21 (and a half) Things, 2013 version

OK, so I tried not to be influenced by my old 25 Things, but it was darn near impossible.

And I guess trying to be original is not really the point. The goal is to be true, no? 

Also, I am struck by how much of what I have to say about me has to do with food. No wonder I’m overweight! But when I think about it, that is really who I am. If there’s a gathering and no food, I don’t wanna be there! Seriously. The Dalai Lama could be speaking somewhere, telling me about the meaning of life, and I’d be like, “Are there some crab balls somewhere around here? Chips and dip? What the HELL?”

Anyway, so I’m a glutton. And kinda boring. But here goes, for what it’s worth:

21 (and a half) Things (2013)

1. I like to think that I am a good Mom. But I have more anxiety and doubt about that than I do confidence.
2. I feel a little bit like a cliché starting off this list with something about my Mommyhood. But I don’t care.
3. Shellfish is my friend. So is chocolate.
4. It took me until I was in my 30s to figure out what clothes looked best on me and what to do with my hair. And now my figure is shot to hell, I never have time to shop (nor do I really care all that much) and I see a hairstylist (at the mall – gasp!) maybe three times a year.
5. I thought by this time in my life I’d be a happily married mother of three, in a fabulous, well-paying career and with “it all figured out.” Happily married? Check. Mother of three? Check. The other stuff? Ha.
6. Until I met Lester, I was a disaster at picking quality men to date. But I continue my lifelong track record of being kick-ass at picking women to be friends with!
7. I stopped eating red meat in college and never looked back. Then I got pregnant with twins.
8. Not only has my diabetes situation worsened over time, but now I have high-cholesterol too.
9. I have an affinity for all things sweet or salty or smothered in cream or butter. (No. 8 makes more sense now.)
10. Thanks to Lester and his admirable sense of responsibility and money-management, we are credit-card and student-loan debt-free. (Still broke.)
11. I love leftovers. But I used to love them a lot more when the frequency of having to eat them was offset by going out to eat on a regular basis.
12. I still can’t stand for food to sit out after eating meals, but I rarely leave dishes in the sink anymore. Too many people using too many dishes in my house now.
13. I obsess about how much I talk to/read to my children. I’m a little crazy when it comes to developing their “synapses.”
14. Being a mother makes me identify more with my own Mom, and appreciate all that she did for me growing up.
15. I still wear my retainer at night. I also take melatonin. I don’t pray as much as I used to. I regret that.
16. If I have downtime (standing in line, waiting for an appointment, riding the train), I'll take a book over my iPod. But sometimes (boy, I hate to admit this) I’ll now take mind-numbing TV watching over even reading. And I’ll take a nap over everything else.
17. I feel like this 25 Things makes me sound boring as hell.
18. I have always wanted to write children’s books. The desire has only grown the older I’ve gotten. I don’t admit this to too many people because it’s very personal. And scary.
19. I truly hope my children and I will be friends when they’re adults. It is one of my most sincerest hopes.
20. I used to do crazy things like buy really high-end designer handbags and shoes. I look back on those purchases (and the resulting credit card debt) and I don’t recognize myself. 
21. **(Bonus:) In my next life, I will be a photographer, a successful children’s book author and a philanthropist. Also 5 inches taller. But I will still find Lester, marry him and together create three of the most fascinating and beautiful human beings I’ve ever known.

Updated at 12:21 (after commenters chided me for not having 25 things) to add this last thing:

22: I am too lazy and boring and tired to think of three more things. Ha!

25 Random Things (blast from the past)

Those of you who Facebook (yes, I used it as a verb. So what?) might remember a thing that was going around a few years ago called "25 Things."

The idea was that you were supposed to post 25 random things about yourself and then other friends would do the same. In doing so, you would likely learn something about friends you've known a long time or those you just met, but also -- just in thinking hard about and selecting your own "random things" -- you would probably learn something about yourself. I know I did.

Anyway, I'd like to do a 25 Things for this blog, but first I thought I'd go back and find my original one on Facebook. It was penned on Jan. 26, 2009 -- before I was even pregnant with Cary and Dean. Reading it now, I find it extremely interesting. And I wonder what 25 Things I'll come up with to write now that my life has changed so much.

25 Things About Me (from 2009)

1) Sometime in my 30s, I developed a serious case of insomnia.

2) I'm a Gemini, but not a typical skitzo-one. Except in a few ways, like I can't stand for food to sit out after eating meals, but I will leave dishes in the sink, no problem.

3) I am a bonafide Daddy's girl. Case in point: My Dad is the one who took me shopping for the Prom.

4) My three nieces and three nephews call me "Auntie Tika." My Mom's side of the family calls me "Rab." My siblings all call me "Taneek." My husband calls me "beautiful."

5) I try reaaaaallly hard not to walk on sidewalk grates. They're scary.

6) I live for Turner Classic Movies.

7) Jesse Jackson once yelled at me during a phone conversation, and then bragged about it at the Black Baptists' Convention.

8) I have a LOT of girlfriends -- women whose friendship, advice and love I cherish. Thus, I don't really trust women who say things like, "I can't be friends with women."

9) When I'm concentrating on my writing, I take my shoes off and I need to be chewing something. Gum is best, but grapes or granola or some sort of cashew, pistachio, nutty type thing will do.

10) I say I hate cheese but I really only hate certain kinds: stinky ones, hard ones, cheese on sandwiches or grated on salads or on top of things, or by itself. Pizza, lasagna, cheese eggs, mac & cheese -- all fine!

11) My husband has made me more interested in politics.

12) I can't swim. Or ski. Or sing. In fact, I have no athletic or musical talent whatsoever.

13) I despise competition.

14) If there's a choice between watching some relatively new show on TV or the Golden Girls or Matlock, I'll take Blanche and Ben every day of the week.

15) I miss my Grandmother every single day.

16) I wear a retainer at night.

17) I was part of a school desegregation program in kindergarten and 1st grade.

18) I am borderline diabetic, which means I should not eat as many sweets or carbs as I do. Sigh.

19) In high school and college I would be so bummed that I didn't weigh enough to give blood. I finally gained enough weight in my mid-20s. As soon as I could give blood, at an office blood drive, I did -- and hated it. Never did it again.

20) I talk to my sister or my Dad - or both - every day.

21) Sometimes I wonder if I've missed my chance to have children.

22) If I have downtime (standing in line, waiting for an appointment, riding the train), I'll take a book over my iPod all day long.

23) Shellfish is my friend. So is chocolate.

24) I think "nice" is a word too overused to describe people -- most of whom really aren't.

25) In my next life, I will be a photographer and a philanthropist. And 5 inches taller. But I will still find Lester and marry him.

I'll think about my updated list -- which will likely have some of the same things on it -- and post at a later date.

What are your 25 Things?