I Have Joined the Best Club Out There - Motherhood!

It seems like I am destined to only blog once in a Blue Moon, especially now that there is a little one to watch over. Oh well...

January 9th, 2009 at 1:17am the most beautiful little girl was born and took over our lives. Yes, Erica finally decided to come out of that warm tummy of mine and bestow all her best qualities on us. Since Day 1 she has been an absolute joy. In so many ways she has been such a great baby that we definitely look forward to Baby #2 (and realize that chances are the next one will not be as easy). Erica is a cute little girl with a HUGE grin that is just a ray of sunshine. She is almost 7 months old and has the sweetest disposition and the cutest personality. She loves to attack us with kisses (well, her version of a kiss, which is really just her grabbing onto you and sucking on the apples of your cheeks...lol), "talks" a lot (if only we could understand gibberish) and has the cutest gummy grin you have ever seen (we still have yet to see a tooth). I am completely enjoying my maternity leave and thank my lucky stars that I am Canadian as we get a year off (and Daddy got 5 weeks of paternity as well). When you wake up to a smiling baby most mornings, how can you not start off on the right foot?

I always knew I wanted to be a mom, even at a really young age. It astounds me that it is even better than I could have ever imagined! I love being a mom and I absolutely adore my little Sweet Pea. Watching her grow and seeing that smile is enough to bring tears to any proud Mommy's eyes...

Almost there!

I have been really bad about keeping up with my blogging...I guess I can always use my excuse of the past months: "blame it on Baby Brain". We are almost there! I am now 34 weeks along. I can't believe that we will have a baby in about 6 more weeks! I begin my maternity leave in 2 1/2 weeks and cannot wait! We are having a little girl and have just finished putting together the crib and rocking chair today. Now we just need to actually put the room in order (the change table was done last week). Our new place is definitely shaping up (I refuse to put up "Christmasland" until everything else has been put in its spot). We moved from our apartment to a townhouse in October and are loving it. The amount of space is great and we plan to stay here for a while. It's a great neighborhood for a little one and it is a very dog-friendly place so it's great for our 2 dogs. We also just got a car, so things are definitely moving in the right direction. Now if I could just completely wrap my brain around the fact that motherhood is right around the corner...I know there is a baby in this tummy of mine because she moves around all the time and likes to kick me to remind me...but really grasping the changes that are coming into our lives...that's another story!

And So Begins Yet Another New Phase...

Wow! I have apparently been neglecting my blogging responsibilities...
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Well, married life is going well. So well that we are embarking on a new phase...Yup, I am pregnant! This week I got confirmation from the doctor and have my first Ob/Gyn appointment on June 10th. Rob and I are thrilled and he can barely keep himself from getting on the rooftops and shouting it to all the world. Now, I know we are in for quite the ride, but had no idea how quickly some changes come into play. Right now I am dealing with 3 things...
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I always thought that the getting up to pee in the middle of the night thing happened when the baby was big and pushing on your bladder. I had no idea it would kick in immediately! I have not slept through an entire evening in over a week because I have to get up once every night. Absolutely crazy!
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The next thing that I noticed was my aversion to breakfast. I am not nauseous per se, but have a hard time motivating myself to eat because nothing seems appetizing. I am counting my lucky stars that I don't have full-fledged morning sickness!
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And last, but certainly not least...MY BOOBS HURT!!! Holy cow! They have never been so f#$@ing tender. I have a hard time finding a comfortable sleeping position because pressure on them does not work. Don't even get me started on what it's like riding in a car and hitting bumps...OUCH!
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As much as this sounds like a rant, I am extremely excited about the prospect of being a mommy. All this other stuff will certainly be worth it in the end. I read Jenny McCarthy's book Belly Laughs yesterday and was glad to know I am not the only one with these thoughts going through my head. I highly recommend her book to any first-time moms as it is hilarious and very frank.
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So, here goes nothing...motherhood, here I come!!!

The Deed is Done

Yes, I am now a married woman. The day itself (September 29th) could not have been more beautiful. After raining Thursday and being overcast Friday, Saturday the skies opened up and the sun was shining full force! Thank goodness as that was the one thing I couldn't plan for. Speaking of which...

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I learned that being as organized (actually "anal" is a better term) as we were, there was nearly no stress the week leading up to the wedding. Why? BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS DONE AND TAKEN CARE OF!! What a crazy idea...I know. Imagine actually having the details taken care of so that all you have to do is show up at the church and then the reception hall...whoa! Although there was a small incident with the church flowers that I learned about from my husband after the ceremony...they almost weren't at the church (he forget them at home and then rushed back to get them only to arrive at the church 5 minutes before me...with the help of my brother). I'm sure it was a hilarious series of events, but I am glad that I was blissfully unaware of what was taking place.

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The ceremony and reception were just amazing. Both sides of the family had one heck of a party...I loved every minute of it!

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It goes by so quickly...If there was one thing I would say to future brides it's this: take the time to enjoy what is happening around you. Every once in a while take a step back and just take it all in. I did and I am glad that I took that time because I got to observe everyone who loves us having a great time celebrating one heck of a union ;)

Stress is Starting to Kick In...

I actually had a dream (okay, more like a nightmare) last night about the wedding day. This is what happened...

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It was the day of the wedding and I was running out of time to get ready. I realized I had never had my make-up trial and had to call someone and just trust that they would do a good job. When the girl was done I had teal eyeshadow and bright orange lipstick! Shades of Mimi, anyone? I was horrified and saying how I looked awful and of course the bridesmaids were saying I looked fine and that it wasn't so bad...Next thing to upset me: my bouquet. It was smaller than the ones the bridesmaids had and it was not at all what I wanted. It was a huge puffy white bow with 3 flowers attached that were not even close to my color scheme or flower choices. Then as I was getting ready for my grand entrance, we realized the groom wan't there. He was actually still in bed sleeping! And to top it all off, it was pouring rain outside!!!

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Okay, I have been calm, cool and collected right up until now. It seems that my subconscious is going haywire. Only 11 days to go...I can do this...I really can! I am not nervous about getting married, just that I am going to forget to take care of something along the way..

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Breathe in...breathe out...breathe in...breathe out...I just need to make sure I do it evenly enough to keep from hyperventilating...ha! ha!

1, 2, 3...again!

We are now 2 weeks away from the wedding and we decided that we would like our first dance to be a nice one...preferably with both of us following the same rhythm. So, we looked up a dance instructor in the area and decided to invest in a block of 10 classes. Our first night we brought in the piece of music we had chosen and asked to be taught to waltz. Because of the song we chose we had to learn the Viennese Waltz, which is a much faster waltz. Talk about jumping right into the deep end!

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I never realized just how much pressure really is on the man, but now I do. It's true that the man really needs to be the lead or else the woman can't do her thing. So now Rob is starting to feel pressure. Oh no, not about the wedding, but about the first dance. I think we walk around with this mantra going around our heads "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...left turn, right turn". AAHHHHHH!!!

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We have had 4 lessons and have an entrance (practicing since the first class), two runs of the left turn (the second and third classes) and then 2 runs of the right turn (which we just learned last night). Thank goodness we both love our instructor. We hit it off right from the beginning and are thinking that we'd like to take more lessons after the wedding (maybe salsa). We would highly recommend him to anyone interested in taking dance lessons as his criticisms are extremely constructive and he has a wicked sense of humor.

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We are taking 2-3 lessons a week hoping to cram it all in before the big day. Our very last class before the wedding will be the day before and at the hall. Our instructor was the one who said that he had no problem with meeting us at the reception hall to do the last hour on the actual floor we will be using for the dance. Considering that the reception hall is 30-40 minutes away, we were quite impressed that he had no problems with that (and the staff at the hall were very accommodating as well).

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So, for the next 2 weeks I have to practice being elegant (ha!) and have to make sure that I let Rob lead (a common problem for most women). Keep your fingers crossed that we can learn when to cross the feet and when not to or we may just end up being in a large heap on the floor (looking like a large white and black mess).

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That's what we get for choosing a song that we saw used for a waltz on "So You Think You Can Dance"...Ha! Ha!

Food Tasting

Tonight was a fun night for Rob and me. We got to do the food tasting at the reception hall. I must say that we are stuffed and quite happy with the food choices. People are going to eat well!

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We have chosen roast beef as the main course and were glad to taste it. Should go over well with everyone attending the wedding festivities.

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We treated our night as an upscale dinner date and had fun brainstorming about things like the songs the bridal party will come in on. Ours is soooooo us (but I'll have to wait to reveal it later as we don't want to spoil the surprise). All I can say is we are gonna "work it"...lol.

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I also got to do my hair trial this morning and be all pretty and girlie. The girls got their hair done too and we were all happy with the outcome. Now I just need to get a make-up trial and we're good for the look! Smaller details are left...2 more weekends (one which is tied up in the bridal shower and hair color touch-ups...it's speeding up!

24 Days and Counting...

Okay, so I have been incognito for some time now. I must say that this month won't be any better because the wedding is 24 days away! We are now coming into the final stretch and there are lots of little details to take care of. I am very glad we took care of all the big things a LONG time ago. We should end up with about 100 people (which includes us and the live band). Should be a good party.

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I have put together a few decorations and they went really well (the bows and gift box as seen in the pictures). Not too shabby, eh? I will maybe chronicle a few things along the way, but I am making no promises...

The New Addiction...

Okay, so I started off doing the blogging thing thinking I couldn't believe how much time I would spend on it when I started putting my thoughts down. Now I think it was just a precursor to my newest addiction: FACEBOOK!

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I have been able to get in touch with people I had lost track of long ago and have been able to share pictures with everyone that I label as my "friend"...this way I can keep strangers from seeing all my pics (why I was always hesitant to put my pic on Blogger).

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Facebook actually made things a little bit easier to go to my 15-year high school reunion because many of us took the opportunity to start chatting a bit before we saw each other again. It made for a very smooth transition and a really successful evening :)

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So, for those of you who know me: go ahead and look for me on Facebook, add me as a friend and then we can touch base again. You'll love it!

This One's For Nicky

Back in December, Nicky tagged me on a challenge. She asked that people add a picture of themselves from the very moment they read her blog. That meant no primping, no getting make-up, NOTHING! So here is the pic I took that very night after a long day of singing Christmas carols in a local mall (I believe that the redness of my face was from having just washed all my make-up off...if only I had known...). For better or for worse, this is me "au naturel"...

Where is Spring Hiding???

Just when it seemed that spring was finally here (last weekend was beautiful), we got cold weather again and a light sprinkling of snow. Has Mother Nature not checked her calendar??? I was speaking with a friend today and he said that since we didn't really have any snow around at Christmastime someone must have figured we should have some at one major holiday. So Easter it is! One of these days I would like to be able to throw open all the windows and then go down the street to walk along the water. I am counting down the days...

Destination Honeymoon

Well, we've booked our honeymoon flight and hotel package. Where are we going? One of the most romantic places we know: Rome, Italy! Neither of us has been to Europe before and we are looking forward to our 8 days in Rome. My fiancé is excited about structures like the Colosseum, while I am excited about just about everything there, from the little back streets to the Trevi Fountain. I'd better make sure that my digital camera has plenty of space and battery power. We will be staying at a hotel called Gea di Vulcano and from the pictures I have seen, it seems to be a quaint little place with a lot of charm. This should be quite the adventure...I bought a book that has a bunch of walking tours in it (gonna need some really good walking shoes as we plan to do a LOT of walking). I will definitely be studying what's there before we go, but I am sure that once we are there, we will end up just taking each day as it comes and playing it by ear. Can't wait...

How Could I Forget Clive?

Well, as I was sitting on the couch in my pajamas last night watching all the stars on the Oscars all donning their finest, I came to a conclusion...OMG! When I did my Top 5, I completely forgot Clive Owen!!! How could I? He is definitely hot stuff (and did anyone see how hot he was in his suit last night? ROWR!). When I originally did my Top 5, I got to the last one and was struggling to remember who it should be and now I realize that Vince Vaughn would not have made the cut had I remembered the man I loved watching on the screen as King Arthur. It's pretty impressive when someone's looks alone cause you to allow all the discrepancies in the story and like the movie regardless. Soooooo....I am declaring Clive Owen as a hottie in my books!

This is Frightening...Almost TOO Easy

Okay, so today marks one month since I became an engaged woman. So far this is what's already lined up:

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1) the church

2) the hall

3) the entertainment for the reception

4) the photographer

5) my dress, veil and tiara

6) a limo is in the works, we are shopping around for prices

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Am I crazy or does this seem a little TOO easy? Both of us have agreed on all choices (except my attire because we are keeping with tradition and he doesn't get to see it until the Big Day) and have found some great deals (my dress was bought at a boutique that was closing down so the dresses were all 50% off!!!). We have been able to keep within budget and have not argued over any of the details we have already taken care of. Maybe I should look at this as a sign that things are meant to be rather than some sort of quiet disaster hiding in the shadows ready to ambush us when we least expect it. Maybe we should look into being wedding planners after this...lol...talk about organized! Even my own mother is surprised at how quickly we have lined all our ducks up. I have always been the type to get things done when I set my mind to it, but geez...

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We'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the time leading up to our actual wedding day goes. Here's to hoping it keeps to the smooth path...

My Kinda Sound

So, who out there saw any of last season's American Idol? And who also thought that Chris Daughtry was quite the rocker? I must admit that I gravitate to rocker types as that is the music I love. I was bummed when he got the boot, but has he ever proven people wrong! Last night I was listening to the radio and heard a song for the first time that automatically caught my attention. As luck would have it I never got to hear the artist's name (but I could've sworn it sounded eerily like Chris Daughtry's voice). Well, Lady Luck was smiling on me because I heard it again tonight and decided that the title must be "It's Not Over" after hearing the chorus. I came home and did a search on Google and lo and behold, the song is by a group called....Daughtry! Guess who the lead singer is...Yup, my ears did not deceive me. I should've known that there would not be anyone else with that distinct vibrato while singing in the rock world. I must say that this first release has made an impression on me. I hope that the rest of the band's music is as good as this song promises. To think that the group Fuel (another of my favorites) had approached Chris to front the band and he actually decided to venture out on his own. That could've been really dumb, but turned out to be pretty gutsy on his part. Quick sidenote: my favorite song by Fuel, which I can listen to over and over again is "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)"...kinda like the Daughtry song...If you get a chance, give it a listen and let me know what you think...I am always looking for new rock music...

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Go here to click on the link to play the song by Daughtry http://music.aol.com/artist/daughtry/815153/main and enjoy!

Joining the Throngs of Married People

Yes, you read right...Yours truly is now trying to plan her own wedding! As of a few minutes past midnight on Christmas morning, I joined a group commonly known as the engaged. After the initial shock and extreme delight that I was asked to be someone's wife, I barely had any time to enjoy it before the reality of all the planning required popped into my head. You may laugh, but I went straight to Chapters on Boxing Day and bought a wedding planner and a book about how to find bridal bargains. This is definitely going to be quite the interesting year and I am both excited and a bit scared about tackling all the details. However, once the date is set (we are meeting with my church's priest on Jan 2nd to set the fall date) and the church and hall are booked, then the details begin...I must admit that I am quite curious to see what style of wedding gown will look good on me. So may styles and only one wedding (I would certainly hope)...Let's just hope that the journey is as easy as it can be.
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My family is thrilled and is racking up quite the phone bill calling me up to talk about the upcoming day. It's kind of cute. It's a little sad that they are so far away and can't really go out and do the planning with me, but I will keep them up to snuff the whole way (that's what e-mail is for...plus you can attach pictures). Well, enough about all this, there are still people to inform about the big day. For right now I will just enjoy the fact that the man I love happens to love me just as much and was smart enough to ask me to give him forever and a day...

Movie Quiz

Okay, so this came from Nicky once again and I have been tagged. I guess I am in the hot seat for the time being...

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1) Popcorn or candy? Hellloooo, POPCORN!!!

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2) Name a movie you've been meaning to see forever. I have always wanted to see The Last Emperor

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3) Steal one costume from a movie for your wardrobe. There was a really pretty dress worn by Natalie Portman in the second Star Wars movie that was flowy and pale yellow from the top down to darker hues at the bottom...it's been a while, I can't do it justice because my memory is a bit foggy. Maybe if I take my significant other into consideration it might have to be the Priness Leia outfit at Jabba's place (how many hours of working out will that require?).

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4) Your favorite film franchise is...Indiana Jones!

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5) Invite five movie people over for dinner. Who are they? Why'd you invite them? What do you feed them?

- Harrison Ford because my first crush was Han Solo (and then again as Indiana Jones). I'd feed him whatever he wanted.

- Morgan Freeman because I find him fascinating and love his work. I think he'd get steak and some sort of fancy vegetable side dish.

- John Cusack because everyone wants to meet Lloyd Dobbler from Say Anything. He is the kind of guy you take home to mom. We'd have a BBQ.

- Ashley Judd because she is a strong woman. We could talk about the work she does for pediatric AIDS. She'd get a fancier meal with lots of veggies.

- Adam Sandler because it's always good to just be silly for an evening. He'd get spaghetti.

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6) What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cell phones in the movie theater? Confiscate the phone and a period of time where they can't enter movie theaters!

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7) Choose a female bodyguard: Ripley from Aliens, Mystique from X-Men, Sarah Connor from Terminator 2, The Bride from Kill Bill, or Mace from Strange Days. I have always thought Ripley was kick-ass.

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8) What's the scariest thing you've ever seen in a movie? Don't laugh, but the original "The Blob" terrified me when I was 7 because you couldn't hide from it in a closet since it could ooze through anything!

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9) Your favorite genre (excluding "comedy" and "drama"). Thrillers/suspense.

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10) You are given the power to greenlight movies at a major studio for one year. How do you wield this power? It would be nice to see something outside of the box (I am tired of cookie-cutter movies). I would also greenlight anything with Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, John Cusack and Edward Norton.

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11) Bonnie or Clyde? How about someone who lives?!

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I guess it's now my turn to tag some people. As always I am taggin Kawi and Daisylixxx! Don't let me down girls...

Christmas is Coming! Christmas is Coming!

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I absolutely LOVE Christmas. As soon as December hits, I get all my decorations out and trim the tree. Should I mention that I have so many ornaments that I have to choose which ones I want to use each year? Should I also mention that my tree is gargantuan? It's 7.5 feet tall and quite full. No Charlie Brown tree for me! Some of my friends have given my place the moniker "Christmasland" and I guess I agree that it's appropriate. I have the gargantuan tree, a Christmas village, garlands around the doorframes, 3 - count 'em - 3 stockings (one is Tigger sticking out the top), candles and stuffed animals on all shelves. I sometimes even put out some children's books I have bought over the years about Santa and his workshop. Did I mention that I love Christmas???

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However, this year is quite strange...Today is the 19th and being in Montreal you would think it would be pretty and white. Not so! We have only had 2 snowfalls and the snow has refused to stay. December 1st was actually quite horrid as we had freezing rain and the ice detroyed a lot of lovely trees, while giving a lot of people electricity problems (yours truly was spared the aggravation). I know that come January and February I will be cursing the minus 40 weather plus windchill, but right now I would really like to look outside my window and feel like Christmas is less than a week away!

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Speaking of less than a week...Have you done your Christmas shopping? Have you bought all the gifts needed for all your loved ones? The clock is a-tickin'...I actually got mine done early this year (the last weekend of November) because I knew that I would have very little time this month. I am looking forward to finishing this week at work and then taking it easy until the new year. After spending the last 3 weekends entertaining the public by singing in the malls, I am bushed! Only 6 more days...

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I hope I don't get a lump of coal from Santa!

Gotta Love Josh!

Josh Groban is coming to Montreal in March 2007! I am so psyched! I saw him 2 years ago when he came and I promised myself that if he ever came back again, that I would definitely go, no matter what the price of the tickets. So, I am planning on going yet again. He is an incredible singer and all his classical training has served him well. When his first CD came out, I couldn't keep from hitting "replay" on the very first track (my mom still teases me about not being able to listen to that song only once). Talk about a very mature and developed voice for someone so young at the time (and he is still very young). I gravitated to the songs "Alla Luce Del Sole" (the first track) and "Alejate" for very different reasons since they are very different types of moods. On his second CD I found myself instantly liking "Oceano" (the first track...hmm, a trend perhaps?) and "You Raise Me Up", again for very different reasons. Now I have just bought his newest CD and will have to see what songs I gravitate to...maybe the first track? Anyways, I urge anyone who loves music to check him out to just sit back and enjoy the richness of his voice. What a treat!
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A little sidenote: I took a quick little quiz called "Which Josh Groban Song Are You?" at www.quizilla.com and it turns out that my favorite song is the one I am like.

Inside the Actors Studio Questions

I have, on occasion, caught the show "Inside the Actors Studio" hosted by James Lipton and always find myself intrigued by actors' answers to his questions at the very end. I figured, who cares if I am not an actor, I'm gonna answer those very questions myself. So here goes:

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1) What is your favorite word? Gargantuan

2) What is your least favorite word? Failure

3) What turns you on? A bright smile

4) What turns you off? Ignorance

5) What sound or noise do you love? An all-out belly laugh from a child

6) What sound or noise do you hate? Someone yelling and dragging their child because they can't walk fast enough to keep up.

7) What is your favorite curse word? Mother f$%*er (but I have to be REALLY angry to use that one)

8) What job other than your own would you like to attempt? Marine biologist

9) What job would you hate? Garbage collector

10) If there is a heaven, what would you like to hear God say when you get to the Pearly Gates? I'm proud of you.

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Simple enough...Anyone else? Again: Kawi or Daisylixxx? Some more food for thought...