It's been awhile since I've taken any photos that were really worth posting here, most of the ones I post are more for my own viewing pleasure. Guess staying home with your toddler all day doesn't give you much time for actual photography. And of course it's been even longer since I've posted or written a poem or anything worthwhile. Lately I just seem to be a deviant watcher, which I suppose is fine, just disappointing on my end. Someday I'll get creative again or at least take some new pretty pictures of my son.

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Post eight random facts about yourself, and then tag three different people.

I wasn't even tagged, I just seem to be innocuously addicted... For the record, this information will only be new if you seriously don't know me. So enjoy. If you do know me, you can join me in saying, "Duh."

1. I took a college course on families, children, and lurrve, and they were discussing the phenomenon of being raised by someone other than your mother or father, so single moms, raised by grandparents, adoptions, or you know if your father is a widower. So I asked, "What if your father raised you by himself and your mother, um, isn't dead. Just left." I was told that doesn't really happen, at least not enough to statistically bother talking about. So my life isn't statistic-worthy, basically. I'm the only one?

2. I have an obsession with organizing, which is mildly ridiculous because I'm fickle with my methods, and very sloppy. So I go on cleaning binges and organize everything just so and sometimes before nightfall, everything is a mess again. I guess it keeps the place from being an all out sty?

3. I really like having a cup of coffee in the morning, but I'm seriously picky about how I take it. I use practically more milk than coffee depending on the strength of the Joe, I definitely use at least two thirds coffee to one third milk, way more than Dunks will ever give you. I don't like half and half and most creamers, finding the flavor "artificially creamy." Sugar? Two tablespoons at least please. For like a big iced coffee, sometimes I'll use 6-12 packets of sugar to get it just right. So I like my sugar with coffee and milk? But I really do like it! Milk and sugar sans coffee wouldn't be preferable I swear!

4. When I was in high school and for most of my life before, I was roughly a size 3. By graduation I was maybe a 5, yet miraculously the same weight, 120. By the end of my sophomore year, that was around 130. By the end of my junior year, I was approaching 150. Senior year, I got depressed and gained even more weight. Then I graduated, fell in love and had a baby before I got around to losing some weight. I won't even tell you my weight now, but I'm pretty sure I'll never be a size 3 again and would be THRILLED to be a size 10.

5. I love to read. If you missed my journal entry, I read almost 40 books last year and wish I could have read MORE. I have piles and piles and piles of books all over my apartment and more at my father's house and my in law's from when I lived there for a year. And I want MORE! I'm obsessed. Apparently, I'd rather read than workout, hehe. And yet, in school, I hated assigned readings. Books I may have read on my own, I'd skim and look up spark notes for online if required for a class.

6. I love most of the PBS shows my son watches, probably more than he does. Word Girl, Curious George, Cyberchase, Big Big World, Word World, Super Why... I have the best job ever, staying home with the world's cutest toddler, playing games and watching cute shows on TV. Of course there is cleaning, cooking, and disciplining thrown in, but I think it's a fair trade.

7. I love talking about myself. And thinking about myself. For someone who seems to care so much about others, I'm awfully self-obsessed. I relate movies, music, tv shows, news articles, everything, to most importantly me. Which Grey's Anatomy character am I most like? How does this song relate to my life? What does this newspaper article mean for me? Maybe this is normal, but honestly, I'm pretty self centered and can be very manipulative at the worst of times...

8. I still consider Scarlett O'Hara a role model and heroine even knowing that she is not necessarily a nice person and if anything resembles the worst aspects of myself, and probably not the best aspects at all. But I don't care. I think that to know the worst about yourself means being able to use that knowledge wisely and make better decisions, and know that even at your worst, still people manage to love you in spite of it. And you can at the very least, attempt to look fabulous while doing it!

If I were a month, I would be: December
If I were a day of the week, I would be: Saturday
If I were a time of day, I would be: 8:00 p.m.
If I were a planet, I would be: Venus
If I were a sea animal, I would be: Dolphin
If I were a direction, I would be: North East
If I were a piece of furniture, I would be: Love Seat
If I were a liquid, I would be: Milk
If I were a stone, I would be: a Gem Stone, unpolished
If I were a tree, I would be: a Weeping Cherry Tree
If I were a bird, I would be: a duckling
If I were a tool, I would be: a swiss army knife
If I were a flower/plant, I would be: a tiger lily
If I were a kind of weather, I would be: warm rain
If I were a mythical creature, I would be: a Mermaid
If I were a musical instrument, I would be: an acoustic guitar
If I were an animal, I would be: a playful kitten
If I were a colour, I would be: scarlet
If I were an emotion, I would be: impatience
If I were a vegetable, I would be: a carrot
If I were a sound, I would be: children's laughter
If I were an element, I would be: liquid
If I were a car, I would be: a red Voltzwagon Cabriolet
If I were a song, I would be: "Daughters" by John Mayer
If I were a movie, I would be: Gone With the Wind
If I were a book, I would be written by: Janet Evanovich
If I were a food, I would be: freshly baked cookies
If I were a place, I would be: an ideal family vacation spot
If I were a taste, I would be: bittersweet
If I were a scent, I would be: vanilla
If I were a word, I would be: Supercalafragalisticexpialadocious
If I were a body part, I would be: the small of the back
If I were a facial expression, I would be: puckering for a kiss
If I were a subject in school, I would be: Creative Writing
If I were a cartoon character, I would be: Word Girl!
If I were a shape, I would be: a heart
If I were a number, I would be: 47
If I were an item of clothing, I would be: comfy pajama pants with pockets
If I were a piece of jewelry, I would be: an engagement ring
If I were a clothing accessory, I would be: the perfect handbag

(01) First name: Jen

(02) Your nickname in DA: awhimsicalfacade

(03) Birthday: 12-24-1982

04) Horoscope sign: Capricorn

(05) Birth town: I was born in Long Beach, CA but don't live there anymore.

(06) Religion: Working on it. I think I'm maybe something, but I haven't fount it yet. I am spiritual, but unfortunately I care too much to just settle right now.

(07) Nationality: Uh, white. WASP. Very white.

(08) Parents: Divorced when I was three, I was raised by my dad. Both parents have remarried a few times.

(09) Do you love them: sure, they're alright

(10) Brothers or sisters: Brother, Mark, Half brother Steven, Half Sisters, Tamara, Erin, Shalyn, and um I'm missing one. Or two. I wasn't raised with them and don't really know any of them other than in pictures.

(11) Do you like the place where you live: I love that it's mine.

(12) Hair color: brown with occasional reddish tones

(13) Color of your eyes: brownish brown

(14) Height: 5' 2.5'' - hey me, too, trackchick!

(15) Weight: too personal a question, sorry.

(16) What school/grade are you going to: n/a I graduated college in '05

(18) Do you work anywhere: At home, being a mom.

(19) What do you want to be in your life: A grandmother. I'm halfway there.

(20) Your life: has been one of fate and accident, mostly.

(21) Personal quote: "Not for Michael!"

(22) Lucky number: 47

(23) What are you interested in: reading, writing, cooking, photography, children, movies, music...

(24) Good side of your character: I'm friendly, intelligent, caring, motherly, silly, usually loyal, thoughtful, introspective...

(25) Bad side of it: I am spoiled and sometimes manipulative, prone to laziness and pessimism and have moments of fickleness

(26) Is your life happy: Mostly

27) Do you think that you are crazy: Sometimes.

(28) What is the time: 8:11 pm.

(29) What is the date: 1-3-2008

30) What's the weather like: Cold and coldy

(31) Favourite day in a week: Saturdays probably

(32) Favourite music: Coffee Shop music, with some pop thrown in

(34) Band: Rebecca Loebe, Jonah Cohen, John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Colbie Caillait, Gwen Stefani...

(35) Song: That's so hard to pick.... um... Lay Me Down Lowly by Rebecca Loebe

(36) Best concert you have been: John Mayer <3

(37) Actress: Julie Andrews, Sandra Bullock

(38) Actor: Johnny Depp, Patrick Dempsey

(39) Film: Gone With the Wind, The Terminal, Elf, Curious George...

(40) TV series: these days, Grey's Anatomy. Love Gilmore Girls, Buffy, Dawson's Creek, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Veronica Mars...

(41) Theatre play: Fiddler on the Roof

(42) Film director: Tim Burton?

(43) Do you want to be famous: No I can't handle the heat. I don't want my dirty laundry up for public scrutiny.

(44) Do you want to be an actor: No I couldn't handle the paparazzi

(45) Do you want to be a singer: No not really

(46) Book: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

(47) Colors: red, pink, green...

(49) Food: Wachusett Sour Cream and Onion potato chips

(50) Drink: Milk

(51) Sweet: Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies

(52) Fruit: Kiwi

(53) The worst food: Peas. Hate em.

(54) The Worst drink: Glog

(55) The worst Singer: Macy Grey

(56) The worst Band: Most Emo bands...

(57) The worst Actor: Vin Deisel

(58) The worst Actress: Liv Tyler. Who looks like her father. There, I said it.

(59) The worst Movie: Goonies

(60) The Worst Book: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

(61) Do you drink alcohol: Rarely more than one or two in a given night. I like Smirnoff Twists and White Russians.

(63) Do you take some drugs: Allergy medicine, so much!

(64) What do you adore to wear: Clothes - like all the time.

(65) Do you think you're pretty: Pretty ugly.

(67) The most beautiful person you have ever seen/male: Johnny Depp

(68) The most beautiful person you have ever seen/female: Nicole Kidman?

(69) The most beautiful person on dA/male: ? Men are beautiful? Other than Johnny Depp?

(70) The most beautiful person on dA/female: Me.

(71) 3 of your best friends on dA/male that you havent met in real life: I don't actually know that many people on dA. It's not like this is a social networking site, guys. That's what Facebook or Myspace are for.

(72) 3 of your best friends on dA/female that you havent met in real life: I don't even know how to answer this.

(73) The ugliest person on dA/male: You have nothing better to do with your time? Really?

(74) The ugliest person on dA/female: Seriously?

(75) The person on dA who you love the most/female: K Ron!

(76) The person on dA who you love the most/male: Gunboy, even though we almost never talk anymore. He's still my favorite.

(77) The person on dA who you don't like at all/female: n/a

(78) The person on dA who you don't like at all/male: Honestly, dA just isn't that big a part of my life. If I don't like you, you aren't THERE.

(79) Are you in love?: Heck yes.

(80) Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend: No, but I have a husband.

(81) How does he/she looks like: That sentence isn't really well phrased. Are you asking me if they look good or what they look like? I mean are you asking me: "How does he look?" or "What does he look like?" Get back to me with better clarification and MAYBE I'll answer. Maybe.

(82) Is he/she from dA(put avatar): No, I'm pretty sure he's from America.

(83) When was your Very First Kiss: Urm, when I was like 14, with my first boyfriend Travis. I think we were playing Truth or Dare.

84) How was it: So awesome. No, not really. I don't really remember it to be honest.

(87) E-mail address: Yeah, I have one.

(88) Do you have something against gays: Um, no? Do you have something against people with brown hair?

(89) The best experience in your life: Motherhood.

(90) The worst experience in your life: The early months of my first pregnancy, trying to get my family to get on board with the idea.

(91) When were you the happiest: My wedding day? Or when my son was born?

(93) When were you the saddest: That's kind of hard to say. It always feels like "This is the saddest I've ever been" but I don't know, I think I'll face worse things yet.

(94) Who do you want to go on a deserted island with: Um my husband and my son? I'd be pretty sad without them.

(95) Do you have a secret: Not one that I can think of at the moment, no...

(96) What would you do if you were invisible for one hour: Probably make fun of anyone in the room?

(97) Who do you want to get stuck in a lift with: Is that like an elevator? Someone who would give me lots of money if they were ever stuck in a "lift" with me...

(98) Do you have an idol: Does Scarlett O'Hara count?

(99) If the world goes to apocalypse, and you can save only one person, who will that be: That's just mean. Can my husband and son count as one person?

(100) If you could meet anyone from dA who would it be: Um, I honestly have no idea. I only know a handful of the people on my watch list, and don't know any of the others well enough to really say for sure...

01. Bait and Switch by Janet Evanovich
02. Hot Six by Janet Evanovich
03. Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
04. Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
05. Love Overboard by Janet Evanovich
06. Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich
07. Match Me if You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
08. Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich
09. Welcome to Club Mom! by Leslie L. Spirson and Jack Lindstrom
10. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun
11. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern by Lilian Jackson Braun
12. To the Nines by Janet Evanovich
13. Manhunt by Janet Evanovich
14. Hot stuff by Janet Evanovich
15. Magyk by Angie Sage
16. Flyte by Angie Sage
17. 10 Big Ones by Janet Evanovich
18. Empress Orchid by Anchee Min
19. Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich
20. Swapping Lives by Jane Green
21. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich
22. Plum Lovin by Janet Evanovich
23. Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich
24. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
25. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
26. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
27. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
28. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
29. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
30. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
31. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
32. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
33. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
34. Physik by Angie Sage
35. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
36. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
37. Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman
38. Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

I don't see the last Harry Potter book in this list, but I think I read that this year too. I know I read it, I just think it was in 2007. It couldn't have been 2006 right? Anyway, roughly 40 books. None too shabby in my opinion and I certainly may have forgotten to list a few. Let's see if I can beat this record in 2008! I may post reviews later. Some VERY good books are on this list.