500

Hooray! I made it to 500 posts, each a new experience, peppered with the thrill of cake, the wonder of parenting, and the dorkiness that is me. And now, I will ramble on with 500 things about me!

Just kidding. I think you'd be bored after 12. But if you really want to know more, you could always read my 100th post. Make sure you have someone to wake you up, in case you doze off. So to celebrate my 500th post, I am going to make you read seven (or fewer) odd things about me. And to reward you for your diligence, I'm having a contest! Woohooo!! FREE STUFF!!!

But first, you have to prove to me that you want this prize...

1. I am one of those people who gets all uptight about how the toilet paper is placed in the roll. Over the top, people! Come on, it just makes sense! I'll even adjust it if the Man has put it in wrong. And while I'm tempted to do this at other people's houses, I won't. Unless I think you wouldn't notice. Or if I spend a large amount of time in your bathroom.

2. Baking is my stress relief. That's not so odd, I guess. But have you ever whipped up a batch of brownies at midnight because you're concerned about a family member? And if you happen to drive by my house late one night and my kitchen light is on, knock on the door. I may invite you in for ADCOMA cake or seven layer bars.

3. I have found a way to contain my paranoia: I make up stories - usually happy ones - about random people I pass. I'd list an example but they tend to be rather detailed. I find that if I am actively using my imagination, then it can't run wild and make me go all wacko-a-doodle.

4. I love to drive. No, really. I love it! When I was a kid, one of my favorite games was pretending to drive, using my mom's car keys and a wooden helicopter as the steering wheel (sorry about the lost keys, Mom!). And even though I've been driving for half my life, I still think it's fun! I wish the Man would let me drive more on the long-distance trip.

5. While at the University of North Texas, I had one of those professors that wants everyone to think that they are awesome. He liked me so I always got really good grades on my assignments. Once, about halfway through the semester, I was starting my homework, which consisted of reading several articles and then answering five or so questions with mini-essays. On question #3, the first sentence began to answer the question but the rest consisted of me saying that I didn't think he was really reading my answers and would he please prove otherwise by commenting here. He didn't comment, which I took to mean that he wasn't really reading. So for the rest of the semester, I did the same thing on every homework assignment for a couple of the questions. At the end of the class, he asked me to be his TA for the next semester. I declined.

6. Ummm...yeah, I can't think of anything else worth sharing. So consider this like those times when the teachers let you out of class early.

And now for the good part: The Contest!

I've learned a few things since my last contest (one of them being the discovery of a random number generating website), so hopefully things go a little smoother this time.

The Prizes:

One Grand Prize winner will receive what I'm calling "A Caribbean Cruise In A Box!" This is a collection of trinkets that I got while on my cruise, as well as some essential items. These may include:
A towel animal
Large bottle of sunscreen
Disposable camera
Key West Lime Juice
Jamaican trinket (although it's probably made in China)
Pearl earrings
Sea salt (for rubbing in your hair)
iTunes card so your iPod is ready for sunbathing
Recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake (the reason I gained four pounds on the cruise)
and a few other items that I'm keeping a surprise...

As a separate prize, I'll also give a $20 gift card to Target, an essential stop before heading to your cruise ship! And if I am feeling stressed, there might be a dozen cupcakes offered, too.

To enter the contest you can do any or all of the following (BUT EACH ENTRY REQUIRES A SEPARATE COMMENT, please! I'm an airhead and need to keep this as simple as possible!)

• Comment saying one odd thing about you.
• Follow me (and Google Reader doesn't count...I need proof of your devotion).
• Blog about this contest (for three entries).
• Bring me chocolate.

Also, please leave your email address in your comments or have it listed on your profile so I can contact you!

I should probably include a deadline...contest ends at midnight (MST) on July 29th.