Five on (Almost) Friday

Thanks to Brandy, of the blog with the name I most like to say (it's just so much fun!) when telling people (yes, I do admit it out loud) what blogs I read. Here are her lovely five questions, my best answers and explanations for how to participate!

1. If you could steal one thing in the world, other than money, what would you take and why?
I would steal whatever it would take to cure or solve my mother's various health problems. I don't know what this one thing would be. But if I could figure out what it is, I would steal it. And I would steal it not because it would cure or because it would make her pain free. I would steal it because it would give her the freedom to think about other things. And to make up for my slight guilt at not going into the sciences and discovering it myself.

2. What's your greatest talent?
Considering my latent fear that I am, in fact, completely talentless, this is an excellent question. I'd love to say writing, or baking, or photography or something even remotely interesting, but I have to be completely honest and say that I just don't know. It's not a cop out, and it's not a brag on my limitless talents. There is no one thing that I think I'm particularly good at...so maybe my greatest talent is my ability to be well-rounded, to be just slightly good at a lot of different things, to have my fingers in many, many pies. I don't have a greatest talent, and I'm okay with that.

3. Where are 5 places you would like to visit before you die?
I thought about this a lot today. Five ends up not being enough. I decided to cheat (because, hey, what am I if not a rule-breaker, yeahhhhhh right) and combine a couple ...you'll see why.

*The places my family is from, part 1. Europe. I have yet to see the origins of my Italian and Polish families, and since I actually know where they were from, I'd like to see those places and stand where my ancestors stood and decided to leave.

*The places my family is from, part 2. The USA. Though I brag about my rather diverse family and the immense quantity of people that comprises said family, I have not met most of these perfectly lovely people. Since Math is not my strong suit, I am combining Kentucky, Michigan, Georgia and Indiana as one "place." I'm an English Major. I can do that.

*Israel. At some point, I would like to walk that path that Jesus walked. I'm not sure I'm willing to make an official goal, something I'll regret if I don't do, but I feel that, if it's ever safe enough not to give my mother heart failure, I would like to go to this holy place.

*With all of the hullabaloo surrounding the great land of the kiwis of late, I will say that I would like to tour Australia. And that 16 hour flight better result in more than a two week vacation.

*Someplace where I will have my grand adventure. This adventure will actually be enjoyed by yours truly, as I will not plan it to death and start crying if we don't get to everything on the list. I have yet to encounter such a vacation, but I'm looking forward to it!

4. When was the last time you were really embarassed?
Honestly? When I finally came out of the fog of jealousy surrounding "Needy Girl" and WG. When I could see the situation clearly and realize how, how, how, not me the situation had made me and how stupid the whole thing had been. I was embarassed at a) having gotten so up in arms over nothing and b) doubting WG, oh, and c) dragging my friends and mom into calming me down.

5. Why do you blog? (I'm asking everyone this, so curious!)
Originally, I started blogging so that I could vent and whine about the unfairness of life after college. I was 21, confused, bitter and mildly depressed at having to return to my hometown and start over as if college had never happened. Next, I blogged because it let me keep up with my friends without the nasty little thing known as the mass e-mail. Now, I blog out of a sheer love of writing, just kidding. In the past several months, I've gotten more involved in the "blogosphere." I've found that there are a number of people out there with life experiences and other thoughts that I want to know about, and, in some ways, I've found a bit of a community out here in blogland. Finally, I blog because it is like the journals I've filled with my thoughts over the years. I get to work through my issues...and let friends, strangers and strangers who become less strange, help me.

And so, five things you never knew you wanted to know about me. If you are interested in participating, here are the rules:

Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me!”
-I will respond by e-mailing you five questions. I get to pick them, and you have to answer them all.
-You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
-You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
-When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.