I just decided to write my own meme. And you are all hereby invited to join in the memey-ness, either in the comments or on your own blog…

1) If you were a pair of socks, what would you look like?
Striped and woolly. Handknit.

2) How many bottle openers do you own? Are any of them kifed from the hotel where you stayed on your honeymoon?
Two, one hot pink from The Madonna Inn.

3) Utilikilts: Hot or Not?
Hot when John is wearing one.

4) When you are at the grocery store late at night, what snack food calls your name?
Dark chocolate truffles, SunChips

5) How many scars do you have? What’s your biggest? Your favorite?
Too many to count. 7 prominent ones. Biggest: seam on right leg. Favorite: down the inside of my left arm, from a fencenail (blech).

6) What’s the name of your computer? Your wireless network? Your car?
Junebug, AdamondiAhman, The Car

7) Who was your first kiss? Your most recent kiss? If you have cats, how many times/day do you kiss them?
I can’t remember if his name was Ryan or Steve. He kissed me without any warning and I was so shocked that I couldn’t enjoy it one bit. The first time I volitionally kissed someone it was RobertM (who I googled awhile back and he’s now an attorney in Colorado). Last kiss: a sweet little armlick from EllyCat. Probably more than 20 times/day.

8) What do you wear on days when no one you know will see you?
Red plaid boxer shorts and a ratty tee. Glasses. Hair in ponytail.

9) Phobias?
RATS, falling, heights, that my fly is down while I’m teaching class, that I have cancer again.

10) When you were in school, did you ever negotiate with your teacher for higher grades? If so, did you ever beg or cry?
Nope (though I did cry in front of a teacher-friend once, it was because I was telling her about a recent death in my family and wasn’t because I was begging for a regrade of my exam). I should note, though, that my face spouts tears at the oddest moments–my eyes often water (or my nose runs) when I am intensely focused, and some people have interpreted these as tears of worry or fear…

11) If you had 60 research papers to read, what would you do to avoid reading them?
Write blogmemes (duh!)

12) Your favorite train ride ever?
Summer of 2000, Isle of Man trolley

I have the blahs this afternoon. A somber feeling that might stem from yet another day of rain, or because my vacuum is on the fritz (I love vacuuming), or from my pile of papers to grade that is now about to topple at over 8″ high. Even my afternoon cuppa seemed a little dreary…

Can y’all send something warm and cheery and lovely my way? Or something to make me giggle?

Thank you, my friends.

Last night my yoga teacher warned us that the “work” we’d done on opening our hips might bring back some surprising memories from the past. Because, she said, we store many of our memories in our hips and pelvis.

The cynic in me thinks that such statements are a kind of uninformed hooey. Memories in my hips…yah, right. I mean, I wasn’t born yesterday. I learned about the brain way back in gradeschool.

But then there’s this other part of me that knows how our bodies are imprinted with our experiences. How each fissure and wrinkle and roundness of my body tells the story of me. One of my heartfelt losses when my leg was amputated, was the loss of its tales. I don’t have a photograph as a memorial, and can just barely remember the thick scar running down my knee.

And I also think of my neurobiology class from Gary Lynch, a world-renowned memory researcher. Where I learned that our memories are all the effect of biochemical processes. While current research points to this happening in our brain (and not our hips), I don’t buy that there’s a total disconnect between the two.

As my body moves around it stimulates emotions, desires, passions, resistances, and sensations. So why not memories, too?

A meme from Susan:

What kind of soap do you have in your bathtub/shower right now?
Dove unscented for sensitive skin. It’s one of the few soaps that doesn’t make me itchy.

What color or design is on your shower curtain?
Ours has a map of the world. The whole bathroom has a travel theme (postcards, huge painting of Venice canals, etc.)

What would you change about your living room?
Another cat sitting on the arm of the couch? Seriously, I love my LR as is. Purple couch, crazy red oriental rug, cozy rocker, antique coffee table, plump ottoman… what’s there not to love?

How many plants are in your home?
Four

Are the dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty?
Dishwaher? What dishwasher?

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Usually ceramic. As in, a teacup or mug.

Do you have iced tea, made in a pitcher, right now?
Nope.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No. Those suckers are heavy to carry home from the Farmer’s Market. Apples fit much better in my bike basket.

So, what is in your fridge?
Milk (organic nonfat), yogurt, organic free-range chicken parts (for dinner tonite), salad dressing, Asian, sauces, peanut butter, jams, Asian pickles, dill pickles, olives, gruyere cheese, gouda cheese, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, broccoli, salad greens

What’s on top of your refrigerator?
A microwave and an ice shaver

White or wheat bread?
Wheat. Usually organic.

Comet or Soft Scrub?
I can’t breathe if I use either of them. I clean the sinks and tub with elbow grease.

Is your bed made now?
Kinda–covers pulled up but not tidied. Pillows askew.

Is your closet organized?
Pretty much. My clothes are hanging by type and color. John’s are hanging by type.

Can you describe your flashlight?
Charging in the bathroom outlet. I also keep matches and candles closeby.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
No garage. Our front porch holds our bikes. Front closet has helmets, pumps, etc. Tools are in John’s “office” (storage closet).

If you made it this far, consider yourself invited to join in the meme-y happiness!