compile a 100-things-about-me list

39. I’m still discovering a lot about myself. Many of the things I do now, I do simply because I’ve always done them, not because I prefer them over any alternatives. But when I am shown a way that is better, or see someone doing something I admire, I make it my own, I refine that part of myself.

38. My philosophy in life? When faced with a decision, make the choice you would regret not making. Do the things you would regret having never done. Take the opportunities you would regret to miss. Make yourself the person you want to be.

36. I love squirrels. I will stop in my tracks to watch one go about its daily chores. They love to pose for pictures, too.

37. I love trying new things, if even only once. Foods, actvities, music, places. I want to experience all the world has to offer.

34. Sometimes I like to act out song lyrics while driving, pointing at “me” and “you”, getting dreamy-eyed at “love”, shaking my fist with a cheer of excitement. It’s somewhat embarrasing.

35. I love love love dancing to irregular meters. Like 11/8, or 5/4. It’s so much fun. My dances tend to involve lots of skipping and jumps. I hear this is how Bulgarian folk music works….

33. Normally I am a very flexible person. Random trip to Cape Cod? Sure! Missed the bus to school? No worries, we’ll walk. But when it comes to performing, in front of others, I become very very inflexible. No, you will not amplify my keyboard, I don’t care how much expertise you have, I like it exactly the way it is! WHO MOVED MY MUSIC??? ...I think this is something I need to work on. Probably, I just need to work on relaxing before performances, because when I’m relaxed I’m much much more flexible.

30. I am the most flattered when someone remembers some small detail about me. Like if I am at a party (rare though that may be!) and the host remembers to provide vegetarian food. Or if I mention to someone some activity I enjoy, and they invite me along next time they go. That little bit of thoughtfulness means the world to me.

31. Compliments make me extremely uncomfortable. Especially compliments on my appearance. I become self-conscious, mutter “thanks” and quickly change the subject.

32. Besides remembering details, there is one particular gesture that totally makes my day. But I won’t say it here, it’s almost something of a secret handshake: if someone does it, I know that we are on the same level.

24. Some day I want to build my own house. After I’m married, for my family. From the ground up, with my own hands. (Oh OK, maybe I’ll have an electrician and a plumber help, but you know what I mean!)

25. I often bite off more than I can chew. I want to do everything, all at once, and I wish I didn’t have to choose.

26. I wish I didn’t have to worry about money. Or about getting a degree. I wish I could just live my life doing things that I see needing to be done, making people happy, and forgetting about myself.

27. I can’t stay in one place long. I will stay as long as I need to, until I feel satisfied that I have accomplished everything I set out to, and then it’s time to move on.

28. The one place I will stay, is that home I’m going to build.

29. There are two things I want in life. One, is to settle down and raise a family. (There seems to be a theme here…) The other… the other I haven’t figured out yet.

22. I don’t like being waited on, or feeling like I’m making myself a burden to others. I’m a big boy, I can pour my own water!

23. I do crazy things sometimes. Just to see how they’ll turn out. You never know unless you try, right?

16. I prefer pencils. Beside their obvious erasability, I like the feel of a pencil against paper rather than a pen.

17. I’m consistent almost to a fault. I edited the first entry of this series three times, to make sure all the numbers were formatted the same (one space after the period). And if I later change my mind, I’ll go back and reformat them all again. :) OK, maybe I’m not that anal about consistency, but I’m pretty close.

18. I like reading dictionaries. Learning about etymologies, shades of meaning. Mostly I like looking up meanings of words I don’t know, I hate to guess and get it wrong.

19. Given the choice between walking on a sidewalk and walking on grass or dirt, I will choose the latter. Even if the sidewalk is quicker. I like the feeling of soft earth beneath my feet; it’s more natural and exciting.

20. But I will follow a path, if it seems that the path was made deliberately, by someone who wanted others to share in the experience of walking on it.

21. I will often choose music to compliment my mood, or the weather. Like that one album, which I only listen to when it’s sunny, just warm enough to have the windows down, and I feel ready to tackle anything.

14. I don’t like decay, of things or ideas. Seeing something left idle with no caretaker doesn’t sit well with me, I have the urge to preserve it, to not let it die.

15. This especially applies to creativity. I love creativity, especially in others. I will do whatever I can to foster and preserve it.