hey there, ICLWers!

this is my first ICLW week -- yay! for those of you that don't know what ICWL (IComLeavWe) is, check out the icon on my sidebar. it's basically a way to connect with other bloggers, most of whom are also blogging about infertility, adoption, loss, etc. here's a quick summary from the ICLW site, run by melissa of the stirrup queens:

It stands for International Comment Leaving Week, but if you say it aloud, doesn’t it sounds like “I come; [but] leave [as a] we”? And that’s sort of the point. Blogging is a conversation and comments should be honoured and encouraged. I like to say that comments are the new hug–a way of saying hello, giving comfort, leaving congratulations.

if you are new to chois-r-us, the posts bookmarked in the "our journey" page are great place to start to read about our journey with infertility and adoption. i was so proud of myself for figuring out how to add that nifty gadget. really, it's not that hard because blogger walks you through it, but i'm not just that unhandy (i know, not a word) with web layout/design stuff. ;)

and to make this fun, here are a few random facts about me:
*i like to break out into spontaneous song and often wish my life was musical with full orchestra accompaniment and choreography.

*i have a frighteningly good memory, especially when it comes to people and things about them, even if i hear it just once. it's become even more frightening with advent of things like facebook. sometimes, i pretend to not know things about people so they won't think i'm a total stalker.

*i'm really, really, REALLY afraid of bugs. so much so that i will NEVER teach second grade because they have to raise crickets in their classrooms. if there's a bug in my classroom, i panic inside and then ask one of my students to "set it free" outside so i won't look like a big baby. there are many times when peter will come home to overturned cups and bowls housing bugs that need to be killed, not set free. i'm even scared of butterflies...you see, i had a dream they were eating me alive.

*one of peter's ocd's that has rubbed off on me is that i need the toilet paper to come out over, not under. it's gotten so bad, that sometimes, i'll change it in the bathroom of people's houses. i know, i'm crazy.

*i am by no means an expert when it comes to grammar, but i really, really hate it when people incorrectly use _____ and I, and insist they are correct when it really should be ______ and me. misspellings of your vs. you're and their, there and they're also bother me quite a bit. i also have a serious love affair with commas. love 'em.

*but, (<-- see? comma love! and yes, i do realize the comma should be on the other side of these parentheses) i don't like using uppercase letters when doing any non-work, non-professional writing, i.e. on this blog. it's like my way of stickin' it to the man. plus, then it makes uppercase letters really stand out when i do use them. it's a stylistic thing...e.e. cummings did it, and apparently, thomas jefferson had a penchant for them, too. it actually really bugs me that my phone automatically capitalizes things. so, if you ever get a comment from me that has random capital letters, it was written from my phone.

*i think rita's gelatis are an answer to stressful problems. like my automatically-letter-capitalizing phone.

*if i do say so myself, i bake a mean chocolate chip cookie. the best/strangest compliment i got was from my principal, who asked me if i laced my cookies with crack because they were so addictive. er, thanks?

*i love my dog, piper, SO much, even if she is weird and aloof and acts like a self-reliant cat. i miss her when i don't see her and i really, truly thinks she understands me -- words and feelings. i sometimes imagine what her human voice would sound like and what she'd say to me in response. i think she and choi boy are going to be the very best of friends. look how cute she is!
that was a glimpse into who i am...gosh, i sound like a freak. don't judge! :)