100 Things: The End

Hockey News

Mats Sundin spec in Philly. Yada, yada, yada.

And to conclude...

81.) I did my first CROP walk in 1982 when I was 4. That's in the good old days when it was a lot longer. 1982 was the last year my dad was able to run the event.

82.) I also participated in my first Habitat for Humanity project at 4. I was allowed to help paint the walls in the house. I actually did a good job of it and that started my love affair with interior painting.

83.) Too bad I can't paint the walls in my apartment. Even though I know how to paint them any color and put them back to the original, my building would keep the security deposit. Yeesh!

84.) Although I talk a lot about finding a new apartment, I'm not likely to do it. I have a two-bedroom apartment at a ridiculously low rent that includes most of my utilities. I'm 10 miles from Center City, with multiple public transportation options, and in a good, residential neighborhood.

85.) My favorite mode of transportation is the train. I commute into Center City on SEPTA's Regional Rail. When I go to my parents', I use Amtrak and the DC Metro.

86.) Since moving to Philadelphia, I make a point of going to the Philadelphia Flower Show each March. It's the world's largest indoor flower show. If you like flowers, landscaping, and creative art created with plants, you should come to Philly and see it!

87.) My friend T always wants me to go with her to karaoke. She does a great job, but I don't really enjoy it. Maybe it's just the location I don't like?

88.) I am fascinated by negotiating communication-related barriers. I like learning about intercultural (cross-cultural or multicultural, if you prefer) issues. I've started studying intergenerational ones.

89.) I recognize that I will be the worst mom ever when I have kids. There are too many times when I'm out and I'm ready to correct bad behavior that parents never address with their kids.

90.) I intend to be a foster parent, with an eye toward adopting at least one child. With no disrespect to people who adopt children from other countries, I just wish more qualified people were willing to adopt one of the more than 100,000 foster children who are cleared for adoption in the U.S.A.

91.) Michael Phelps is great and all, but my favorite swimmer of all time is Lenny Krayzelberg.

92.) My other favorite Summer Olympians: Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner Kersee, and Flo Jo.

93.) In terms of Winter Olympians, my favorites are Johann Olaf Koss, Bonnie Blair, and Alexei Yashin.

94.) Favorite hockey-related movies: Slap Shot; Cutting Edge (toe pick!); Mystery, Alaska; and Miracle.

95.) Unlike what sometimes seems like 99% of the people in my country, I do not watch American Idol. I've only ever seen one show, it was in the first season, and I knew Kelly Clarkson would win by the end of that episode. I haven't cast a vote for anyone on it ever.

96.) On the other, I do vote in political elections...including the primaries.

97.) I feel no remorse over my iced coffee each weekday because it's not like the caffeine can stunt my growth any further and I don't blow my paycheck on very many extravagances.

98.) One day, I'm going to have one of these. Y'know, when I'm all grown-up!

99.) I truly believe that I can be whatever I want to be. I just don't care about work for anything other than enabling me to spend more time doing fun things with my family and friends.

100.) I am in training and raising funds for the the 12K AIDS Walk Philly. (More to come on that in a future post.)

100 Things: Fourth Installment

Hockey News

Hey, imagine that! We're keeping John Stevens as the Flyers head coach.

Not Hockey-Related in the Slightest

Well, beyond the fact that you're learning some more about me.

61.) Much as I do not like the title, I am a member of Generation X. I'm actually fine with being a part of this crew. I'm not a slacker, I'm not a whiner, I'm not materialistic, and I work just as hard as those Traditionalists and Baby Boomers. It's just that there's more to life than the job.

62.) I am addicted to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. However, with limited bookshelves, I wait for them to come out in paperback before buying.

63.) Additional favorites are anything by Langston Hughes, Julio Cortazar, Deidre Martin, Rachel Gibson, and Lori Foster.

64.) I love most types of music. The only thing I really try to avoid at all costs is country. I will make exceptions for Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Patsy Cline.

65.) I am currently addicted to Julieta Venegas and Gotan.

66.) Every holiday season, I get stuck in an angry rock' n' roll phase. Cue The Clash. Read more.

67.) I cannot work in silence. The lack of sound drives me batty. I play one of the stations on batanga.com at work when I'm not timing audio to the e-learning modules I design.

68.) I have a co-worker who thinks I should fix my tax withholding so that I don't get such a large return each year. Unfortunately, I know that I will never save that quantity of money on my own; it's so nice that the government gives it back each year. (Know your faults, folks, and accommodate for them!)

69.) I moved so frequently growing up that I feel funny if I stay in one location too long. If I re-sign my lease, that'll be four years in one place. My internal reaction is "Yikes!"

70.) Reality shows are not my thing. I do watch "Dancing with the Stars" and I like to watch "What Not to Wear" when I visit my parents (who have satellite service).

71.) I like kids and work well with them. I guess that's what made me such a good camp counselor. (And I really miss doing that during the summers!)

72.) Though I don't follow astrology, I do place a bit of stock in Myers-Briggs. I am an ENFP.

73.) On the other hand, there are days where I just want everyone to leave.me.alone.

74.) I really have to be in the mood to clean. I use it for stress-relief, so if my apartment is too neat, well, y'know.

75.) My other favorite thing to do when I'm working through a problem is shredding. I love running my shredder. Bzzzzzzzt.

76.) I make a mean bahklava!

77.) I prefer comedies when I go to the movies. I absolutely can't do horror or movies that have too much blood-and-guts.

78.) When I'm not exerting my creative writing muscles here on the blog, I write a quarterly e-newsletter at my job.

79.) One of my short stories was published in my college's annual review of student works. When I was in Ecuador, my Latin American Short Story prof - who is a published author himself - picked some of my short stories for a showcase there, too.

80.) I wrote for the yearbook three years in high school. But not the paper.

100 Things: ¡Otra Ronda!

Hockey News

What's that? I have no idea why you're looking for hockey-related news. Everyone knows that sports news in Philadelphia revolves around birds and a Phanatic at this time of year.

*Fervently praying* Please, God, make it stop! Bring hockey back. I need to learn about the new guys first-hand. I must find out if Hatch is a keeper for another season. I'm trying to find the good side to acquiring Asham; I know I'll understand more when you reveal him to me

Getting to Know All about...Me!

41.) If I could wear what I wanted to work, you'd never see me out of jeans, a Tshirt or sweater, and boots or sneakers (cooler v. warmer temps). But you can't really wear that to work when your job is in the financial district.

42.) When it comes to work clothes, I wear a lot of black. If there were such a style as "wear-to-work goth," I might just be its poster-child. (No scary black lipstick, though.)

43.) Although I'm a Flyers fan, I do not wear a lot of orange. I don't own more than about four orange pieces of clothing, and two of them were give-away Tshirts from last season.

44.) I don't like heights and snakes scare the h-e-double hockey sticks out of me!

45.) Remember I said I'm a P.K.? Well, I do know my four letter words, in two languages no less. And, yes, unfortunately, I do use them occasionally. (Just not as much as a cross between yapper extraordinaire Sean Avery and F-bomb pro Cindy Crosby.)

46.) I passionately dislike grocery shopping and lawn care. I'm not pushing for a husband, but it'd be nice to have one who will do these two chores.

47.) 'Cause I'll exchange those two for cleaning all the bathrooms and kitchens, and snow-shoveling you want!

48.) My favorite flowers are tulips. I love to buy them in various colors.

49.) I buy them because I'm not a green thumb. With my propensity to kill green things, I believe future plant purchase will have to be succulents.

50.) When I took an online IQ test, my result was "facts curator." Basically, I am a storehouse of stupid, random facts. A detail comes my way, gets stuck in the brain, and good luck having it go away. (My dad is the same way.)

51.) I am also a natural mimic. I pick up accents easily, whether I want to or not. When I was a camp counselor in college, I entertained a bunch of 8, 9 and 10 year olds with this and a song from The Lion King...dinner was late and I prevented their riot.

52.) Also when I worked as a camp counselor, I was American Red Cross certified for first aid (good for 3 years) and CPR (good for 1). Both are expired now, but in an emergency that facts curator knowledge could kick in and save your life.

53.) When I was a reservation center operator, in the slow season, one of my co-workers brought in the cards from the Battle of the Sexes board game. We'd take turns answering the questions according to the rules (women answer questions most guys know and vice versa). I answered too many questions right, they switched me to answering the opposite ones, same thing happened, and I was banned from answering. Instead, I got to read the cards.

54.) I am a Flyers fan. In every other major team sport, I am a Cleveland fan because that's the area where I grew up. In college sports, it's Ohio State or Ohio.

55.) I've lived through a startling number of natural disasters. Earthquakes. Hurricanes. Blizzards. Lots of tornadoes. Imminent volcanic eruption (and really teeved that I missed it).

56.) I am a Dunkin Donuts fan. Sorry, Starbucks.

57.) I don't have any tattoos, unlike my brothers who each have them. I change my mind too frequently about what I want, and tattoos are too permanent.

58.) I don't handle pain like a normal person. It's not that I don't feel it, I just have a higher threshold and better coping mechanisms. That can be problematic when seeking treatment because medical professionals always ask, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how much does it hurt?" My answer: Your pain scale or mine?

59.) I love both the Winter and Summer Olympics. In fact, I miss having them in the same year.

60.) But since they're separated now, and I love the Olympics so much, I believe the world should take a two-week vacation when they happen. (Well except for the TV crews, who should have another two weeks off at a later date.)

100 Things: Segunda Parte

Second Installment

More of more than you ever wanted to know about Flyers.Femme:

21.) My not-so-guilty pleasure on TV: Hockey, of course!

22.) Hockey ticket preference: PDF. Print it out and take it to the game. I use the reverse for game notes to write my singular posts.

23.) My guilty pleasure on TV: Telenovelas. Totally addicted since 1998.

24.) I wear SPF 75 sun block every day. I have fair skin. I do not tan; I burn. Skin cancer is not cute.

25.) Two things you can always find in my fridge: Water and cranberry juice.

26.) I can't eat milk chocolate. The mix is too sweet. Long live dark chocolate!

27.) My favorite food isn't limited to one country. I like Latin American dishes, whether it's enchiladas with mole sauce (Mexico), tostones (Cuba/Domincan Republic/Puerto Rico), or empanadas (Colombia).

28.) Favorite beers: Shiner Bock. (Yes, that means I've been to Texas. San Antonio, if you must know.) Mad Elf Holiday Ale. (A Christmas beer made in Pennsylvania. I'll be serving it at my annual holiday open house from now on.)

29.) I like to cook. I don't like to cook meat.

30.) I love ice cream. My favorite flavor was a limited edition Haagen Dasz flavor: Mayan Chocolate. I wish they'd make it again.

31.) I can’t wait for summers to be over. I like to run to stay in shape, but the heat and humidity trigger my exercise-induced asthma. (Bring on the fall, winter, and spring, baby!)

32.) I can't run on a treadmill. Short though I may be, I never feel that I can kick to my full stride on one of them. I am forced to jog. Ugh!

33.) I love to skate. One of these days, I’m going to screw up my nerve and give speed-skating a try. Then, when it’s too icy to run in sneakers, I can “run” in skates.

34.) I only learned how to drive an automatic car in driver’s ed. The family car was stick-shift.

35.) I live in Philadelphia and do not have a car.

36.) If you follow astrology - which I don't - I am a Gemini and an Earth Horse. According to my friend who does follow it, that explains a lot about me. *shrug*

37.) I don't like Ice Girls. They don't do anything for me. No rant.

38.) My brother Eli, the former goalie, doesn't really care for them either. Don't mess with his crease after he sets it up the way he wants it, or risk being checked.

39.) I believe owning one of the pink jerseys and wearing it for occasions other than cancer-related events automatically pushes you over the line to "puck bunny." Your team has real colors, wear them.

40.) Of course, that may just be the fact that I don't like pink talking.

100 Things: Part the 1st

Hockey Bits

Okay, so Craig Berube is the new Flyers assistant coach, and John Paddock is the new Phantoms head coach. Wow, actual hockey news.

When does training camp start again?

Not So Hockey-Related

As we close down the off-season, an informal "getting to know your friendly blogger" meme is making the rounds. Quite a few of the HLOGers have taken up the challenge of letting you know 100 things about ourselves. Here's my first 20 things to know about me.

1.) I am 5' 1.5" tall. Yes, that half inch is very important.

2.) Despite my lack of actual height, I have a habit of standing up straight, I wear heels most days, and - in the words of a co-worker - I carry myself well, so most people are shocked to hear I'm that short.

3.) I have naturally curly hair. It was a pain learning how to manage it growing up. These days, I just let it be and it - mostly - leaves me alone, too.

4.) In my family, I'm the oldest and the only girl.

5.) I have two younger brothers who are much taller than I. Eli, the former goalie, and Andrew, the mid-fielder and point-guard, are at least 6' 2" tall.

6.) I have never dated a guy under 6' before. I don't know why...it's not like I have a rule about it. I guess I'm just used to all the tall people in my family.

7.) I used to play violin. I still have one, so I guess I could again, but it would be one of those projects you start with the best of intentions and never quite work your way around to. (Maybe next year?)

8.) In high school, I was on the varsity teams for volleyball, indoor track and outdoor track starting my sophomore year.

9.) As a result of two facial traumas during volleyball season my senior year, I have a permanently displaced jaw. I don't have TMJ, but try getting health insurance companies to understand the difference! (It's.so.much.fun.)

10.) I am bilingual (English and Spanish).

11.) I am the only person in my family who is bilingual.

12.) I was a double major in college (International Studies and Spanish), spent my whole junior year abroad in Quito, Ecuador, and - somehow - still managed to graduate magna cum laude with 42 and 39 credits-required majors in four years. No wonder I don't want to hear tell of a master's degree!

13.) My honors thesis was titled "A Comparison of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Concepts of Zionism, 1850 - 1918." I earned a 98% for it. (I think that was the highest score for the history/poli sci crew that year. I may have been the only "girl," too. Of course, it was eight years ago, so my memory is a little fuzzy on the fine deets.) I am not ashamed to admit that it's a really boring read.

14.) Favorite course in college: Latin American Dances, while I was in Ecuador. Imagine spending a semester learning mambo, merengue, cha-cha, their histories and music, and getting a grade for it!

15.) I suck at numbers, but I rock at foreign languages. Freshman year, I had my two majors and studied Russian. I aced Russian and Spanish at the same time. I wish I could get paid to learn languages!

16.) I am a preacher's kid. Contrary to popular myth, that neither makes me a goody two-shoes nor a devil-spawn hellion. I am just a normal person who makes mistakes, acknowledges them, and tries to treat people fairly.

17.) I am a biblical non-resister. In plain English, I'm a pacifist for religious reasons. (Make no mistake: I'm still a hockey fan. It just means I won't hit you and I don't resolve conflicts through violence.)

18.) Yes, my Christian faith is important to me. No, I'm not pushy about it. It's just a part of who I am, like my naturally curly hair.

19.) I have been to Cuba...legally.

20.) I don't eat breakfast every day, or even most days. Unless an iced coffee every weekday counts, which I'm sure it doesn't.