11 Things

Thank you all so much for your well-wishes! I’m feeling much better, though still not quite up to extravagant meal-cooking… hopefully by this weekend.

A couple weeks ago, Melissa and Farihah both tagged me in the 11 Things blogger survey, and since I have next to no food content to share with you, I’ll do my best to come up with 11 things you don’t yet know.

The rules (which I’ll probably break!)

#1 You must post these rules.
#2 Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
#3 Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer in your blog  .

1. I’ve only ever broken one bone, and have never had a real cast. I was in a minor car accident in which I rear-ended a taxi, and because of the way I hold the steering wheel, I broke my 5th metacarpal bone. I was given a brace (with pink and purple velcro). The irony: I was on a date when the accident happened, and was still wearing the brace when I went on my first date with Adam!
2. I had exercise-induced asthma from 3rd grade through high school, at which point, I just stopped exercising. It was easier than dealing with an inhaler. I think this is what fueled my severe hatred of working out!
3. I’m a huge Cubs fan, in that I love when they win, love going to games, and love hanging out with friends to watch games together. However, I know next to nothing about the players from season to season, and only slightly pay attention to who’s doing what. 
4. I’ve never not had a pet. When I was born, we had two cats, which soon increased to three…and later up to six! At one point, we had a dog, 6 cats, 2 frogs, 2 snails, and 14 fish.
5. I used to have an enormous fear of anything having to do with my eyes. I scratched my cornea on a field trip downtown when I was in 4th grade, and it hurt SO BADLY. My mom took me to the eye doctor and I nearly had to be strapped down to have my eye looked at, and when I finally let them, I swear I could see the blood vessels in my eyeball. Weird, I know, but it freaked me out and I couldn’t deal with the eye doctor again until I was 20. Now it’s no problem. But scratching my cornea still sucks.
6. I drink a minimum of 80 ounces of water a day. No, I don’t have to run to the bathroom a lot… teacher bladder is a real thing!
7. I’ve never once wanted a desk job. I just can’t imagine it.
8. I’ve also never once wanted to be a full-time blogger. Or chef. These are my hobbies and I think they’d lose their fun if they were my full-time jobs.
9. It weirds me out that I’ve been teaching long enough that my first group of students from student teaching are now juniors in college. They were in 5th grade when I taught them!
10. I’m going to Portland, OR for spring break. It likely won’t be warm or sunny, but I’m going to see some of my favorite people, so that’s all that matters!
11. Thinking of 11 things I’ve never told you all is extremely difficult! (I know, that’s cheating, but I can’t think of anything else!)

Now for Melissa’s questions:

1. If you could be one bird, what would it be?

I absolutely love robins. They’re adorable, a bit pudgy, lay cute eggs, and live just about everywhere…so I’d have to say a robin. Besides, their presence indicates spring is coming!

2. Pb or chocolate on a desert island?  You can’t have both

Peanut butter. On an island, the likelihood of a cacao tree growing is much higher than finding peanut plants…so I could make my own chocolate
3. Mountain or ocean?  You still can’t have both.  haha!

Ocean. Hands down, no question.

4. If you could live in a different era, which one would it be?

I’m fascinated by so many different eras, but I would love to see the industrial revolution first hand. Or Victorian England. Or the 1960s in San Francisco… I can’t make up my mind.
5. What president, dead or not, would you like to have lunch with?

Bill Clinton
6. What is your favorite book of all time?

I truly cannot decide. I’ve read, on average, a book a week for most of my life… I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, but of all time? I can’t say!
7. You win the lotto, who do you call first?

Adam! Then my mom and sister.
8. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?  To watch live?

TV: Hockey, live: baseball (see above)

9. What was your favorite cartoon to watch growing up?

Rocky and Bullwinkle
10. How long have you been best friends with your best friend?

Lizz and I met the first week of school, Freshman year, 1998… so almost 15 years!
11. What is your favorite comic from the Sunday paper?  Come on…I know you still read it!

Our paper still runs Peanuts classics, and I love them!

Now for Farihah’s questions:

1.  How did you meet your significant other?  Juicy details, please!

Technically, Adam and I met in college, but he found me on an online dating site and that’s how we reconnected.

2.  Where’s the last place you went for vacation?

San Francisco for FoodBuzz Fest

3.   You have a round-the-world plane ticket and you can pick 5 places to go.  Where are you going?

Barcelona, London, Costa Rica, Egypt, Queensland Australia

4.   What’s your favorite spice?

Cumin

5.  You have a surprise day off , how are you spending it?
Assuming money is no object, I’d have a spa day at my favorite day spa, lunch at my sister’s restaurant, shopping downtown, and then dinner somewhere fabulous!

6.  What is one thing you refuse to eat, no matter how much someone offered to pay you?

Anything from the intestinal tract of an animal

7.  Have you always lived where you are currently living?

I’ve always lived within 3 or so hours of here!

8.   What was your biggest cooking/baking flop?

These cheesecake bars with a coconut-almond crust. I made them 3 times, followed the recipe, and they simply disintegrated when they were cut. So weird.

9.  Name a dish you’ve had at a restaurant that you’ve been able to successfully recreate at home.

The Banzai Burger from Red Robin

10.  Cilantro — love it or hate it?
LOVE!

11.  What’s the gutsiest thing you’ve ever done?

I have no idea!

Now, here’s where I’m cheating. I can’t think of 11 questions. Nor do I want to tag anyone else… so you can all tell me something interesting about yourself in the comments. Sorry, I’m breaking the chain…but I don’t think anything bad will happen!