The End of This Year and the Beginning of the Next

Well, 2015 is looming large and I am excited to know that I will be done with school this year and back on track with my SMC goals. I hope this coming year is a good one.

This past year I challenged myself to blog once per week, and in December I challenged myself to blog once per day. Now both challenges are over and done. There was only one week this year, in July, when I wasn't able to at least throw something up on the blog and that was due to my internet being out. Then in December I was late posting for one day because I worked late, joined a friend for a late dinner, and didn't get home until after midnight so I had to make up for it by posting twice the next day.

I have mixed feelings about the challenges. On one hand I'm glad I stuck it out and I'm proud of myself for having done so. On the other hand there were times it felt more like a chore and like I could have done better in regards to content.
But as I say goodbye to 2014 I thought I'd update on a few of the things I blogged about over the year.

• Scarf project - I'm still working on it but it's currently less than two feet long so progress has been fairly slow.
• Costume pictures - There are still no good pictures of me in the costume. Trying to coordinate my sister's schedule, my schedule, and the weather has proven difficult.
• My guy friend (PBJ) - We're still friends and things are still complicated.
• My summertime cough - I tested negative for whooping cough, yet I read somewhere that the cough associated with whooping cough can last for 12 weeks. Mine lasted from the third week in June to the middle of September - just about 12 weeks. My friend (PBJ) also had the same horrible cough, his also lasted about 12 weeks. I wonder if it was a false negative for whooping cough? If not I wonder what the hell we had.
• School - In for penny, in for a pound, right? I signed up for six classes next semester. I anticipate not having a lot of free time, but maybe this way I can end in the summer instead of next December - fingers crossed.
• Graduation Celebration Vacation - I still really want to do this but I'm still undecided about where to go, how much I can afford, and whether I really am brave enough to go it alone.

Finally I want to say a big, heartfelt THANK YOU!!! to all those who commented on my blog throughout this year. It really meant a lot to me and I wish I had had more time to personally answer each one.

Blog Challenge Day 30: One Thing You're Excited For

I'm excited for New Year's Eve game night. Every year we pass the time until midnight with board games and card games, and it's a great end to the holiday season. I wish we could have a game night once a week, or even once a month, but we all get so busy that game night only happens about a handful of times per year. But on New Year's Eve it's become a tradition. So, I look forward to the snacks and the desserts, the winning and the losing, the laughter and the fun times, as well as a brand new year.

Blog Challenge Day 29: Five Weird Things That You Like

1. When the clock reads 12:34.

2. When I'm driving really late at night and very few people are on the road because then I feel like some kind of apocalypse survivor (preferably the zombie apocalypse) and I can pretend I'm on a supply run in a (mostly) abandoned town.

3. The smell of my deodorant. I mean everyone should like the smell of whichever one they choose but I would be so sad if they discontinued this scent.

4. When the air is so cold that breathing in sort of freezes the inside of your nose. It's a weird feeling that I like for about one breath, then I'm quick to burrow into my scarf and breathe through that as much as possible.

5. Mayonnaise. Not because it's weird to like mayonnaise, but because I could eat it out of the jar, and that's probably weird.

Blog Challenge Day 28: Somewhere You'd Like to Move to or Visit

There are several countries in the world that I would love to visit; maybe I'd even consider moving to a few of them, but of all the countries I've never been to there is one which holds a special fascination for me. That country is Sweden.

Some of my ancestors came on the boat directly from there and I still have a few distant relatives that reside there to this day. Many of our family traditions, especially around the holidays, center on old Swedish traditions and I think it is for that reason that I feel more kinship with Sweden than I feel with any of the other countries my ancestors hail from.

So, while I don't know if I would ever move there (I barely speak a word or two of Swedish!), I would love to visit someday.

Blog Challenge Day 27: A Qoute You Try to Live By

As a perfectionist I tend to put things off worrying that it won't be perfect whenever I do get around to starting. I do this both for boring things like homework projects and for fun things like taking up drawing again. I just get so worried about things going wrong, or not feeling truly ready to start that I have to remind myself it's okay to not be perfect or not be completely ready. I just need to start from wherever I am and go from there, otherwise I'll never get to do the things I need and want to do.

Blog Challenge Day 26: Things You Like and Dislike About Yourself

I like that I am a good listener. I dislike that I am so sensitive.

I like that I am open-minded. I dislike that my brain freezes up in certain social situations.

I like that I enjoy a variety of interests. I dislike having low self-esteem.

I like that I try to be kind. I dislike being too shy to give genuine compliments.


I know this is a short list but I'm going to stop there because I'm thinking up a bunch of "dislikes" and no "likes" to go with them.

Blog Challenge Day 25: Something You're Currently Worrying About

I worry that it might already be too late. I worry that my fertile peak has come and gone and that my fertility could be declining. I worry about this, not just because of my age, which, while not ideal, is still a relatively fertile age for most women, but because my sister has endometriosis and I know that having a close relative with it can increase a person's chances of having it. I also know that not everyone has the pain that accompanies endo but they can still have the condition. Beyond that I know exploratory surgery is the only definitive way of diagnosing it. I worry because I have some of the symptoms of endo.

Then there is my second fertility worry - PCOS. I have already had my testosterone levels tested once and they were just above the normal range for a woman, which makes sense because I have some symptoms of that. PCOS, like endo, is another condition that seems to manifest differently in each person, as well as being difficult to definitively diagnose. I have had a pelvic ultrasound which showed no tell-tale "string of pearls" but then I've heard that not having that doesn't always mean no PCOS.

Finally, there is a family history of fibroids, which I believe raises my risk of getting them, though none showed up on my ultrasound. What did show up, though was a teeny tiny polyp.

I have consulted Dr. Google (as well as real doctors) on all these conditions and I am amazed how similar the symptoms are for each of them. And I have at least a couple symptoms or risk factors for them all.

So this is why I worry and wonder if it may already be too late. And what will having to wait longer do to me? I still need to finish school, get a good-paying job, and establish myself in my own home/apartment. All this waiting and worrying is driving me crazy.

And after all that - Merry Christmas!

Blog Challenge Day 24: Five Words/Phrases That Make You Laugh

1. "The only thing standing between me and total happiness is reality." - Douglas Porter

2. "If at first you don't succeed...so much for skydiving." - Henny Youngman

3. "I put the pro in procrastination." - Unknown

4. "Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience." - Greg King

5.

Blog Challenge Day 23: Something That You Miss

I miss my cat, Gypsy.

I miss our after-work routine where I would sit down on my bed to take off my shoes and she would walk back and forth across my lap. Then sometimes, when I had time, I would grab my book and lay down to read a few chapters and she would lay on my chest and purr and knead her paws and I would pet her while reading.
It was always a highlight of my day to see her when I came home.

Sleeping on my chest in the unfinished basement many years ago.

Blog Challenge Day 22: Your Academics

Final grades have been posted for this last semester and it looks like I got all A's again. It was a lot harder this time around as the last month of the semester felt like solid homework and I was ready to be done at the beginning of November. Not a good combination.

Now I have to decide if I am going to add two more classes onto next semester for a total of six. I don't really want to, but I also don't want to come back for Fall semester next year. I guess my decision will come down to which option is the lesser of two evils.

Either that or I could quit completely, try to find a couple odd jobs that pay the bills and work on starting my business. That could be either the smartest or the dumbest move of all. But whichever way I choose I will have to decide quickly because tuition for next semester is due sooner than I'd like.

Blog Challenge Day 21: Future

Full title: "How you hope your future will be"

I hope someday I can proudly say I love my life.

I hope my future will be full of smiles, happiness, and laughter.

I hope there will be good memories to look back on and more good things to look forward to.

I hope I can find my patience again and I hope I can learn to relax and live in the moment more.

I hope I will feel settled and not constantly plagued by worries and what-ifs.

I hope I will feel good about the choices I make.

I hope there will still be love to give and receive.

Blog Challenge Day 20: Your Fears

I think I've shared my fears on here before in various previous posts, the biggest of which would be ending up childless and alone. But rather than rehash some of the deep fears that I have already shared I thought maybe I'd talk about a slightly more superficial one - my fear of spiders and anything with more than six legs.

I hate them. They move so quickly on those long thin legs and they always seem like they are plotting to get me. It doesn't even matter that most of them aren't deadly to humans, there is just something so creepy in the way they look and move. In fact, I think there is only one deadly spider native to where I live, the Black Widow, and despite living here my whole life I'm not sure that I've ever officially seen one. And I hope I never do.

Anyway, just thinking of spiders brings to mind one time when I nearly ran into a Cookie spider. I was in high school and horse-crazy so I cleaned stalls at a barn after school in exchange for riding lessons. The fresh bedding for the stalls was kept on the other side of the arena so I had my cart and I was heading to get some. I started off across the arena not really paying much attention when my eyes focused at the very last second to see a large Cookie spider hanging down right in front of me, right at face level. Had I not looked up at that moment I would have literally run face first into the big ugly thing. Fortunately I was able to move aside and avoid hitting it. Even now, over a decade later, the memory still makes me shudder and gives me that creepy-crawly feeling.

And then there are centipedes and their ilk who just have way too many legs and also move at lightning speed. Disgusting.

Blog Challenge Day 19: Five Items You Lust After

1. A stylish leather jacket.

2. A kick-ass pool.

3. A stylish pair of boots.

4. These keychains (and a boyfriend to go with them).

5. And these leggings, for some reason.

Blog Challenge Day 18: A Problem That You Have Had

Lately my biggest problem has been getting to bed at a decent hour. My work schedule right now has me coming home in time to eat a late dinner and get ready for bed so I can wake up in the morning and do it all over again. But because it is a busy and stressful season at work I find that I need time to decompress after coming home and this is where I begin to run into problems.

I spend so much time decompressing that I start to get tired and find myself falling asleep while on the computer, watching TV, or reading a book. I also tend to delay getting ready for bed because I know it will take me an hour or longer due to taking my shower at night. Logic says that delaying getting ready for bed is what costs me the most time, but trying to convince my over-tired brain to drag my butt to the shower is practically a herculean task. So I end up taking a nap sometime around midnight just so I can wake up a few hours later, take a shower, and then go to bed.

The disrupted sleep plus the stress and scheduling of work cause the cycle to happen over and over again right now.

But, truth be told, as a night owl I tend to have this problem all year long. I can't remember the last time I got to bed before midnight and can probably count on one hand the number of times I did so in the past year. It's just that during every other season it is just me being stupid and not wanting to go to bed, despite knowing I need to. But this time of year I really do need that decompression time and have nowhere to squeeze it in without sacrificing sleep.

I'm so glad I had today off from work. Maybe I can actually get to bed early tonight and get my sleep schedule somewhat corrected.

Blog Challenge Day 17: Something That You're Proud Of

I'm not the most athletically-inclined and team sports are the worst for me. I always hated in gym class when we would play anything like softball or kickball where the one person who is up to bat is the sole focus of everyone playing. A friend and I used to line up last hoping our team would strike out before it was our turn to bat (actually got yelled at by the teacher for continually lining up last!)

Anyway, along came college and one day I found myself hanging out with old friends and new, and one of the guys suggested we play wiffle ball. Not wanting to be left out I went along.

Like most college campuses ours had a nice open grassy space perfect for playing, and as the warm spring sun began descending in the West we divided into two small teams and faced off.

With the small number of players, and the rapidly disappearing sunshine, game-play was brisk and all too soon we came to the final inning. The teams were tied, my team was at bat. I took my usual place as last in line. All of my teammates batted, each managed to fill a base. It all came down to me.

The sun was nearly down, it was getting really hard to see the ball.

First pitch - Strike!

Second pitch - Strike!

Third pitch - I hear the bat crack against the wiffle ball and watch as the ball arches in slow motion over the heads of the other team. I chuck the bat and head for first, my teammate on third heads for home. We won the game!!

For once in my life I actually helped win a team sport! I was so proud!

One of the guys on the losing team owned the equipment and he insisted I take the wiffle ball as a trophy of our victory. I think I still have it around somewhere.

For the record, I don't think I've played anything resembling baseball since then!

Blog Challenge Day 16: "What if..."

The long title for this one is "Something you always think 'what if...' about".

I always think what if I had gone to graduate school right after getting my Bachelor's. My life could be so different right now. I could have long-since had both my Master's and my PhD. Maybe I would have a fulfilling career that I loved. Maybe I would be living in my own home. Maybe I would have met "the one" in graduate school and we'd be happily married with a couple kids by now. Or maybe I would be up to my ears in debt, living with my parents, and working a crappy job.

There's just no way of knowing or predicting how things might have turned out if I had chosen differently. And while it's sad to think my life could have been a lot better, it's also good to remind myself that this path has not been without its share of good things too. Still, it's fun sometimes to imagine myself as the intrepid, globe-trotting archaeologist I could have been.

Blog Challenge Day 15: Your Zodiac / Horoscope

The title for this one is "Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality".

My zodiac sign happens to be Taurus the bull. The characteristic most often associated with Taurus is stubbornness, something which I have in spades. I can be slow to make up my mind, but once I do I am loathe to change it. Sometimes I find myself digging in my heels even when I know I will have to switch things around or do something different.
I don't really know of any other characteristics most often associated with Taurus. Everything I read about seems like characteristics that could be applied to just about any sign in the zodiac, like artistic ability or patience (not that other zodiac signs can't be stubborn too!).

Blog Challenge Day 14: What You Wore Today

Work got in the way yesterday and I never found the time to blog so today is a two-fer!

I'm a little disappointed this particular challenge fell on a Sunday. Sunday is laundry day and chores day and because of that I wear the kind of clothes that are fit to do chores in.

As I sit here and type this I have no makeup on and my hair is pulled into a messy braid. Not exactly picture-worthy. I guess I will have to describe my outfit instead.

I've got on a dark blue Scotland t-shirt with a white Celtic-style "S"on the front. I try to get a t-shirt when I visit different places and I got this one in Scotland on my last trip there. The first time I wore it at home I was taking my suitcase to the basement to put back in storage and I brushed up against an upholstered chair and somewhere on that chair was a hidden nail that caught my t-shirt and ripped a tiny little hole in it. I was so disappointed. Eventually I managed to find some thread that matched perfectly and patched up the hole. T-shirts aren't the easiest to mend holes in but it looks okay and has held up for a couple years now.

Under my t-shirt I have on a white long-sleeved shirt because it's cold.

My jeans today are about one to two sizes too big. I swear when I tried them on at the store that they were just about right. But when I got them home it was like they had grown a size. Usually my clothes magically shrink between the store and home but these went the opposite. I have lost a little weight since I bought them so I'm sure that contributes but they are too wide in the waist, too long in the leg and just generally not flattering. Anyone else have this happen where something looks great in the store and you get home and you're like "what was I thinking?!"

Over my t-shirt I'm also wearing what I call a "house sweater". Basically a plain grey zip-up hoodie that I wear around the house as an extra layer of warmth, because it's cold.

Finally, I will share a picture of my socks. My dad buys Christmas socks for us every year and I've got a pretty healthy collection of them now so I try to wear them as often as possible between Thanksgiving and Christmas. These have pictures of bells on them and the writing spells Jingle.

Blog Challenge Day 13: Body

The title for this is "Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it"

The best answer I can give for this is that I am somewhat comfortable with my body. There are some things I like about it, some things I don't, and some things I wish I could change.

I did not escape adolescence without becoming a little self-conscious about certain areas and I do still look on with a bit of jealousy toward models who have what I lack. There are certain outfits and styles of clothes that would be nice to wear but I know from experience that I would look horrible in them.

At the same time I'm learning to adopt a "screw it" attitude and rock the kind of outfits that hide most of the flaws while making me feel good.

However, it is still a constant battle when I look in the mirror to keep me from thinking bad things about myself, and I imagine it might only get worse as I get older.

Blog Challenge Day 12: Five Guys Whom You Find Attractive

This one was tough to narrow down, I could have easily made a list of 10-15 or more. These ones all happen to be popular actors - not too surprising for me. :)

So, in no particular order:

Chris Hemsworth

Tom Hiddleston

Kit Harington

Charlie Hunnam

Chris Pine

Yummy!

Blog Challenge Day 11: Your Family

In the first part of the year my brother moved in with us to save some money, and after listening to his opinions for more than half a year I have some serious concerns about how he will react to my plans to become an SMC.

He, like the rest of my family, will not find out about my plans until or unless there is an actual baby on the way. But even when there is a baby I worry about his reaction to the whole idea of using a sperm donor to conceive a child, as well as raising a child without a father.

Over the years he has taken a path opposite to mine on several issues and his latest girlfriend is pulling him further down this path. It is no use arguing with him because he is one of those people who believes his opinion is always right and he is not very open minded. I don't believe that even if I explained my reasons for choosing to be an SMC that he would really listen or even try to understand.
And even if he did accept my choice I worry about some of the things he says sometimes. Things that are bordering on misogynistic. I don't want any son or daughter of mine around to hear that.

Yet, on the one hand I don't want to vilify him since he can be a nice person a lot of the time, but on the other hand I don't want to make excuses for him just because he's been through a divorce, which I think was the event that changed him most.

I think that unless he makes some kind of effort to be understanding and accepting, my best bet is probably to make sure my kids don't see their uncle very often, which is sad but probably better for everyone.

Blog Challenge Day 10: Songs

The title for this one is "put your music player on shuffle and write the first ten songs that play".

1. Bad Horse Chorus - Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog soundtrack
2. Does Your Mother Know - Christine Baranski & Philip Michael, Mamma Mia! soundtrack
3. Beautiful Soul - Jesse McCartney
4. Bad Day - Daniel Powter
5. Bust Your Windows - Jazmine Sullivan
6. Point of No Return/Chandelier Crash - Phantom of the Opera soundtrack
7. Let Me In - Save Ferris
8. Forca - Nelly Furtado
9. Thriller - Michael Jackson
10. All I Ask of You (Reprise) - Phantom of the Opera soundtrack

Okay, shuffle was apparently in the mood for songs that are more than five years old tonight! And while I suppose it is representative of some of the different songs and soundtracks that have found their way onto my music player I wish it hadn't picked from the same soundtrack twice. Oh well.

Blog Challenge Day 9: How Important You Think Education Is

It's timely that this one should come in the middle of finals week.

For me there are two sides to education, formal and informal, and I think they are both quite important and work together to advance learning.

On the formal side I think everyone should be educated at least through a high school level, but beyond that the choice to do further education should be left up to the individual.
Some people do well in college and an advanced degree (or three!) is the right choice for them. Even those who struggle in education can still benefit from college if a specific job is their goal and they are willing to work hard.
However, for some people further education is simply not the best choice, whether they would do well or not. In this case jobs that don't require a degree might be the best option.

Outside of formal education I think it is important that people be life-long learners. It doesn't matter how many degrees you have, or if you don't have any at all, everyone can learn something new every day from all kinds of different sources. We just need to be open to absorbing any new information.

Blog Challenge Day 8: What You Ate Today

I meant to do pictures for this but I was about halfway through my post-lunch dessert when I remembered this topic was on tap for today. Ooops! So no pictures, but I'll post the list anyway.

Breakfast:

• Cereal with milk

Lunch:

• Egg salad sandwich
• Wavy chips
• A bit of cheese
• Muddy buddies for dessert

Dinner:

• Chicken Enchiladas
• Jello with fruit
• Mixed veggies
• A piece of chocolate
• A chocolate crinkle cookie

If I have an evening snack later it will probably either be more muddy buddies or zucchini bread.

Blog Challenge Day 7: Five Pet Peeves

1. My parents still say they "have to go potty".

2. When customers bring their dogs or food into my place of work without asking first, especially when they throw their food trash on the floor or leave it sitting on a shelf.

3. Horribly bad grammar and spelling. I know we all make mistakes every once in a while and that's fine, but there are some truly bad/sad examples on the internet, especially on many of the popular social media sites.

4. Drivers who insist on tailing me as closely as possible when I'm already going over the speed limit.

5. When my brother takes most of the food.

Blog Challenge Day 6: Your Views on Mainstream Music

I don't ask for much from my music. It either needs to have lyrics that speak to me, or a good beat, and not be annoying. I find that most mainstream music, and several musicals, fit the bill just fine.

Maybe I'm too lazy, or not hipster enough or something, but I've never felt the need or desire to sift through indie music to find the gems. Give me pop, give me rock, give me whatever the radio plays, so long as it fills my requirements.

Blog Challenge Day 5: Things You Want to Say to an Ex

Well, these three guys aren't exactly exes per se, but I did go on dates with each of them and I might still be a little bitter that I was such a doormat back then.

To Guy 1: Thank you so much for bringing your female best friend along on our first date. That didn't make it awkward at all. Also, thank you for pointing out how I didn't talk much during the date. I don't exactly talk much at the best of times but especially not in a group situation with near-strangers. Good thing your friend was there to dominate the conversation.

To Guy 2: If you had your eyes set on the girl you started dating immediately after our first date you really could have turned me down when I asked you out. Why get my hopes up and waste my time and yours? Also, that was so kind of you to ask if I had a boyfriend a month after our date and then tell me you weren't surprised that I didn't. Jerk. I was never more happy than when you left for study abroad.

To Guy 3: What in the actual hell was going on in your life/brain? Oh wait, you were in college, maybe that explains it. But seriously, why the farewell "date"? Wasn't one "date" enough? Also, I know you didn't think I knew what Crohn's disease was, I did. And I had a fun time imagining you with all the symptoms.

Blog Challenge Day 4: Bullet Your Whole Day

Today is a pretty boring day to bullet but here goes:

• 11:00am - Woke up (for the record I didn't get off work until about 2:30am or in bed until 4am and I don't have to get up early for school on Thursdays hence the late wake-up time)
• 11:00 - 12:00 Got ready for the day, ate breakfast while reading the newspaper
• 12:00- 2:00 Put away laundry, worked on my final project for my tax class
• 2:00 - 2:30 Ate lunch while working on my tax project
• 2:30 - 6:00 Worked on my tax project
• 6:00 - 8:00 Went to dinner with the family to celebrate my brother getting his pilot's license, got to go to a restaurant I've never been to before
• 8:00 - 10:00 Worked on my tax project, printed final copy of my tax project
• 10:00 Started blogging

I predict the rest of my day will include beginning studying for one of my finals, gathering information to complete another final project, and getting to bed sometime after midnight.

Blog Challenge Day 3: A Book You Love

I have several books that I love, many of which tend to be the popular reads like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, so for this I thought I would talk about a book which isn't so massively popular but which I definitely love:

Alpine for You

Mystery novels have long been one of my favorite genres dating back to my grade school love of Nancy Drew and my middle school introduction to Agatha Christie. I love trying to guess "whodunnit" even though I hardly ever get it right. There have been several great mysteries and mystery series I have read over the years but Alpine For You and the rest of Maddy Hunter's Passport to Peril mystery series really stand out in my mind for their great combination of mystery, humor, and travel. Upon reading the series a second time I found myself laughing out loud all over again. The only thing I regret about getting hooked on these books is that Maddy Hunter only did six of them. It was a sad day when I finished the last one.

Update: After hitting publish I found out that after a five year break she has come out with three more novels in the series!!!!!!!
 

Blog Challenge Day 2: Something You Feel Strongly About

(This is just a general rant that stems from my own experience as a child and on into adulthood, I'm not accusing anyone who reads this blog of actually parenting this way)

To parents of all ages with children of all ages:

If your child comes to you with an idea they have that they are excited about, don't immediately tell them everything that is wrong with it.

I think this is done as a misguided attempt to protect children from the harsh reality of failure. After all, if a kid knows what to expect they won't be surprised when, or if, things go wrong.

But, instead of protecting kids by preparing them for the worst, this tactic ends up producing unexpected consequences. I know because I have lived them and am still struggling with them.

First, it destroys confidence. Kids get the message that none of their ideas are good enough. Kids also get the message that you don't believe they're smart enough to see the pitfalls of their ideas or that they're smart enough to come up with solutions to those pitfalls.

Second, your kid will stop sharing their ideas with you. In fact, they will go out of their way to keep from telling you their ideas.
Wouldn't you rather your child was excited to share something with you?

Finally, whenever your child comes up with an idea, he or she might internalize your lesson and immediately begin coming up with everything that is wrong with their idea, completely deflating any enthusiasm and stopping most ideas before they get off the ground.

Parents should be their child's cheerleader and supporter, not their child's harshest critic. There's a whole world of harsh critics who can fulfill that role. Parents need to lay the foundation for confidence. Confidence is such a big key to everything in life and it is extremely difficult to fashion confidence from nothing, and it is so hard to believe in yourself when no one else ever has.

So please, please don't rain on your child's parade.

Blog Challenge Day 1: Five Ways to Win Your Heart

Not that any males will read this but here is a 5-step guide to winning my heart.

 1. The proper way to ask me on a date/propose:

2. Compliment my cooking/baking.

3. Love animals, especially cats.

4. Be a good listener.

5. Don't be a know-it-all.