Memelicious

Being completely without blogging inspiration today (except for this nagging "dating karma" thing that's been floating in my head for awhile, but hasn't come to fruition yet), I am stealing a meme from Sauntering Soul, (one of my favorite new reads, by the way--check out her D.R.U.G.S. series).

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? A bar of some funky Indian brand, rose-scented, and some Avon lavender shower gel.
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? I hate watermelon. So, um...no.
3. What would you change about your living room? I wish it was bigger, and I wish the furniture had not been "customized" by the evil cats and their evil little claws.
4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? I don't have a dishwasher. But everyone who knows me is giggling right now at the thought of dirty dishes being allowed anywhere in my house. (I have an OCD thing about that.)
5. What is in your fridge? Oh gosh...rye bread, english muffins, multigrain artisan bread, fake turkey, swiss cheese, sauerkraut (I just had a Reuben craving), kimchee, lettuce, asparagus, radishes, mushrooms, fresh mint, green onions, lemons, eggs, butter, mustard, curry paste, assorted salad dressings, peanut butter, cherry jam, an partial can of dog food, iced tea, soy milk, Pur filtered water pitcher, various and sundry assorted pickled things, and a sliced cheese variety pack I got to take to a party that was cancelled and I'm fighting the urge to rip it open and gorge myself. (But I've got another party to go to this weekend, so I'm trying to save it.)
6. White or wheat bread? Always wheat. White bread is not actual food. I once had a partial loaf of white bread (left by someone else) in my refrigerator for over a year-and-a-half, and it still didn't have one spot of mold. That's not natural!
7. What is on top of your refrigerator? A bamboo steamer, a stack of vegetarian cookbooks, an empty champagne bottle that was given to me by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee (it wasn't empty at the time, of course), a wine bottle my boyfriend at the time bought me for my 25th birthday (it wasn't empty at the time either, of course, and boy am I a sentimental sap, but it's hard to throw away things given to you by the last guy who really, truly loved you), an ashtray stolen from somewhere I can't even remember, a set of oil and vinegar cruets stolen for me by a friend from an Orange County restaurant on perhaps the best summer vacation of my life, some little cow-themed knick-knacks, and a bunch of straw baskets, one of which may have a cat nesting in it at any given time. Boy, that makes it sound like the top of my refrigerator is huge, but it's really just normal-sized. And covered with stuff.
8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? It's kind of beige, with purple flowers.
9. How many plants are in your home? 26 in the living room, plus assorted cuttings in water in the kitchen. (I am partial to living things, it seems.)
10. Is your bed made right now? If I'm not in it, it's made. (OCD.)
11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Method brand daily shower spray
12. Is your closet organized? No. (The OCD only applies to things easily visible. Closets, drawers and cupboards are not covered under my OCD contract.)
13. Can you describe your flashlight? I have a sturdy yellow one with a magnet on the side, a purple one, a heavy-duty blue one, another yellow one I usually keep in the car. Apparently every time I need a flashlight, I just buy a new one.
14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic more at home? Glass.
15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Always and forever.
16. If you have garage, is it cluttered? It's not too cluttered, only because I actually park in the garage, which limits the clutter to the sides.
17. Curtains or blinds? Blinds through the house, curtains and blinds on the living room picture window.
18. How many pillows do you sleep with? 4. Plus my enormous dog.
19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? I sometimes leave the fluorescent light over the kitchen sink on.
20. How often do you vacuum? Every Saturday morning, like it or not.
21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Electric. (Oral-B Vitality rechargeable. Love it.)
22. What color is your toothbrush? Blue and white.
23. Do you have welcome mat on your front porch? It doesn't actually say "Welcome" on it, but I do have a mat.
24. What is in your oven right now? One cookie sheet and one very large skillet that don't fit in the stove's storage area.
25. Is there anything under your bed? A little dust. Sometimes a cat. Sometimes a yacked-up hairball left behind by a cat.
26. What chores do you hate? Can't say I love any of them. Cleaning the litter box closet is pretty heinous.
27. What retro items are in your home? My house is mostly furnished with cast-offs and give-aways...I mean "family heirlooms," so everything is somewhat retro. I have a bed and dresser that were used by my parents and before them, my grandparents, dating back to the 50s, I think. I have a vanity that was in my mother's childhood bedroom, and a dresser handmade by some family member that was in my grandmother's house as far back as I can remember. I have one of those old 50s-style formica-type kitchen tables, a funky round, glass-tier-topped coffee table I bought in a thrift store and a great, creaky wooden rocking chair that was made by some long-dead family member (and which my mother used to rock us all to sleep as babies). I have two art deco table lamps with groovy round 2-tiered fiberglass shades that were found in my grandmother's attic after she died, but which nobody ever remembers seeing before. At the time, one was given to me and one to my sister, but I was forced to take my sister's from her after seeing that she had replaced the groovy tiered shade with a countrified silk monstrosity with fringe. Sacrilege!!
28. Do you have separate room you use an an office? No.
29. How many mirrors are in your home? One in the bathroom, one on the dresser in the bedroom, one full-length on the closet door, one each on vanity and dresser which are actually in the living room.
30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? I used to be good at keeping a little cash rat-holed, but at the moment I'm down to the spare change holder in my car.
31. What color are your walls? That generic taupe-y rental house color. I don't mind it too much, actually. It goes with everything.
32. What does your home smell like right now? My hope is simply always that it doesn't smell like cat poop. I have a multi-tiered odor removal system in effect at all times. And still sometimes it smells a bit like cat poop--one of the little devils isn't so good with the covering after, if you know what I mean. I've discovered Indian incense is the best way to instantly remedy that aroma.
33. Favorite candle scent? Lavender, cotton...clean scents, mostly.
34. What kind of pickles are in your refrigerator right now? Nothing sweet. Dills, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, etc.
35. Ever been on your roof? No. I used to have a friend who would let us climb on her roof to watch the 4th of July fireworks display nearby. That came to an end one year after she realized there were a couple of dozen drunken people on her roof, singing "Stars and Stripes Forever" at the top of their lungs. (Hi, Julie! Miss those parties!)
36. Do you own a stereo? Yes
37. How many TV’s do you have? One
38. How many phones? One cordless, one regular in case of power outage, one cellular.
39. Do you have a housekeeper? Ha ha ha ha ha ha....oh, that wasn't a joke?
40. What style do you decorate in? Shabby chic without the chic? Eclectic, very eclectic.
41. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Solid, generally.
42. Is there a smoke detector in your home? There are two. One is very near the stove and goes off every time I cook. (No, I'm not in the habit of burning things, it just seems to sense the heat.) I try to remember to take the batteries out if I know I'm going to be cooking, 'cause the noise turns my 86-pound Doberman into a quivering mass of jelly who MUST BE LEANING AGAINST ME. I have a tiny kitchen, and it's very hard to cook with 86 pounds of quivering Dobie jelly between you and the food.

Well, that was kind of fun, wasn't it?