Most everyone who reads this blog knows that I turned 30 (or, as I like to say, 20-10) today! I am thankful for my wonderful husband (who at this very moment is on a mysterious birthday errand), family, and friends. Thanks for all you've done and are doing to make me feel special today. :)

The only difficulty I have about turning 30 is a nagging feeling of not having accomplished enough, and of time going by way too fast. Thirty feels like "Uh-oh, no more playing around. This is my real life as a grown up now!" I am trying to take the negative nagging feeling and turn it around to a positive, making sure I get what I want out of life feeling. The last 10 years have brought a lot of surprises, so maybe the next 10 will as well!

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Book: What book are you most ashamed you haven't read?
Submitted by Byrne.

The Brothers Karamazov : A Novel in Four Parts and an Epilogue (Penguin Classics)

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Who or what do you really love?

1. My family (hubby definitely included)
2. Puppies! (We're gonna get one soon -- Oops! Did I just let the puppy out of the bag?)
3. Snow when I don't have to go out in it

That's all I've got for now!

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What did you dream about last night?  

I don't remember what I dreamed last night, but I have been having some strange ones lately. My cousin showed up in a rather involved dream I had two nights ago. He was really happy to see me and it was nice. Which is kinda strange, since I haven't seen him in seven years or so. Huh.

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I'm here online staying up entirely too late because I am going a bit crazy. There's this US Cellular commercial that I saw for the umpteenth time tonight. On this commercial is a girl (woman, really) who reminds me so much of someone I knew in high school. Every time I see it I stare at her and think, "Is that you?"

Alas, a Google search has turned up nothing, so I may never know.

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dum de dum... twiddling my thumbs.

So, as often happens, I'm working from home and there's something wrong with the server or some such technical thing at the office. Now I'm trying to keep in touch via sometimes-working email and figure out when I can start working again. It's kind of frustrating, but it's also a bonus because then I have time to putz around while I wait for things to work again.

In the meantime, I'm looking up info for a day of travel and treats to the great dairy state of Wisconsin this weekend. Paul and I often go up there and jaunt around to the same few little attractions. This time we're taking a friend who has never (gasp!) been to the Mars Cheese Castle or eaten at Chick-Fil-A. This situation, of course, must be remedied!

Ok, now it looks like my work stuff might be working, so I've gotta go.

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So, I'm probably way late on this, but the BBC has a list of 50 things to eat before you die. Why was I not informed?! This is a project I can definitely get behind. I've already got a lot of them covered, actually. I have happily partaken in numbers 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 38, 39, 41, 44, 45, 46, 49, and 50. That leaves 21 to go!

1. Fresh fish
2. Lobster
3. Steak
4. Thai Food
5. Chinese food
6. Ice cream
7. Pizza
8. Crab
9. Curry
10. Prawns
11. Moreton Bay Bugs
12. Clam chowder
13. Barbecues
14. Pancakes
15. Pasta
16. Mussels
17. Cheesecake
18. Lamb
19. Cream tea
20. Alligator
21. Oysters
22. Kangaroo
23. Chocolate
24. Sandwiches
25. Greek food
26. Burgers
27. Mexican food
28. Squid
29. American diner breakfast
30. Salmon
31. Venison
32. Guinea pig
33. Shark
34. Sushi
35. Paella
36. Barramundi
37. Reindeer
38. Kebab
39. Scallops
40. Australian meat pie
41. Mango
42. Durian fruit
43. Octopus
44. Ribs
45. Roast Beef
46. Tapas
47. Jerk chicken/pork
48. Haggis
49. Caviar
50. Cornish pasty

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What's your favorite foreign accent?

This one's easy -- British! How do they always manage to make everything sound so damn sophisticated? They could say, "Pardon me, I farted." and it would sound fantastic. And the worst part about it is that I can never sound like that unless I want to be a poser like Madonna. No, I'm stuck with my nasal Chicago accent, which isn't half bad, either.

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        How many places have you lived in your life?

Oh, my, this is the one for me! Let's see....

1. Chicago, IL (Many moves and places here)
2. Elkhart, IN
3. Evanston, IL (Twice)
4. Grand Junction, CO
5. Oak Park, IL
6. Denver, CO

If we're talking about how many different houses/apartments I've lived in, that would be:

1. Apartment, Chicago
2. House, Elkhart
3. Apartment, Evanston
4. Apartment, Evanston
5. Apartment, Grand Junction
6. House, Grand Junction
7. Dorm, Chicago
8. Dorm, Chicago
9. Dorm, Chicago
10. House, Chicago
11. Apartment, Chicago
12. Apartment, Chicago
13. Apartment, Chicago (first time living on my own!)
14. Apartment, Chicago (first time living with Paul!)
15. Apartment, Denver
16. Apartment, Oak Park
17. Apartment, Evanston
18. Apartment, Oak Park (Soon to be - moving at the end of Sept.)

And all the while lugging many boxes of books along with me. :)

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What's your middle name?  Is there a story or history behind it?

My middle name is currently my maiden name -- Habegger. It was originally Marie, but I decided that I didn't want to have four names after I got married. Now I'm rethinking that, though, and am considering adding Marie back into the mix.

It just seems wrong that my Mom can't scream "Jean Marie!" at me without technically being wrong.

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