Rx for Time (#14)

Earlier this year, I went to a conference of Calif. Child Development Administrators. Dr. Richard Swenson gave a fantastic luncheon keynote on "A Special Moment in History: Managing Time, Stress and Health in an Unprecedented Era." Here's a prescription from Dr. Swenson... Rx for Time:

1. Be intentional.
2. Beware of excessive speed and multi-tasking as solutions.
3. Say "no" to non-priorities.
4. Tame technology.
5. Periodically disconnect.
6. Turn off the tv.
7. Simplify, unclutter.
8. Prioritize, get less done, but the right things.
9. Prune activity branches.

Anyways, it's good, solid advice. I'll start after this weekend, right after I finish reading Chapter 11 & 12 and do 2 homework assignments by Monday, work on a group project, do a 5K with Maiya, a Red Egg & Ginger Bday party, try to help our friends move, get new tires for the car (Tony), do laundry, dishes, check FB, try to see Dan Kwong's show at LATC, Great Leap in Leaps of Faith, go to the Farmer's Market, go to the gym, pay the bills, check out some open houses, NaBloPoMo some mo, and breath deep. Someday.

Vintage Meme Blog 9/15/03

jenni's blog:: september 2003
September 15 - First & Last List
I have the day off today. Been catching up on blogs, found this on Zeebah's, and decided what the heck.
First bike: It was a used turquoise "Slick Chick" with a silver banana seat. I was all proud that it was blue and not some pink girly bike.
First best friend: Kathy. She had an above-ground swimming pool. We used to play hair dresser in her living room.
First car: 1973 Ford Mustang from my Auntie K. The 351 horsepower impressed guys I was too shy to approach. A few times it would spin around uncontrollably in the rain until my dad put a bag of concrete in the trunk. It was stolen from my college apartment.
First job: Working at a law firm as a file clerk/typist at age 16. That job led me to working in law firms for the next 16 years.
First screen name: Sanjuu Sansei (which means 30 year old third generation Japanese American). Remember Compuserve?
First self purchased album: First 45 single was "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tenille. First album was the soundtrack to "Grease" that I split the cost with my sister and brother.
First pet: 4 turtles when I turned 4 years old. My mom got rid of them because they smelled but told us they ran away.
First piercing/tattoo: Don't remember the piercing. No tatts.
First independent home: An apartment in Hollywood with my best friend, Maria, about 6 months after college graduation.
First credit card: I thought you had to pay money into it, then you could use the money, then would need to replenish in order to spend more. I must have gotten that concept from my parents.
First love: Jimmy Anderson, Kindergarten. He was a cutie.
First enemy: Don't think I ever had one, but when Ron threw rocks at me and Kathy in grade school, they got paddled by the principal.
First big trip: Flew to New York by myself in 1982 and visited Maria the summer after high school. We went to the top of the World Trade Center, saw "A Chorus Line" and "Evita" on Broadway.
First play/musical/performance: Not the first, but memorable - I saw Patrick Swayze in "West Side Story" at the Moorpark Melodrama. Nobuko, my boss, was in the original movie and on Broadway 20 years earlier. My best friend MARIA and my husband TONY were named after West Side Story characters in the 60s.
Last movie seen: I can't even remember the name. I think it was during Thanksgiving weekend in 2002. Check my November blog.
Last book read: "Built in Furniture."
Last cuss word uttered: Probably the "F" word.
Last beverage drank: Organic Juice from Trader Joe's last night.
Last food consumed: Killer Shrimp with rice, last night.
Last crush: Married him.
Last kiss: Ditto.
Last phone call: My dad, called to offer us his old big screen TV which is broken and might cost $200-$300 to repair. Declined. Had a nice conversation with him. It may be the first time he called me on my cell phone.
Last TV. show watched: Saw "Sharon Osborne" the debut of the talk show this morning.
Last time showered: This afternoon.
Last shoes worn: My comfy black Merrell's out to Killer Shrimp in the Marina last night.
Last cd played: Sweet Honey in the Rock that Nobuko made for me called "Women Gather."
Last item bought: Two pieces of political arts. Silkscreened and spraypaint posters by my friend Weston at the Great Leap fundraiser on Saturday. One is about the Figueroa Corridor/Staples Center struggle and the other is of the Koreatown Assi Market Boycott.
Last downloaded: Don't recall.
Last annoyance: Alarm clock this morning.
Last soda drank: I gave up soda a year ago officially, but I must admit that I had a sip of Tony's Squirt at Hector's house the other night.
Last word written: Night. (See above).
Last word spoken: Bye. (Hung up phone from dad).
Last sleep: Went to sleep about 2am. Woke up at at 7:30 am when Tony left for work, but didn't get up till 9:51 am.
Last IM: Never?
Last weird encounter: Don't know.
Last ice cream eaten: Can't remember when. But it was probably Haagen Dazs "Dulce La Leche." Yummm.
Last time wanting to die: Probably as a teenager.
Last time hugged: Last night from Hubby.
Last chair sat in: Currently sitting at my desk at home.
Last shirt worn: Currently wearing a black t-shirt that says "California Arts Council - The Year of the Arts - 2001." See, I wear what I preach. Support the arts.
Last web page visited: zeebahtronic - where I copied this entry.

Fun with Yogurt Cups

When Maiya was a baby, I started saving yogurt cups, choosing to re-use, before recycling them. Before long, we had a bunch of them. They provided her with hours of fun. We also use them in the bathtub every night. Here's Maiya at 20 months with pyramid yogurt cups.

In 2007, cousin Kieth (5) is measuring the height of the stacked cups with Maiya (2 1/2) and cousin Kyle's (4) help.

A few weeks ago, we tried lining them up along the pattern of our living room rug while watching "Be Kind, Rewind," which was a pretty great movie, by the way.

Then, her anal mother decided to sort them by type, partly because I'm into stupid, meaningless, time-wasting tasks, and also I wanted to see what yogurt flavors are our family's favorites. In my defense, I'm also developing Maiya's "emerging math" skills, which includes sorting, classifying and stacking.

Anyways, in first place was blueberry, followed by peach, then strawberry, vanilla bean, raspberry, lemon, passion fruit, lime, cherry and finally, maple. I was surprised because there is only 1 cherry, and cherry is one of Tony's favorite flavors. But he explained it's because Trader Joe's doesn't carry cherry, and we usually get our yogurt at Trader Joe's.

Here we are doing our pyramid stack. Whenever Kyle comes over, he asks to play with the yogurt cups. This little video is funny because after they fell, my brother Darin said something about Maiya knocking over the cups, but when we viewed the video, it turned out that he was actually the last one to touch them.

Ok, well it's getting late. I don't know what the hell I am doing up writing about yogurt cups at 1 am.

Procrastination Meme

1.It’s 2AM on the weekend, and you are not home. You are more than likely:
Doubtful, unless it's cause we're out of town (like the last 2 weekends).

2.What’s the last thing you spent more than $100 on?
Mortgage. Yesterday.

3.What do your bank checks look like?
Plain with a Martin Luther King cover (from previous checks).

4.Where did you get the shirt you are currently wearing?
Hand-me-down from Auntie Keiko.

5.Name something that was on your Christmas wish list.
Nothing.

6.What color is your toothbrush?
White. It's a 15 year old Sonicare electric toothbrush.

7.Name something you collect.
Clutter. It seems unavoidable around here sometimes.

8.Last restaurant you ate at?
Mt. Whitney Cafe on Sunday morning for breakfast after Manzanar. We were disappointed by the food and service.

9.Last person you bought a birthday present for?
Tony. It was the first time I bought him a gift in years. I got 5 shirts, only 2 of which he wants me to return. Success!

10.What is your worst bad habit?
Procrastination. Ergo, this post.

11.Name a magazine you subscribe to?
Mothering and WonderTime.

12.Whose number were you looking up the last time you used a phone book?
Huh? Phonebook? I use google for everything.

13.What is the last thing you cooked?
Does toast this morning count? I made Maiya mac & cheese last week.

14.Name something you wouldn’t want to buy used?
Hygiene products.

15.What is the last thing you remember losing?
Keys, cell phone and remote are often MIA.

16.What is the ugliest piece of furniture in your house?
Hand-me-down dresser in bedroom and temporary telephone stand sitting by the front door.

17.Last thing you bought and ended up returning?
A pair of pants from Express that needed to be shortened like 10 inches that were $75. I found cheaper, better fitting, right length pants 2 days later.

18.Your favorite board game?
Boggle. It's not a board game exactly, but I love it.

19.Last board game you played?
Can't remember. It's time for a game night.

20.Where did your vehicle come from?
We bought a 17 year old Lexus from my Dad in October. It just hit 200K miles. My Honda is 15 years old and came from near Magic Mountain.

21.If a movie was made about your life, what would the theme song be?
Buzz. I draw a blank. I'm trying to get through this quickly.

22.You're sad. Who can cheer you up easily?
Maiya. Or Tony if he cracks a few bad jokes.

23.What was the color of the bridesmaid dresses of the last wedding you went to?
Who knows? I think Gary's was the last wedding and that was 2 years ago.

24.What house cleaning chore do you hate to do the most?
Dusting. Bathroom. Stove. All, actually I hate all cleaning.

25.What is your favorite way to eat chicken?
Boneless, skinless, wrapped in a burrito? I don't really know.

26.It is your birthday. You hope the cake is:
Carrot, with cream cheese frosting.

27.What is the status of you and the last person you texted?
Tony. Only did it once, but he deleted it because he didn't want to pay the 15 cents.

28.What is wrong with you right now?
Nothing.

29.What do you wear to bed?
Flannel bottoms with turquoise and green polka dots from my sister and a tshirt.

30.What is the last movie you watched?
Finding Nemo at Grandpa's house last weekend. It was our first time watching it. We missed the ending, but he gave it to us, so we'll try to watch the rest later. It was scarier than I thought it would be.

31.What are you excited about?
Maiya and Tony's picture was in the Rafu yesterday. Today we're going to meet Kaz' baby.

32.When you sleep, do you dream about heroin addicts?
Never.

33.What’s on your mind right now?
Need to take a shower, call AT&T about my cell phone which isn't working, do dishes, get a car wash, get gas, pick up lunch to go to Kaz' house.

34.Do you think you'll be married in 10 years?
Yes. This year I will have been married for 10 years already.

35.What's your ring tone?
Drums.

36.Do you plan on moving out within the next year?
Out of what?

37.What were you doing at eight P.M yesterday?
I was folding laundry and waiting for American Idol to come on. Well, it's the truth.

Oh wow, was that the last question? Thank goodness, cause I've got stuff to do today! Ok, now I tag, you!

7 Random Things About Me(me)

1. My most frequented vacation spot is... Detroit. Since 2000 I have been to Detroit 9 times. Our dear friend, Grace Lee Boggs, of the Boggs Center is a 92 year old movement activist, who Maiya Grace is named after, lives there. After meeting Grace in 1998 at the Serve the People Conference at UCLA, Grace invited Tony & I to participate with Detroit Summer, and we helped to conceive and design 2 murals in Detroit. Then Great Leap, where I used to work, did a multi-year arts residency project called "I Dream a Garden" with the urban gardening movement. On one of my trips, I took Grace to the "Animating Democracy" Arts and Civic Dialogue conference in Flint and was able to introduce her to the national arts activists community before her keynote address.


2. I happily took a more than 50% paycut and gave up all my benefits and retirement plan 10 years ago in order to move from a corporate legal management position that I had been in for 12 years, in order to run Great Leap, a nonprofit community arts organization (with no experience whatsoever in the arts or in running a small business). It was a leap of faith, and one that I never regretted.

3. I bought my first condo at age 25. I wasn't making that much money, but I was a serious saver, so I saved enough for a downpayment on a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath condo with a 2 car garage. I took in 2 tenants to help me pay the mortgage (one was my sister, and one was my friend Alyce). I eventually became the president of the board of directors and helped to win a $1million lawsuit against the developer.

4. After having been a gymnast for over 5 years, I made the gymnastics team in high school, but I was the only person on the team who never got to compete once in two years. I could not do several of the required competitive moves, like a back handspring, a backroll to a handstand or a back hip circle on the uneven bars. I just didn't have the muscles to swing my little 95 pound body around the bar. I was proud to be the most flexible person on the team, able to do the splits in 3 directions, but in competition, no one really cared if you could do the splits or not.

5. I didn't eat ANY fruit or cereal or milk for over 10 years, probably closer to 12-13 years. This was probably from high school, through college and the few years after that. I still don't drink milk, much preferring soy, but that's not that unusual I guess. Then later, in the late 90s I didn't eat meat for several years. I started eating meat when I got pregnant for the protein. I am thinking about going vegetarian in 2008. It's not so hard since I don't like meat, never really have.

6. I have been a JA community activist since 1992.

7. I have been blogging since 2002. Here's another snapshot from Dec. 02. It's fun to have that digital archive to go back and reflect on life 5 years ago.

NaBloPoMo#24: This blog is from Yam's tag. I don't have the energy to tag more people to pass it on, but feel free to do your own if you like. I have another ABC Meme in the works which I'll try to get to before the NaBloPoMo is over. Tired and going to bed. Toodles.

Human Tetris

NaBloPoMo#13: Oh my gosh. You have to check out this Human Tetris video clip. It has circulated throughout our office. It is the funniest thing I have seen in years. I can't remember when I laughed out loud so hard. Those crazy Japanese guys.

Clear. Not clear. What a crackup.

Blog backup

Seems like I just don't have the time to blog about all the things that have been going on in our life. If I had more time, I'd blog about:

* Brunch for Auntie Keiko's bday at our house. Enjoying playing with all of Maiya's cousins

* Tofu Festival - 20,000 plus people in 2 days in J-town produced by LTSC where I work. It was a hot, hot day--I worked 9 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday. Maiya wearing "Soy Friendly" and Amani wearing "Planting seeds for our future" shirts.

* J-town - the loss of our J-town to luxury condos, and sale of JVP, Weller Court & New Otani

* Me & Tony's 9th wedding anniversary - celebrations at Tokyo Table, Furaibo and Tony's new favorite coffee shop, Tokyo 77.

* Cleaning out and organizing our garage, den & closets of clutter. Taking down our rusty shed. Goal: parking in the garage!

* Bye bye fishies - after losing our 2 goldfish, we got about 20 guppies, but they didn't make it either

* Milestones of Maiya - more talking, more decisive, more playdates, more video, more art

* Starting a new ECE (Early Childhood Education) class I'm taking one night a week called Language Arts and Literature for Young Children at the local college.

* BBQ with Tony's Aunt Liz' family visiting from Idaho and his godsister Beth's family on Saturday

* BOLD - Birth on Labor Day - the amazing play about women's birth stories produced by the Doulas of Southern California on Sunday. The play will be performed in 37 locations this month around the country. It inspired me to want to have a natural water birth at home (although it didn't convince me to decide whether or not to have another baby/toddler), and it also inspired me to learn more about being a doula, or at least to do some advocacy for educating healthy birthing choices and support for low-income and teenage moms.

* First annual "Okazaki Family Reunion" - 37 of us on Monday. Touching stories from Auntie Taka and Uncle Fumio. 6 Nisei (generation), 8 cousins plus spouses, 16 next generation (ranging from 22 years to 9 months old), lots of great potluck food, 107 degrees, and a pool big enough to fit us all!

* The crazy heat- but can't complain too much living on the westside

* Never ending bills, laundry, dishes

* Diaper-free Maiya! This is a BIG one, it is the most life-changing experience and it is the milestone that we have been looking forward to but is a reminder of how quickly she is growing up and how these days need to be cherished, every moment.

If you have any requests for details on the above blog topics, please vote on any ones you'd like to hear more about because I may not get to them all.

KuidaOsumi the OG

I just remembered that this site was originally a geocities page! So, if you want to see where we started from, take a look from the early days (last updated March 2002): http://www.geocities.com/kuidaosumi. The look has changed (hopefully for the better), but the content and ideas behind it are pretty much the same nowadays. The main difference is the addition of Maiya into our website and our lives.

I just updated the main website and added some photos to Maiya's Home Page. If you haven't seen it, it's a month-by-month look at her cute smiling face, and the slowly, but surely increase in the length of her hair. And no, she hasn't had a haircut yet!

I've been wondering what to do about kuidaosumi.com. I don't really update it much anymore--there's some linking issues I haven't felt like dealing with. I've been documenting our lives for over 7 years, but only updating the site every 3 months or so. I need to renew the domain name--don't know who else would want it but I don't feel real inspired to update it, given how much easier it is to be here on blogspot. What should I do? Let it go? Keep it for posterity? What do you think?

Meme... Again

I always do these things when I'm procrastinating. Right now, it's Rainbow Jello time and Maiya's napping. 1. Do you have a college degree? Yes. It was a B.S. in Business with an emphasis in Human Resources. 20 years later, I took my first class in Early Childhood Education, and will probably take another in the Spring. 2. What was the amount of your last electric bill? Probably about $130, but that includes trash pickup and sewage, and is for two months. 3. How many hours per week do you have to work? Well, I work 32 hours a week officially that I get paid for, and I am also a full time mom and wife. 4. Have you ever attended a Toastmasters evening? I don't think so. But it rings a bell, maybe I did 15-20 years ago? 5. Favorite place to attend Happy Hour? None. But last week, the day our work audit was completed, I went with a group of folks to my first happy hour since college. Since I don't drink, I had a clear soda. If Maiya hadn't been home sick with Tony, I wouldn't have been able to go. 6. How many miles is your commute to work each day (one way)? About 15 miles each way. Which can mean 40-60 minutes on most days. If it's after 10pm, I can do it in 25-30. If it's a bad traffic day, it can be 1 1/2 hours. 7. What time do you get up every morning? I usually get out of bed by 7:30 or 8 am. But Maiya often wakes me up between 5am and 6:30 am, and lately it's been every day that she's up. When she sits up and starts playing with her stuffed animals I ignore her and go back to sleep. If she puts a book in my face, then I have to read it. Luckily, I've memorized many of her books and I can recite them without putting on my glasses. 8. What is your definition of sleeping in late? Every now and again, I can get Tony to wake up and take Maiya to breakfast and I will go back to sleep until 9 or 9:30, but that's maybe once a month or less. Generally I haven't slept more than 6-7 hours straight in over 2 years, so I don't really sleep in late. When I was pregnant, I was either insomniac or I would sleep till 10am or 11am (even on work days!) 9. Have you found any gray hairs? Please, they're everywhere. 10. Do you check your cholesterol on a yearly basis? Hmm, no I don't think so. I think they did it when I got life insurance, and it was really good. 11. How large was your first cellular phone? Pretty big, but not one of those foot-long ones that my friends had. 12. Does your employer provide good health insurance? Well, I don't consider HMOs to be good health insurance. In fact, I don't think good health insurance exists these days, unless maybe in Canada or Cuba or other countries where it is free. My HMO coverage is through Tony's. 13. Did you use the internet to write a research paper back in the old days of high school? Please. I did not get my first computer until 4 years ago and it's the same one we have now. I didn't even have a typewriter until my senior year in college. In college, I used to go to the library and put quarters in every 15 minutes in the pay typewriters, or I would go to work to do my papers. 14. Have you ever heard of the internet sensation... or visited? Huh? 15. Have you attended a high school reunion? Yes, my 20th. I saw the guy I had a crush on and I told him. I asked him if he remembered me and he said, "Uh, yeah." I wasn't convinced he actually did, but he did give me a hug and introduced me to his wife who was very nice. 16. How many jobs have you held in your professional career? 6. That's 6 jobs in 25 years. They have all been professional administrative jobs since I was 16. Most of my jobs have been long-term relationships. 17. Have you ever been fired or laid off from a job? Nope. 18. What is your favorite drink? I don't have one, but I like blueberry soda from Trader Joe's and Martinelli's. 19. What is the most expensive bottle of wine that you have in your residence? We don't drink, but Tony bought a bottle of $2 buck Chuck recently to use for cooking. And our new kitchen has 4 slots for a wine rack, but it's got mostly sparkling sodas in it. 20. Have you been divorced? Nope. 21. How old were you when you stopped getting IDed for alcohol/tobacco etc...? Well, I got carded for an R-rated movie when I was 25 years old, and I got carded for non-alcoholic wine from Trader Joe's when I was in my late-30s. 22. Favorite casino? Haven't been to many. Enjoy The Cal, except for the smoke. 23. Are you happier now than you were in high school? Definitely. 24. Did you ever have Hypercolor shirts? Huh? 25. Do you remember when Michael Jackson was black and attracted to older people? I remember when he was part of the Jackson Five. 26. What music was in your cd/cassette player when you were 16? When I was 16, CDs weren't invented yet. I had 45s and LPs. My first 45 was "Love Will Keep us Together" by Captain and Tennille. My first album was "Grease." I was into Joey Travolta, Kristy and Jimmy McNicol, and a whole lotta disco and Top 40 hits. 27. Favourite fancy/upscale restaurant? I haven't been to any upscale restaurants since probably more than 10 years. Tony & I always go to the same old hangouts. 28. How long has it been since you attended a kegger? College? Although I didn't drink in college either, not really. Never did like or drink beer. I drank some wine in college, but that's about it. 30. Where were you when you found out about 9-11? Nobuko called me and woke me up and told me to turn on the TV. She said, "There's going to be a whole lot of oppression going on." I had a grant due the next day, but luckily they extended it a day since I was glued to the TV the next 2 days. 31. When's the last time you were at a 7-11? No idea. My mom didn't let us go in them, she was scared something bad would happen. She also didn't like us to buy gas at night. 32. When's the last time you bought a 40oz of beer? Never.

Ok, now it's time for Rainbow Jello production. It's a 7 layer jello that takes 20 minutes per layer. Presents are wrapped. Tonight is tamales with the Ayalas. Hope you have a happy holiday!

APA Parent - Survey

Peg tagged me, so here's my APA Parent survey. I changed the last question.

1. I am: Sansei, 3rd generation Japanese American

2. My child is: Hapa Hapa Yonsei Gosei (3/4 J.A, 1/4 European American Jew), which means that because her dad is Hapa, she is a Hapa Hapa, which is half a Hapa, and Gosei (5th generation Japanese American) which makes her 5th generation J.A. (and 7th generation Jewish European American (via Pittsburgh) on her dad's side, and then 4th generation Yonsei on my side. Confusing? You could just call her Hapa.

3. I first realized I was APA when: I went to college and my boyfriend was Vietnamese and my good friends were Quynh Anh, Lan Anh & Sonny (Vietnamese), Lea (Pilipina), Monica (Korean, raised in Paraguay and the Valley), Takae (Chinese, raised in Japan), Ladan (born in Iran), Amelia (Mexican American), Alyce (Chinese), Minna (Taiwanese). Before college, my group of friends were all White, except for Cynthia who was African American. When I got active in the commemoration of the 50th Remembrance of Japanese American internment in 1992, I reconnected with my JA roots and identity, which also kicked off my interest in community work and political activism.

4. People think my name is: Jenni or Emiko. I also go by Jen or Jennifer.

5. The family tradition I most want to pass on is: Oshogatsu, the Japanese New Year's celebration

6. The family tradition I least want to pass on is: I can't think of any.

7. My child’s first word in English was: MaMa. Then apple.

8. My child’s first non-English word was: Well, apple was just last week, so none. Although she does understand "siente te," sit down in Spanish, and I regularly say "agua" instead of water. I don't speak Japanese, but I have used "oishi desuyo?" which means "does it taste good?" since she started eating. Her first baby signs were "milk" and "more."

9. The non-English word/phrase most used in my home is:
and "chotto matte yo" which means, just a minute, "abunai" which means be careful, or dangerous, and sometimes "atsui" which means hot!

10. One thing I love about being an APA parent is: exposing my daughter to different cultures, not just her own.

11. One thing I hate about being an APA parent is: nothing I can think of.

12. The best thing about being part of an APA family is: Tony says, "not too sure what it is to not be an APA family."

13. The worst thing about being part of an APA family is: Racism is bad, any way you slice it.

14. To me, being an Asian Pacific American parent means: that I have a responsibility to my child to raise her to embrace other cultures and nationalities, and to allow her to learn about being Japanese American. If she wants to play in the JA basketball leagues, or join a Japanese taiko drum group, that will be fine with us. Although if she wants to do African drumming and dance or Mexican folkorico (I have friends who teach both), then that will be cool too!

FWD: Humor

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006 when...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Go on, forward this to your friends. you know you want to!