1. Cats, in chronological order:  1) Ducky, 2) Crystal (the sweetest girl ever), 3) Tillamook, a.k.a. Mookie, a.k.a. Mr. Mook, a.k.a. Mooker, a.k.a. The Mookster, 4) Elmo a.k.a. Elmer, a.k.a. Mr. Elmer, a.k.a. El-Amir, and 5) Ormont Boy a.k.a. Monte, a.k.a Del Monte., a.k.a Montego, a.k.a. Tego.  The first two are in cat heaven now. The last 3 are on my bed.

2. I cannot jazzercise, dance, ski or do anything else requiring physical coordination. I always feel like I am about to fall, so I don't enjoy these activities either.  And I look really stupid when I try.

3.  My husband is the most important person in the world. I love him deeply and completely and, as far as I can tell, always will. I  cannot fathom my good fortune in marrying this man.

4. Good dark chocolate with peanut butter is my favorite flavor of all. Saltiness and sweetness....MMMmmmm.

5.  I have 5 older sisters and a smart, wonderful mother who is 83; my Dad died 10 years ago, and I still miss him greatly.

6.  I work out because it's good for me, it makes me feel better, and it makes me look better. And most of the time, I enjoy it. 

7. I am fearless in the face of suffering and death, perhaps because of the stories my father told of prison camp in WWII. His friendly attitude toward dying influenced me. He said the men who died all had smiles on their faces. Some people have called my feelings pathological, but they are wrong.

8. My Dad is the greatest hero I have ever known. 

9. I am a bit obsessed with the rock musician Mark Sandman and his hypnotic music.  Music is important to me. 

10.  Ironies, contrasts and contradictions interest me. They are where the frontiers of knowledge, attitude and culture lie.

11.  I like my in-laws, and they like me.

12. Although I work in academia, I have a lot of anxiety about scientific writing, politicking and publishing. 

13.  I was the only kid to take the Art History advanced placement exam in high school. I read my big sister's Art History college textbook. Gombrich, for those who are familiar.

14. I still make art from time to time. 

15. I spent one crazy year in college with bad grades and misbehavior before I shaped up. Damn, I had some fun! : ) 

16. I love to sail. It calms me. My husband loves it, too, but for different reasons. Engineer reasons.

17. I also love snorkeling. Although I used to be very afraid of fish. I made myself get over it.

18. I lived on Oahu from age 1 to 5; then we moved to Ohio. I was not happy about that.

19.  From my computer at home, I can see Mt. Hood (on clear days), trees, and grass. Not half bad. See? 

20.  I love Scrabble. My whole family plays when we get together. I often win, but not always.

21. I started drinking coffee at age 5 and have never stopped. Although I've cut way down from my peak of 10-12 cups per day. 

22. When I first started nursing in intensive care, the nurses would take breaks in a small room right on the unit - and we would smoke.  It was the thing to do at 25.   Fortunately, I quit after a short time with no difficulty at all. 

23.  On an oddly related note, my dissertation is entitled "Illness Appraisal and Symptom Dimensions in Lung Cancer."

24.  Also related: My Dad smoked for 50 years and died of lung cancer.  He started smoking while in the Navy. The U.S. military handed out cigarettes freely; they were in ration boxes for all the soldiers.  This occurred up until the Vietnam war, long after the risks were well documented.

Yep, I have some feelings about this.

25.  I have no trouble at all imagining how to spend my time in retirement.