100 things about Vicki
Some of my thoughts and a few vignettes - in no apparent order:
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1
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My name is Vicki, not Victoria, not Vic, but Vicki. | |
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2
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I was born in Jennings, Louisiana. |
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3
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I currently live in Texas with my companion, my friend, partner and helper, my sweetheart, Garry. |
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4
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I have two boys, two daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren. |
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5
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I like movies, old movies, good stories, suspense, character studies -- not shoot-em-ups, not slashers, not violence. |
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6
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My hair is blonde -- or red -- depending on the light; there seems to be a controversy. |
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7
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Sometimes I like to play games. Board games, cards, trivia, etc. | |
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8
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I was married once; once is enough. | |
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9
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I do not believe I'm judgmental, but sometimes I seem to judge. | |
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10
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I once had a dog and cat. | |
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11
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The dog was a little "yip yip" yorkie-poo; the cat had long white hair and a fluffy tail. | |
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12
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I would rather be cool than hot -- weather-wise. | |
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13
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I like too many colors to choose one favorite. I tend to use purple, teal, burgundy, mauve and their corresponding palettes; rich primary hues. | |
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14
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I like to look at the big picture. But sometimes I get involved in details. | |
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15
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I watch too much television. I sleep with the TV on. I like biographies, good movies, some documentaries, history, decorating shows. I also like game shows and sitcoms, especially 70s & 80s era sitcoms. | |
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16
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I do not agree with the death penalty. | |
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17
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I do not like censorship; who gets to make the decisions anyway? | |
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18
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I do not understand revenge -- move on to better things, live your life, don't get caught up with the bad guys. | |
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19
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I think passion is the path to happiness; passion for work, art, hobbies, convictions, life, lifestyles. If you don't have a passion, get one. | |
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20
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I do not think people should try to control other people; situations maybe, environments maybe, but not people. | |
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21
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I really enjoy some people and can't seem to get enough of them. | |
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22
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I seem to get on "kicks" and continue to do the same thing, probably too long, but then I tire of it and quit and take a break. Sometimes I go back to a thing after a break; I still like it, I was just tired of it for awhile. | |
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23
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I like variety -- in tastes, colors, activities, cultures. | |
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24
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I believe order is a good thing -- for example, traffic laws reduce accidents, organization reduces loss and frustration -- but it should not suppress individuality. | |
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25
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My life philosophy is stuck in the Flower Child days -- tolerance, individual pathways, love (not sex, love), and equality. | |
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26
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I appreciate humor; I like to laugh, but I am not funny, at least not intentionally. No matter how hard I try, I'm just not funny. | |
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27
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I am sometimes indecisive; my college major was undecided for a long time. I tried several different things and talked to several professors before I finally decided. I wasn't in a hurry, but I was open to learning. I ended up with several minors. Even my final major wasn't one thing. | |
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28
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I have a Bachelor of Journalism with a double major in Advertising and Marketing. Advertising required a concentration -- less than a major, more than a minor. My concentration was fashion design. | |
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29
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I have multiple sclerosis. | |
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30
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I am a triaplegic and live in a wheelchair. My friend is an upright (he stands instead of sits). | |
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31
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Triaplegic is a word we made up because I have three impaired limbs; both legs and one hand don't work. (Triaplegic -- more than para- but less than quadra-) | |
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32
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Kids think my cart is fun, and it kind of is. At least I'm somewhat mobile and I can move fast enough to feel a breeze through my hair. Nice. | |
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33
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There was a time I danced. Now my chair gets in the way. It's a bit cumbersome, but my shoulders can still keep a beat. | |
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34
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I am a writer. | |
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35
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One time a company VP who had just reviewed a speech I wrote told me I could make a living doing that. I told her I WAS making a living doing that. | |
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36
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I like to watch yoga even though the positions are outside of my current mobility range. I still stretch. | |
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37
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I raised my children alone starting when they were 1 and 3. Not easy. | |
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38
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I have always made an effort not to be a burden on anyone. I had to learn to ask for help. Not easy. | |
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39
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I find it awkward to start so many sentences and thoughts with "I." I was told it is not good writing unless you happen to be writing your autobiography. Well, this is almost an autobiography. | |
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40
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I started my Master's degree when my kids were in school. I thought it would be a good model for them, a family activity of homework. Good idea -- didn't work. | |
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41
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I like music -- some classical, some rock, some country, some pop, some folk. Variety. | |
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42
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I didn't like rap when I first heard it. I have developed a respect for the rhythm. I still don't appreciate the performance -- too much grabbing for my taste. | |
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43
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I do not understand jealousy. The problem is not necessarily envy, but possession. | |
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44
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The screensaver on my desktop computer is an aquarium with goldfish. It looks realistic, and I don't have to feed the fish. Easy. | |
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45
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Now that I'm seated in a chair all the time, my fashion line has changed. My main fashion goal is now comfort, so I have a totally different clothing style than when I was an upright. | |
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46
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My sign is Capricorn. | |
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47
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I had a friend for years who was gay. We went to movies, plays, shopping, dancing. We made a pact that if I was not married by the time I was 45, and I wanted to be married, we would marry each other. I don't know if he was serious. I don't know if I was either. Probably not. | |
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48
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Once when we were passing through Waco, Texas, I called the airport tower and asked to show it to my boys. We were invited into the tower and they demonstrated the instruments for my children. I was always impressed with tower technology. I wanted to share that experience with my kids. | |
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49
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My father was an Air Force pilot. | |
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50
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There was a time I used bad language. After awhile I found I was not comfortable with some words, and I cleaned up my act. I tire of comics who use an excess of foul language. Moderation. | |
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51
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I really like chocolate. Especially Godiva and other fine, rich chocolates, but also Hersheys and Nestles and M & M's and everyday chocolates. | |
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52
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I taught Mary, a 65-year-old woman, to use the computer for her job. She was ready to retire because computers were too complicated for her. Six months after I left Chattanooga, Mary called to tell me she LOVED HER computer and she was ready to work another ten years! | |
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53
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Sometimes I tend to lecture. | |
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54
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I wish I could sing like Barbra Streisand or Linda Ronstadt. | |
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55
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I would never hurt anyone intentionally. | |
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56
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If I could, I'd drive a Mazda RX-7 Turbo. I say that because my last car was a Mazda RX-7 Turbo, and I liked it very much. Fun. | |
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57
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The best way I have found to relieve stress is to take a deep breath and close my eyes. Alternate nostril breathing works, too. | |
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58
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My last big-ticket purchase was my lap top computer, and I'm pleased with the purchase. My Sony Vaio TR3 is small and light enough for me to handle. | |
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59
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I went to my high school prom with Frank Fuller. He was really very nice, and I sometimes wonder and hope that he is doing well. | |
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60
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Sometimes I waste time by playing computer games, usually word games, but I think it clears my mind. Justify. | |
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61
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One thing I tried to teach my kids was to think for themselves. I remember the first time their thoughts did not coincide with mine. Surprise. | |
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62
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My favorite books include Pride and Prejudice, Flatland, The Road Less Traveled, Goodnight Moon (for my kids), Shibumi. In junior high, I read anything by P.G. Wodehouse. | |
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63
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I like poetry, but I tend to select a particular poem, instead of the entire works of any one poet. I like Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, and many of the other older ones. I do enjoy Shakespeare's plays, but not necessarily his sonnets. I like Shelley's Ozimandius and Edna St. Vincent Millay's Childhood is the Kingdom.I have a friend who is a poet. | |
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64
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There was a time I spoke well. Most words were pronounced correctly, enunciated carefully, and sentences were generally grammatically correct. I sometimes tended to parrot accents of those around me. Not intentionally, but parrot just the same. Embarrassing. Now my accent doesn't even sound educated. Very embarrassing. | |
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65
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I bought my first house before I was thirty. The FHA denied my loan. I asked them to reconsider and told them why they should. They did reconsider, and I bought my first house. Accomplishment. | |
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66
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I collect catalogs. I didn't mean to. It started when I stopped driving around shopping. Now many catalog and mail-order companies provide stores on the Internet, but they still come in the mail. | |
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67
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I collect small atomizers and perfume bottles. Most of them are just different shaped by modern companies -- not so rare, but pretty just the same. My friend's mother gave me a few souvenirs. My favorite bottle is small with a garnet decoration on top. | |
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68
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I started to collect unicorns in the early 70s. Then they started showing up everywhere so I stopped. It wasn't so special any more. | |
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69
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I collect music boxes. | |
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70
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I'm not a real collector. There aren't hundreds of perfume bottles or unicorns or music boxes. There aren't even tens of them. Well, I probably have 15 or 20 perfume bottles, and maybe 10 music boxes, but each one is special to me, so I call them collections. | |
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71
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My shoulders MUST be covered when I go to sleep, at least with a light sheet. On a hot night, my feet can be uncovered, but not my shoulders. Neurotic. | |
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72
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I was a single mother of two boys when being a single parent was not too common. My older son said we were a "sissy" family. | |
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73
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I have an artist soul. I paint, using oil and watercolors. I sculpt and pot, using clay. I design dresses. I played the piano, but I was never very good. | |
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74
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I painted now and again while raising the kids. I left the fresh canvases on the kitchen cabinet to dry. My cat was not allowed on the counter and he was good about this rule, or so I thought, but he told on himself by leaving blue paint footprints across the cabinet. Caught. | |
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75
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I sculpted and potted over the last several years, but I didn't have a kiln so I couldn't fire my pieces. | |
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76
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Because my right hand does not hold a brush and neither hand does well working clay, I no longer create art. I am awkward with the keyboard, so I haven't mastered computer graphics. But I haven't given up yet. | |
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77
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For years I had a sleep disorder and actually slept very little. Luckily, I taught myself to rest. Now I fall asleep in minutes. I wake throughout the night, but I can go back to sleep. It is 3AM right now and I am working on my list. | |
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78
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I am pleased that my laptop allows me to make good use of my waking time. I feel less useless. | |
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79
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I like to play with earrings. I have to wear "French hooks" because I cannot handle a post with a back. The hook is easy enough to handle. My collection celebrates special days and seasons -- Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day. My earrings are not expensive, some are cheap, but they are all fun! They are fashion expressions. | |
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80
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When I was young and new to a place, I tried to shy away from one question: Where are you from? I didn't have an answer. I was born in Louisiana, but had moved by the time I was three weeks old. So began the pattern of my life -- a by-product of being an Air Force brat and having confident parents. | |
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81
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As an artist, I tried to stay away from computers. They seemed foreign to the freedom of a brush stroke. I have since learned that a computer is not a binary or digital threat to self-expression and individualism. Instead it is a tool that allows me to explore, to play, to write when I cannot even hold a pen in my hand. | |
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82
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Thought police: a sheriff said if a person THINKS about a crime, that person can be arrested regardless of actions. Orwell wasn't too far off. He just got the year wrong. | |
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83
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I learned photography in college; black and white stills and 16mm films. I minored in RTF (Radio-Television-Film). I put my photography and fashion together and decided to be a fashion photographer. My hero was Richard Avedon. | |
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84
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I was looking forward to living alone after my kids graduated from high school. My MS started creeping up on me and interfering with my independence. It was not realistic for me to plan to live alone much longer. I asked my friend Garry to live with me. The agreement was to share without surrendering our personal autonomy. I believe he is right for me. Risk. | |
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85
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My talent is starting with a blank page. I am comfortable dealing with a previously prepared page, too. | |
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86
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87
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My hair is growing out. I don't know how long I will let it get before Manuella, my hair dresser, comes to cut it. My hair was a constant conflict between my father and me. I liked it long. He left pictures on my desk of short-haired teens with notes, "Isn't she pretty?" My dad constantly told me to go comb my hair, even after I had just brushed it. In 8th or 9th grade, I succumbed and cut it short. He told me to comb it. I decided he just didn't like my hair, so I may as well like it so I let it grow. For the next 20 years it was at its shortest shoulder-length and as long as waist-length. One day I went to a stylist and told him to cut it all off -- ALL of it. Since then, its length has varied, but it has been mostly short since I've been in a wheelchair. It's just easier to keep. Now, I'm letting it grow, but probably not for long. | |
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88
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I enjoy making greeting cards. I have several programs that have various characteristics, clip art, and templates. Sometimes I use a template, but sometimes I really create my own. Some are pretty good. | |
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89
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I grew up at a time and environment when "pretty" was important. I have never been pretty, but there was a time I dressed up pretty good. | |
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90
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A few months ago, my leg was broken getting me into the car. I didn't wear a big cast, so it was difficult to tell my leg was broken. I looked fine, but my leg HURT. I had already limited my outside trips because they were so much trouble ? for everyone helping me, but for me, too. Now, I am very hesitant to go out, because I know I can hurt myself, and my threshold of pain is very small. However, I am determined to go out and even travel. One day. I'll just have to be careful. | |
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91
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I sometimes use clutter as an excuse not to get things done. This is a new thing for me. There was a time clutter didn't affect me. I think it is just easier to blame clutter than to admit that I don't like to work slowly and I do everything slower than I used to. I put it off if I have to move things around or reach or slice and dice. | |
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92
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I have developed a meal preparation technique that I can handle. It's not as radical as it sounds, but I know there are people like me who can benefit from this. I wrote a little cookbook for meals that can be prepared from a wheelchair. It needs to go through a final edit before it can be published. We have talked about making it an e-book, but I still need to learn how to do that. I tend to put it aside for long periods of time. | |
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93
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My ambition was never focused on making money. My financial goal was to be comfortable, not necessarily rich. There were a few years of struggle when I learned I do not want to be poor. But trying not to be poor never converted to focusing on trying to be rich. | |
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94
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My fingernails have always been strong, and therefore, long. It is now almost commonplace for women to have tips put on their fingers, but mine are natural. Lucky me! EXCEPT -- now I cannot polish and maintain them. Garry cuts my unpainted nails and we keep them short. | |
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95
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I have been working with computers since 1978. Wow. I must be an expert after all that time. However, my beginnings were prior to the desktop PC. At work, I had a "dumb" terminal connected to a large mainframe on a nationwide network and international connections using teletype machines. In a few years, I had the first PC in the office -- a 44 lb. Compaq that I dragged through airports. Later, I had the most exciting PC in the office. Everyone came to see my IBM with color and 10M memory. How could I possibly make good use of such a powerful machine? | |
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96
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I was part of the team that installed the front desk computer system in the Waldorf Astoria. My station was the Towers, supporting the front desk. I witnessed the parade of celebrities attending a party for Bob Hope's wife, Dolores. I witnessed a literal "Who's Who" of classic movies. General MacArthur's widow lived there and Gregory Peck checked in. Wow. | |
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97
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I worked hard to be independent. MS changed that. I don't think my friends understand how dependent I am on Garry. Maybe he doesn't understand either. I probably don't realize or admit it. I DO understand how helpful he is, and I DO appreciate it. | |
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98
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What is with men's facial hair? I like beards, if they're nicely trimmed, and I like a good mustache. I didn't like the Van Dykes a few years ago, but they are being shaped nicer or I'm getting accustomed to them. But what about that little puff of hair right under the lower lip? It is not accompanied by chin hair, but it's just there by itself. It makes me think the guy just missed it when he shaved. | |
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99
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I also have a pet peeve with women's hair. The first time I saw a jagged part, I thought it looked sloppy. I always thought the straight part was a bit too contrived and rigid, but it was usually neat, even when it was slanted. The jagged part has evolved into a not-so-obvious part, and it really looks kind of nice. But I don't understand why so many hairstyles look unkempt! The hairstyles are often great, but they need to be brushed or combed. Uh oh, I think I sound like my dad. | |
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100
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I started writing short stories -- very short stories -- and I started making observations and then telling stories, and my one-liners turned into paragraphs. My rules for writing are (1) to be clear, (2) to be complete, and (3) to be concise. Concise? I think I missed that boat. Why have I become so talky? | |
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Some extras just in case: |
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101
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My greatest accomplishment was raising my kids. There were times I wondered if we would make it, but they are both over 30 and doing great. Accomplished. |
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102
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I often wear big dresses that I can just pull over my head. Sometimes I miss belts and scarves, but dresses are easy. |
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103
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I designed a skirt that wears well in my chair. | |
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104
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I had a "gopher" who ran my errands and helped me a little around the house. I miss her. | |
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105
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I used to read voraciously. I quit because my vision was affected by sporadic focusing. Now that I don't read much, my eyes are relaxing. Maybe I can start reading a little more. | |
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Enough . . . at least for now. | |
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