Kids today. They think they invented everything.
When blogs popped on the scene 126 years ago, batches of us jumped on memes as a way to connect and learn about each other. The 100 Things About Me meme in particular was popular for a long time, and lots of long-standing blogs still sport sidebar links to the posts we wrote about it years ago.
The idea has been resurrected recently on Twitter as the #100FactsAboutMe hashtag. We know how much I like to play along with the cool kids but rather than trash your timeline with 100 narcissistic tweets, I’ll point you to the list I wrote in 2004. Besides, I’m lazy and don’t want to bother coming up with 100 new things.
What follows is actually the third iteration of the original list, but this is the most current. Since it’s so old, I’ve added some commentary along the way but, for the most part, it’s still pretty accurate.
100 Things About Me
1) I am unreasonably terrified of heights.
2) I am unreasonably terrified of cockroaches or, as people in FL like to say, “palmetto bugs.” They’re roaches, people.
3) My middle name is Michelle but given my age, people always assume it’s “Marie.”
4) I love to cook but hate to bake. Well, baking is cooking, but you know what I mean.
5) I am happily divorced. [I wrote this seven years ago, and it's even more true now. I find that fascinating.]
6) I am disgusted when someone is rude to an elderly person. Tell me, when is there ever an excuse for that?
7) I keep secrets very, very well.
8 ) One of my favorite concoctions is Kraft Macaroni & Cheese mixed with cream of mushroom soup, canned peas and Open Pit barbeque sauce all mixed together. [Don't worry, I don't serve it to guests. Usually.]
9) I appreciate directness in people.
10) I have no time for whiners.
11) I’ve never seen “Friends” or “Sex in the City.” [Seven years later? Still true.]
12) I haven’t ridden a bike in more than ten years. [Now, 17+ years.]
13) I love going out to dinner. Anywhere.
14) I dislike talking on the phone. [As my Twitter friends know, "dislike" has been elevated to "hate." If I willingly talk to you on the phone for more than roughly eight minutes, you have monarch-like status in my life.]
15) All my children were born at home.
16) Each time, I threatened to kill anyone who counted to ten or screamed “Push!” [Like most things in my life, I get by fine without unsolicited advice.]
17) I am a klutz. A huge klutz.
18) I like bananas but can’t stand banana-flavored things.
19) I don’t like food smells in anything other than food so keep your mango-scented lotions away from me.
20) I am spoiled by Florida’s sunsets, beaches, oranges, and laid-back lifestyle.
21) I think well on my feet.
22) I never, ever want to hurt people’s feelings.
23) But it happens anyway.
24) I’m very impatient. Well, maybe not impatient. Just fidgety.
25) I can pick up just about anything with my toes.
26) I learned that from my mother.
27) It makes my boyfriend laugh. [Well, the one I had at the time.]
28) I’d do anything to make him laugh. [Heh. Not anymore, I wouldn't.]
29) I think I’m the only person in the history of the world who didn’t like “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.” Blech.
30) I once applied for a job and was told they’d get back to me “after they checked with their cats.” I swear it.
31) I’m never tardy.
32) At seven years old, I had a seventh-grade reading ability.
33) The world would be a better place if people took responsibility for things instead of passing the buck.
34) I don’t like pie.
35) People underestimate me nearly 100% of the time. [This really should be #1.]
36) That’s just fine with me.
37) I once slept on the floor of my bedroom for weeks when I was a kid so I wouldn’t have to make my bed.
38) I make my bed every morning now.
39) There are many things I find amusing that most people don’t.
40) I don’t own an electric can opener because I don’t like things cluttering my kitchen. [I finally broke down and got one a couple years ago. I guess we get lazier with age.]
41) I wish people were happier. Most people seem so sad, bored or lonely.
42) I love snakes.
43) I was directly affected by hurricane Charley.
44) I’m so opinionated.
45) I can barely tolerate shoes, socks drive me insane. Thank god everyone in Florida goes barefoot. [Well, they did where I used to live. Orlando, not so much.]
46) I grew up on the 53rd floor of a high rise in downtown Chicago.
47) Did I mention I’m terrified of heights?
48) I am most happy when it’s warm, sunny, and I feel free to be me.
49) I am most unhappy when it’s cold, overcast, and I have to conform.
50) When giving me directions somewhere that requires me to make more than three turns, I have to write it down or I will get lost.
51) I used to really like roasted cow’s tongue the way my grandmother made it, but feeling the tastebuds when I ate it really grossed me out.
52) I am thoroughly impressed by integrity and character.
53) I never wear fingernail polish. [Not true anymore. Now I have the hottest painted nails in all the land.]
54) I always wear toenail polish.
55) I used to love rollercoasters.
56) Now I wouldn’t get on one if you paid me. [Also not true anymore. Now I adore them again.]
57) I have several tattoos and plan on getting more.
58) When I meet a genuinely good person who doesn’t think much of themselves, it breaks my heart.
59) I can’t stand people who have to tell me what they think all the time.
60) I generally keep my opinions to myself. [Yeah, well, this was before Twitter existed. Sue me.]
61) I know almost every line in the movies “Airplane” and “Raising Arizona.” [Make that, "I know every line."]
62) I’ve never been one to get all hysterical if one of my kids falls down or gets a minor injury.
63) I used to be fluent in sign language but haven’t used the skill in years.
64) I don’t think I would like to be around someone like me.
65) But I don’t have low self esteem.
66) I don’t understand the attraction of Hugh Grant, Mel Gibson, or Sean Connery. [Still don't.]
67) I’ve always wanted someone to write a song or poem about me. [Still do.]
68) I usually have no trouble telling identical twins apart.
69) In the end, I will regret very few things in life.
70) I don’t trust people very often or very easily.
71) The smell of peanut butter cookies or popcorn makes me ill.
72) I don’t care for cereal or soup, but I’ll eat both.
73) It doesn’t take much to make me happy.
74) But it takes a long time to undo hurt.
75) I don’t like oysters.
76) I love sushi.
77) I don’t own any credit cards and never will.
78) I’m pretty sure most people think I’m a flake. But I’m not.
79) I think palm trees are one of the most beautiful things in nature.
80) My kids have never had Pop Tarts. [At this point, they've tried Pop Tarts, but I still refuse to buy them.]
81) I’m sort of militant about their diet.
82) But they get their fair share of junk food anyway.
83) I have a really short attention span so writing this list is killing me.
84) I get ravenously hungry every day at 10:30 AM.
85) I don’t care for breakfast foods.
86) I could live without TV very easily. [This was before Glee!]
87) But I like watching movies.
88) I hate making lunches for the boys everyday but their school has no cafeteria. [This is not why I ended up homeschooling. Truly.]
89) I mean, I really hate making lunches every day.
90) The “Marriage of Figaro” Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd episode is the funniest cartoon ever.
91) Every year I get frustrated that peppermint ice cream is only available at Christmas.
92) I like my hair a lot. Usually.
93) I don’t like leftovers. Especially cold leftovers.
94) I could easily drop $1,000 at a makeup counter or a bookstore.
95) There is nothing that would ever make me turn away from my children.
96) I hope they grow up knowing that.
97) If my food gets jumbled together on a plate, I won’t eat it (#8 is the exception).
98) I love wearing hats.
99) I skipped my high school graduation.
100) I will be genuinely surprised if anyone reads this whole list.
I read this one and the 2004 version and I am happy to see the continuity between them