ABCD

Swiped this from both 'fly and Tracey:

A- Single, yes. Available, not so sure....I'm awfully picky about men and not so sure that being WITH someone is always preferable to being alone

...B- Best Friend. Haven't had one since my former BFF betrayed me in 7th grade. I have FRIENDS but not anyone I'd refer to as a "BFF."

...C- Cake or Pie. Cake, unless the pie is coconut cream

...D- Drink of Choice. Hot tea. Water if it's a hot day out. I'm not real exciting in my beverage choices but I don't like alcohol and I try to avoid sodas because they're not that good for you and are calories I don't need.

...E- Essential Item. Books. Craft supplies.

...F- Favorite Color. Green, possibly purple. But not together. (When I was a teenager, there was a particular "symbolism" to wearing green and purple together, or wearing green on Thursdays. I wonder if that was unique to the part of the world where I grew up or if that myth had larger circulation?)

...G- Gummi Bears or Worms. Only if the Gummi Bears are Buderim Ginger Bears. Otherwise, no thanks.

...H- Hometown. A small town in Northeast Ohio. It's small enough that I fear revealing the exact name because then someone might be able to pinpoint who I am. Haven't been back there in nearly 20 years though.

...I- Indulgence. Shopping. I love to shop. Not at the mall, though - I like to go to those little chi-chi towns that have a Main Street with boutiques and gift stores and antique shops and stuff.

...J- January or February. February, because that's when I was born, and because January is just the letdown from the holidays.

...K- Kids. A good thing for other people to have.

...L- Life is incomplete without …. Oh, I don't know. I could probably manage without most of the stuff I have. Indoor plumbing is pretty important. I guess I'll be serious though and say, "Faith"

...M- Marriage Date. Probably never at this point. Not that that matters to me. I like being alone.

...N- Number of Siblings? 1

...O- Oranges or Apples? Depends on which is in season. Apples, when they're in season in the fall. Oranges, in the winter.

...P- Phobias/Fears. Emerging diseases like Ebola. Tainted food. That some twisted freak will think that shooting up the campus where I teach will solve all his problems. That people are laughing at me behind my back.

...Q- Favorite Quote. "Every act of love adds to the balance of love in the universe." It's attributed to Therese of Lisieux.

...R- Reasons to smile. The funny stuff my students say. Nice comments on a blog. Being able to go home and relax at the end of the day. Getting some useful research done.

...S- Season. Fall, all the way.

...T- Tag Three. Nope, not gonna tag.

...U- Unknown Fact About Me. Oh, I could totally lie here and say something really impressive. But I'm not gonna.

...V – Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals. Well, if you're gonna phrase it that way, I guess you'd say Oppressor. (I do eat semi-veg, mainly because it's easier: you can keep a can of beans or a bag of dry beans for months but you have to cook meat within a few days of buying it, and my schedule is variable enough that I may only be home to cook one night some weeks).

...W- Worst Habit. I do not think very highly of myself a lot of the time. I tend to compare myself to other people too much. Like, I have one colleague that wrote a book and that just KILLS me. Every time I see it on a shelf, I'm like, "Ricki, you are a total slacker. You have not done anything with your life. And look, Dr. X has written a whole BOOK!" (Don't even talk to me about people like Alan de Botton, who was born in the same year as I was, and who has written NUMEROUS books, some that have sold very well. And don't talk to me about Josh Groban, who shares a birthday with me but is a good number of years younger than I am and is a famous and well-loved singer.)

...X – X-rays or Ultrasounds. Depends on what they think is wrong with me.

...Y- Your Favorite Foods. Oh, I don't know. My stomach is a little upset right now and food doesn't sound so good. Fresh homemade bread, I guess.

...Z- Zodiac. Pisces. And as much as I talk about astrology being bunk, some of the personality traits ascribed to pisces seem to fit me.