About Me

Fueled by Diet Coke, a burning need to take pictures of my dinner, and an ardent desire to prove Orange County isn't a vast wilderness of Bed, Bath and Beyond stores and soccer fields , I write daily on my blog "Alive in Wonderland." I live with my devilishly handsome husband and two exceptionally fine kids behind a heavily guarded, yet perfectly landscaped gate in Irvine, California.

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50 random things about me.
1. I collect; Roseville Pottery, fuzzy pens, and clever things people say.

2. I have a list published on McSweeney's: Easy Listening Songs from the '70s rewritten by the artists after they had kids.

3. I have an irrational, but I think not completely unfounded, fear of vans. White unmarked vans are particularly worrisome, and vans with any kind of primer paint showing come in second. Watch video about that here.

4. Every time I watch the 2007 Anaheim Ducks win the Stanley Cup I cry like most girls cry at the end of the movie "Beaches."

5. Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is stand on my tippy-toes to make sure I can still stand on my tippy-toes. This springs from my mild hypochondria.

6. I attended charm school at Montgomery Wards in Huntington Beach, Ca when I was a young girl. I can still walk, sit down and cross my legs with a book perched on my head. Read about my charm school days here.

7. I avoid these people at parties: The Four Dreadful Party Personality Types.

8. I prefer lemony to chocolaty.

9. I have a bird named "Elizabeth," but sadly the cat ate "Mr. Darcy."

10. I was once fired from a job as a waitress at a VERY fancy restaurant in San Francisco because I couldn't open a bottle of wine at the table--I'd totally choke. They restaurant called and left a message. My roommate got the message, copied it on to a post-it and put it on my door. It read something along the lines of "(Blank) called. You're fired. You must be an awful waitress. (Blank) didn't even say sorry and he was kind of laughing." The WORST part was that I was dating (Blank) at the time. That's how bad I was at opening that stupid bottle of wine. I still have a mini-anxiety attack every time I see a corkscrew.

11. I have my own reserve of Snail Jokes that I can tell whenever asked--which honestly, I'm NEVER asked.

12. I would rather eat a bowl of bees than a bowl of peas.

13. I can't stop myself from smiling when I'm in an uncomfortable or overly serious situation. Which has lead to some pretty heated conversations which usually include phrases like "is this all a big joke to you?" or with accusations of "giving mixed messages."

14. I answer rhetorical questions asked by the TV, radio or spam. I can't help it..."Is your garage door embarrassing you and your family?" YES! Or my favorite, "Is your hair trying to tell you something?"

15. Once had the song "Wake me up before you go-go" stuck in my head for an entire summer. It was awful. I drowned it out by listening to Lloyd Cole nonstop. Read the story "Frankly Mr. Shankly."

16. I am an excellent parallel parker.

17. My feet turn bright red when they are hot, convinced this is a sign of serious illness. (See #5 .)

18. Calling me a "freak" or "chicken feet" when this happens hurts my feelings and is just mean.

19. I still wear Love's Baby Soft.

20. I hitchhiked/Eurorailed across Europe when I was twenty- years old--by myself.

21. I can't believe I am not twenty anymore. Then I talk to a twenty-year old and can't believe I was ever twenty.

22. I can't wait until my children understand the concept of irony. But, it will also make me sad.

23. I am a HUGE Crowded House/Neil Finn fan, though I have never seen them in concert.

24. I worked at Ruby's for three years and opened three locations with them. I loved being a Ruby's waitress because it incorporated three of my favorite things: 1) being bossy 2) red lipstick, and 3) chatting with strangers.

25. Matthew Macfadyen over Colin Firth.

26. The first boyfriend I ever had in fifth-grade, Joey Beckett, broke up with me because he said I loved my cats more than him. I can still see him talking to me through the screen of my parent's front door.

27. I broke up with my 11th-grade boyfriend once I saw him in his Farrell's uniform.

28. I had to flirt unabashedly with my (now) husband to get him to ask me out. He was a hot commodity in the brutal, sometimes confusing, San Francisco singles market.

29. My two best friends are identical twins, so is my husband. You might think that being surrounded by mutants would be scary, but I actually lead a very normal life.

30. I always have a camera, tape recorder, and a video camera on me--always.

31. I love Mary Tyler Moore. She was my idol growing up.

32. I'm a quitter, but I never give up. There's a difference. If you're like me, you know what I'm talking about.

33. I can't remember the name of one teacher from 12th-grade at Marina High School.

34. I can tell you the names of every band member in: The Alarm, Simple Minds, Duran Duran, The Split Enz and Psychedelic Furs.

35. My husband and I used to own a restaurant and a coffee house in the Santa Barbara area.

36. My favorite moment in the day is when I see my kids for the first time in the morning. I still can't believe how blessed I am to have them.

37. I haven't seen a scary movie since "The Shining" in 6th-grade.

38. I lived in San Francisco for 10 years where I went to college and worked in TV. My husband and I moved when we decided we wanted to start our family.

39. My son's middle name is Currier, after my step dad.

40. I have a theory that biscotti is a mafia-backed baked good because I haven't ever met anyone who likes them, yet they are everywhere.

41. I have read Wuthering Heights AT LEAST 10 times.

42. My husband has forbidden me from buying anything else with a rabbit on it.

43. I have been using a Mac for three and 1/2 years and won't ever go back.

44. I am a disgraceful speller.

45. I can do...hold on...15 push ups.

46. Small Elizabethan shoes, red velvet and professional photographs of pregnant women cradling their naked bellies creep me out...oh, and that Twilight Zone with William Shatner when he sees the monster on the wing of the plane.

47. I vehemently believe five is the funniest number and every Friday I do a "Friday Five" on my blog. My favorite is Five ways to know you are late for your own funeral.

48. When I was nine-years-old my brothers hung my Holly Hobbie doll in a noose from the ceiling light in my room. I let out a scream of pure terror when I saw it. I can still see her hanging there. Besides that, they were pretty kind to me.

49. I am listening to Joni Mitchell's "You turn me on. I'm a radio" right now.

50. I can be a little self-involved sometimes.