8 Things Copped from Cooper & Tagged by Goody and Imp

8 Things I'm Passionate About:
1. My family
2. Getting kids excited about books and reading
3. Learning new things

4. Autumn leaves
5. Chocolate
6. My complete and utter disdain for the ramifications of No Child Left Behind legislation and the barely literate boob who came up with it (good theory, unrealistic standards, absolute shit outcome). And while I am at it, have I mentioned how utterly evil I think the Patriot Act is?
7. When that thing I do makes you sigh
8. That thing you do that makes me....ooooooh....yeah....that...mmmmmmm

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:

1. Zipline safely
2. Visit Greece
3. Get all my kids to Trinidad
4. Meet a bunch more bloggers
5. Get my master's degree
6. See my kids find their bliss
7. Find my bliss
8. Be certified dead by a licensed physician

8 Things I Say Regularly:

1. Son, where are your glasses and why are they not on your face?
2. I love you
3. Crimony!
4. Bite me! (yes, I say this often enough my kids wanted to buy me a t-shirt that had it on the front)
5. Who took my scissors?
6. Dude!
7. Egads!
8. Well then, my nefarious plan to ruin your life is finally coming to fruition. (My response to any comment from my kids suggesting I am being harsh or unfair)

8 Books I've Read Recently (or am reading now...):
1. 1491 by Charles Mann (currently reading)
2. One Hand Screaming by Mark Leslie
3. A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo by Walter Lord
4. Destination America by Greg Wills
5. Antisocial Commentary by Rob Kroese
6. The American Short Story. An anthology I haven't read start to finish but I've been picking around in.
7. The Writing on the Wall by James Goodman
8. World Art: The Essential Illustrated History

8 Songs I Can Listen to Over and Over Again:
1. The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson (newest earworm), the girls and I like this song but we also like to mess with the lyrics
2. Jingo by Santana, among my favorite kitchen dancing numbers
3. Dream a Little Dream of Me by Cass Elliot, how can ya not love Mama Cass' voice on such a sweet song?
4. Fur Elise, because it's the first significant piece Calypso learned on the piano so the memory makes me smile.
5. Stupid Girls by Pink, cheeky poke at inanity, I love it
6. Arms of a Woman by Amos Lee, only when I sing along I change it to 'arms of a good man'
7. Steal Your Kisses by Ben Harper, another nice one to bop around the kitchen to
8. Dimelo by Marc Anthony, again with the dancing in the kitchen

8 Things that Attract Me To My Friends:
1. Intelligence
2. Sense of Humor
3. Compassion
4. Kindness
5. Playful spirit
6. Creativity
7. Timely payments
8. Powerful magnets

8 Things I Learned in the Last Year:
1. It's never too early to begin the freak show that is presidential campaigning.
2. Meeting fellow bloggers is WONDERFUL!!
3. What a Texas turnaround is.
4. Cooking for a vegetarian in a household of carnivores is kind of a pain and generally thankless.
5. Watching Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs slog through all manner of vileness is really very entertaining and somehow he's damned adorable doing it.
6. Spongebob Squarepants is funny.
7. Yahoo! blows goats more than I ever dared imagine.
8. What to do when a Trojan hits your computer.

And since it seems an 8 Things Meme should have 8 categories I will do the 7 Random Facts Meme Goody and Imp tagged me with, now with a BONUS fact since I have this neurotic need to make things even out.


8 More Random Facts About Me
1. I was a very picky eater as a child. Everything I didn't like to eat got smothered in applesauce. Everything. This included such items as spaghetti, BBQ, and baked beans. I'll pause now while you gag.
2. Even though I despise the stuff, I have two large jars of sauerkraut in my pantry. A German lady in the neighborhood gave it to me. No amount of applesauce could sufficiently hide the taste of sauerkraut. I should just throw it away but...
3. One of my forefathers founded the first ironworks in my state.
4. I love the feel of brand new socks when I put them on for the first time.
5. I kept several stuffed animals from when I was a kid. I have two giant ones (a grey cat and a purple panda) who now live in my crawlspace and I feel guilty that they live in such a place. Yes, I know I am a 39 year old, college-educated woman, but didn't you ever read the Velveteen Rabbit????
6. The cat was my body guard. The panda was my confidante.
7. Like I said, I have this weird need for things to even out and balance. I'll eat an extra cookie just so there is the same number in both sleeves of a pack, dumb stuff like that. Ok, maybe it is just rationalization for eating an extra cookie.
8. I have a sculpted metal wall hanging of bamboo leaves over my fireplace. I liked the 3 dimensionality of it and because to me it looked more like mountain laurel foliage (our state flower). It also reminds me of someone who helped me get back to being creative and that I should keep growing as a person.