25 RANDOM THINGS

I was tagged to write 25 random things about myself so after a few White Russians last night. Here goes. More information than you ever cared to know about me.
1. I am a former Republican. What was THAT all about????
2. I hated my old life being a housewife.
3. I loved my old life being a housewife.
4. I miss my old life being a housewife.
5. I say Hail Mary's over and over to get to sleep every night. It doesn't seem to help, but it keeps me from obsessing about things I did or didn't get done each day.
6. I hate, hate cats and am actually petrified of them.
7. I love basketball.
8. I learned to drive about 4 years ago and have driven approx 40,000 a year since.I love it and can't believe I waited all this time to drive.
9. It seems like every man I kissed on the lips dies. From my husband to a boyfriend in college. At this rate, there won't be anyone left to "tell the tale".
10. I love the fact that my mother influenced every aspect of my life. When I miss her, I just go see her sister. Just like when I was young. If mom wasn't home, you just went and asked Aunt Babe. She was always second in command. Come to think of it, I still miss my grandmother too. Aunt Babe is the only one left of the three who gives me unconditional love. She does the same for all her children, grand children and nieces and nephews. When you go see her, she is truly happy to see you and tells everyone just how wonderful we are.
11. I go out every Thursday with a bunch of woman called the Anger Management Girls. This is a group of woman that if you put us all in a line-up, you would never imagine we had ANYTHING in common. But that is the beauty of the group. Everyone is welcome. Among us there are teachers, waitresses, secretaries, housewives, college administrators, college deans, social workers, interior designers, bankers, writers, wannabe be writers(yours truly) probation officers, real estate tycoons, bureaucrats,and appellate lawyers, just to name a few. And we all LIKE each other.
12. My bark is far worse than my bite. I'm actually a sissy-la-la in disguise.
13. I am a Civil War widow. My husband was obsessed with it. The first five vacations of our married life we went to Civil War Battlefields. Yea!! I know you are all jealous here. Finally I said NO MORE!
I have a library in my house that houses some of Dan's 600 plus books. Don't know what I'm going to do with them when I downsize. His pride and joy, Grant's Memoirs, first edition. 1880.
Through a friend, Dan met Jeff Shiraz whose father won Pulitzer prize for Killer Angels. He gave Dan some of his fathers books (Plus signed first editions of his own). So among the hundreds of books, some of them belonged to a Pulitzer prize winner. That is pretty cool.
14. I went back to school to get a masters degree when my kids were small just so I could sit in a room for three hours and no one could ask me to cook them something to eat. For three hours a night, twice a week, I was no longer Mrs. D'Amico, but Eileen, graduate student. It did wonders for my soul. Never did use the degreee though.
15. I was obsessed with being the best snack mother that ever lived. Figures, It never got me anywhere.
16. I am full of useless information that never will get me anywhere in life.
17. I graduated almost at the bottom of my class in high school. But my best friends were at the top of the class. So now, when I see people from high school, they don't associate me with the kids from group K but the kids from group G. This practice has served me well through my life. Always befriend the people at the top. No one remembers you weren't all that great. As a side note, I went further and am probably certain that I've read more books than most in G group. (You can't read when your dead. *I've been out of High School 34 years. Not that I'm bitter that they totally had it wrong and that I actually believed I was stupid for the first 17 years of my life or anything
18. For a dumb,poor girl from Lawrenceville, I've been around. I've been to every presidential inauguration since Jimmy Carter. One of which my kids and I watched from the Director of the FBI's office. I was in Washington when the hostages were released from Iran and have pictures of them. I've been on the alter in the first row with the Pope at the Vatican. I have been to innaug. Balls. and met three presidents. I worked for the FBI in the Civil Rights Division. Went to a private party for the Attny General of the United States. I was at the swearing in of a Director of the FBI. Also in attendance was the President and Attny General. I was in the 4th row. Dick Thornbugh and a whole lot of really important people were in the rows BEHIND me. I attended Senate hearings on organized crime. I go to NY every Dec. and stay at the Waldorf Astoria. Two years in a row, Brad and Angelina were on the floor above us. One time, Ski and I sat outside their room and listened to them put kids to bed. I had a whole new appreciation for them. I've been to the Superbowl. Had a police escort in so we didn't have to wait in security. Went to the command center to see all security stuff. It was better than the Superbowl for me. I've been to a World Series game in 1979; I've seen Bruce (First time in 1974), The Who,U2 and The Stones in concert many times. I've met Bob Hope. I was living in DC when the United States beat the Russians in the Miracle on Ice and chased Jim Craig down Pennsylvania Ave. I actually worked on Pennsylvania Ave. I've been in the audience at the David Letterman Show. So yeah,for a poor dumb girl from Lawrenceville, I guess you can say I have been around.
19. I used to go to Appalachia every summer in high School to rebuild poor peoples houses.
20 I went to 18 years of Catholic Schools and know the Patron Saints of just about everything!!
21. I wish one of those schools were Notre Dame.
22. When my sister worked at the Rand Corp they used to play softball once a week on the Mall in DC.Judo and I just happened to go to the game when they were playing Harvard. They didn't have enough players that particular evening. The Harvard team asked us if we wanted to fill in. So yeah, I can honestly say I played softball for Harvard......Judo, do you remember that?
23. I love to give presents much more that receiving.
24 I hate cleaning my house.
25. I can't believe I am not married anymore. And feel guilty that I can't be what my husband was to my boys.

So thats it. 25 stupid stuff that will not get you anywhere in life either!