Taking stock

This survey came to me via Kerri. Here we go...



1. Using band names, spell out your name:

nEW ORDER
aIR
tALKING HEADS
aC/DC
lOCAL RABBITS
iNBREDS
eCHO AND THE BUNNYMEN

2. Have you ever had a song written about you?: Nope. Poetry, yes.

3. What song makes you cry? "Politik" by Coldplay.

4. What song makes you happy?: "The Magnificent Seven" by The Clash.

5. What do you like to listen to before bed?: Usually stuff to mellow me out, like Sigur Ros or Air. Sometimes I listen to Radiohead's Kid A album (I find it strangely soothing...) Mostly I listen to a variety of jazz and classical music, though, courtesy of the CBC (RadioTwo for jazz ["After Hours" with Andy Sheppard], RadioOne for classical ["Northern Lights" with Andrea Ratuski])

6. Who was/were your idols when you were younger?: My mom. Laura Branigan, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Jennifer Beals-as-Alex Owen (Flashdance).

7. First album you ever bought?: As far as vinyl goes, I have no idea. I know I had some Raffi albums and Michael Jackson's Thriller at a VERY early age, but since I was so young I can't imagine that I bought those with my own money (that's what parents were for!)... But as far as cassettes and CDs go? The first cassette I ever bought myself was probably Boyz to Men's Cooleyhighharmony; I know the first CD I bought myself was The Jimi Hendrix Experience's Are You Experienced?

8. Name a song that reminds you of someone and why? Sloan's "Money City Maniacs" always reminds me of Kerri. Nothing could beat a road trip (with our patented road trip soundtrack, of course!) to Corunna in Mr P's jeep!


A p p e a r a n c e

HEIGHT: 5'5".

HAIR COLOR: Dark brown with a lot of red in it (both naturally and [a little] un-naturally occurring).

SKIN COLOR: white

EYE COLOR: Dark brown. Not quite black, but definitely dark enough.

PIERCINGS: Ears--two in each lobe and one in the upper cartilege of the right ear.

TATTOOS: None. I've been mulling over getting one for the past six years, but I haven't yet because I know how quickly I get tired of things like, say, haircuts. I don't want to have that kind of alteration done and then decide two days later that I'm bored with the design/location.

WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING? At the moment? None. Seriously. I'm in my nightgown and housecoat. Still.

WHAT SONG ARE YOU LISTENING TO? I JUST listened to "Derailleur" by The Inbreds.

WHAT TASTE IS IN YOUR MOUTH?: A mixture of peanut butter-and-toast aftertaste and coffee aftertaste.

WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE?: Variably sunny and cloudy/

HOW ARE YOU?: Tired, stressed and procrastinating.

GET MOTION SICKNESS?: Sometimes. Not often, though.

HAVE A BAD HABIT?: Um, worrying. And procrastinating.

GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS?: Yup. I'm especially close to my mother.

LiKE TO DRIVE?: When I can wrestle the car away from my little brother, yes. Truth be told, I'm just as happy riding shotgun, taking public transportation or walking, though. Driving's a good skill to have and it's nice to just be able to take off some times, but there are a number of things that are WAAAY more important/enjoyable/interesting to me.


f a v o r i t e s

TV SHOW: MI-5, That 70s Show, Play (with Jian Ghomeshi), Seinfeld, Sex and the City, The Simpsons, City Confidential, IR: Cold Case Files

BOOK: Ah, crap. Too many to list, really. In random order, the list INCLUDES (but is not limited to) Cassandra by Christa Wolf, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, The Hours by Michael Cunningham, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan, The Wars by Timothy Findley, Changing Heaven and The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle, L.M. Montgomery's Emily trilogy, Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry, The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter...

DRINK: Water. So versatile! I can drink it on its own! Or use it to make orange juice, tea, or--mmmm!--coffee!

THING TO DO ON THE WEEKEND: Read, knit, listen to music, attend concerts, hang out/go out for coffee--basically, I like to just veg and nuture Natalie.

BROKEN THE LAW: I jay-walk. Fairly regularly, too, I think. Oh, yeah! Breakin' the law, breakin' the law! I know. I'm lame: I've always been a good girl, really.

KICK[ed?] OUT OF THE HOUSE: Never.

EVER GONE SKINNY DIPPING: Nope, but I wouldn't rule out the possibilty in the future. A good girl's gotta get her kicks somehow!

MADE A PRANK PHONE CALL: Nope. I told you: I'm a good girl.

EVER TIPPED OVER A PORTA POTTY: Eeewww! No!

USED YOUR PARENTS' CREDIT CARD BEFORE: Nope. I've had both parents order things FOR me, though (I'd give them the money, they'd order the tickets, CDs, what have you, for me. Stupid lack of own credit card! Probably a good thing, though. I'm an impulse buyer.)

SKIPPED SCHOOL BEFORE: Yes. In fact, I'm skipping the LAST CLASS of my undergraduate career RIGHT NOW!

FELL ASLEEP IN THE SHOWER/BATH: No. I've come close to sleeping in the bath, though. And I've passed out in the shower before... Does that count?

BEEN IN A SCHOOL PLAY: Many.

CHILD: I don't have any children, and I won't for a while yet. Even then I hope not to favour one over any other.

BEEN IN LOVE?: Yes.

HAD A HARD TIME GETTING OVER SOMEONE: Yes. Completely moving on can be a long, involved process.

BEEN HURT?: Oh, yeah.

DO YOU HAVE A JOB? Apart from being a student and an aspiring writer? Well, looking for work's a full-time job, now isn't it?

YOUR CD PLAYER HAS IN IT RIGHT NOW: Fleetwood Mac's Fleetwood Mac and Rumours, as well as Eros Ramazzotti's greatest hits CD. I'm GOING to be switching up the CDs as soon as I'm done this survey, though. I'm thinking of putting in The Dears' No Cities Left, Radiohead's Kid A and Joy Division's Closer. I really feel like listening to The Constantines' Shine a Light or The Constantines, but I don't own either. Maybe I'll ask my sister if I can borrow them...

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE: Green!

WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? Books, sunsets, music, fresh air, rain, my balcony, wind, my philodendron.

WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPIEST?: Spending time with my family.

WHAT'S THE NEXT CD YOU'RE GONNA GET?: I have a list of them. Literally. I think I'm going to try to get a Constantines' album or Serge Gainsbourg's Comic Strip.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO: Read. Chat/debate.

LAST THING YOU PURCHASED: A green food supplement. Then deordorant, soap and toner.

TV PROGRAM YOU WATCHED: I watched a few minutes of The Today Show yesterday morning while I was waiting for my porridge to cook...

MOVIE YOU SAW AT THE THEATER: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind! Next up: Kill Bill, Vol. 2.


y o u r t h o u g h t s o n

ABORTION: I'm--in a word--conflicted.

TEENAGE SMOKING: Regardless of the age of the smoker, smoking sucks. And while the individual smokers I know are at least superficially considerate of my allergy to cigarette smoke, as a group I have not been impressed with their lack of consideration for non-smokers. How is it fair that I have to physically suffer if I want to go out to a bar with my friends, hm? Smokers can fricking go outside for the five minutes it takes to have a smoke! I can't just go inside a club for five minutes at a time if I want to hang out with friends. Yeah, smokers have a right to smoke. They have a right to wreck their own lungs if they so choose. What they DO NOT have the right to do is to affect my health, to force their habit on me.

SPICE GIRLS: Ah, the Spice Girls. Without them, I never would have heard of Victoria Beckham. And then I never would have been quoted in that Jane reader survey.

LIFE: It's something that I'm generally happy with. Even all the crap that comes with it--and not even the personal crap! You have to take the good with the bad. And striving to overcome the bad, railing against wrongs gives me a sense of purpose.