Ten Words

Does anyone still read this blog? Well here's a fun little game.
As assigned by Eggplant Boy. He assigned "U." The rules: Comment on this entry and I will give you a letter. Write ten words beginning with that letter in your journal, including an explanation what the word means to you and why, and then pass out letters to those who want to play along.

Unusual: as in "She's so." I've always been told that I'm a bit strange in my outlook.

Ulysses: by James Joyce is my favorite book. I think I migh be one of the few people who have actually finished this book, and it is well worth the read. I say this not in any sense of self-righteousness. There are plenty of other books that I have failed to finish reading.

Undisciplined: This could also mean "unorganized." If it takes discipline, it takes me extra effort to finish it. This is the one thing that I wish I had more of. For some reason, my brain finds it hard to focus or get organized so I know what it is that I need to do. And if I know what to do, sometimes it takes a long time for me to get off my ass to actually do it. I think I've gotten a little bit better at this since becoming an adult. But I've been an adult for well over a decade, so I should be a lot better at this than I am.

Unknown: I love exploring here. I like asking questions that I don't know the answers to. That's always been one of the things I've loved about my profession. I've been charged by the public to look into stuff they don't know. It's my job to answer those questions.

Used: The mode in which I buy many things. Right now, I am trying to buy a television and a computer, and finding myself strangely paralyzed by the decision. My mother theorized that it's because most of my large purchases or acquisitions are hand me downs, gifts or bought used (like my car), so I just accept what's available. When it comes to having a world of choices open to me, I can't make up my mind.

University: of Washington. I loved going to school there and I have two undergraduate degrees from the place. I actually had a sense of discipline there and I think that going to a big anonymous research university helped foster several attitudes that speak to me: 1) that I have a need to make myself heard, rather than be in a place that will coddle me or where everyone is automatically heard and 2) that study and research is its own reward.

Underground: This is the main transportation system in London, where I lived for too short a time. I always felt at home in that city, partly because the Underground is so easy to navigate. It reminds me of the possibilities in...

Urban: large cities. I love the diversity of culture and people that you find in most large cities. My favorite thing about urban areas is the simultaneous sense of community and alienation. You can connect with plenty of people, but you will never know everyone or everything there is in a large city. That's part of the fascination and the fun of living in one.

Unagi: Eel. I forget if this is freshwater or saltwater eel, but it is tender and often served broiled with an earthy and sweet sauce in sushi restaurants. I love the flaky texture of broiled eel and the chewiness of the skin. It was one of the first types of sushi I ever had, when I was 9- or 10-years-old at a party at a friend of my mother's. After that, my sister and I made my family purchase eel from the traveling fish monger who used to drive through my neighborhood.

Upswing: The direction that I feel my life is going. I thought about whether I have ever felt like my life was in a decline, and I have been lucky to have avoided that feeling.

Wanna play? Comment on this entry, and I'll give you a letter.