An Alphabet Meme

I haven't done a meme in ages. Hat tip to *Christopher for this one:

Accent: Nasal Upper Midwestern with a pinch of Teutonic if I'm amongst "my people" and on a conversational roll (Example: Around these parts, if you're of German descent you're likely to pronounce Saginaw, Michigan Saginau)

Booze: I hardly drink any these days, but if I do it will likely be something like Heinekens or Bell's Pale Ale, or a dry white wine. I haven't had a mixed drink, I think, in a decade, but margaritas and Bloody Marys are all right. (There used to be a tony restaurant near MSU that made gazpacho Bloody Marys...mmm-mmm-good.)

Chore I Hate: Ironing; schlepping the trash cans early Tuesday morning

Dog or Cat: An elderly, semi-psychotic Maltese

Essential Electronics: laptop, radio, CD player

Favorite Cologne(s): Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood (everyday) or Passionflower (more festive occasions); woodsy or citrusy scents

Gold or Silver: Silver; not that I'd refuse gold, mind you, if someone's givin' it away

Hometown: Outer Podunk, Michigan

Insomnia: Once in awhile (I make it work for me -- a great time for extemporaneous prayer)

Job Title: Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator

Kids: I approve of them in theory, and think that other people's kids are often quite charming

Living arrangements: A shabby li'l cottage in the woods, near a lake "up north"

Most admirable trait: Faithfulness/loyalty

(Least admirable trait -- bonus question): Avoidance behavior

Number of sexual partners: Well...ahem...one might be nice, maybe...

Overnight hospital stays: I spent the first month of my life in an incubator because I was only three-and-a-half pounds at birth (the first and last time in my life I ever qualified for "petite"). And when I was in kindergarten -- only child suddenly thrown into a baby-boomer mass of other little kids -- I came down with pneumonia three times and kept winding up in the hospital

Phobias: Heights; big-city driving; fear of hitting deer with my car, at certain times of day

Quote: "Love God and do as you like" -- Augustine; "All will be well and all will be well and all manner of thing will be well" -- Julian of Norwich

Religion: Christian, Lutheran subspecies, with definite Anglican undertones

Siblings: Nada

Time I wake up: Time my dog wakes me up: 4:00 a.m.; time I wake up for real: 5:00 a.m.; time I get up for real: 6:00 a.m.

Unusual talent or skill: Animal impersonations. (Ask me to do my happy chicken impersonation -- g'head. I grew up on a farm. I know from happy chickens.) And I am semi-ambidextrous -- when I was a little kid I was completely so but had it conditioned out of me (it being the 60's and all), and even today I am able to do things like use eating utensils or iron (on the rare occasion the latter actually happens) with either hand.

Vegetable I refuse to eat: I'll eat any vegetable, usually enthusiastically; but I often find sweet potatoes hard going down because they're so cloyingly sweet

Worst habit: Nail biting; bruxing; procrastinating (see a pattern here?)

X-rays: I'm all for 'em

Yummy foods I make: Hungarian goulash; eggplant parmesan; Midwestern comfort food of various kinds; pancakes of various kinds; cookies of various kinds

Zodiac sign: Capricorn with Pisces in somewhere or other -- once upon a time I paid attention to these things

Feel free to borrow for your own blog.