The Rest of the Raleigh Adventure

 Hello from Raleigh, NC!

And now for the final installment of my trip to Raleigh, NC.

First I talked about the half marathon I went out there to run with my BFF Jess. The time on the finish line clock? Not so pretty. But it was 13.1 miles of fun. Then there was the Saturday night we spent at a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. A little bit of hockey, fist fights, an introduction to the beast called an ice hog combined with $1 hot dogs made for a good way to relax before the next day's half marathon.

So what else did I do while I was #GoingToRaleigh?

Before I was able to even get on an airplane and leave Appleton, I got to sit and wait for an airplane to show up. At least I had good reading material for the weekend. The not cool part? My planned 75 minute layover at O'Hare turned into 7 minutes. And yes, I was the last passenger to board my flight to Raleigh.

Once I landed in sunny Raleigh, NC, my first task was to ditch the old pair of running shoes I was wearing and throw on my flip flops. Needless to say, my toes were happy. Then we hit up the liquor store, or as Jess called it, a package store. I dunno. All I know is that was where they had the makings for margaritas. Armed with alcohol and way more tasty goodies from this bakery next door, we headed back to Jess' apartment where we settled in for pizza, margaritas and girl talk.

Exploring a trail at William B. Umstead State Park.

Saturday we headed over to William B. Umstead State Park. It's like a freaking forest smack dab in the middle of Raleigh. OK. Maybe more like the outskirts, but still. It's right there! So many trails. I seriously could have spent the entire day there exploring. I told Jess if we weren't running a half the next day, I would be insisting on taking my running shoes out for a trip on those trails. But we only had enough time to head out for a 2-mile hike on one of the trails.

Then we went and picked up our packets, did a little window shopping and grabbed lunch with Jess' mom and some of her friend.

Oh yeah. I guess I really do have to run.

And well, you've already heard about our NHL adventure. Hockey, fighting and ice hogs, oh my!

Sunday was race day. You know how the race itself went.

But a highlight of the weekend trip? I got to meet Carolina John!

We've read each other's blogs for a few years now and when Jess first threw this idea out there, he was the first one I went to to find out info on this event. And of course once I decided to head down, we made plans that we MUST met up.

I got to meet Carolina John!

So plans were made and phone numbers exchanged. After hanging around in the parking lot area, Jess and I headed over towards the starting area, but I kept my eyes peeled, hoping I'd see him. And lucky me! There I spied him near the front of the starting pack. I have to admit, it was the tattoos that I recognized.

After the race we made plans to meet up with John, his wife and one of his daughter's at Ruckus, this pizza place near Jess' apartment. It was this little hole in the wall joint at a strip mall. But guys. It was so good! We put in our orders and nabbed a table outside (because have I mentioned that the weather in NC was flip flops and tank top weather the entire time I was there?) and when the guy brought our food out? OMG. Seriously. It took THREE plates to bring out each order. I swear. The pizza was the size of my head.

Seriously. Pizza the size of my head.

So good food, good friends, good conversation. It had all the makings of a great lunch. And I was so psyched to get the chance to meet up with John during my weekend visit!

We ended Sunday with a trip to the movie theater to catch "Silver Linings Playbook," and more margaritas and an early bedtime.

 Museum adventures. The dinosaur edition.

After helping Jess corral her two black cats for a trip to the vet Monday morning, we headed downtown to check out some museums. We wandered around, learning some about natural science, dinosaurs, bugs and even some North Carolina history.

 More museum fun. No dinosaurs, but a semi-grumpy looking turtle.

After a full day of museum wandering, we were headed back to Jess' car when I first caught site of the news of the Boston Marathon bombings. I was uploading a photo to Instagram when I caught a tweet. I causally mentioned it to Jess, but didn't think it was super serious.

Turns out I was wrong. So wrong.

The rest of the afternoon we hung out at Jess' apartment, me looking for any news I could find on my phone of what was going on in Boston, Jess doing the same thing on her laptop. It was definitely an odd vibe that afternoon. We ended my vacation with some Netflix (I think we were watching Flashpoint episodes), some margaritas and early bedtimes.

Somewhere at 30,000 feet.

Because the next morning was an early wake up call so I could catch a flight back to Wisconsin.

It was a great weekend. I had such a good time, whether it was wandering through the woods, watching brawls break out on the hockey rink, running a half marathon or eating pizza the size of my head while chatting with friends.

Thanks so much for a memorable weekend Jess!

Oh the weather, it will be frightful

Source: National Weather Service

 Well, if no one ever hears from me again, it's because of this.

See that 14.5 in the orange section near the bottom? That's where I live. Add to it the 30 mile per hour sustained winds with gusts up near 50 and we find ourselves under a blizzard warning.

And this reporter has to go to work. And drive in those conditions.

Great. That sounds safe.

Add to the last time I drove in considerable snow was that one time in February 2011 when I crashed my car. Twice. Yeah, I'm a tiny bit freaked out.

Now, if I could just stay home and watch the snow fall outside as I sipped a mug of hot chocolate? I'd love tomorrow's weather. And I'm still going to be pretty excited to play in the snow once it's done falling. It's just that whole driving and working in it that has me worried.

About that time I almost cried in Lambeau Field

There I was, 12.5 miles into the Green Bay Half Marathon, running through the players' tunnel and approaching Lambeau Field and I'm almost crying.

Still running. But almost crying.

And it's not because I'm in pain and just wishing the finish line would appear and I'd be done. Because honestly, at that point, I'm still feeling pretty good. Nope. I become emotional because all of a sudden it hits me what I've accomplished.

I'll try not to get all sappy, but I can't make any promises. Because in my mind? Finishing this half marathon was kind of a big step for me.

Take a step back in time to September 2007. After The Great Neck Slicing of 2007, I decided to run my first half marathon, the Fox Cities Half Marathon. I found a training plan, logged the miles and on race day, I finished the 13.1 miles. I was at a pretty good place in my life. Happy. Healthy. I had plans.

The next thing I knew, two months later The Monster decides to take up residence in my head. I get sick. Want to chop my head off it hurts so bad. I don't remember most of December 2007. Doctors figure out what wrong with me. I take the drugs. Force The Monster out of my head.

But in the process I take a million steps backwards in terms of fitness. One month I'm able to run 13.1 miles and just three months later I'm struggling to run a mile. It doesn't stop there. I lose big chunks of hair. I gain weight. I'm not happy.

But I don't want The Monster to think he's won. And since running is still so hard (and honestly at that point I didn't enjoy it), I set my sights on a triathlon. I finish my first - the Danskin Women's Triathlon - and my Mom says if she didn't know me, so would have thought I was one of the cancer patients or survivors crossing the finish line. I wasn't fast, but I was proud, because I showed The Monster he wasn't going to win. That I'd be back to the person I was before he invaded my head.

Someday.

And that's what I spent a good chunk of 2008 and 2009 doing. Getting back to where I was pre-Monster. I shed the pounds. I rediscovered way I loved running. And once I rediscovered that love, I knew what I had to do.

Tackle the half marathon again.

So I did. I picked Green Bay and circled the date on my calendar. Picked out a training plan, logged the miles and prepared myself for my final battle with The Monster. A battle that would show him what I'm made of. That he couldn't beat me, no matter how hard he tried.

And that's why I almost broke down and cried on Sunday when I stepped onto the warning track that goes around Lambeau Field. Because I made it. I was minutes away from crossing the finish line of half marathon number 2. And while it took me time, I got back to the person I was before The Monster showed up.

Take that.

I'm a stronger person now than I was before The Monster arrived. All of the struggles, the times I've just wanted to quit and sit down and cry. They've made me the person I am today. A person who knows the good things in life aren't necessarily easy, that sometimes it's hard to lace up the sneakers and go out for a run. A person who rediscovered why she loves going for a run. Someone who understands that all of the hard work, struggles and pain I've put in during training will all pay off when I cross that finish line.

As I crossed that finish line Sunday, I didn't just add another medal to my collection. While I didn't come in first among the 7,000 runners who started the race Sunday, I did beat The Monster. I won the battle.

And now I can close the book on the chapter of my life that's been devoted to The Monster. I've learned a lot from him, but it's time to move on.

So what do you want to know? Read and your questions might be answered

In honor of my 100th post, check out the link to the right. You can learn all about me.

My Colts story

I was happy too see the Indianapolis Colts pull it out yesterday and come from behind and beat the New England Patriots for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

When I lived in Indiana (affectionately known as the worst 365 days of my), I was a sports reporter for The Herald Bulletin, and being so close to Indy, I was given the opportunity to go down and cover the Colts.

I remember the first time I went down. I was 22, fresh out of college. Probably not what the team was expecting.

When I walked into the locker room, there were two defensive ends, standing in front of their lockers, shooting the breeze with each other as they got dressed. They saw me come in, their eyes got wide and they looked totally embarrassed as they wrapped their towels around their waists.

Sorry guys, even if I was impressed with what I saw, you didn't have to worry that I'd be going around Indy, bragging about how I saw your package.

Cause I didn't even know who you were.

And honestly, half of the team in the locker room was walking around in a towel. There were many mostly naked men in there and most were quite willing to talk to reporters (both male and female) in very little clothing.

But Peyton. He was a different story.

Of course everyone wanted to talk to the quarterback who just lead the team in a so-so, unexciting win over the Houston Texans (I think the score ended up being 9-6).

But Peyton made us wait.

Apparently Mr. Manning will not even look at a reporter until he's showered, shaved, dried off and fully dressed in shirt, tie and suit jacket. Then Mr. Manning will speak. And the media listens.

I listened to Peyton. His southern drawl. Quite a nice voice.

Then I got brave and tried to ask a question.

Mr. Manning's response.

"What are you trying to ask?"

And I just left it at that, said never mind, backed my way out of the swarm of media surrounding Peyton and ran back up to the press box to wait for the media relations folks to distribute selected quotes and comments from players and coaches.

Just for kicks

Just because I find it humorous and I referenced it in my last post, here's the guest column that my work generated back in 2002.

Lyrics are crude in more ways than one (May 18, 2002)
By Gay Davidson-Zielske
Last Sunday - Mother's Day - I was lounging in bed, enjoying the double latte and brownie breakfast my husband had brought me, perusing the Wisconsin State Journal's Showcase section when, being a poet myself, I was arrested by the three sets of lyrics printed that day.

The first one, J-Lo's "I'm gonna be Alright" was soggy pap with forced rhymes like "because I love you I just tried to stay" rhyming with "get away." But {Badgergirl}, who compiles the lyrics, had arranged her choices in order of drama, it appeared. Next was Nelly's "Not in here," which starts off sounding like Dr. Seuss on illegal substances - rhyming "gracious, bodacious, flirtatious, and faces" in the first line and continuing in that silly vein until it gets to the inevitable blanked out place in the last two lines: "why you at the bar if you/ain't poppin' the bottles. What good is all the fame if/ you ain't f----- the models."

Now, unless that f-blank was for fraternizin'" I think that song just may be slightly offensive.
But {Badgergirl} was savin' the beast (yes, I meant it) for last with something by one Ja Rule called simply and elegantly "Down Ass Bitch." I reflected that there was only one word in the title that I could repeat to my mother without fear of a foamy mouthwash.

It starts out all philosophical - musing about how tempis does fugit, but cheers up right away by noting that the author has a woman who shows no fear of "tuck[ing] the toast in the escalade" - a sentiment oft thought but ne'er so well expressed.

From there, the images and metaphors build into a dizzying remoulade, echoing, I'm sure, the author's angst and confusion in a world in which one can be subjected to a "nigga showin' [him] shade," but content that his "down ass bitch" will "pop on" the shade-showin' "nigga," "with one on the hip, one in the holsta/niggas will toast you quick."

How concise! How pertinent for breakfast in bed on Mother's Day. So I offer you my latest lyrics in response:

To say that I was pleased / would not get at it, girl. / I didn' jiss dismiss it, and I didn' diss it / I took that f--in' paper / and I give it a good hurl.

Thanks to the review for her choices on behalf of all "toast-tuckin' mamas."

Editor's note: Each Sunday in Showcase the Wisconsin State Journal prints samples of lyrics from popular songs - even objectionable ones - so parents can know what their children are listening to.

Tagged again?

Apparently you can be tagged multiple times in this game. Because suddenly I've been tagged again. And I'm supposed to come up with 5 more things you may or may not know about me. Here were go again...

1. I can't iron. I put more wrinkles into clothes than I take out. My family thinks it might be due to the fact that I only own a small, table top ironing board that I had while I was in college. I guess that's why my sister-in-law though a great Christmas gift would be a full-sized ironing board. I'm not optimistic my ironing abilities will improve though. Maybe I'll just start buying clothes that don't require ironing. Or just wear wrinkled shirts.

2. I'm a very picky eater. Although I think I've gotten better over the past few years. I like more fruits than vegetables. And I'm quite good at picking stuff that I don't like out of or off of food.

3. I play the violin and piano, but I hate performing solo. I think it goes back to a piano recital I was in in 4th grade. I had to have my pieces memorized and the first one (I can't recall what it was) went fine. However, for my second piece, I was playing "Dixie." I was playing and it was going good. I was almost to the end. When my mind went blank four measures from the end. I remember stopping, thinking and turning around to my piano teacher and asking if I could start over. She nodded yes and the folks in the audience laughed. Not in a "ha ha ha, you suck kind of way" but more a "ha ha, isn't she cute." I started the piece over, finished it with flying colors and have hated performing solo since.

4. I spent my summers during college working at a school supply warehouse. For the first three summers, I packed orders. My last summer I was the "checker," which meant I made sure all the stuff was right in the order. If it was wrong, I got to ride a yellow three-wheeled bike around the warehouse to get the right stuff. That was the most enjoyable part of the job. It sure wasn't the fact that all of my supervisors were lesbians, together.

5. My first car was a red 1985 Chevette. It didn't like driving on the highway and the check engine light would always come on. One time, while working at The Wisconsin State Journal in college, my boss sent me out to Belmont, Wis., this itty bitty town near Iowa, for a basketball game. It took me like an hour and half to get there. I went, parked next to the school's cow barn, covered the basketball game I was at and drove back to Madison to file my story before heading out for a night game in Middleton. All the way to Middleton, my car hurked and jerked down the Beltline. I was a bit frightened. I called my dad, told him what was going on and he told me what the problem was. Apparently the Chevette ate through transmission fluid like a normal car goes through gas. And I was running with no transmission fluid. From then on, I always carried a spare bottle or two of transmission fluid in my backseat. And I wonder why my dad didn't want to keep the Chevette another two years so we could get collector plates for it.

There, that was five more things. That means over the last few days you've learned 10 things about me. I think that's enough for now. And I don't think I'm going to tag anyone either, just because.

A Christmas list

I've been tagged, so I guess I'm supposed to list some stuff you may or may not know about me. Considering it's the Friday afternoon before Christmas and I still have one and half stories to write before I go home, I'm not promising anything amazing here. But I'll try.

1. At some point in my life, I've used every imaginable form of the name Jennifer. I've been Jenny W. (that was kindergarten when there were four Jennys in my morning class and another two in the afternoon class), Jenni, Jennie, Jennifer and Jen. Even now, I go by different versions. Jennifer in my professional life, Jenny or Jen by my friends and Jennifer by my family. Like I always say, I answer to anything within reason.

2. I took ballet lessons at the YMCA when I was in kindergarten. But then I broke my wrist falling off a piece of playground equipment and my mom never signed me up for lessons again. Probably a good thing. I don't think I'm quite cut out for ballet.

3. I bleed Badger red, but for a brief period in high school I seriously considered going to Marquette University. But then I found out what kind of tuition bills I would be getting and thought better of that decision. Dad's probably glad too since the campus was in one of the worst areas of Milwaukee.

4. I lived in Indiana for exactly 365 days. I moved there on Halloween and left on Halloween. I was a sportswriter, loved my job, liked my friends and hated Indiana with a passion.

5. I'm a procrastinator. Even in school, I would wait until the last minute to start writing a big paper. I'd pass it off as "preparing for my future career that will be full of deadlines."

Yeah, that's five. If you already knew them, sorry about that. If not, that's five more things you know about me now.

I'm supposed to tag some folks now. I tag Lootsfoz and whoever else feels like participating. Because I think most of the other folks who read this have already been tagged.

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.