everything which is yes

Sapere Aude

I have a thing with questions.  Asking them, that is.  I'm a questioner.  Always have been.  I am positively thirsty for knowledge on all levels: emotional, spiritual, cultural, social, creative, scientific....  I am especially interested in the "why" of things; patterns, motivations for behavior, reasons behind decisions, history behind traditions, ideology behind convictions, precedent behind law.  I want to learn, I want to understand, I want to analyze, I want to get to know you better, I want to problem solve. 

So I ask questions.  Some profound, some trivial.  Some interesting to all, some interesting only to me.  Sometimes I ask questions once in a great while, sometimes in rapid fire--David once counted how many questions I asked in a conversation in the car on our way home from a BBQ; the tally was 27 in 45 minutes (in my defense, the subject matter of our conversation was something with which I am not very familiar and I was trying to better understand). 

So I ask questions. Sometimes I find answers from people, sometimes from books, from the internet, from within myself, sometimes from God.  There's something very satisfying about learning.  I always feel "fuller" for finding answers and for engaging in the process of finding them. 

And so in the spirit of my Q&A quest, I have created a category "Sapere Aude" that will be home to posts about my learning process.  In Latin, sapere aude means "dare to know" or "dare to be wise". 

Things To Do Before I Die

Safari in South Africa

Visit the Pyramids in Egypt

Eat gelato in Rome

Travel throughout New Zealand

Learn to scuba dive

Learn to ski

Learn to speak, read, and write Spanish

Learn Sign Language

Gaze upon the Northern Lights

Observe a humpback whale in the wild

Participate in and finish a marathon

Become a mother

Parasail

Camp Yellowstone

Play golf in Scotland

Visit all the National Parks in the U.S.

100 Things

1. I am married to my best friend.
2. I was the Jazz and Blues director and a dee-jay at my college radio station.
3. I love the sight of the American flag displayed proudly.
4. If I am so blessed, I hope to be as wise and understanding as my mother is.
5. I strive to be as confident in my faith as my grandmother was.
6. I hope to be as strong an example of moral character as my grandfather is.
7. If I am so blessed, I  hope to be as wonderful a mother as my sister is to her children.
8. I have some worry-wort tendencies.
9. Yet I'm eternally optimistic.
10. I procrastinate.
11. But I always complete tasks and put my all into them.
12. I studied Latin for seven years.
13. I love, love, love to read but don't do it as often as I would like to.
14. Autumn is my favorite season. I love the crisp air, the leaves, the smells, the football, the clothing...everything.
15. I ask lots of questions.
16. I love my in-laws; I get along wonderfully with them.
17. My first ever live concert experience was U2.
18. Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, and BB King are some of my favorite Blues artists.
19. I love Christmastime: the fellowship, the spirit of giving, the songs, the decorations, the cookies, the smell of a fresh-cut Christmas tree, the lights...everything.
20. I enjoy a good board game.
21. Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Zinfindel, Shiraz, and Riesling are among my favorite wines.
22. I enjoying gardening, especially butterfly, flower, and herb gardening.
23. I am a Chicago Cubs fan.
24. (no,  I am not a masochist).
25. I loathe the Yankees.
26. (no, I am not jealous.)
27. I have read The Aeneid as translated into English, and in its original Latin.
28. I love to scrapbook and journal--to me, it's a form of communication, of creative expression, and a way to share things with loved ones and posterity; plus, it's fun.
29. Charleston Heston, Rock Hudson, Ann-Margaret,  Liz Phair, Virginia Madsen, Lili Taylor, Rham Emmanuel, and Donald Rumsfeld are alumni of my high school alma mater.
30. I am irrationally terrified of going to the dentist.
31. I quit piano lessons after playing for 6 years despite my mother's insistence that I would regret it someday.
32. And predictably, she was right--I do.
33. I don't particularly care for cheesecake.
34. I've read and enjoyed all of the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling.
35. I love to hand out candy on Halloween and seeing all the itty-bits in their costumes, their faces lit up with expressions of sheer fun and excitement.
36. I find those teenagers who still go trick-or-treating, and with all of the same gusto of expectation but none of the attitude of thanks or real interest in the spirit of Halloween fun, extremely irritating.
37. I played softball for 8 years.
38. Coffee is one of those acquired tastes I never acquired.
39. I'm obsessed with having a house that "smells good", so I light a lot of candles, clean a lot,  do a lot of laundry, use air purifiers,  air fresheners, and fabric refreshers.
40. I sometimes care too much about what others think of me.
41. My astrological sign is Cancer.
42. Per the Chinese Astrological calendar I am a Horse.
43. If I'm going to eat a hot dog, it's got to be a Hebrew National all-beef hot dog.
44. Unless I'm at a baseball game; then I'll eat whatever dog they have.
45. With a beer.
46. I like to go bowling, but rarely do.
47. I am registered to vote.
48. I think every eligible American should be.
49. I get frustrated by voter apathy.
50. Unlike most people I know, I actually really enjoyed Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.
51. I like to go fishing.
52. But I don't like touching the bait or the fish if I can help it.
53. For my undergraduate thesis I conducted original research regarding bullying and the difference between teacher and student perceptives of it.
54. I believe you haven't experienced real pizza until you've eaten it in Chicago.
55. One of my all-time favorite literary characters is Atticus, from To Kill A Mockingbird.
56. I was a Brownie and a Girl Scout.
57. I love to visit zoos , but always feel a little sad for the animals afterward.
58. I have a knack for remembering song details--lyrics,melodies and riffs--even if I haven't heard the song in a long time.
59. I have visited Alaska and to this day I think it is, hands-down, the most beautiful example of nature's beauty I have ever seen.
60. Granted, I haven't been to New Zealand yet.
61. I am right-handed.
62. I love to win.
63. But I hate to see others lose.
64. I love to eat edamame.
65. Peanut is my favorite variety of M&M.
66. I generally dislike labels (e.g. 'feminist' or 'neocon' or 'environmentalist' or 'capitalist' or 'learning disabled'); I find them restricting rather than descriptive.
67. I rarely think of things in terms of black and white; it's all about the gray for me.
68. I prefer to think in terms of AND instead of OR.
69. I love Disney movies.
70. I have found that some of my political and social ideologies have been profoundly affected by my life as a military spouse.
71. Next to knowledge, I think hope is a person's most powerful asset.
72. Occasionally I like to listen to NPR.
73. I get a kick out of old school pop lexicon like "the bee's knees" and "darn tootin'".
74. My grandparents were happily married for nearly 63 years before my grandmother passed away.
75. I am humbled by their union and strive to be as successful in my own marriage.
76. I think any grade of milk higher than non-fat is too thick and icky.
77. Abraham Lincoln is my favorite president.
78. Thomas Jefferson is a close second.
79. I believe that everything happens for a reason.
80. We have three cats: Jordan (named for the greatest basketball player of all time), Coltrane (named for my favorite saxophonist), and Montana (whom David claims is named for Joe, but I say is named for one of my favorite States).
81. We also have a Chocolate Labrador Retriever, named Jake (named for no one in particular).
82. I am awe-struck by the accomplishments and the scope of talent of persons like Benjamin Franklin and Leonardo DaVinci. 
83. I don't really have a "talent"; but I think I have a broad set of skills.
84. I prefer sweet snacks to salty ones.
85. I generally think pleats don't flatter anyone's figure.
86. I love quotes.  I'm totally goofy for good quotes.
87. I enjoy the outdoors: I like camping, hiking, sleeping under the stars.
88. I used to ride horses and participate in dressage competitions.
89. I miss riding and hope to start again sometime.
90. I would like to visit every National Park in the U.S. before I die.
91. I think oysters are disgusting, especially served raw.
92. I've lived in Illinois, Washington, Mississippi, and Florida.
93. When it comes to design, I like warm colors, clean lines, and balance.
94. I have an argumentative streak, and I like being "right".
95. But I can accept when I'm wrong and I am not afraid to apologize and take responsibility for myself.
96. Some of my favorite movies include Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, The Sting, and Sleepless in Seattle.
97. My cheestastic music indulgence is Neil Diamond.
98. I love Thai food.
99. I consider myself a work in progress and I continuously look for ways to improve myself.
100. I believe in God and consider myself a spiritual person.