Thursday 13: Survey says

ran across this fun survey over at Randomness with Rachel, and tucked it away to use down the road... then it occured to me that it could be fun to make into a Thursday 13... I had to add a couple of questions, and changed one or two around to suit me, but it still does mostly resemble the one she posted. Mostly. Enjoy!

13 places I have visited:
1. Sydney, Australia
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Singapore
5. Penang, Malaysia
6. Hong Kong
7. Alaska
8. Hawaii
9. NYC
10. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
11. Keene, Texas
12. Palm Desert, CA
13. San Luis Obispo, CA

12 items on my bucket list:
1. Have high tea in London.
2. Eat macarons in Paris.
3. Visit early Christian churches in Eastern Europe.
4. Eat gnocchi in Italy.
5. Do a Holy Lands tour.
6. Live on an island (as its only two inhabitants [with husband]... a very small island, maybe in a river rather than the ocean. This is more pipe dream than bucket list...).
7. Learn to sing. Really sing.
8. Learn to play the piano. Really play the piano.
9. Get a poem published. (By someone other than myself!)
10. Run a marathon. (Once upon a time this was going to happen by 40. Ha ha ha ha.)
11. Build a house. Well, participate in the building of the house by telling people what to do. And maybe swing a hammer occasionally.
12. Dip my toes in every ocean on Earth. (I might just look at the Arctic Ocean... Brrr.) I guess I just have Indian and Arctic to go, unless you're one of the people who buy into the fifth ocean thing... I don't mind adding Antarctica to the list!

11 things I love to eat (this list will not surprise anyone!):
1. Figs
2. Basil
3. Cheese, pretty much any kind but especially chevre, fresh mozzarella, brie and blue cheese
4. Crusty white bread, ie baguette, but more dense and chewy... ciabatta?
5. Custard
6. Hazelnuts
7. Sun-ripened tomatoes (especially WITH basil and cheese)
8. Steak
9. Warm chocolate chip cookies and milk
10. Roasted vegetables: cauliflower, butternut squash, potatoes...
11. Fondue (this deserves its own category, separate from cheese)
12. Berries: blueberries are at the top, followed quickly by raspberries and strawberries...

10 items currently on my desk:
1. Please do not be horrified, but 3 (count 'em) laptops in various stages of workability. Working on getting to ONE.
2. Nail polish
3. Files of stuff I pretend to work on
4. SanDisk to transfer photos from my good camera to my computer
5. Coupons from a massage therapist I went to recently. She's good.
6. A Little Book of Healing Prayer
7. Takeout menu from PFChangs
8. Wallet I keep meaning to transfer stuff into
9. Landline phone and iPhone
10. Box of tissues (for reading things like Mona Simpson's eulogy for Steve Jobs, or watching Parenthood. Gah.)

9 flowers I would fill my house up with every day if I could:
1. Plumeria
2. Gerbera daisies--every color!
3. English tea roses in pinks and yellows and peaches
4. Forget-me-nots
5. Siberian irises
6. Lilacs
7. Dahlias, in peachy pink shades
8. Sunflowers
9. Peonies

8 favorite songs (hard to keep to 8...):
1. Abide in Me, Kristen Chenoweth
2. The Luckiest, Ben Folds
3. First Day of My Life, Bright Eyes
4. The Way I Am, Ingrid Michaelson
5. Living Prayer, Alison Krause
6. Sailing to Philadelphia, Mark Knopfler
7. Extreme Ways, Moby



8. A Million Ways, OK Go

7 things I can't get through the day without:
1. Coffee
2. iPhone
3. Prayer (feel bad putting that in third place, but it's where it naturally occurred to me...)
4. Kiss/hug/I-love-you to/from husband
5. Hug from Seth (if he's here...)
6. Food
7. A shower. Well, I can, but I really have a better day if I do.

6 favorite authors:
1. C. S. Lewis
2. Jhumpa Lahiri
3. Anne Lamott
4. Donald Miller
5. Mary Oliver
6. Bill Bryson

5 animals I would have as a pet if I could:
1. Giraffe
2. Exotic cat, like an ocelot
3. Red panda
4. Fennec fox
5. Hedgehog

4 words to describe myself:
1. Persistent/persevering
2. Optimistic
3. Cheerful (especially after coffee...)
4. Honest

3 models of vehicles I have owned:
1. Subaru
2. Jeep
3. Honda

2 physical traits that attract me to someone:
1. Eyes
2. Smile

1 favorite season: Doh! Autumn.

Well, that was fun. I'd love to hear yours... you can play along in the comments or on your own blog!

For more Thursday 13s, go here.