Life in Amira Land

25 Things

1. When I was little, I wouldn't eat until I'd smelled my food. If I didn't like the way it smelled, I wouldn't eat it. I have a keenly developed sense of smell now.

2. I cannot carry a tune, yet for two plays that I was in I had to sing: In Barefoot in the Park during a drunk scene and in And Baby Makes 7 by myself, in a bad French accent. Go figure.

3. I love to dance, did pointe in elementary school and drill team in high school (Marielle convinced me to join, quit a year later, then resumed senior year when I quit). Westbury football made it to playoffs at the Astrodome and our team got to do jump splits down the line! In college, I took Argentine Tango with Ricardo and Linnea. After college, I took a continuing studies course on Tango History. Now, I can't afford classes nor do I have the time. Someday. :)

4. I could probably survive on cheese. Or pasta. Or combo: Mac and Cheese! Or candy. Or liquids--I really like health smoothies, grapefruit juice, and carrot juice. A lot. My tastes changed about a year ago and I've gotten weirder about foods that I like. But in a healthy granola crunchy way.

5. I don't like the sound of balloons popping, wasps, or ants. When I was little, I would tiptoe in the grass to avoid ants. Whenever I am anxious, there are ants in my dreams.

6. I am an only child, I am left-handed, and my second toes are longer than my first toes.

7. I have lived in Houston, Arad, DC, Salamanca, Williamstown, Princeton, and Austin.

8. When I laugh really hard, the vein in my forehead bulges.

9. My nickname in college was Midget. My roommate called me Little and my boyfriend called me Little One. Whatever, I am almost five feet tall. :)

10. I had to wear glasses starting in the 1st grade.

11. I can't whistle.

12. Good things, but not romantic things, happen to me on Valentine's Day. On a Feb. 14 in 2002, I found out I'd get to live in DC for a summer and intern with a nonprofit serving youth and in 2006, I found out I was accepted to UT's theatre education grad program.

13. My favorite color is pink and I love feminine things and being girly. Half the time, though, I'd rather be hiking in the mountains.

14. I have always loved to teach and when I was little I would "teach" my Nana how to print instead of writing in cursive. At our "school," I would make snacks and come up with assignments. The snacks were Ritz cracker cream cheese sandwiches, placed in a small Dixie cup, covered with a Kleenex, and bound with a rubber band.

15. I love games. I could play Monopoly, Scrabble, or Spades for hours. At home, at a bar, at a restaurant, on a train...yes.

16. I once pet a deer in the wild in Wyoming. I have pet lots of squirrels, though they're not a fan unless distracted by food. They like Corn Nuts and Girl Scout Cookies.

17. I sometimes listen to Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears songs.

18. When I was born, The Smurfs cartoon was on TV. My dad claims my fist was curled such that it looked like I was flicking off the doctor.

19. During a semester abroad in Spain, I took my first step aerobics class. Learning how to do the footwork in Spanish was a challenge.

20. I have seen U2, No Doubt, They Might Be Giants, Cake, Tristan Prettyman, Regina Spektor, Tom Petty, and a bunch of others in concert. Austin City Limits makes it hard to name them all. Yay, ACL.

21. I love The Beatles. From listening to the albums on road trips to national parks, I could hum the opening notes of the next song in the pause before it.

22. I once biked from Houston to Austin for a good cause and some good exercise. I am sensitive to sugar and after a Gatorade surge I was biking so fast I missed the next rest stop. I had to go back to find my dad. Having to go the other direction on a 100-mile day was not fun. I also once hiked 142 km in six days in Spain with my friend Christa.

23. I really hope I have a girl in the future. My days of playing with Barbies and Playmobil cannot be over, I won't allow it.

24. I won't eat sushi, other weird fishy things, really spicy food, or liver.

25. I get excited about candy stores, toy stores, and cold weather. Snow is awesome. Oh, Texas.