personality tests

I admit, I took that personality test at Match.com. I will also admit that I did check out my "personality matches" to see how well it actually works. And, if I were actually interested in dating anyone, I was impressed with a few of the matches. Outdoorsy, spontaneous, and goofy = a good match! But it was more fun to see what my personality analysis said.

ME, according to match.com:

You have a special zeal for life
You're smart, insightful, and have an insatiable curiosity about life. You have a vision for how you want your life to be, so you refuse to settle long-term for a boring job or doing something just because it's expected of you. Life should be "balanced" with plenty of time for fun, friends, spontaneity, and romance! You've always had lots of friends. They enjoy your good sense of humor and playful nature. At this point in your life, you're ready to experience romance and a powerful "spark" with someone special.
You're a strong-willed woman and at times people see you as being bossy or controlling.

You're a strong-willed woman and at times people see you as being bossy or controlling. (They got that right!)

At times you can become so focused on ideas, plans for the future, or a new project that you lose track of the day to day details of life (like doing laundry, balancing your checkbook, or even eating).

You have such a positive attitude that at times your upbeat mood may irritate those who think you're "too happy" or aren't taking problems seriously. (Does optimistically sarcastic and cynical count as happy?)

You can put things off and be late more than you mean to.

WHO I'm LOOKING FOR

You're looking for a man who can be your soul mate AND playmate in life! Unlike most men, he's not afraid of his emotions. In fact, the two of you will probably share an immediate, passionate connection. Romance will come easily to the two of you. The challenge may be fitting into his busy life. You'll have to share him with his adoring friends, job, and variety of social and community causes.  But when you're alone with him, you'll always have his undivided attention and be the focus of his loving and supportive nature.

He has a "back bone" and won't be pushed around by other people.

He believes in letting life happen and not being too pinned down by doing any one thing.

Anybody out there interested?  ;)

relaxing, almost

Phew, it's finally an extended weekend!

Oh, wait. I only work part-time anyway. Tee hee, silly me. My life is one continuous extended weekend. ;)

But somehow I have been busy, exhausted, and grumpy as hell. It's partly the heat, partly my aweful hour+ commute each way from work - fortunately I only do it twice a week. Otherwise I really think I would start running people off the road. I call myself a "tactical urban road warrior" (aka I have road rage) and I realize that I do things I probably shouldn't do, but I am ALWAYS am very aware of my surroundings. I am a consciencous asshole, I suppose.  But do STUPID drivers realize they are stupid when they nearly sideswipe my car while merging without a turn signal, or randomly slamming on their brakes without warning? I'm thinking not. I hate stupid people.

Oh anyway, so we've established stupid people annoy me, and this humid weather is making me cranky. I sat inside and watched movies nearly all day. All the Real Girls - really like that one. As goofy as that young couple is, they remind me so much of how Steve and I were. Boy, were we weird. ;)

But I've been busy - had the bridal shower a few weekends ago, which ended up being more successful (and having more leftovers) than I planned. I was cool with it until the day of the party, when I realized "Oh, gee, I have to play hostess! I'm terrible at being a hostess!!" and proceeded to freak out and beg my mom to help me. I'm not the "domestic goddess" type, if it's not blaringly obvious. And I usually don't relate well to older women, especially more "traditional" type. But I made it through, with the help of my fabulous fellow bridesmaids Jenna and Amy. We did manage to get all these ladies, plus my younger sister/alter-ego, Linda, and the groom, Kevin, to wrap eachother up in toilet paper and try to make a wedding gown. I think a few women were surprised and jealous when our "judge" - Tara's little niece - chose the best dressed as Linda, wrapped with love and mummified by Kevin, over their elegant and impressive paper dresses. Later, we blindfolded them, put on lipstick, spun them around, and had them try and kiss a big Orlando Bloom poster on the lips. Silly girl games. :)

Last weekend was the bachelorette party. Naked men and drunken debauchery, right?! Hey, I've got more class than that. Heh heh, actuallyour bride isn't really into that kind of stuff. Don't think we didn't think about it, though. ;) We did dinner at Italian Epicure, played 18 holes of glow-in-the-dark putt-putt in high heels, sat at a bar and watched all the clone blonde chics get hit on by Ford managers, and laughed our asses off at Joey's Comedy Club in Livonia. We even managed to get two of the comics to make fun of Tara - we sat right next to the stage. It was a good night!

Until all of us that ate the bacon-skins with sour cream got sick. Man, they really are one of the worst things to get sick off of. Trust me.

At work this week, I got to do my first prescribed burn! We wore our fire-resistant Nomex yellow shirts and green pants and spot-burned a few areas of buckthorn seedlings. We took turns burning - strapping a propane tank to a backpack, attaching a long metal wand, and lighting it up to shoot out a jet of flame - or watering - strapping a big metal water tank to our back with skinny, uncomfortable straps. Either way, it was 45 lbs or so attached uncomfortably to our backs in the 86 degree, humid sunny weather. It wasn't like a "wildfire"; we only burned a small area directly with the torch and then put it out. It was great burning stuff nonetheless. It was small but it was hot!

Speaking of fire... thought I would hear back about a firefighter job I interviewed for with the Fish and Wildlife Service in Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana this week. No word. I really wanted that job too, but oh well. We'll see what happens.

So that's a quick recap. Oh yeah, saw Spiderman 2 last night and it was spectacular. I've always liked Tobey McGuire since Cider House Rules, but I really don't think Kirsten Dunst is that good looking.

This weekend... house to myself! Almost. Parents are out of town and I get to PARTYYYYY! Ha ha just kidding, but it will be nice to have some peace and quiet.

Steve was accepted to Michigan State's grad program in Urban Planning! This is a big deal. He has been going to Wayne State but they don't have an environmental planning program, like he wanted. I'm very happy for him, and I'm going to help him find housing for himself and his 125 lb. mastiff-mix dog. Fun fun!

Time to run off and have some fun... "Go get 'em, tiger!" That's a quote from Spidey 2, but we all know I've been saying that for years!

(The photo is from my 4th of July last summer in Colorado. Myself, Jade, Brent (and Steve, who took the picture) went to Boulder and sat upon a big hill and watched fireworks from all along the Front Range - the view was amazing!)

Detroit Shooting

From the Detroit Free Press

On Wednesday, Steve and I decided to battle the traffic and crowds and head to downtown Detroit for the best fireworks show around. We made arrangements to meet up with Jeff, Donna, and a few other friends - it was gonna be great!

We navigated the maze of closed roads and gridlocked traffic and even found FREE parking only a few blocks away from the riverfront!

Jeff was parked far from us and, given how late we all arrived there, he didn't have a great place to view the show from. He decided to try and see what they could come up with, while Steve and I wandered downtown to try our own luck at securing a spot amongst the crowds. Whoever came up with a good location would call the other party and we would meet up there.

Eventually, Jeff found an open parking structure with a nice view; however, Steve and I weren't sure if we could walk to their vantage point in time, so we just decided to join the crowds near Hart Plaza, at the intersection of Jefferson and Woodward. I was in a bad mood, and the fact that we weren't going to get to meet up with our friends didn't help. What fun is it to stand around, crammed together like anchovies, the only view is that of a balding head or baseball cap in front of you?? In years past, we did in fact put out a blanket and listen to music in Hart Plaza, but you must get there very early. My idea of fun at fireworks is a blanket, a frisbee or football, and lots of friends to laugh with. We had none of that. Grrrrr, said the Lisa. I don't wanna be here.

My bad mood proved to be the best thing to happen that night. Thank goodness I can be a bitch. ;)

I didn't like where we were, so we moved from the street to Hart Plaza. However, I was still unsatisfied and, much to Steve's annoyance, I made him move back to the road.

The fireworks started and I was still grumpy, but our spot had a better view than I thought and we could clearly see all three sets of exploding beauty above Hart Plaza. A few minutes into it and suddenly we saw a rush of people coming towards us; holding hands, running or walking quickly, some with fear and panic on their faces and others looked emotionless.  I was curious at first, but the look on their faces clearly showed that something bad happened. I looked at the cops near us; they didn't seem to know what was going on either. Steve and I worried a riot would break out and it would get dangerous. I've always wondered how a mass of people could just freak out and turn into chaos, but just seeing those people running away envoked a bit of panic in myself - unless you can control that fear, I saw first-hand how easy it would be for people to get caught up in their emotions. Scary. Fortunately, there was no real "riot"; people were fairly calm as they hurried away.

Then I hear somebody say that a man was shot. Not that there was "shooting" in a plural sense; just that a man was shot.

The spot that we had left a little bit earlier was right where the shooting took place.

At that point, the cops tried their hardest to get the ambulence, motorcycles, and officers to the victim. They pushed us away from the area but Steve and I still stayed nearby.

I know in the news reports they say the cops had a hard time getting through the crowd - which they did - but they really did have pretty quick response time, given the fact that there were a million people at the fireworks. I wanted to watch the show but between the crowd shifting, emergency vehicles, and a fear of what else could happen kept my attention on the ground, not the sky.

Steve saw a victim go by in an ambulence. A slew of other random, non-police cars - but driven by officers, with people in back - also went by. That calmed down after a little bit, but the show was ruined for many and people were leaving.

It did settle down enough for me to watch the last 5-10 minutes of the show, with one of the best grand finales I remember.

Only after we got home did we realize that it wasn't just one person injured; some man was randomly shooting into the crowd and injured 9 people. We couldn't even hear the gun fire over the echo of the booming fireworks. It was a sobering thought that, had we stayed there, we could have possibly been victims also. When we realized this, Steve and I could only look at eachother and merely say "...whoa...".

But fortunately, there were no fatalities and the bad guy was caught last night.

Thank you Donna for being concerned about us! Poor girl heard the news and thought "Umm... shooting in Hart Plaza? Where are Lisa and Steve? ...Hart Plaza?!" Means a lot to us! ;)

Brynn and Casey's Wedding

The newlyweds! My friend Steve Cotterill took that picture, and has many more to view. I don't have my own pics (I was using Casey's camera) so I'll just have to swipe everybody else's; thanks Steve! It was such a beautiful wedding, at Pioneer Park in Muskegon. The wedding itself was held on the porch of a rustic-looking lodge, adorned with flowers and citronella tiki torches (darn mosquitos!), while the intimate ceremony was short-but-incredibly-sweet. Brynn wore a medieval dress and Casey donned some Indian (as in Nepal, not native american) ceremonial robes. After Brynn's brother sang a song and the couple lit their symbolic candle together, we went inside the lodge for the best feast I've had. I was astonished that I, picky eater that I am, loved every dish - and then I realized it was because everything was vegetarian! Inside the lodge, there was a large stone fireplace and a Celtic band for our enjoyment. Kirk and Supriya both gave hilarious toasts to recap the drama and heartbreak that paved the way through their relationship. Afterwards, we frolicked on the beach, then went back and made s'mores over the fire. What a great wedding! ;)

Then we all went back to our hotel and we crammed at least 16 people into our room. Jager bombs were generously distributed and we had a loud, fun time with those little party poppers - confetti everywhere! And we didn't even get in to (much) trouble! Brynn and Casey left for their mini-honeymoon at a B&B. Hope I'll see them again this summer!!

The next day, Steve, Heather and I went to the beach and went for a COLD yet refreshing swim in Lake Michigan. It felt so great to be in Michigan for the summer - last year I was in CO so I didn't get to do all the things I love, like swimming and playing on the beach.

Congratulations, Casey and Brynn!

 

Bitter and jaded... yet so alluring!

The most unbelieveable thing happened to Heather and me tonite! Sometimes being a sarcastic bitch pays off in unexpected ways...!!

So goes the story:

I went out to Ann Arbor to hang out with Heather. We tried walking around town, but it was raining and we wound up all wet and sexy with nowhere to go. First stop, Goodnight Gracies. The music was loud and prevented conversation; instead, we went to Conor O'Neils.

We plopped our wet asses down in a corner of the pub, ordered a few drinks, wrung the water out of our shirts, and alternated between listening to the blues/country band and yapping to eachother - you know, about the typical things: pirates, hot guys, cowboy hats, and dirty men. All the while, we people-watched and knew we were in for trouble by the looks of a few prowling men.

Sleazy guy #1 sits down at a table next to us. Heather and I roll our eyes but can tell he's too much of a weenie to be much of an issue and he never approaches. We look like man-eaters! Grrr! I notice a frizzy, curly-haired blond older man hanging around the bar like a shark, staring at us and pacing around. We avoided eye contact and absorbed ourselves in conversation. Something about him seemed odd, though...

Halfway through my first Oberon, I notice another blonde, buzz-cut, 40-something yr old man strut our way. I crossed my fingers and hoped he was just passing by.

Suddenly, I had a stranger sitting next to me, beer in hand, greeting Heather and I with a cheerful British accent and an undeniable quirkiness that made us both pause and think. Do we send him away and dismiss him as another bar fly? Us ladies exchanged concerned glances, but our curiousity had the upper hand. Let's see what this man has to say!

Blondie exclaims that he is writing a novel on the differences between Brits and Americans, two countries with the same language but different customs. Being the skeptics we are, Heather and I drilled him with every question under the sun regarding this "book" and spared no sympathy. We sparred back and forth in a shower of sarcasm and irony, which only seemed to interest this stranger more. In fact, he exlaimed how much he liked talking to us because we were the only people that understood his sense of humor! Him and that British accent!

Needless to say, we didn't believe him but had fun giving him a hell of a time. He inched closer and closer to me, but Heather and I cautiously let him continue. I have never met such a dynamic and exciting stranger! He pointed out strangers in the crowd and asked "What's his story? What does he do? What do you think about him?"and also offered to hook Heather up with the lead singer of the blues band. Us girls were just on FIRE and no matter what we or he dished out, there was always some smart-ass reply that was quickly volleyed back (in good humor, of course).

He got up to talk to his friends (including the guy with long curly hair) and gave Heather and I a chance to contimplate the situation. The guy was certainly hilarious, quirky, and fascinating, despite his outlandish lies about this book and his recruitment of friends to help his failed lie. But we didn't send him away. I don't think we could have if we tried. ;) Which is not to say we trusted him, but we were having a great time being goofy at the bar and he was quite a character!

After a friend of his came over and botched up their "book writing" cover, we insisted they tell us straight up what they do.

"Would you believe I'm a drummer in a band?" asks blondie to us.

Yeah right, we both thought.

He claimed that he was in a band that played next door at the Ark, and that the jig was up - he wasn't a writer but he was actually a musician! "Do you know the band Squeeze?"

Yeah, I love Squeeze!

"Well that guy over there is Glenn Tilbrook, the lead singer, and I'm the drummer."

Heather and I let out a haughty, defiant laugh. Yeah right!

"Wait, so we can be your groupies?! HAHAHAHA!" In retrospect, we were a little harsh. ;)

I told him how much I love Squeeze and he was surprised because it was "before my time", and I admitted I even had a CD in my car right at that very moment. They were happily surprised; I couldn't tell if it was because he really was in Squeeze, or because I just so happen to listen to this band he was trying to pretend to be in. But apparently they think using the line "I'm the drummer for the band" is too "normal" so they instead tried to pretend they were writing a book. Blondie also pointed out that this clever book-story did keep him at the table with us instead of scaring us away, so there must be something redeeming about it!! Their next stop is in Iowa, and he named a few other cities they have been to. Heather and I made a mental note of EVERYTHING so we could confirm or deny it later via Google.

There was so much sass and attitude coming from Heather and I, but the more sarcastic and raw we got, the more he seemed to enjoy our company. He was smooth and charasmatic! We couldn't send him away! So we spent a couple hours with this stranger draped across my back, telling ridiculous lies and outrageous claims back and forth. He was so fun!

Somehow our skeptical sarcasm led way to him inviting some buddies over. It was an eclectic group - the long curly haired man, another man with brown curly hair, another 2 or 3 guys and 2 ladies; some with Brit accents, some without. The other people, to whom had not been part of our conversation previously, were definitely talking about travel, booking, and music stuff. Was it true?! Or are we just being gullible?! Our conspiracy theory was being whittled away; there's no way they could ALL get these "I'm in an old 80s band" facts and questions straight between half a dozen people!

After this silly flirting, we shut the bar down but were still laughing and having a great time. "Simon" was his name, and he wanted to know if we wanted to hit another bar, go back to the hotel and party, or something else. I still wasn't comfortable - if they were lying, then that's sketchy... but if they were telling the truth, then they'd probably be expected to hook up with them. Simon seemed to really like me but a creepy guy was trying for Heather, poor girl!

Taking the wiser, yet more boring, route, I "cut us off" and made the executive decision to leave. Blonde guy was sad to see us go and as I left, he took my hand and kissed it. We swore we would Google him to see if they were being honest.

I think the most impressive part is that, despite our skeptical and harshly rejecting comments, Simon maintained his good humor and ironic hilarity and our attitudes seemed to attract him even more!!

We left the party van behind and hopped in my car. "Let's just go out back and see if this RV that they claim they are driving is really there."

Driving... don't see an RV in the parking lot.... driving....  Wait, there it is!!

RV set up on the street, decked out and in good condition. Wait, did we really... hang out with SQUEEZE?!?!

Simon tried so hard to keep the party going; despite his charsima we held strong and left. But then of course I drove in circles trying to decide with Heather whether or not to go back to the bar and tell him we believe him or how to handl it. We were so excited!! "Let's go around the block again and see where they are at!!" We weren't positive but their story of being a "band" was seeming to check out... But if we went back, what would we do?? We decided it was still too sketchy.

We didn't get out and talk to him again, or wait for him at the RV. We went back and googled him.

His name is Simon Hanson. He is a drummer for the former band Squeeze (aka Glenn Tilbrook and the Fluffers - click on photos and see the one of the drummer - that's him!!). He has played with many others (Iggy Pop, Ozzy). It was true. It was all $#^%$# TRUE!! They were promoting their brand new album!!

HEATHER AND I HUNG OUT WITH SQUEEZE! SQUEEZE WANTED TO TAKE US HOME! I made fun of his shirt!

As soon as we saw their pictures we knew it was true and felt horrified but slightly proud of our aloofness and attitude we threw at them. I don't know how often they get young women making fun of them, since they ARE famous... but I don't think it would have been nearly as cool if we were just swooning over him. We don't swoon; we scowl!

Realizing it was really them, I decided to drive around with Heather and randomly scream in happy excitement! WE HUNG OUT WITH SQUEEZE!!!!!

We blew it and ruined our chance to hang out with them some more, but it was too sketchy to do much else. Oh well. But it was one helluva time!

The guy in the middle back is Simon and the guitar/singer is Glenn!

Here's Simon again

 (photo from www.babylonandon.com)