother you when you read a post with curse words?
No, I just find that it's their writing style.

Saturday 9: Organize this!

1. Are you an organized person?
HELL NO. I used to be very anal, then I went to college, and it's been downhill from there.

2. What is one thing about your home that has to be just so or it drives you crazy when it comes to organization?
My kitchen and bathroom need to be absolutely spotless and sanitary. I spend more time cleaning those two rooms than any other in the house. I don't want any infestations, thank you very much.

3. Do you have one little nuance about your organization that most people consider to be a little over the top?
Yeah...that I am so incredibly DISorganized. My BFF and I have a joke: every time he comes over he needs to clean out my refrigerator, regardless of how clean it is. It's the first thing he looks for when he enters my home...after he says hello, of course.

4. What is your favorite organizational tool? (bins, closet organizers, etc.)
Bins and baskets. The perfect catch-alls. I put everything in bins and baskets and then leave 'em there. I'm horrid at putting things away.

5. Where is your favorite place to buy organizational needs?
HA! I never buy organizational needs for myself. Other people buy 'em for me. But ya can't beat Staples for the post it notes for to-do lists...dammit, those Post-Its have got to be under one of these piles of papers...

6. Are you more organized at work or at home?
At work. I deal with a lot of people at work, so it's easier for me. When I'm just dealing with myself it's much harder.

7. Are you more or less organized than your significant other?
N/A. If I HAD a significant other, he'd be way more organized than me.

8. Does your significant other help or hurt organization?
If I had one, he would definitely help...I need all the help I can get...who wants to come over for a cleaning party?

9. What is the most important recreational items that you organize?
My books. I have a professional library in my office, dedicated to work-related stuff, two bookcases that flank my entertainment center for my fiction, and one bookcase in my living room for travel/non-fiction and memoirs. I don't alphabetize, but if I have a few books by the same author, I group 'em together.

Saturday 9: School Daze

Wanna play along? Click here.

1. Do you have children in school?
No. I don't have children of my own. And my cats are not like Snoopy; they don't follow me to school and perform better on tests than I do.

2. Did you go to public school?
Up until 9th grade, I went to public school. I went to a Catholic high school. I was bullied so much in middle school that I had to get away from my classmates.

If you have children did/do they?
N/A

3. Are you currently in school or taking classes?
Uhhh...that's how I make my living. I'm an educator.

4. What level of education have you completed?
I have my Master's degree.

5. Do you, or did you have loans out for your (or your children's) education?
I'll be paying loans off for my education for the rest of my life. Or at least it feel like it. Fortunately, I don't have that much debt compared to friends who have attended medical or law school.

6. What are your thoughts on the cost of tuition for colleges and universities?
Ten years from now, college will become a privilege that only rich kids can afford. It's not fair. Make college affordable to all!

7. Did school prepare you education wise for working in the real world?
For certain things, yes. However, most things you experience in the "real world" are experiences that school never teaches you. The "School of Hard Knocks" is the best education of all. I think we learn more from our experiences than anything else.

8. Did school prepare you emotionally for what lay ahead?
I really don't know how to answer this question. I was one of those kids who was bullied in school, and as a result, my confidence has always been shaky. There are some days when I regress emotionally back to that 7th grader who, at one point, wanted to take her own life. I'm not suicidal now, but back then, it was a really rough time. That's one of the reasons why I went into my field of work--to help other kids like me.

9. If you were to run a high school, what changes would you make?
It's important that kids know their ABCs and 123s, but it's just as important that they learn life skills--if not more so. I'd make financial management a required course for graduation, as well as auto repair and home economics. Kids should know how to jump start a car, sew a button, hem pants, and how to boil water for pasta.

Saturday 9: Liar, Liar. Pants on Fire!

1. What is the last "white" lie that you told? I told our choir director I couldn't make practice because I had a dinner meeting. Truthfully, I was going out to dinner with friends.

2. Can you forgive a liar? It depends on what the lie is about. For example, if I had a boyfriend tell me that he wasn't cheating on me, and he was, out the door he goes!

3. Do you tend to exaggerate or underestimate? All the time.

4. Do you hold a grudge? You would think, with my Sicilian heritage, that grudges would be in my blood. They used to be...but I've exorcised them. Life's too short to hold grudges.

5. What's the biggest lie you've ever told? Telling my parents that I was doing well financially, when I wasn't.

6. Are there times that you feel that it is okay to lie? A little white lie every now and then never hurt anyone.

7. Did you ever end a relationship because of lies? Relationships, no. Friendships, yes.

8. Do you think you can tell when someone is lying to you? Yeah...it's all in the eye contact and body language, my friends.

9. Have you been caught lying? Who hasn't?

Saturday 9: Letting the Sparks Fly

Want to play along? Click here.

1. Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?
It depends on what I'm doing. I'm a scrapbooker, so I'd go to Michael's. If I needed to spark my cross stitching creativity, I'd consult one of the many past issues of Cross Stitch and Country Crafts that I still own. If I'm writing something, I find sparks of creativity in any situation. Once I start writing, then the creative process flows easily.

2. What would be one thing that would embarrass you a great deal?
Having a friend of a friend publicly criticize me for anything that comes out of my mouth. It has happened before.

3. What values did your parents instill in you?
They instilled so much in me...kindness, compassion, a sense of humor, and gratitude.

4. What’s a fad of your teen years that you remember well?
Well, my teen years straddled the late 80s and early to mid 90s, so there are a lot of fads I remember well. In the 80s, I remember jelly bracelets, slap wraps, ruffled skirts, neon colored skinny jeans, leggings under denim skirts, and...wait a minute, I think I'm describing today's fashion trends...

As for the 90s, I remember plaid flannel shirts and the overall grunge/emo look. The 80s fashions and fads were much more memorable.

5. What is your favorite breakfast?
I love breakfast! I'd have it for every meal if I could! I love the classic greasy diner breakfast: scrambled eggs with sausage links, a side of hash browns, and a tall glass of OJ to wash it all down. Throw in some coffee and you've got a great meal!

6. What is the best birthday gift that you have received?
For my 30th birthday Sister Kitten and my two best friends took me to New York City. We saw The Producers, went to lunch at The Olive Garden, then went to Jekyll and Hyde's for dinner, where they made a big deal, to the entire restaurant, that it was my birthday. After dinner we walked to Rockefeller Center where we watched the skaters for a while. Then we saw everyone clear the rink--except for two people. A guy proposed to his girlfriend on center ice! She said yes, and everyone around applauded. That's a weekend I'll never forget, especially since I was with the people I care about most in the world.

7. What gadget could you not live without?
Now you all know how much I adore my iPod. I certainly can't live without that. But up near the top of that list, as well, is my cell phone. In this day and age, I find it difficult to live without that too!

8. Do you collect anything?
I used to collect Beanie Babies. Now I collect coupons.

9. What website (non-blog) do you regularly visit?
I visit CNN.com entirely too much.

Thanks for reading my list, Kittens! I'll be back tomorrow for more meme fun with Sunday Stealing! Toodles!

Saturday 9: Be My Valentine

And now...a very special edition of the Saturday 9 for Valentine's Day!!!

1. Do you have Valentine’s Day plans?
Nothing special other than going shopping at Macy's with a friend of mine. I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day. That having been said, I'm baking a heart-shaped red velvet cake for coffee hour at church on Sunday.

2. Do you buy a Valentine’s Day gift for someone special?
Nope.

3. What, so far, was the happiest event of your life?
Landing in Paris for the first time, when I was 18 years old. It had been a dream of mine since childhood to visit the City of Light, and I was overjoyed when it finally came true.

4. What is the best job that you ever have had?
The job I have now. I work with a great bunch of people.

5. What would be your fantasy job?
I'd love to be a freelance writer and make my own hours. Ideally, I'd like to write book reviews for the New York Times and have a book of essays published. I've already picked out the title: The Gospel According to Kitten.

6. What would you think would be the worst job?
That's a tough one...for me, the worst job would be to collect the dead bodies from murder scenes. The combination of the emotional lows you'd experience, as well as the physical gruesomeness, make it a horrid experience.

7. What foreign countries have you visited?
I've been to a lot of foreign countries thanks to cruising. Does it count that I only visited these ports for one day? I think so, so here's the list: I've been to Spain, France, Germany, St. Maarten, Mexico, Belize, and Haiti.

8. What foreign country would be your fantasy trip?
I've got two that are in a tie for first on the wish list. The first one is Australia. I'd love to visit Sydney and explore the bush country. The second one is Italy. I'd like to do the tourist thing for a couple of weeks, then rent a house in Tuscany for a month. (Hell, I'd love to buy a house in Tuscany!)

9. Since leaving your home growing up, how many places have you lived?
Other than living at college, I've lived in two places: my first apartment, then the condo where I currently live.

See y'all manana for the Sunday Stealing Meme!

Saturday 9: Time Has Come Today

It's all about time this week on the Saturday 9!!!

1. What time of day do you usually play Saturday 9?
It depends. Usually a little past midnight on Saturday, after I've returned home from my Friday night debauchery. ;)

2. At 9AM on a weekday, what are you doing?
Teaching kids. I'm at work!

3. At 9PM on any given night, what would you most like to be doing?
Either I watch The Rachel Maddow Show, get ready for bed, or am in bed, sleeping (as was the case last night).

4. What is your most frequent activity online?
It would be a tie between blogging and Facebooking.

5. Is there one day of the week that seems to fly by? If yes, why?
Saturday! It's the one day I have completely to myself, where I can sleep in and go about my day at my own pace. I rarely schedule anything for a Saturday unless I want to do anything. If I want to be a lazy schmuck all day, I can.

6. Do you agree that the older you get, the faster time seems to go by?
Absolutely! I can't believe it's already February.

7. What is your favorite thing to do with free time?
I love to read, obviously, but I also love to scrapbook, cross stitch, and exercise. I also love spending time with friends and family.

8. How much time do you spend alone? Would you like it to be more? Less?
I'm single, so I spend a lot of time alone! I'm OK with it for the most part. There are days when I wouldn't mind having someone in my life, but with 11 friends having gone through either divorces or breakups in the past two years, it gives me pause.

9. If you could spend one hour doing something what would it be?
SLEEP. I love naps!

Saturday 9: Going to Pot

Another Saturday, another meme! Here's this week's version of the Saturday 9:

1. When was the last time you smoked pot?
I've never smoked pot. I'm asthmatic with VERY sensitive lungs. There are days when I can't go into Macy's or Yankee Candle because of the perfumes.

2. What do you think is your biggest weakness?
Sometimes I'm just too nice to people; I need to focus more on standing up for myself.

3. What is your biggest fear?
Unemployment.

4. Is there a particular goal that you’d like accomplish this year?
I'd like to stop biting/picking my nails. Which reminds me, tomorrow's February 1st (already!) and time for an update for Project: Save Kitten's Nails!

5. What do you miss most from your youth?
The innocence. Not having a care in the world, knowing that Mama and Papa Cat were taking good care of us. Having the feeling that nothing bad was ever going to happen.

6. What is your best physical feature?
My eyes. They're the feature that I play up every day when I put on my makeup.

7. Are you very confident?
My confidence waxes and wanes. This week, it's been on the up and up. Next week, it could be different.

8. Tell us about the last time you were drunk.
I take the 5th.

9. Have you ever cheated on a lover?
Again, I take the 5th. As I've said before, I don't kiss and tell.

Saturday 9: What's Cooking?

1. Which meal is the one you cook best?
That's a tough one...I'm a pretty good cook! I'm not sure about meals as much as individual dishes. I do make a mean bittersweet mocha coffee cake!

2. Tell us what you would never eat.
Peas. Brussel sprouts. Peas. Beets. Did I already mention peas?

3. Is your hometown famous for anything or anybody?
Anyone remember Jesse Camp? He was the first person to win the MTV "Wanna Be a DJ" contest. That's about as much of a claim to fame as I can make for my hometown.

4. Can you play a musical instrument?
I played the flute up till my sophomore year of high school.

5. Tell us about your second ever lover.
I take the 5th. There's no kissing and telling on this blog!

6. What is your favorite restaurant?
The Amici Grill, on Main Street here in the M-Town.

7. If it were your call, how often would you make love?
Again, I plead the 5th. See #5.

8. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Patti LuPone. She's so honest, and seems like a riot to hang out with.

9. Tell us about your job.
I'm a teacher. I don't want to say anything more about that, in order to protect my privacy, and that of my students.

Sorry that this Saturday 9 was a bit cryptic, but some of the questions were a little too personal today--even for me!

Saturday 9: The First Apartment

I don't usually partake in the Saturday 9 meme, but the questions were so good for this one that I had to do it!

I'm cheating a little bit on this one...I'm writing it on Sunday, after getting back from my scrapbooking jaunt, and dating it for yesterday. Sorry, but I feel funny posting it today!

So here, Kittens, are memories of my first apartment.


1. Where had you moved from?
My parents' house.

2. Describe your first apartment.
It was a one-bedroom end unit on the second floor of an L-shaped building. You entered, and you had a huge kitchen to your right, which extended all the way to the left wall. The extension served as a dining area. That's where I had my dining room table. The linoleum ended abruptly, and then I had a small living room with a set of patio doors on the end. The doors led to a balcony so tiny I could barely fit one chair on it. There was a little breakfast nook that separated the kitchen from the dining area.

The bathroom led off of the living room, about five feet from it. The bedroom was immediately to the left of the bathroom. It was a very spacious bedroom with mirrored closets. I didn't mirror them, someone else did.

The apartment was about a mile from the beach, which was one of the main selling points about it. Not to mention, the closets were very roomy and the kitchen was HUGE. It was much bigger than the kitchen I currently have. On sunny afternoons, I used to get home from work, get out of my car, and walk immediately to the beach. It was great to go there to wind down after a long day. I did the same thing during the winter, but I drove instead of walked. Sorry, it was too cold for me!

3. How old were you when you had your apartment?
I was 25.

4. Did you have roommates? If yes, tell us more.
Human roommates, no. A year after I moved in, Maggie came into my life. As a kitten she used to have bad separation anxiety whenever I left for work. She'd block herself in front of the door, and I tried to move her and then leave as fast as I could. It never worked, though; most mornings I'd have to chase her down the hall to get her back in the apartment. And when I finally got her back in and locked the door, she would howl. I mean, it was loud. And then she'd trot over to the bedroom, jump in the window, and watch me as I got into the car and drove away.

5. What was your place of employment then?
The same place where I work now.

6. How were you finances at the time?
They weren't bad, but they weren't great. I never had to live on solely Ramen noodles while I lived there, fortunately. It helped that heat and hot water were included in the rent.

7. Tell us about a lover who spent a night there.
I take the 5th.

8. Tell us about a band you listen to then. (You can cheat. Look it up.)
The same bands I listen to now: Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Springsteen, etc.

9. How long did you live there and why did you move from there?
I lived there for two years. I moved from there for two reasons: One, the rent was going up almost $200 a month, and two, I bought a condo much closer to work and to my family. I still miss it, but not enough to go back.