100 things about me

In honor of my 100th post...here's 100 things about me.

1. I've been called every version of Jennifer that you can think of. For a while I was Jennie. Then I tried Jenny. Then Jenni. There's always been people who call me Jennifer and some who call me Jen.

2. My parents have always called me Jennifer and I use that for professional stuff. Most friends call me Jen or Jenny.

3. How do I answer the question of what people should call me? I answer to anything within reason.

4. For one day I was Jennifer Lynn. Then my grandma came to see me and I was renamed Jennifer Kay.

5. I didn't have pets as a child.

6. Well, that's wrong. We did have fish when I was growing up, but they would die after a day.

7. We tried to have finches as well, but they were very messy and just kept having babies. We got rid of them.

8. I broke my arm in kindergarten when I fell off a piece of playground equipment. The boys were jumping off the big barrel and I was leaning over, looking down.

9. I wasn't trying to jump. I lost my balance and fell.

10. It was the week after my mom got in a car accident so our neighbor had to drive me to the hospital.

11. My fifth grade teacher taught us how to play cribbage. I must not have been a good student because I haven't got a clue how to play anymore.

12. She didn't let us take home homework. I sometimes snuck mine home.

13. I've always loved to read. In sixth grade we had a reading program. We'd read books and then take tests on them and earn points. I think I still hold the record for number of points earned in a school year.

14. I played tennis in high school

15. I was a doubles player. But my coach demoted me to JV for the last two meets of my high school career, replacing me with a freshman who wasn't any better than me.

16. Coach wanted me to skip classes to go "cheer on" my teammates at the conference meet and sectionals.

17. I didn't go.

18. The next time I picked up a tennis racket was three years later.

19. I don't think I'd speak to the coach if I ran into her today.

20. I was a late bloomer. My first kiss was when I was 18.

21. It was at a house party in college. His name was Rob.

22. His brother caught us making out in the kitchen.

23. My longest relationship was a year and a half.

24. I moved to Indiana for the boy.

25. Then he cheated on with a Mormon and I got dumped.

26. A pair of Mormon missionaries showed up on my doorstep the next day, wanting to tell me all the great things about their religion.

27. I wanted to smack them...I didn't.

28. I don't answer my phone during certain TV shows. Currently, if folks call during Grey's Anatomy or 24, they'll go directly to voice mail.

29. Getting me hooked on 24 is one of the only fond memories I have about The Boy Who Dumped Me For A Mormon.

30. I like music.

31. I've played the violin for over 20 years and the piano for 19.

32. I was in the Fox Valley Youth Symphony and I can perform in other groups. But I don't perform well solo.

33. I think it goes back to a piano recital I had in 4th grade.

34. We had to memorize our pieces. I was playing "Dixie" and got three measures from the end when I completely blanked. I turned around, asked my teacher if I could start over and she nodded. The audience chuckled. Not a "ha ha, this kid sucks" chuckle, more a "oh, isn't that cute" chuckle. I finished the piece fine.

35. I've always gotten really nervous performing solo since. My hands shake, I mess up big time. Not pretty.

36. But I like to listen to music too. Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., Howie Day and John Mayer are some of my favorites.

37. I've seen the Dave Matthews Band in concert 9 times. I'm anxiously waiting for the summer tour announcement. I've seen Howie Day three times and O.A.R. once.

38. Still waiting for a chance to see John Mayer.

39. I lived in Indiana for 365 days.

40. It was the worst 365 days of my life.

41. I don't like to remember that year. So that's all I have to say about that.

42. My favorite color is blue.

43. Although I have a lot of red in my closet.

44. Might be because I'm a University of Wisconsin grad.

45. Living in Madison was the best four years of my life so far.

46. I was a dorm kid for two years. I met my best college friends in the dorm.

47. The four of us took a road trip cross country to California for the millennium.

48. OK, we didn't drive all the way to Los Angeles just to celebrate 2000. It was actually for the Rose Bowl.

49. First we waited in the Kohl Center for 13 hours to buy our tickets.

50. It was a lottery system. The number that was drawn to signify the beginning of the line was 125 people after us. It was a long wait. But so worth it.

51. Our car broke down on the way back to Wisconsin. It was the alternator.

52. It was also smack dab in the middle of an 80-mile stretch of Interstate between exits. That was a long tow truck drive.

53. We made it home in one piece. And we're still friends.

54. One of my favorite classes in college was about the history of the Olympics. The prof just told stories for the entire lecture.

55. If it was a home football Saturday, you could find me at Camp Randall.

56. Sometimes we'd pull the double feature and hit the football game in the morning and a hockey game at night.

57. Those were long days, but so much fun.

58. Then there were the days at the Kohl Center for basketball games. My roommate and I had tickets our junior year. She wasn't much fun at the games.

59. While a student, the Badgers played in the Final Four. Sadly, I missed most of the game because I was asleep.

60. Blame it on the mono that I contracted from The Boy From Alaska that was dating at the time. I'm still bitter about missing the game.

61. I lived out of state for one year.

62. I don't know if I could ever do it again.

63. The most important things to me are my family and friends. Not being able to jump in the car for a daylong visit was too hard. Good thing I moved back to Wisconsin

64. I like to scrapbook. It's a good way to preserve memories. But I find I don't have enough time, or money, to do a decent job. I try though.

65. I'm a perfectionist. I get it from my dad.

66. While I like to strive to do the best I can possibly do, it also screws me up. I get stressed out. And then I end up crying or getting angry or with a migraine.

67. I can thank my mom for that. The migraines, not my perfectionism.

68. I once had a migraine so bad I thought the alternative of chopping off my head would be less painful than actually suffering through the stabbing and throbbing pain.

69. Lucky for me, I decided not to chop my head off.

70. I'm a picky eater. I don't do colorful food very well. That rules out most vegetables.

71. But in my defense, I have gotten a bit more adventurous when it comes to my dining options. I just can't think of a good example right now.

72. I'm not a big hard liquor drinker. Give me a beer over a mixed drink any day. Although margaritas are quite tasty, along with the Long Islands from The Red Shed in Madison.

73. That was the only bar I've ever frequented while underage. Also it's the only one I've thrown up in. And one of only three times I've gotten sick from alcohol.

74. Like my eating habits, I'm picky when it comes to boys I date. There are certain things I'm looking for. Like a college education and a job are always pluses. Tallness is plus as well, I need to be able to wear heels in his presence. And he's got to treat me right. I'm not saying I have be treated like a queen, but it'd be nice to know that I matter. And it's a plus to know he won't dump me for a Mormon (been there, don't really want to do that again).

75. I'm still looking.

76. But I'm hoping I find Mr. Right. Because I want that fairy tale everyone talks about. The husband with 2.5 kids and the white picket fence.

77. I like going to the gym. When I lived in Indiana, it was one of the few things that got me through some of the days. And it didn't hurt in the 'burg either, where there was little for me to do.

78. Unfortunately I lost my gym going habits somewhere between the 'burg and the City on the Water. I'm looking for them and I think I've found them again. But we'll see.

79. I feel good after I've gone to the gym. Running on a treadmill to nowhere is my activity of choice.

80. I like having a clean apartment, but I'm not a fan of doing the actual cleaning. The bathrooms are the worst.

81. I like to write and I've always known I wanted to be a journalist. But I did go through that phase in college, the "Oh my God, what if I don't get into the journalism school?" As a result, I registered for calculus and chemistry and ended up having the worst semester of my college career.

82. I briefly toyed with law school. I guess it makes sense then that I enjoy sitting in a courtroom reporting on criminals and other court stuff.

83. I like to think I'm a good reporter. Apparently the Wisconsin Newspaper Association thinks so too since I won an award from them once for a story I wrote about tagging along with Santa Claus.

84. My first car was a 1985 Chevette. It was red. It also leaked transmission fluid so I had to drive around with extra quarts of transmission fluid so I was hurking and jerking all the way to wherever I was driving.

85. When I graduated from college, I upgraded to a 2002 Ford Focus.

86. I give blood, but I don't like needles. That's why I always look out the Bloodmobile's windows at the pretty concrete when they stick me with the big ole needle.

87. I hate bugs. I'll squash them in a napkin and flush them down the toilet if I have to, but I'd much rather someone else do it for me.

88. I don't like the scale. Our love hate relationship isn't a bad as it once was, but I still don't like the number it flashes at me.

89. For as long as I can remember, I've been a nail biter. There was one time, for a period of about 3 months, where I didn't bit my nails and I had actual fingernails. But it didn't last.

90. My brother and I didn't get along when we were younger. He's almost five years older than me and I can remember him glaring at me across the table as we ate our breakfast in the morning. Now that we're older, we get along much better.

91. My sophomore year in college, I worked in the dorm cafeteria for a total of 5 weeks. I wanted to earn some cash for a spring break trip. I made the money but had to quit the job early because I got mono. They willingly let me quit.

92. I like spending time alone. Don't get me wrong, I like being with friends and family and stuff, but sometimes a lazy afternoon just puttering around my apartment is just what I'm in the mood for.

93. I'm a procrastinator. I like to leave stuff until the last minute. Sometimes my inability to work ahead comes back to haunt me, but the rush I feel when I get stuff done at the last minute feels good. That might be why I went into a career with deadlines and working under pressure.

94. My mom is one of my best friends.

95. I still sleep with a teddy bear. I got him the day before I left for college and he's been with me ever since. In apartments in Madison, Indiana, the 'burg and now the City on the Water.

96. I think I could live on macaroni and cheese. From a box, at Noodles and Co. It's my favorite food.

97. I have terrible handwriting. If I try it can be pretty neat and legible. But in most cases, it kind of looks guy-ish and isn't always the easiest to read.

98. The most important things to me are my family and my friends. They've always supported me and I'm not sure what I'd do without them.

99. I'm not a good liar. I guess I'd rather be honest. It's also a quality I look for, and admire, in others. Honesty that is, not the ability to lie.

100. I like to finish what I start. This only took me an hour and a half. But it's done.