Also, they’re kindof a guilty pleasure. So it works well on many guilt-fronts. I was raised Catholic, can you tell? Anyhow… on with it.

These are supposed to be answered by me, about Neil. Perhaps he’ll weigh in at some point and let you all know how right or wrong I am.

1. He is sitting in front of the TV. What is on the screen?
Whatever I’m watching. He’d rather not sit in front of the TV, but will sit next to me and do stuff on his laptop if I’m watching.

2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Whatever the house dressing is. Or a balsamic vinaigrette if the house dressing has anything to do with raspberries.

3. What’s one food he doesn’t like?
Raspberries

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
Gin & Tonic to start. Wine or beer with dinner, depending on the dinner.

5. Where did he go to high school?
Rick Hansen Secondary in Abbotsford

6. What size shoe does he wear?
9.5-ish

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Books

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Something made fresh, on grainy bread, with a ton of crunchy vegetables and lots of mustard. Probably two or three types of mustard.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Sandwiches. And Mustard.

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Something that tastes like cardboard and isn’t too sweet, topped with granola.

11. What would he never wear?
He’s not the type to say “never.”

12. What is his favorite sports team?
The one he’s playing on.

13. Who did he vote for?
The same people I did.

14. Who is his best friend?
I think it’s a tie.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?
Insist on falling asleep with the TV on, and leave my purse and its contents strewn about the kitchen table.

16. What is his heritage?
Mostly English.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
Carrot.

18. Did he play sports in high school?
No. He was a farmboy and did farming things – your mom may have your old basketball trophies, his mom has a “Champion Hogsman, 1995″ plaque.

19. What could he spend hours doing?
Programming, or making music (guitar, piano, singing, whatever).

20. What is one unique talent he has?
Producing a resonant sound in any enclosed space. I suppose it’s not particularly unique, but it sure makes other people in the elevator look at him like he’s a particularly unique individual.

I am trying to INVENT A MEME! Actually, I needed to sort my iPhone music alphabetically and I was amused by all the “I ..” titles and I thought they made a good story. Try it for yourself – open up your music and sort it by name, and find out how you’re feeling today.

I Am The Walrus
I Constantly Thank God for Esteban
I Feel It All
I Have Friends in Holy Spaces
I Hear The Bells
I Hope Your Heart Runs Empty
I Know
I Love You
I Never Told You What I Do for a Living
I Want To Break Free
I Want To Hold Your Hand
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
I Write Sins Not Tragedies
I’ll Be That Girl
I’m In Love With My Car
I’m In Love With My Car (1991 Remix)
I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
I’m Yours
I’m Yours (live)
I’m Yours (From the Casa Nova Sessions)
I’ve Just Seen A Face

How about you?

What are your middle names?
Mine are Norma Antoinette (after both my grandmothers), Neil’s are Robert Tyndale (after I have no idea who, and his mother’s last name). Neither of us meet other people who also have two middle names very often.

How long have you been together?
We’ll have been together for 3 years, married for one at the end of March.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We didn’t. Unless you count that he read my blog.

Who asked whom out?
He asked me in an email. His offer was “let me take you on a date, so you’ll write about me on your blog.” Neither of us thought it would work out.

How old are each of you?
I’m 28, he’s 30.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mine, since they live much closer (brother 1: four blocks away, brother 2: Nanaimo). His are in Port Alberni, Saskatoon and Seoul.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
The thing we most often disagree on is money and how to spend or save it.

Did you go to the same school?
We went to the same university (SFU) but not at the same time.

Are you from the same home town?
Yes and No. We’re both natives of the Metro Vancouver area, and both lived in Abbotsford for a number of years (again, not at the same time), that’s as close as it gets.

Who is smarter?
I think we’re equally smart, in different ways. Neil is much better at drilling down into things, I’m much better at anything big-picture or that involves multitasking. He’s got a better aptitude for numbers, I’m better at anything to do with words.

Who is the most sensitive?
I really don’t know. It depends on the situation, but I think we’re pretty equal in that department too.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
When we ate out often it was usually for brunch. Since we’ve been trying to conserve funds, we haven’t been going anywhere regularly. When we do go out these days, we try to save up for something spectacular.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Morocco

Who has the craziest exes?
In the “genuinely odd individuals” sense, I do. In the “actually mentally unstable” sense, Neil.

Who has the worst temper?
We’re equally bad-tempered. We actually instituted a rule (borrowed from a travel bio we read) that only one of us is allowed to lose our shit each day, so if one of us is on a tirade, the other tries to just keep on keepin’ on until the other calms down. I’m sure it’s saved us from many, many fights.

Who does the cooking?
Both of us. Sometimes we argue about who gets to cook, but mostly we share it pretty evenly.

Who is the neat-freak?
I absolutely am.

Who is more stubborn?
Neil.

Who hogs the bed?
Neil, or Sasha.

Who wakes up earlier?
I do, almost always.

Where was your first date?
A defunct latin dinner/dancing restaurant (Mesaluna for the locals) and a walk around Trout Lake Park

Who is more jealous?
Again, we’re about the same in that department. I swear we’re not entirely the same person – just mostly.

How long did it take to get serious?
Seventeen minutes. Give or take a few.

Who eats more?
Neil for sure. I don’t like going out for dinners without him, because then who’ll I rely on to finish what’s on my plate?

Who does the laundry?
I do, because Neil hates it. This is good, because it gets me out of dog-walking duty when the weather’s bad.

Who’s better with the computer
Considering Neil’s the one who makes a living at “computer things” I should hope he is. Also, he will hate that I called his work “computer things” and will request that I include the caveat that no, he will not fix yours.

Who drives when you are together?
Usually Neil. He’s better at holding his shit together in bad-weather driving (which is what we usually drive in) and also doesn’t fall asleep the second he gets in a car after dark, unlike his darling wife.

If you feel so inclined, go ahead and do this with answers about you and your special someone, and either post in the comments, or share a link to your own blog.

From wave tickler: If you could live your life again, what one thing would you do differently (and saying “I’d do nothing differently” is not an option).

Phew, starting off with a doozie. There isn’t really one big thing, but there are certainly a staggering number of small instances where I wish I would’ve been more gracious. The number of times I’ve thought something nice about someone but not said it out loud, or been short and sharp to some person serving me because I’m in a bad mood that has nothing to do with them, or just forgotten to say Thank You really bothers me. I’m making an effort to change that, but the instances in the past still weigh on my conscience.

Airdrie asks: Have you ever been to Vegas? What is your favourite spa, if any? What is your fav. junk food?

I’ve been to Vegas four times now, three of those for work, and I’ve never made it off the Strip. I still think it’s awfully fun though! I’m scheduled to go back in November of this year for work, and will hopefully tack a few vacation days on the end to explore the surrounding area a bit more.

Favourite Spa so far has got to be the Spa at Semiahmoo. The’ve got a beautiful relaxation room for chilling out with some tea and a book or magazines before, between and after treatments, and their menu of services is quite nice as well. It’s a bit of a drive to get to, but close enough that a day at the spa and a night at the resort really feels like a relaxing mini-getaway.

And favourite junk food? Depends on your definition of junk food. I’m definitely more of a sweet-tooth than a salt-craver (though I do like Miss Vicki’s kettle chips) , but I looooooooooooove brownies. faced with almost any selection of sweets, I will choose the brownie every time. Bonus points if it’s served warm with good vanilla ice cream.

Jen wants to know: how did you know Neil was The One? like, specifically. was there a lightning bolt or what? : )

There were a few lightening bolts. About 8 minutes into our first date we had one of those “saying the same thing at the same time” moments. We actually have them quite regularly, but the first one took us both by surprise.

I also had strong suspicions when our first date, which for all intents and purposes should’ve been a disaster, went really well, and we found there weren’t any awkward pauses, and we connected like we’d always known each other.

The last big one was actually the night Neil proposed in Korea. We’d had an awful day in the car, spent alternately screaming at each other and sitting in stony silence. But once we reached our destination, we instantly dropped the anger and turned toward each other (rather than retreating into our own individual worlds) to talk about how awful a day it had been, how awful we had been, and how glad we were it was over.

There are a thousand other little things and feelings that reaffirm we’re “meant to be” but they all come back to the following:

We can absolutely be ourselves around each other. I’m all for a partner who will challenge me, and Neil does in lots of ways, but when it comes to our core values (money, morals, politics & family), we’re absolutely aligned, and our strange quirks are also very compatible. Having each been with people who are positively not aligned morally with us, and living with the stress that brings into each and every interaction, we are both immensely thankful for this and try not to forget how fortunate we are. When we’d been dating long enough to realize that we’d had all the “big” conversations, and want the same things out of life, that was my lightening bolt.

Other than the whole “you just know” thing. Because you do. And if you have to ask yourself if this is it, then it isn’t. You can, of course, still ask yourself, but the answer will be obvious and it will give you peace inside. I know it’s a frustrating answer, but it’s the truth.

Now from Snowgirl: Are you still running and/or snowboarding on a regular basis?

Phew! Back to the softballs! No. The last time I ran was in Boston last October. I hadn’t run in a while, but it was such a beautiful evening that I really felt the urge. So I popped in my Nike+iPod setup and headed out. And I was completely disappointed that the post-run stats didn’t welcome me back after a hiatus. Lance Armstrong comes on to congratulate me for running further and faster than ever before, so the lack of “hooray for getting back on the wagon” thing just pissed me off. (Yes, I know it’s not actually Lance leaping into my earbuds, but seriously, the iPod knows! Give me some encouragement, dammit!).

I also haven’t been snowboarding yet this season. I had a few really good days last year, but I’m still tainted by a bunch of really bad days I also had, and usually forget how much fun it is until I get up there. Also, I didn’t buy a pass this year, so I have to fit it into the budget. I’m hoping to get up for a weekend day sometime later this month.

fireman sam asks: What’s your most disgusting habit? Fess up!

I pick my nose. Only in the privacy of my own home, and when nobody else is around (or occasionally in a bathroom stall if I feel the urge and I’m out somewhere). I find it extremely satisfying to scrape a large hunk of crusty snot out of my nasal cavity. And then I flick it somewhere. I’m never really sure where it lands, but I don’t notice it stuck to the walls or furniture or anything, so I assume it ends up on the floor and gets vacuumed or swept up, or eaten by the dog. I hope that’s disgusting enough for you, cuz that’s about as gross as it gets.

And the last one from Raul: Have you ever tried Ethiopian food, do you like it and if you’ve tried it in Vancouver, which restaurant that serves this type of food is your favorite?

I’ve only been to one: Nyala on Main, and I just went there for the first time during Dine Out. I’m not sure if it’s pure Ethiopian, but I’m far from an African Food Expert and I have nothing to compare it to. Regardless, I thought it was quite good value for the dine out menu, and we’ve already recreated their super excellent lentil salad at home.

And that’s it folks – all the things you actually wanted to know! And I wouldn’t have thought to tell you a single one of them on my own, so thank you, and you’re welcome, all in one!

But I am still struggling to figure out exactly what you people want to know about me, so I’m going to flip this – I’m going to ask you: what should I reveal?

I’m going to provide completely candid, honest answers to the first seven questions you can cook up, with only three exceptions:

1. I won’t reveal financial information further than what’s already been set out on the blog.
2. I won’t reveal personal medical information.
3. I won’t reveal information that would allow anyone to steal my identity or my assets.

Ready? Go!

I can’t actually think of 25 whole things, and have spent the last couple days struggling to come up with just 10. So you get those.

I am also supposed to tag 25 people to do this as well, including the people who tagged me. Which is dumb, because they already did it, unless of course the whole point is to extinguish the meme more quickly, which is kindof smart. And so in that spirit, I tag nobody.

Chances are, if there are any things other than these that you don’t know about me, I don’t know them either.

Here goes:

1. I have a compulsive need to shove cotton swabs in my ears after showering. I HATE the feeling of water in my ears. I know it’s against the directions of “swab gently outside your ear only, DO NOT INSERT OR YOU’LL GO DEAF” but I can’t help it.

2. I have really good teeth. The braces when I was younger helped with the whole aesthetic impression of them, but the teeth themselves are crazy strong and healthy. I have basically adopted a habit of brushing once a day (mornings) and flossing only when I have popcorn or pulled-pork stuck in them. My dentist has given me the technical OK to go forth and continue with this plan, but to please floss a bit more. Not because my teeth need it, but because it hurts his soul to know that there are any more people out there not flossing.

3. I developed an annoying (but mysterious and non-contagious, according to the dermatologist) rash on my bikini area for a while. I thought it was due to waxing. Turns out, it was the brand of toilet paper I was using.

4. Our wedding vows included a line about “accepting what I know of you, and trusting in what I do not yet know.” Yesterday I found out this applies to Neil’s distaste for any form of baked cheese. Gratin. Mac & Cheese. Most Casseroles. Baked Brie. Deep-fried mozza sticks. I am (understandably, I think) devastated.

5. I am really not dealing very well with getting older. I’ve always been a bit sensitive about the furrow in my brow, but now that most people I meet peg me in my early 30′s rather than late 20′s (and that phrase “Mature for your age” can go bite my ass) I’m getting extra uppity about it. I seriously consider botox on a near weekly basis.

6. I have an unnaturally keen sense of smell. And it makes life difficult when preparing raw meat. If I detect the tiniest hint of fishiness in a piece of raw fish, or any sort of barnyard smell in strong meat, I’ll detect it even when the meal’s fully-cooked. And won’t be able to eat it. This made the switch to organic meat especially painful. But I just keep forcing myself through, hoping I’ll develop some sort of smell-tolerance.

7. Speaking of switching to organic, I’ve focused a lot this past year on eating more real foods. And I try my damndest to not ingest much in the way of “fake food” or chemicals. I still occasionally purchase and eat pre-packaged things (and would never be so impolite as to turn them down as a guest in someone’s home), and am certainly not a pinnacle of perfect health, it’s just my own little issue du jour. That said, if I know of a person who drinks a lot of sodas (especially diet), I am quietly judging them. If you drink a lot of pop, without realizing you are killing yourself in so many ways (or realize, and do it anyhow) I judge, in my head. I still think you’re a good person – just one who’s either ignorant, or hates him/herself.

8. I own a lot of books I haven’t read. And I feel really guilty about that.

9. I really don’t like beans. Oh I want to like beans, I really, truly do. But something about the texture contrast between pasty innard and slightly shell-y exterior just sets me on edge, like nails on a chalkboard, in my mouth. I like refried beans well enough, because that particular texture sensation is eliminated. But I have a very tough time enjoying any other bean preparation, and that includes in things like Chilli.

10. The grossest for last. Another foodie confession: one of the darlings of molecular gastronomy is “foams” – I can’t stomach them. They have the exact look and texture of stomach bile, after a night of too much drinking, and you’re dry-heaving for the 17th time, and you burble up some stomach acid and a bit of the water you tried to choke down. Go ahead, try enjoying your foam after reading that. I dare you.

Here are the ground rules for the newbies:

1. After reading my answers, copy and paste the list into your comment.
2. Change my one-word responses with yours (ONE WORD, even if it kills you).
3. Submit your comment.
4. Feel free to post your finished list on your blog, too. (Look at that, a post idea, FREE. You’re welcome.)

Your last meal: pancakeseggsbacon (it’s supposed to be one word – breakfast didn’t feel descriptive enough)
Something on your desk/work area: boxes
Your New Year’s Eve plans: packing
The smallest gift you received this year: nike+ipod
The largest gift you received this year: tripod
Something you wish you hadn’t eaten so much of during the holidays: cookies
On your feet: slippers
Your hair: ponytail
How many other countries you’ve traveled to: three (soon to be five)
One country you dream of visiting: New Zeland
A hobby you’d like to take up/revisit this year: running
A hobby of yours that died (aww, buh-bye) this past year: reading
A publication you subscribe to (print): Cook’s Illustrated
The most embarrassing subscription in your feed reader (if you have one): none
One of your favorite stores to window shop dreamily in: Sephora
One of your favorite online stores to window shop dreamily on: apple.ca
A color you love to wear: green
Your bed pillow: fluffy
The color of your kitchen counter: “dirty”
What you plan to do when you get up from the computer: pack

1. I don’t know if it was the full moon or what, but the dog decided last night that bedtime was a great time to go apeshit, and she tore around the bedroom at full speed, pausing only do to her crazy doggie doofus dance (picture bouncing repeatedly up on hind legs and waving front paws around while making growly, howly noises) for a good 8 minutes. It’s probably the closest I’ll come to owning a cat.

2. Who’s the lucky girl that got fresh apple-cinnamon muffins in bed this morning? Oh yes, that’d be me. Too bad an avalanche of metal baking trays cascading to the floor at 6:15am ruined the surprise!

3. My hands are suddenly, randomly covered in freckles. Just my hands. They appeared all at once about a week ago. Anyone care to play doctor internet and explain that?

4. My dill plant is taking over everything. Do you want some Dill? Come on over and get some. I’m going to have to do some serious bushwacking on it before it completely annexes the parsley.

5. Despite wanting to have one for the past two years, finally having a piano here makes me much happier than I initially thought it would. This is a good thing. I will probably now go blow the rent money on new sheet music, because playing “Kiss From A Rose” and the “Theme from Mission Impossible” over and over and over is growing old.

6. Facebook is completely unimpressive and uninspiring. I am on there because, as Grant pointed out in my comments, people are insisting on using it to plan events and keep in touch. But I’m a bit baffled at those who can spend hours on the site. Really – what are you doing on there?

7. I think the most disappointing part of our condo being delayed until December is the extra 6 or 7 months we’re going to have to live with this couch. It’s my “free from the parents’ basement so it’ll do college furniture” couch, and it’s creaky and ugly and old. I have dreams of a clean-lined sectional in microsuede.

8. I really want a yogurt maker. Does anyone know where to get one that doesn’t look like a spaceship and have the price-tag to match?

9. I’ve found the best summer makeup product, perhaps ever. Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector. The only thing that keeps me from re-enacting the Exxon Valdez on my forehead by 3:00pm.

10. I know no one cares what I had for lunch. But I had a gigantic organic tomato covered in coarse salt, and a Rosemary Rocksalt bagel, and people – it was spectacular.

11. Plus, I totally don’t have 13 interesting things to share.

12. Someone came over the other night and exclaimed their surprise at our half-dozen bottles of Sawmill Creek in the wine fridge. Believe me, I’m not too proud to drink the cheap stuff. If we had Trader Joe’s here, I’d totally be drinking Two-Buck-Chuck. Sure, we know and like good wine – but there’s certainly stuff out there that’s inexpensive and drinkable (if not interesting), and the Sawmill Creek varietals happen to be one of them.

13.This entire entry is an excuse for procrastination on a project I really should be working on. And now that the list done, I think I’ll go finish said project.

Eight things you (probably) don’t know about me

1. I don’t like Cilantro. But I eat it anyway, because it’s mostly impossible to have Mexican food without it.

2. I don’t actually work better under pressure – I’m just such a procrastinator that I’m used to doing it and have become just as effective working under deadline stress as not.

3. I start most days by picking my nose. It gets dry and crusty in there overnight, ok! Don’t judge – I know you do it too.

4. I regularly conduct my life as if I have an audience, like I’m some character on a sit-com or something.

5. My house never looks as clean as it does when you see it. But I won’t ever let you see my mess, so you can pretend it looks that good all the time!

6. I didn’t actually lose that 35lbs a couple years ago by monitoring my diet and exercise. I did try Weight Watchers, and put a lot of their suggestions into practice for matintenance – but I only actually lost about 8 lbs on the program. The weight loss actually came from a result of changing the way I conducted my entire life because I actually started liking myself again. I became more socially and physically active, stopped worrying about food or what other people thought of me, and suddenly the pounds just kinda melted away. I don’t usually tell anyone that, because it’s hard to explain, and I don’t think they really believe me anyway.

7. The real reason I hate flying is because it really messes with my digestive system. The combination of dehydration and being wedged into an uncomfortable seated position is so bad that every 3 hours on a plane is one day on the ground that I don’t poop (just imagine what that 11 hour flight to Korea did to me!) Then my body spends the next week being bloated and trying to regulate itself. Usually just in time for me to get back on a plane to fly home and repeat the entire process.

8. Those days when I tell my boyfriend at dinner I’m “not really that hungry” it’s not usually because I’m just generally not hungry – it’s probably because in the 40 minutes between when I got home from work and when he got home from work, I ate half a dozen cookies or a KD Easy Mac. Because I was hungry, and went and did something about it. I really can’t help it! The cookies… they call to me….

Four jobs you have had in your life:

1. McChick
2. Purveyor of Incorrect Directions
3. Corporate Whore
4. Student (aka Professional Slacker)

Four movies you would watch over and over again:

1. Natural Born Killers
2. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
3. The Sound of Music
4. Top Gun

Four places you have lived:

1. Hope, BC
2. Pitt Meadows, BC
3. Abbotsford, BC
4. Burnaby, BC

Four T.V. shows you love to watch:

1. Nip/Tuck
2. House
3. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
4. Grey’s Anatomy

Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Seattle, Washington
2. Calgary, Alberta
3. Edmonton, Alberta
4. Prince George, British Columbia

Four web-sites I visit daily:

1. Bloglines
2. Live Journal
3. lowbrow.com
4. vancouver.craigslist.org

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Fois Gras
2. American Taco Bell
3. Brie
4. Everything But The…

Four places I’d rather be right now:

1. Somewhere Sunny
2. Sleeping
3. Shopping
4. Spain

Four bloggers I am tagging:

1. Kyndra
2. Mel
3. Jen
4. Richard