25 + Random Things About Me

Over the past day or so some of my Facebook friends have decided they should send me notes detailing 25 random things about themselves and tag me to respond to their notes with my own list of 25 random things about myself. It was an exercise to share information about myself with people that I wanted to know more about me. Normally, I refuse to participate in such tedious activities, but tonight I decided appease them and cooperate with their request. Once I started, I found that I was able to compile the list of 25 random things about myself rather quickly. After I had completed my list, and posted it on my Facebook page, my mind kept working. What had originally started as a list of 25 random things about myself grew longer and longer, until it was a list of more than 40 random things about myself. Then, I decided why not share it with the readers of my blog. Are there 25 random things about yourself that you would be willing to share with others who may not have that knowledge. Below is my list of "25+ Random Things About Me." Enjoy.

25+ Random Things About Me

1. My favorite activity is playing tennis, and I’m completely addicted to the game.
2. I have no children.
3. I don’t own any pets, even though I keep playing with the idea of purchasing a dog to be my constant companion.
4. I’m not involved in a serious relationship, and at this time I’m not incredibly remorseful about this situation.
5. I love the freedom I have to come and go as I please.
6. Despite having majored in English in college, I haven’t found the time to read my ever growing collection of books.
7. I am allergic to the sun; I break out in a dreadfully itchy rash when I fail to wear sunscreen.
8. When I am playing tennis in the spring and summer I have to ramp up the sunscreen SPF to 75…and you didn’t know there was such a thing.
9. I love being outdoors from sunrise to sunset.
10. I dig sunsets, and sunrises (when I can wake up to see them).
11. I’m a night owl and who functions better as it gets later.
12. My friends call my adamant reluctance to cooperate and quirkiness “Quetisms”.
13. I enjoy good food and cooking good food.
14. I hate to repeat meals so I cook new and different things frequently – you’re not likely to see the old Southern staples too often at my house.
15. I love to cruise in the early fall – shoot, I just love to cruise, regardless of the season.
16. I am glad that I have two loving and extremely hilarious parents still present in my life.
17. I can’t imagine a day without coffee.
18. I really love and appreciate the friends I have made throughout the years.
19. I desperately want to go to the Sony Ericsson Tennis Open in Miami this year, so if anyone runs across any tickets they would like to share with me…please call.
20. I wish I could figure out which talents I possess that will allow me to work for myself so that I spend my vacations at all of the major tennis tournaments.
21. I am no longer a fan of a road trip that requires me to drive.
22. I’m the biggest fan of everything Adidas.
23. I would do my college years all over again just because they were so much fun, and I hated when they ended.
24. I am enjoying my 30’s and feel like I am really coming into my own.
25. I absolutely adore anything that can make me laugh until I cry.
26. I miss the following things about North Carolina
a. Being less than 6 hours from the beach.
b. Eastern North Carolina style BBQ & slaw sandwiches.
c. Seafood whenever I want.
d. The ACC Basketball Season and Tournament.
e. Going to a real farmer’s market.
f. The N.C. State Fair in October.
27. I love wrapping up in a blanket and curling up on a comfy sofa on rainy days to watch movies.
28. I love going to outdoor jazz and music festivals in the summer.
29. I prefer intimate concert venues.
30. I enjoy listening to soulful music with lyrics that are relevant to my life.
31. I relish feeling enveloped by the warm breeze from the sea.
32. I desire a career opportunity that excites me, challenges me, and allows me to maximize my skills.
33. I am looking forward to moving to a new living space that will put my mind at ease and provide me with the peaceful surroundings I need to thrive.
34. I’m looking forward to creating building a recession-proof financial situation for myself.
35. I despise waking up to an alarm clock.
36. I am thankful for my 15 year friendship with my friends – Christie, Kesha, Stephanie, and Katina.
37. I grateful to have a friend like Christie who sees so many possibilities within me and for me when I can’t.
38. I’m glad to have a job that I can still go to that pays the bills.
39. I love seafood.
40. I was a lover of naturally and locally grown food before it was ever cool.
41. I still truly miss my friend, Arnette Ford-Simmons. Rest in Peace.

Out of Touch

O.k., somehow I managed to lose all contact with cyberspace at home. I have no access to the internet, so I haven't posted since last week. A fix is supposed to be on the way at some point this week, but we'll see. My time on the phone with technical support last week wasn't too promising. I'm praying the the solution my internet provider has come up with will resolve my issues, but only time will tell. In the meantime, here is an update on what's been going on with me:


Goals for 2009

1. I've created my "Master Plan" progress notebooks to keep up with personal goals, financial goals and career goal.

Tennis

1. My mixed doubles season has started. We are two games into the season. The first game wasn't pretty, but the team pulled out a victory in our second match. Yea, team!!!


2. My women's season is winding down. While it wasn't the outcome we wanted I had fun.


3. I've put together the roster for my Spring women's season and I seeking to add women to the team, but I really excited about the upcoming Spring season.

Well folks, that's it for now. I'll be back soon, so stay tuned.

Thinking of a Master Plan

Today, during lunch, I sat down and wrote an entry into the journal given to me by my tennis partner, Leisa. The fact that I "wrote" (yes, with a pen and paper) anything down is a sheer miracle. I have some odd aversion to writing, but that may have something to do with my hand cramping after the first four sentences. Anyway, back to what I was saying, I wrote an entry in my journal that listed all of my goals for 2009. Many of these goals were among my 2008 goals, but there is a slight difference, these goals have been chronicled, documented, recorded, or any other synonym you can think of along those lines.

I figured if I put it in writing, then I might be more accountable for my actions and the results of those actions. Even better, if I let others know there is a list, then there is a little more pressure to accomplish at least some of the goals on my 2009 list. Any accomplishment would be an improvement over 2008. While my 2008 list was short and never documented, I know what was on the list. I also know that I was unable to scratch anything off that list. That list has been transferred over to my 2009 list, and it has grown in length. That was discouraging, but it served to remind me that if I didn't develop a plan, then I would lose sight of what I'm supposed to be accomplishing. I guess when John Beckley said, "most people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan", he knew what he was talking about.

Now that I have my list, I've got to think of a "master plan" that will enable me to achieve as many of those 2009 goals as possible. I feel as though I'm setting myself up with this next promise, but there will be progress reports throughout the year and that is how you will know what is on "the list". The idea of sharing the list and my progress with the list is frightening, but so are ineffective efforts - so why not? Keep checking back in the coming months to see how things are going, there will definitely be more to come.