Supermarket checkout girl (1st job); data processor for Aetna (2nd job); editorial assistant for Gender & Society (college job); features writer for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (most hated job)
Four movies I would watch over and over
Throw Momma from the Train; Overboard; Tootsie; Say Anything ...
Four places I have lived
Bennington, VT; Fort Wayne, IN; Fort Washington, PA; Boston, MA (the suburbs of Somerville and Medford, respectively)
Four TV shows that I watch
Friday Night Lights; Dirty Sexy Money; Pushing Daisies; Brothers & Sisters
Four places I have been
Vancouver; Toronto; London; Dublin
Four people who e-mail me regularly
Carolee; Wendy; Candy; Kim W
Four of my favourite foods
Diver scallops; center-cut bacon; sushi from Mikimotos; chicken tikka masala
Four places I would rather be right now
Seattle; Vancouver; Paris; New England
Four things I am looking forward to this year
ALA in Anaheim; another road trip with Joe; starting a new book; the TRUE CONFESSIONS movie debuting this fall
Four favourite authors
Sarah Dessen; E. Lockhart; Megan McCafferty; Ned Vizzini
Five Things You May Not Know About My Time In High School Are:
1. I was on academic team. We were on cable access a couple of times. I was supposed to be captain my senior year but wussed out and let Shawn do it. (yes, THAT Shawn. *waves hello to Amanda*)
2. I had mad crushes on at least four guys who later came out. So much for gaydar!
3. I couldn't take the driving portion of driver's ed until my junior year, because I didn't turn 16 until January of 1992
4. I did a reader produced issue of Sassy magazine the summer between sophomore and junior years; I was on the New Mickey Mouse Club for "What I Want to Be Day" the following summer
5. I volunteered for Clinton/Gore in '92, even though I couldn't vote for another year and a half
Five Things You May Not Know About the Jobs I Have Had Are:
1. I got fired from my first real job, as a supermarket checkout girl, and didn't even know it. One week I didn't get any hours; I thought I was on vacation. The next week, my name disappeared from the roster all together.
2. I once worked as holiday help at the Body Shop. I felt like a used car salesman, but I got 50% off most merchandise.
3. The absolute worst job I ever had was at a newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana. If I'd actually had a halfway decent boss there, I might not have ran screaming back to Delaware, gone to grad school, or become a YA author. Thanks, Val!
4. When I was interning at the Baltimore Sun, I wrote a glowing piece about the guy who invented Sea Monkeys. The day the story ran, I found out he was a self-hating Jew and Neo Nazi. I cried for about 12 hours straight.
5. I haven't had a so-called "normal" job since December 2001, when I left Allyn & Bacon, a textbook publishing company in Boston.
Five Things You May Not Know About What I Do In A Typical Day Are:
1. Read e-mail, but come up with excuses not to answer it
2. DVR shows like HOMEMADE EASY, because I have the secret desire to be a domestic goddess
3. Waste time playing Cubis or the Makeover game on Lifetime.tv (no joke - it's addictive)
4. Call my mom at least once (yes, daily)
5. Try to avoid writing at all costs (occupational hazard)
Five Things You May Not Know About My Online Life Are:
1. I spend at least an hour a day IM'ing my boyfriend, even if we've talked on the phone for hours (sometimes we'll IM each other WHILE on the phone, which just proves how dorky we both are)
2. I'm addicted to http://www.icanhascheezburger.com
3. I have at least eight active e-mail addresses (that I can think of) - each one has a different purpose, too
4. I have some friends I met through a Douglas Coupland listserv who I've known going on a decade now
5. Google: without you, I'm nothing
Five Things You May Not Know About My Home Life Are:
1. I'm an only child.
2. I haven't had a relationship with my father for almost 11 years, which may not come as a surprise to anyone who's read any of my books
3. Everyone in my family is medicated, even the dogs (except for Scout, who I'm sure could use some Ritalin)
4. My stepfather is ten years younger than my mother, and only thirteen years older than me
5. My mom stayed home with me until I was in kindergarten, and we would sing songs and put on plays and make crafts, and I really think this is why I'm so creative
Five Things You May Not Know About Where I Live Are:
1. I bought my first home almost two years ago, all by myself
2. It's on a street that shares the same name as the college I went to first semester freshman year (before I transfered to UD)
3. The fire chief lives directly across from me. He looks like Santa Claus and is a really nice man
4. My bathroom is pink and small enough to be a closet
5. I have bookshelves in three separate rooms, all of which are overflowing
Five Things You May Not Know That I Desperately Want Are:
1. Another puppy (though Joe keeps trying to convince me that I really want a kitten instead)
2. A Le Creuset dutch oven
3. A first class vacation to Iceland and France
4. An in-ground swimming pool in my backyard
5. A baby (in good time - but shh, don't tell my mother, because she's already got grandbaby fever)
Five Things You May Not Know That Are Really Important To Me Are:
1. Keeping my iTunes files labeled properly
2. Being really great at making/buying the perfect present
3. Maintaining my independence
4. Sending handwritten thank you notes
5. Using proper grammar/spelling, even in e-mails/IMs/text messages
- feeling:
chipper
01. televison show: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
02. flower: Sterling roses
03. color: Lavender
04. sport: Wii bowling
05. mall: NONE OF THE ABOVE
06. music: Indie
07. food: Variations on mac-n-cheese
08. season: Fall
09. animal: MONKEY - and schnoodles
10. city: Vancouver
TEN FACTS
01. hometown: Philly
02. hair color: Almost black
03. hair length: Medium
04. hair style: Loose curls
05. eye color: Hazel green
06. shoe size: 9
07. mood: Sleepy
08. orientation: Arrow
09. available?: Nope
10. lefty/righty: Righty
TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE
01. have you ever been in love: Yes.
02. do you believe in love: Yes.
03. why did your last relationship fail? Not worth rehashing.
04. have you ever been heartbroken?: Yes.
05. have you ever broken someone's heart: On a small scale, yes.
06. have you ever fallen for your best friend: Best guy friends - yeah, a few times.
07. have you ever loved someone but never told them: No. I've always told when it felt like love.
08. are you afraid of commitment: No
09. have you ever had a secret admirer: Yes. (Hi, Stalker Bob!)
10. do you believe in love at first sight: No.
TEN THINGS: THIS OR THAT
01. love or money: Love, but money is nice. (<-- originally Kasey's answer, but I concur)
02. hard liquor or beer: Either/or
04. one night stands or relationships: Relationships
05. televison or internet: TV, but only if it's high end cable with a DVR attached.
06. pepsi or coke: Diet Coke.
07. wild night out or romantic night in: Romantic.
08. colored or black and white pictures: Both
09. phone or in person: Phone is no substitute for the real thing, but sometimes it's all you got.
10. aim or myspace: Is there a third option?
TEN HAVE YOU EVERS
01. have you ever been caught sneaking out: Yep.
02. have you ever skinny dipped: No.
03. have you ever done something you regret: Yes.
04. have you ever bungee jumped: No.
05. have you ever been on a house boat: No.
06. have you ever finished an entire jaw breaker: Maybe? I don't know.
07. have you ever wanted someone so badly it hurt: Yes.
10. have you ever been caught by your parents doing it? No, but I've caught them doing it, in just about every position imaginable.
TEN EMOTIONS
01. are you missing someone right now: YES (agony!)
02. are you happy: Yes, very much so.
03. are you talking to anyone right now: Like right this second? No. Like in general? I have a boyfriend.
04. are you bored: Nah.
05. are you german: No.
06. are you irish: No.
07. are you french: Non.
08. are you Italian: No.
09. are your parents still married: No.
10. do you like someone right now: Yes. That would be my boyfriend.
- feeling:silly
Are you or have you ever been obsessed with a teen heart throb? Have you seen more than one of the American Pie movies? Can you name more than one teen slasher in which Sarah Michelle Gellar dies? Have you seen The Breakfast Club more than once? If so, flex your teen movie mental muscles and share your favorites with this Meme Girls Original Meme...
Favorite Teen Movie of All Time: Say Anything ...
Favorite Classic Teen Movie: I'll go with Fast Times at Ridgemont High; however, if "classic" means "prior to 1980s," I'll go with Splendor in the Grass
Favorite 80s Teen Movie: I'm going to have to go with Lucas on this one. Ooh, or Heathers.
Favorite 90s Teen Movie: Clueless, of course
Favorite Teen Movie within the last five years: Mean Girls
Favorite Romance in a Teen Movie: Ferris and Sloane from Ferris Beuller's Day Off
Favorite Character in a Teen Movie: Lane Meyer, Better Off Dead
Favorite Kiss in a Teen Movie: Ronald and Cindy at the end of Can't Buy Me Love; Sam and Jake at the end of Sixteen Candles
Favorite Quote from a Teen Movie: "My teen angst bullshit has a body count." - Veronica in Heathers; "You break his heart, I break your face." - Watts in Some Kind of Wonderful
Favorite Teen Movie Actor: Vintage Anthony Michael Hall
Favorite Teen Movie Actress: I'm going to have to go with the queen, Molly Ringwald
Least Favorite Teen Movie (I added this one): She's All That (that movie REALLY pisses me off)
Bonus Questions
What was the last teen movie you saw? I think it might have been Stick It
Which teen movie is ALWAYS on television when you're checking channels? Bring It On
If your life was a teen movie, which one would it be? Probably Some Kind of Wonderful, except I don't play the drums
Answer the questions in the prompt ... Yes, Corey Haim; yes, all except American Wedding, which I stopped watching halfway through because it was gross and stupid; no; and god, yes, a zillion times, though I'm often partial to Some Kind of Wonderful
I
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
THE OFFICE
THE BLACK DONNELLYS
UGLY BETTY
BROTHERS & SISTERS
LOST
Now, answers these questions:
01. Who is your favorite character from #2? I'm going to have to go with Jim, though I have a soft spot for Stanley.
02. Who is your least favorite character from #4? I'll go with Alexa, because she's new and gimmicky.
03. What would a crossover between #1 and #5 include? Senator McCallister campaigning in Dillon; sparks would fly between Tim Riggins and Rebecca, who decided to tag along for the trip.
04. What is your favorite relationship from #6? I like the love Kate-Jack-Juliette love triangle that's been brewing all season.
05. If you were to set one person from #3 and one person from #6 on a blind date, who would they be? I guess Kate and Tommy Donnelly. I'd much rather set up Ryan from THE OFFICE with Amanda from UGLY BETTY, if only because it would be hilarious to see the ensuing cat fight between Amanda and Kelly.
06. If you could meet one person from #4 and spend the day with them, who would it be, and what would you do? I'd totally love to hang with Betty's sister. She seems like she's a riot.
07. If you could change one thing about #2's plot line, what would you change? LET JIM AND PAM GET IT ON ALREADY.
08. Explain a relationship between two people (not necessarily romantic) from show #5, and why you like the relationship between them. I'm really enjoying the friendship between Justin and Rebecca, if only because it feels natural in such a soapy situation. But I think my favorite is the Kitty/Kevin relationship, because they're both so neurotic in different ways.
09.If the lead title characters (first name in the credits) from #1 and #3 were both drowning, and you could only save one, who would it be? I guess I'll go with Kyle Chandler, because Coach's family is one of my favorites on TV.
10. If you could change the title characters' order in the credits for #4, what order would you choose? I wouldn't.
11.If you were able to add a new character, any kind of character you wanted, to the storyline for #6, what would the character be like, and what would their role be? I'd somehow bring Libby back from the dead, because I loved how she was with Hurley.
12. What happens in your favorite episode of show #2? Oh, god. How do I even choose a favorite? I'm going to go with Office Olympics, since that was the episode that changed my mind about this show to begin with.
13. If you could kill off one of the characters in #1, who would it be and how would you do it? I don't want to kill anyone, but I guess Waverly could commit suicide, since that would give Smash an excellent story line.
14. If you got the chance to visit the set for either show #3 or show #5, which would you choose? Number 3, I guess, though I'd prefer to visit the set of #5. Or Stars Hollow, even though I didn't put GILMORE on my list.
15. If you could date anyone from any of these shows, which show and which person? The predictable answer would be Jim. However, I'm going to say that I would like to date Tim Riggins for a few weeks. Because oh my god. He's Tim Riggins!
1. First Name: Lara
2. Middle Name: Michelle
3. Name you go by: Lara
4. Name(s) your parents call(ed) you: You don't get a ton of nicknames out of Lara, but I guess sometimes I got "Lar"
5. Other nicknames from childhood: "Zeisgeist" was a name Smokey gave me in college. "Lola" was what Ang called me after college. In high school, my group of friends called me "Larry," but I really never liked that. At all.
6. What did you call yourself when you were little? Wasn't really in the habit of giving myself pet names.
7. Were your parents considering any other names before they settled on yours? If I'd been a boy, they would've named me Lorne or Loren. So thank god I was a girl.
8. What does your name mean? - "Shining, famous one" - though E disputes this vehemently
9. Do any famous people share your name? Lara Flynn Boyle, Lara Croft, Lara Spencer, Lara Fabian
10. Can you pronounce your name backwards? Aral - yes.
11. Favorite girls' names: Sophie, Stella, most of the ones I've chosen for book characters
12. Favorite boys' names: Jackson, ditto on the book characters thing
13. Favorite name you've ever read in a book: I'm totally blanking here
14. Favorite name from a TV show: Jordan Catalano (which, let's face it, is less a name than it is an institution)
15. Favorite name for a dog/cat: (other than the ones I've already chosen) Oliver and possibly Buckley
Lara needs ...
1. Lara needs a haircut. This is true, actually. I guess Google has become a fortune teller now, too.
2. Lara needs seat. And apparently a brush up on how to use articles in speech.
3. Lara needs new breasts! Um. I'll keep my own girls plz k thx.
4. Lara needs armed bodyguards. Really? What does Google know that I don't?
5. Lara needs to concentrate on her career. Which is exactly why she should stop doing silly memes like this one.
1. I love soup. My favorite store-bought kind is Campbell's Select Italian Style Wedding. I used to always order a cup of lobster bisque at John Harvard's, until they went out of business. I make Rachael Ray's Hot Hungarian Sausage and Lentil stoup at least once a month; I even got my mom hooked on it. Me + soup = happy little writer girl.
2. I get a lot of character names from the credits of TV shows I watch. I also recently picked up a name from watching an Eagles game with my parents - a dude named Crumpler who plays for the Atlanta Falcons. So, yeah. Don't be surprised if you see a Jenna Crumpler show up in a future book of mine.
3. There are certain books/movies I consider favorites that I will never read/watch again. I'm too afraid that subsequent examinations will ruin the perfect experience. Then again, there are other favorites I read/watch whenever possible. Joe Versus the Volcano, for example. I watch that at least once a year.
4. I am a Diet Cokehead. It's true. Diet Coke, I wish I could quit you, but apparently I can't. I know I resolved not to have caffeine after 3 p.m., but that's a really stupid resolution considering the kind of soul-crushing deadline I'm on right now. It's the kind that requires mainlining caffeine just to get through the day.
5. I collect frogs. I used to collect squirrels. Then I stopped. Enter the frog. I'm not one of those people who collects everything froggy, but I do have some really cool tchotckes and a couple of super cute stuffed ones.
- I moved into my first home
- Razorbill published Lola's TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HOLLYWOOD STARLET
- Delacorte published my ANYONE BUT YOU
- I imported Kirsten Cappy from Maine to throw the launch party for ANYONE BUT YOU
- Throughout all of this I taught two classes at UD
It's almost January 2007 and I'm still not completely caught up from those 30 days. Seriously.
I've been a bad blogger in 2006 (or an inconsistent one at best). I've been slow to answer e-mails, send packages, complete critiques. My house and car are both filthy. I've canceled almost all of my magazine subscriptions, my Audible.com and Netflix accounts, and my HBO - partially to save a little money but mostly because I no longer have the time to ingest/enjoy any of them.
Things have got to change.
Instead of boring you all with a list of New Year's resolutions and/or goals and/or "reso-goals," I figured I'd fill in this year-end survey meme and slip it under a cut in case it's equally as boring.
Happy New Year, everyone!
( 2006: My Year in Review )
- feeling:
melancholy
| Your Personality Cluster is Extraverted Thinking |
 You are: Organized and logical - a master at puzzles Competitive in almost any arena of life Objective when necessary, but passionate about what you truly love Intolerant of excuses and incompetence |
Tagged by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
jenlyn_b with the letter G:
1. Girlfriends (people, not the show, though I used to like the show, too)
2. GILMORE GIRLS, Seasons 1 through 6
3. Gram (as in my Gram, not a unit of measure)
4. Goat cheese
5. GET COLOR (on HGTV - love those custom color wheels!)
6. Griots
7. Gilbert Grape (as in, WHAT'S EATING ...?)
8. Gesso
9. Garnets (my birthstone!)
10.Giovanni Ribisi (yummo!)
Five Bad Things that Start with G:
1. Grills (as in teeth, not as in instrument upon which you cook food stuffs)
2. Gambling
3. Gagging
4. Gangs (as in Crips/Bloods, not "hanging out with the gang")
5. Glow by J. Lo
I'm not sure who's already been tagged, but I tag:
laurabowers with "B"lstolarz with "P"lizgallagher with "V"bostonerin with "K"sarazarr with "Z" P.S. Jen, I think I should be privvy to thy classified title!
"day-to-day social exclusionary exercises and the repetition of" - from Frank Portman's KING DORK
2. Stretch out your left arm as far as you can. What can you touch?
My Shark cordless sweeper.
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
The first episode of LOST season 2 on DVD. If you're counting broadcast, then it was half of an episode of KING OF THE HILL while waiting for the A/C guy to install my new compressor.
4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
7:30 p.m.
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
7:50 p.m.
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The delicious hum of my new A/C.
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Twenty minutes ago. I was coming back from my mom's house, where I've been holed up since last Thursday (the day the A/C broke).
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
A message board I belong to.
9. What are you wearing?
Faded green T-shirt and my favorite jeans.
10. Did you dream last night?
I fell asleep at my mom's this afternoon while watching LOST and ended up in that weird dream state where the TV melded with my subconscious and I was in this cave filled with water and awaiting the end of the world with a bunch of Australians.
11. When did you last laugh?
Right before I left my mom's, with my parents, who despite my sometimes complaints are really awesome.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
A sign with a typewriter that reads "Business as Usual"; a framed photo of Douglas Coupland blowing into a cup of coffee; a 2006 schnoodle calendar; a framed print of a scene from GOODNIGHT MOON
13. Seen anything weird lately?
Define "weird." I did spend part of the afternoon trying to degum my mom's shredder with an antique ice pick. Is that weird?
14. What do you think of this quiz?
I think I'm using it to avoid my return to real life (after the week spent at my parents' place).
15. What is the last film you saw?
In the theater? RENT. No kidding. On DVD? THE FAMILY STONE, which was truly awful.
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
In this order: 1) pay off my student loans; 2) pay off my credit card debt; 3) buy health insurance; 4) buy a new house with a large open kitchen like Alton Brown's; 5) hire a landscaper to take care of all the gardening crap I hate to do; 6) take my mom and me on a first-class trip to Paris via Iceland; 7) get a girl schnoodle so Scout can have a constant companion; 8) a slew of medical, dental and cosmetic procedures (I want Invisalign! And laser hair removal! And professional hair coloring!); 9) lots and lots of vintage furniture, a bunch of kitchen gear, a Dyson vacuum, and other assorted housewares, and 10) normal, every day stuff. I'm really not that materialistic. Oh! But maybe a lake house, like Allison's family's place on Squam Lake. God, I love that place.
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
When I was a teenager I used to work out to Alyssa Milano's TEEN STEAM video.
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt and politics, what would you do?
How can you want to change something about the entire world that doesn't have anything to do with politics? I want a solution to the health care crisis. I want to reduce dependence on oil. I want schools to get proper funding and pay teachers their worth. Selfishly, I'd like to turn Delaware into a temperate climate, because I hate the excessive heat and humidity of summer, but even that could fall under curbing global warming.
19. Do you like to dance?
Yeah, but only when I'm alone.
20. George Bush:
is a putz.
21. Imagine your first child is a girl. What do you call her?
Sophie. It means "love."
22. Imagine your first child is a boy.
Jackson.
23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
If I could afford to pay my bills have a job that makes me happy, yeah. I'd love to live in France and do a ton of traveling over in Europe.
24. What would you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gate?
"Can I get you a cup of coffee?"
25. 3 people who must also do this quiz in their blog:
I'll tag Laurie, Liz, and Anne (assuming they haven't done it already.
Profile
- zeisgeist
- Lara M. Zeises
- www.zeisgeist.com
Syndicate
