I haven't done anything sorta silly like this in a long time and heaven knows with all the stress circulating here lately, I could use a little silly.  So thanks to Steph A at A Modern Day Donna Reed for sending some love and silliness my way.

The Rules

1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

Eleven Random Things 

1. I'm a bit of an 80s pop culture nut.  I remember lines from sitcoms and can recite them at the most appropriate times. 
2. I loved Billy Idol's Mony Mony as a child and busted my ass to master my dubbing skills with my recorder.  When things would go awry, I would sob.  Napster really saved me from a future of sound engineering.
3. I had an imaginary friend as a child, before my sister was old enough to interact with me.  His name was Enuja (pronounced eee-nu-sha)...I don't really know if that is how he spelled his name but we were good friends.
4. The Monkees were my first concert and I was beyond upset at Davy Jones' passing this week.
5. I developed an appreciation for vintage clothing/accessories around the age of 9/10.
6. I've asked guys out on dates.  
7. I have a big personality...I'm a lot to handle for a lot of people, at least initially.  
8. I rarely if ever burn bridges but I have a framed picture that says "May the bridges I burn light the way." My dad said to me, "The few times you do it, you are making sure no one else has to deal with that person/situation."
9. I love the supporting characters' roles in most movies and animated flicks more than the protagonist.  For example, I love Cruella De Vil and The Red Queen.  They are spiteful and evil but they represent that bit of bitch in all of us.  And there'd be no heroes without them.
10. I start a lot of art and/or craft projects and rarely finish them.  The marketing genius Seth Godin restored my sanity this past Fall when he told us in a keynote, "It's OK if you start and don't finish...it means it's a hobby."  
11. I have a fierce demeanor but I carry the world on my shoulders.  Maybe it's oldest child syndrome.  I don't know.

Steph's Questions

1. Favorite place to grab fast food? -- Chick-Fil-A 
2. Favorite class in high school? -- Art, then Lit 
3. What's your middle name? -- Marie 
4. Favorite 90's song (you know I had to ask)? -- How do I choose? Early 90s - Hey Jealousy | Gin Blossoms.  Mid-90s - Zombie | Cranberries and Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger | Oasis.  Late 90s -- anything by The Goo Goo Dolls. 
5. Name a movie that makes you cry like a baby - Huh.  I honestly can't think of a real sappy flick but I do cry during the Sound of Music for sentimental reasons. 
6. How often do you REALLY clean your kitchen floor? - Ha!  I sweep it with a broom but I let our cleaning lady mop it every two weeks, unless there is a major spill that needs attending.  I don't mop. 
7. Favorite candy bar? - Snickers 
8. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? - Back to Greece because I loved it when I was 22...raw beauty and full of culture, ancient and modern.  But I want to go to the British isles too, to England (London), to Ireland and Scotland.  I want to see the cities and the countryside and go to all the theatre and see the Edinburgh Fringe. 
9. Favorite way to wear your hair? -- Blown out, straight. 
10. Name one of the Halloween costumes from your childhood -- My mom made our costumes for eons.  One year my sister and I were Raggedy Ann and Andy.  Adorable.  I made a promise that I would really "make" my son's costume soon! 
11. If you could change one thing about our country, what it would you change and why (and how?)? -- Eliminate the 2 party system.  It's antiquated and in my opinion does not truly represent the American people, especially today in our economy.  It frustrates good people into pigeon holing themselves...and that they must therefore choose the lesser of the two evils. 
    How?  I am not sure but I liken it to the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and finding that right balance.  It requires trial and error.  It means every year more independents (or whatever party, I am using "I" for Independent for simplicity sake here) stepping up and running for an office - as an I - and making the I have a place, a voice.  The challenge here of course is funding the campaign but I go back to grassroots - with Kickstarter and a few angel investors, one could run a decent campaign.  No, it won't look like what exists right now but that's the point - it has to look different to represent something different.  The majority will ignore it initially but the more it happens, the more mainstreamed it becomes, the more it's accepted.  At some point, there will be the right number of "I"s - running, declaring themselves as "I" and voting that we will have diluted the R and D that exist today so we have a government that is truly more representational of the people.  I honestly believe that what goes on in D.C. is insanity fueled by the media and more insanity.  If you put an entrepreneur in Congress, I bet you'd be amazed at how quickly things were prioritized and how fast shit got done.