Type A...or not?

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

You Have A Type B+ Personality

• You're a pro at going with the flow
• You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer
• A total joy to be around, people crave your stability.
• While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity.
• Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done
• You're passionate - just selective about your passions

I think this is about 75% accurate. I'm pretty sure no one craves my stability...and am only a joy to be around when I make a concerted effort to be nice.

Tuesday Two for 12/27

It's a two-fer week. Play along at Patrick's Weekender.

THIS WEEK'S FIRST TOPIC: CHRISTMAS AFTERMATH

Question A:When is the last time you had to return or exchange a Christmas gift at a store, and how much of a hassle was doing it?

or

Question B:Now that another Christmas is behind us, what holiday song will you be happiest to no longer have to hear for another eleven months?

I'm going with Question B because it involves holiday songs. I don't even know the name of the song I hate the most, but it's either George Michael or Boy George singing, "last Christmas I gave you my heart...the very next day you gave it away...this year to save me from tears...I'll give it to someone special." ugh...why would anyone feel compelled to write a holiday song about a painful break-up? and really, it's been a year. time to get over the heartache of your 1-day romance.

THIS WEEK'S SECOND TOPIC: MONEY

Question A:You see your worst enemy drop a $20 bill. Would you tell him or her, or would you quietly pocket the money?

or

Question B:What is your own definition of being "rich" from a monetary standpoint?

This time I'm going with Question A. I'm actually not inclined to do either. I'd rather know that my enemy has lost $20, and also be able to say "of course I don't know where it is. maybe you dropped it." Does this make me a bad person?

Quizzard of Oz

I just found this on a complete stranger's blog. I found her because she and I are the only ones on Blogger who list "park hopping" as an interest.

• My uncle once: moved his entire family from Connecticut to London
• Never in my life: have I smoked a cigarette
• When I was five: I was in first grade at a Catholic school, even though I'm not Catholic
• High School was: busy and wonderful
• I once met: Wil Wheaton. He was eating at the restaurant where I worked. I handed him a piece of french silk pie.
• There's this girl I know who is: the mother of three beautiful daughters
• Once, at a bar: my friend Meg and I had a contest to see who could pinch the most guys' butts as they walked past. There's a reason I never really went to bars that much!
• By noon I'm usually: awake
• Last night I listened to: the never-ending drone of complaining co-workers
• Next time I go to church: won't be very soon
• When I turn my head left: I see an old computer
• When I turn my head right: I see family pictures on the side of the fridge
• My birthday is in this many days: 66...I think
• If I was a character written by Shakespeare: I'd be a saucy wench
• By this time next year: I'll hopefully have my name on a mortgage
• A better name for me would be: Jamilyn. I really wish I had changed it when I got married
• I have a hard time understanding: some of my non-English-speaking co-workers
• When/if I ever go back to school I'll: actually try
• You know I like you if: I make fun of you
• If I won an award, the first person I'd thank would be: "the academy," followed by my Mom, Scott, and Jenn Molea (because I once promised her I'd thank her if I won an Oscar or Emmy)
• Take my advice: it's never ok to lie...or hit -- I say this a lot when I babysit
• My ideal breakfast is: biscuits & gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, and hashbrown casserole (also known as the Old Timer's Breakfast at Cracker Barrel)
• If you visit my hometown: stop at WaWa and get an American hoagie
• If you spend the night at my house: bring an air mattress...we're sofa shopping right now
• I'd stop my wedding if: my groom made some big impromptu speech that lead to a moment of awkward silence because I wasn't prepared with the same. **coughcarolcough**
• I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: eat the whole thing
• My favorite blonde is: me! I'm my own biggest fan
• Paper clips are more useful than: rubber bands.
• If I do anything well, it's: sarcasm
• And by the way: it's only 66 days till my birthday...time to get shopping!

Sunday Seven for 12/25

Play along at Patrick's Weekender.

List up to seven Christmas presents you received this year. If you don't celebrate Christmas or don't exchange gifts for Christmas, then list up to seven gifts you received for your birthday or another special occasion.

How ironic. I purposely didn't write up a "brag list" of what I got for Christmas on my own blog, but I'll just go ahead and spill my guts for the purpose of the Sunday Seven! We should get Scott in on this - I got him a car vacuum and mixing bowls (along with some fun stuff).

1. 'it's a small world' hula girl Christmas ornament - possibly the best gift because I had forgotten that I wanted it, and it wasn't on my list. It's nice to know that he listens to me when I gush!
2. pink striped shirt, which I picked out from JCPenney.com in order to get free shipping on something we'd purchased for someone else.
3. salt water taffy
4. pink vibrating...toothbrush
5. Rosie the Riveter lunch box - which is acting as a diet tool since it's too small to hold the amount of food I usually pack for dinner.
6. the big fat color-illustrated hardcover version of the complete Chronicles of Narnia
7. Target gift card that's shaped like a candy cane...and it's scratch & sniff (from my Secret Santa at work)

Saturday Six for 12/24

Play along at Patrick's Weekender!

1. Which of the following generally costs you more: a normal trip to your barber/hairstylist, your usual lunch at your favorite restaurant, the most recent amount you paid to fill up your gas tank, or your biggest single contribution to a single charity in 2005?
that would be the contribution to a single charity. actually two charities got more than any of those other things...not that that's saying much!

2. What drink -- alcoholic or not -- do you drink entirely too much of?
iced tea. it's a vice. but at least I've switched to decaf

3. Did you receive a Christmas card from anyone you didn't send one to? Did you send them a belated card in return?
yes. but Scott and I sent all of our Christmas cards this year to wounded soldiers at Walter Reed. all of our family got a link to an e-card. I also got a ton at work that I wasn't expecting...and those I actually feel bad for not returning. people there probably think I'm a total Scrooge!

4. Take this quiz (if you haven't already!): What is most important in your life?
Family is most important in your life. (25%) Having a high focus on family indicates that you are a loving and nurturing person. You want to have a nice big family of your own, and you are very close with your siblings and parents. Other categories: Health (20%), Career (15%), Love (15%), Fun (15%), Money (10%)

5. Before taking the quiz, which of its categories (career, love, money, health, family or fun) would you have said would be your answer?
Probably love. I think my "love" score went down because I said I wouldn't be heartbroken if a fortune teller said I'd never find true love. But that's because I don't believe in fortune tellers!

6. Do you believe in soulmates? Do you think that there are at least one out there for every person, that there is a single "true" soulmate for every person, or that there aren't soulmates for everyone?
I don't really believe in soulmates at all. I do think that there's someone for everyone (believe me...I know some real doozies who are happily married), but I think it's more of a conscious decision to be happy together than a Cupid's-arrow-to-the-heart thing.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Theme Park Edition

Tis the season for families to descend upon Central Florida like a plague of locusts seeking visions of sugar plums. Those of us in the hospitality industry view this time of year with a combination of excitement and dread. It's one of the busiest times of the year, so the overtime abounds. And even though most of us have to work on Christmas day, we do still find ways to celebrate with our loved ones. People also really force themselves to make perfect memories, and when something goes wrong, we get yelled at. A lot. People drink more, they eat more, they buy more - it's a retailer's dream. It's just not a retail worker's dream. Or a hotel worker's dream. Or a theme park worker's dream.

Anyway, last year I came up with a song to spread Busy Season's Greetings to my friends and fellow soldiers in the trenches of comfort and joy. I would now like to share it with all of you. (and may it not rain on Christmas again this year)

The 12 Days of Christmas

** theme park edition **

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a park guest in a bad mood

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me two transients and a park guest in a bad mood

<in the interest of time and my own sanity, I will now fast-forward to the final verse>

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:

• Twelve suckers spending,
• Eleven crazies ranting,
• Ten moms-a-yelling,
• Nine babies crying,
• Eight drunks-a-drinking,
• Seven drinks-a-spilling,
• Six thieves-a-taking,
• F i v e . . . m i s s i n g . . . r i n g s ,
• Four calling jerks,
• Three bad checks,
• Two transients,
• and a park guest in a bad mood

Two Memes for the Price of One!

Saturday Six and Sunday Seven in the same entry? Well, since Patrick put them both out on the same day, I'd call it appropriate! I'm also doing them in redro esrever!

Sunday Seven for 12/18
What are your all-time favorite television commercials? If "favorite" isn't the right word for you, then what are the seven that tend to stand out the most in your mind? You can use the TV Guide list for some ideas if you're drawing a blank.

Ahh...commercials...the lettuce in the sandwich that is television. As a kid, I could recite almost every commercial on TV. Now that I'm married (to a man...you know how they get with the remote!) I don't really see a lot of commercials anymore. So here's my list of classics, without using the TV Guide list:

1. "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun..." I must confess that I don't even really like the Big Mac, but every now and then I get one and sing this song to myself as I drip "special sauce" all over the place!
2. "Where's the beef?"

Walt Disney World commercials could easily make up my whole Top Seven, but here are my two absolute favorites:

3. Happiest Celebration on Earth commercial where all of the Disney characters are headed to Disneyland. Watching Stitch on a motorcycle, Cinderella running through NYC, Genie and Iago on camel trekking through the desert, and Mickey driving Herbie always makes me laugh.
4. WDW commercial starring a little boy meeting all the Disney characters, but somehow misses Mickey Mouse. At the end of his vacation, he sees Mickey and runs up to him and says, "I've been waiting my whole life to meet you!"

5. "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?" There was a t-shirt mocking the commercial that I begged my mom for. It had a picture of a plate of bacon & eggs and said "this is your brain on drugs with bacon and toast." I never got the shirt.

6. California raisins: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." I once went to a kid's birthday party and little plastic figurines of the raisin dudes were in our goody bags. That's how you know a commercial is good - it spawns its own merchandising!

And a current commercial to round-off the list:

7. Levi's commercial in which a guy fabricates a knock-off of his favorite jeans with stains and holes to give to his girlfriend when he goes away. As soon as the bus drives off, leaving her cuddling her man's pants, he pulls off his sweatpants, revealing the actual jeans underneath. ha!

Saturday Six for 12/17
1. How much of your Christmas shopping and holiday card mailing do you have left to accomplish? When do you expect to finish it if you haven't already?
I still have to buy Scott's stocking stuffers. I plan to go Thursday before work and wrap Friday before work. We still haven't sent the pile of cards to Walter Reed...really need to get on that tomorrow morning!

2. When giving gifts to co-workers or casual friends, how much importance do you place on the value of the gift you're giving them versus the value of the gift you imagine they're giving you?
Call me Scrooge, but I don't give gifts to co-workers or casual friends. Except my Secret Santa, who is getting $20-$25 worth of gifts as outlined in the rules.

3. What are you secretly hoping someone will give you for Christmas that you haven't specifically asked for?
I've asked for everything under $100. That leaves the stand mixer, the cruise (although at this point I'll settle for any vacation), and the $700 digital camera with optional manual focus. I'm not really holding out hope that I'll get any of these!

4. Take this quiz (if you haven't already!): Which Jones Holiday Soda Flavor are you?
I am pecan pie soda - sweet but totally nuts

5. Would you actually try that flavor?
I hate pecans, but I'll try almost anything once. I doubt I'd ask for seconds though!

6. If you could step into the life of any fictional Christmas character -- Scrooge, Rudolph, Frost, etc. -- and live that part, which character would you choose and why?
Rudolph! He's the original saver of Christmas! Even better than Ernest! Besides, I love stories where the little guy triumphs.

Tuesday Two for 12/13

Play along at Patrick's Weekender

The last time I tackled the Songs question, I went with Question A. This time around, I guess I'll answer Question B:

What was the last song you heard on the radio that really hit a nerve with you? What about it made you really feel like it was written about you?

The only one I can think of is Kelly Clarkson's Because of You. I don't really feel it was written about me, but they play it so much on the local pop station that it's been permanently embedded in my psyche.

Of course, if we expand the list to include songs not necessarily heard on the radio, my answer would change to "Someone Like You" from the musical Jekyll & Hyde. It touched my heart the minute I heard it, and I've been lucky enough to perform it a couple of times, including my mom's church, and my wedding.

Sunday Seven for 12/11

Wow! I'm actually playing on the correct day for a change. Amazing what bronchitis does for your non-work productivity! Play along at Patrick's Weekender.

What are your top seven favorite Christmas songs? Use ASCAP's list for an idea starter, but you need not pull your seven only from that list. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, list up to seven holiday songs you like to hear this time of year.

My favorite Christmas/winter songs are ones that show emotion. The holidays are wonderful when you're with loved ones, and can be pretty terrible when you're not. Not all holiday emotions are sugar-sweet, laced with chocolate chips and egg nog. I think my list reflects that.

1. Hallelujah - Handel's Messiah: a favorite to sing
2. O Holy Night: although she's not my personal favorite, Celine Dion has a nice version
3. I'll Be Home for Christmas: being in hospitality and working on Christmas day makes this one especially poignant for me. And every time I hear it and think of the kids in the Armed Forces overseas I get choked up
4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Meet Me in St. Louis: Judy Garland kicked @$$ every time she sang
5. Hard Candy Christmas - Best Little Whorehouse in Texas: not actually a Christmas song, but I still love it
6. Baby It's Cold Outside: because Christmas needed a little 'sexy'
7. The Christmas Song: Nat King Cole's version is still my favorite

Saturday Six for 12/10

Play along with the Saturday Six either here or at Patrick's Weekender!

1. You're producing a school program for the holidays and you learn that there will be major objections if you include in your musical selections the traditional Christmas hymns that reference the "true meaning of Christmas." Assuming that there are secular tunes (like "Frosty the Snowman") already included in the program, what do you do with the hymns? Do you allow them to go as is, do you use the melody and rewrite the words, do you include as many pieces of music from other religions as possible, or do you remove all but the secular songs? When they write a piece of secular music half as moving as O Holy Night or half as spectacular as Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, I'll consider substituting them for the Christmas classics. Until then, let people complain. The songs are classics. As is.

2. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done at this point? When do you expect to have it finished if you haven't already finished? gee...I think I'm about 75% done. Of course, I've ordered some things online that haven't yet arrived, but I trust that they're coming. When I finish depends a lot on whether or not I get a bonus at work (which I find out on Monday) and when Scott and I can put our heads together to iron out some "from both of us" gifts. I'm aiming for next Saturday.

3. What was your favorite board game to play as a kid? Is it still your favorite now? Chutes & Ladders! It's not still my favorite. The only ones I played as a kid that I still play are Parcheesi and Sorry...and the occasional Pay Day or Life...and Clue... I just love board games!!

4. Take this quiz What famous artist should paint your portrait?

Salvador Dali should paint your portrait. You love to think about the world in a different way then everyone else. You are very ambitious, and you like strange things. You are curious about everything and love to learn.

5. How accurate is this quiz's description of you? First I'd like to say that Dali creeps me the heck out! He is, however, Scott's artist of choice. So if I were going to commission a great (dead) artist to paint me, he'd be the one. And I totally agree with the description of me.

6. If you could go back in time and have one more picture taken with a deceased loved one, who would you select and why? Wow...that's a no-brainer. It would be Muggy, my great-grandmother on my dad's side. In the last two pictures I have of me and her, I'm sticking out my tongue in one, and holding up a MAD Magazine in the other. In my defense, I was 12ish...that's what adolescents do.

Everyone Loves an E-mail Quiz!

I received this quiz today three times! Scott started it, and then Janette and Cathi replied. Here are my answers:

1. What time is it? 2:40 am
2. Name: Jamie
3. Nickname: Harmermer, Jamilyn
4. What is the most recent movie you've seen in the theatre? Harry Potter 4
5. Eye color: Blue
6. Birth place: Philly
7. Favorite foods: enchiladas, banana bread, pumpkin cheesecake
8. Ever been to Africa? no
9. Ever been t.p.-ing? no
10. Love someone so much it made you cry? oui
11. Ever been in a car accident? yes - four car accidents and a bus accident that sent 100+ people to the hospital
12. Croutons or bacon bits: croutons
13. Favorite day of the week: Monday - not only is it "my friday," but I watch my Sunday night TV shows on Monday morning!
14. Favorite restaurants: Carrabbas, Tony's Town Square
15. Favorite flower: cala lillies
16. Fave sport to watch: Penn State Football
17. Favorite drink: iced tea
18. Favorite ice cream: cookie dough
19. Disney or Warner Brothers: Disney
20. Favorite fast food restaurant: Wendy's - where else can you get a jr. bacon cheeseburger and a caesar side salad for $2.50?
21. What is the color of the carpet under your bed? tan berber
22. Have you failed your driver's test? once - parallel parking sealed my fate
23. How many tickets have you gotten in your driving career? zero - knocking serious wood right now!
24. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? Tom Tamburello, thanking me for the Christmas e-card
25. At which stores would you choose to max out your credit card this week? E-bay
26. What do you do most often when you are bored? Sleep, blog
27. Bedtime: between 1am and 3am
28. Who will respond to this e-mail the quickest? n/a, but my mom might comment
29. Favorite TV shows: Desperate Housewives, Gray's Anatomy, American Idol, The Apprentice, and of course The Daily Show
30. Last person you went to dinner with: Mr. McPooter, for our anniversary
31. Ford or Chevy: Saturn
32. What are you listening to right now? Good Eats - Scott is watching it
33. What is your favorite color? Blue
34. How many tattoos do you have? None
35. How many pets do you have? 2 evil kitties
36. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? the egg.
37. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? n/a
38. Who is going to spend the most time on this to make sure they are answering each question with a witty and appropriate answer? n/a

Tuesday Two for 12/6

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:

THE FUTURE

QUESTION A:You are given the chance to open one of three
envelopes. The first, labelled "WHEN," will reveal the exact date and time of your death; the second, labelled "HOW," will reveal the method of your demise, and the third, marked "VALUE," would reveal how much or how little you will be remembered after you're gone. If you had to select and read the contents of one of the envelopes, which would you choose and why?

or

QUESTION B:You receive an email that is sent to you from
yourself 10 years in the future. After reading the first paragraph, you
recognize your distinctive style and there are enough authenticating details to eliminate any doubt but that the letter is -- somehow -- from your future self. The second paragraph indicates that there are three critical dates coming in the next ten years that you need to be aware of, so that you can make "better decisions" than the ones this future self made. If the scenarios described did NOT contain the actual decision this alternate you already made, but only focused on what conflict you'd be faced with so that you could have advance notice to think about how you might react, would you be willing to read about those three events?

Frankly, Question B reminds me way too much of the book From Time to Time by Jack Finney. So I'm going with Question A. And my answer is VALUE. Honestly, I'm not famous. And I doubt I'll ever be famous. If I vanished off the face of the earth today, I think only a handful of people would remember me next week. I don't want to know when I'm going to die, and I don't want to know how I'm going to die, but I think I could handle knowing how much I'll be remembered.

Play along with the Tuesday Two at Patrick's Weekender.

Sunday Seven for 12/4/05

What holiday movies or television specials are a regular part of your family's holiday rituals? Are there certain movies or shows that you really like to watch year after year? List up to seven productions that really help get you in the spirit of the season.

Ya know, I'm really not all that excited about most holiday movies and TV, but here's a list of my favorites:

1. Walt Disney World Christmas Parade, which I have watched since I was very little. Mickey and Santa in the same parade...what could be better???
2. Home Alone - nothing says 'happy holidays' like a hot iron to the face!
3. Scrooged - no one says "God bless us, every one" better than Mary Lou Retton
4. A Christmas Story - although I must admit the evil santa and elves in the department store really freaked me out as a kid!
5. Bad Santa - ok, there's no holiday spirit in this one...it's pure BAD. It really is funny though.
6. Macy's Thanksgiving Parade - which steps off the holiday season on the right foot.
7. New Years Day Mummers Parade - if you don't know what a Mummer is, you obviously aren't from Philly or the surrounding area.

Saturday Six for 12/3/05

1. Is it a "Christmas Tree" or a "Holiday Tree?"
In my house, it's a Christmas tree.

2. When you purchase a DVD, what of the following are you most interested in watching first: the movie itself, the director's commentary, the deleted scenes, the bloopers or the behind-the-scenes documentary, and why?
I generally watch the movie first, but if it's something I've seen recently I may go straight for the special features. I *love* commentaries, but sometimes I get bored and turn them off halfway through. Deleted scenes are my least favorite. Really, they were cut for a reason...why resurrect them?!?

3. What would you most like to accomplish before the year is over?
You're not giving me much time here! I'd like to buy some Christmas presents, get a tree, decorate said tree, spend some time with family and friends, bring home some paychecks... I'm not making any grand plans!

4. Take this quiz: After you enter your birthday, you'll be given a lot of facts about your age and astrology: How old are you in dog years?
3.82504892367906 years old. (Life's just a big chewy bone for me!)

5. From the same quiz, what does it say your "Life Path Number" is, and do you agree with its description? I'm a 5. I hi-lighted what I agree with in green, and what I disagree with in red...

A Life Path 5 person is usually very versatile, adventurous, and progressive. With a 5 life path, you are one of those people who is always striving to find answers to the many questions that life poses. You want to be totally unrestrained, as this is
the sign of freedom and independence. You abhor routine and boring work, and you are not very good at staying with everyday tasks that must be finished on time. You are, however, a good communicator, and you know how to motivate
people around you, perhaps inclining you to be a teacher of some sort. A love of adventure may dominate your life. This may take the form of mental or physical manifestation, but in either case, you thrill to the chance for exploration and blazing new trails. You are apt to be multi-talented, but just as likely to suffer from some lack of direction, and there is often some confusion surrounding your ambition. On the average, the number 5 personality is rather happy-go-lucky; living for today, and not worrying too much about tomorrow.
It is important for you to mix with people of a like mind, and try to avoid
those that are too serious and demanding. It is also important for you to find a job that provides thought-provoking tasks rather than routine and redundant responsibilities. You do best dealing with people, but the important thing is that you have the freedom to express yourself at all times. You have an innate ability to think through complex matters and analyze them quickly, but then be off to something new.
In the most negative application or use of the 5 energies, you could become very
irresponsible in tasks and decisions concerning your home and business life. The
total pursuit of sensation and adventure can result in your becoming
self-indulgent and totally unaware of the feelings of those around you. In the
worse case situations negative 5's are very undependable and self-serving.

6. Do you have a piece of jewelry with your birthstone in it? If so, how often do you wear it?
My birthstone is aquamarine, and I'm not really all that fond of it. I have one ring that belonged to my great grandmother, and have had some pendants over time, but I rarely wear any jewelry at all except my wedding set. And there's definitely no aquamarines there!