50 Things You Never Wanted to Know About Me

That's right, it's yet another one of those pointless question memes that's going around! Or, rather, not so pointless, as answering it gives me an excellent excuse -- well, OK, an excuse, anyway -- not to get up from in front of the computer and do useful things with my life just yet.

I snurched these from here, but goodness only knows where they came from originally...

1. Your name spelled backwards: Nagar Ytteb. Sounds like a cool name for an alien, doesn't it?
2. Where were your parents born? Pennsylvania, both of them.
3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? Um, I think it was Luke Ski's "Everybody's Free to Earn Profit," featuring wise advice from everybody's favorite Ferengi, Quark.
4. What's your favorite restaurant? I'd say the Olive Garden, but I haven't been there in ages.
5. Last time you swam in a pool? On the cruise ship back in June.
6. Have you ever been in a school play? Yeah, I played Buzzy the Bear's mother in the first grade.
7. How many kids do you want? None.
8. Type of music you dislike most? Rap.
9. Are you registered to vote? Uh... [hangs head in shame] No.
10. Do you have cable? Yes, but considering that all my favorite shows have been cancelled and I watch maybe three or four hours of TV a month these days, I'm starting to think that it's really not worth the thirty-four bucks a month.
11. Have you ever ridden on a moped? No.
12. Ever prank call anybody? No.
13. Ever get a parking ticket? No. I've just led a really boring life, haven't I?
14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? I've always thought sky diving sounded like fun. Bungee jumping, however, is completely out of the question.
15. Furthest place you ever traveled? Ireland.
16. Do you have a garden? No.
17. What's your favorite comic strip? Probably Calvin and Hobbes.
18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem? Well, like every patriotic red-blooded American who was forced to learn it in school, I know the first verse. I think at one point in my life, I actually knew most of the words to the little-known second verse, too, but I've long since forgotten them.
19. Bath or Shower, morning or night? Shower in the morning to get clean. Baths at night for relaxation.
20. Best movie you've seen in the past month? One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Which I think is the only movie I've seen in the past month.
21. Favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni.
22. Chips or popcorn? Depends on what I'm in the mood for.
23. What color lipstick do you usually wear? I've never worn lipstick in my life.
24. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? No.
25. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? No.
26. Orange Juice or apple? OJ, please.
27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with and where did you dine? I want to say my sister, but now that I think about it, I believe all the places we went out to were for lunch. I honestly don't remember who the last person I went out to dinner with was. Isn't that sad?
28. Favorite type chocolate bar? I never met a chocolate bar I didn't like.
29. When was the last time you voted at the polls? Uh... [hangs head further] Never.
30. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? I helped my sister pick some when I was at her place, but didn't actually eat any. So I honestly can't remember. It's been a long time.
31. Have you ever won a trophy? Lots of bowling trophies, back in my youth.
32. Are you a good cook? I can put together an edible meal. Or I used to be able to. Living alone for so long and not doing much cooking for myself, my kitchen skills have really begun to atrophy.
33. Do you know how to pump your own gas? Yes, despite the handicap of having grown up in New Jersey.
34. Ever order an article from an infomercial? Dear god, no.
35. Sprite or 7-up? Oh, either one is fine.
36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? Well, when I worked at Lotaburger, I had to wear red pants and a white shirt, which I had to provide for myself, and a red apron, which the company got for me, but which I had to pay for. Oh, and a stupid plastic visor thingy.
37. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy? Allergy pills, I think.
39. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love? Love is nice, but in my opinion somewhat over-rated. I'll take the money.
40. Do you believe in love at first sight? No.
41. Ever call a 1-900 number? No.
42. Can ex's be friends? Some can, some can't. Me, I bump into my ex in the hardware store or someplace once every few years, and we act like we want to be friends ("Hey, how are you doing? Call me sometime!") and then walk away secure in the knowledge that we're not going to call each other, and that that's probably for the best.
43. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital? You know, I think it was actually my mother's second husband, shortly before he died. That was back in high school. I, uh... I tend to avoid hospitals.
44. Did you have a lot of hair when you were a baby? I'm told that it looks like I have hair in pictures of me as a newborn, but that it's actually a giant bruise on the top of my head because they had to pull me out with forceps. My mother says she thinks this explains a lot.
45. What message is on your answering machine? "Hi, this is Betty, and I've finally changed my answering machine message from the message that said 'I've finally changed my answering machine message' to a new message that says, uh, that I've finally changed my answering machine message. So leave a message!" Which is probably intensely annoying to sit through, I know.
46. What's your all time favorite Saturday Night Live Character? Oh, that's a tough one... Probably the Church Lady. "Could it be... Satan?"
47. What was the name of your first pet? I think the earliest pet I remember wass a cat named Mittens. My parents got rid of it, though, because I was allergic to it. Not that that's ever stopped me from having cats since.
48. What is in your purse? Oh, geez. What, you want the full list? Got a couple of hours? OK, here we go, let's see... Two tubes of chapstick, one of which is still in the package. A plastic comb. Swiss Army knife. Various random scraps of paper. Keycard to let me in to work. Eyeglass repair kit. Tiny version of my frequent shopper card that's meant to be used as a keychain. Two nail-clippers, for some reason. Loose change (American and Canadian). Several keys that I have no idea what they go to. A peg that came from one of my bookcases. Spare housekey. Wallet. Sunglasses. Two tins of Altoids, one peppermint, one cinnamon. Checkbook. Scientific calculator. Five pens. Coupon for a free car wash. Eyeglass wipes. Two paper folders that once held airline boarding passes. Three travel packages of kleenex, each with just a few tissues left in them. Five tampons. Prescription allergy pills. Tape measure. Cruiseline ID card from the Alaska cruise. Tylenol. Several crumpled used kleenex. Leather tag that was attached to the handbag when I bought it. Spare car key. Disposable camera. Printout of airline itinerary from my recent visit to Oregon. My "Marvin the Martian" address book. Printout of e-mail with directions on how to get to a friend's house. Travel brochure from Mt. St. Helens and map of where the visitors' centers are. Bookmark from Powell's City of Books. Small map of Portland. Postcard from Powell's. Coupon for fifty cents off a new disposable camera. A bunch of sales receipts. Shoppers' guide to Skagway, Alaska. French version of a Canadian customs form and a "health alert notice" urging me to check myself for symptoms of SARS in five different languages. Brochure from the "Washington Forest Protection Agency" telling me all about how great the Washington lumber industry is. And that appears to be it. Aren't you sorry you asked? Oh, wait, you didn't ask. Too bad!
49. Favorite thing to do before bedtime? A hot soak in the tub with a good book.
50. What is one thing you are grateful for today? That I don't have to go in to work tonight! (I took the day off because I have a wedding to go to this evening.)