Ten on Tuesday (vol. 3)

It’s time for 10 (not quite 20) questions again as Chelsea hosts Ten on Tuesday. Today is her birthday, so send her lots of love!

1. What are some of your family traditions?
Everyone else seems to be talking about Christmas, so I’ll talk about our Christmas traditions. However, that’s not the only time we have family traditions!
This will be our third Christmas together, second as husband and wife and second Christmas (not consecutively) in Germany. Needless to say, we haven’t had one Christmas that was remotely like the other in the past 3 years so our own family traditions are still in the works. Both of us like to open gifts slowly to let everyone enjoy spending time together and sharing in each other’s excitement. Ok, honestly, so far…that’s it!

2. Do you know how to change a flat tire?
Nope. I rely on my husband and the males in my family for that. I guess I should learn, but I really don’t want to!

3. Do you subscribe to any magazines? What are your favorites?
Nope. I used to subscribe to Real Simple and Newsweek, but the subscriptions just ran out and I don’t think they’re worth the money at this point. I’d rather we spend our money elsewhere.

4. What are your top three favorite office supply items? (If you don’t share the love of office supplies with me or if you are male, you may skip this question.)
I have always loved office supplies. I would frequently play “office” when I was little and take notes on those “While You Were Out” notepads. I still have a special place in my heart for those. I am also a fan of my Cross pen (love it – thanks again to my aunt, uncle and cousins!) and Post Its. I have Post Its all over my desk.

5. Are you a good public speaker?
No. Just last night I was telling John how I tend to sound stupid when I open my mouth, because I don’t think enough before I speak. I wish I was better on my toes! I also get incredibly nervous about public speaking unless I have had a lot of time to rehearse. In fact, I took public speaking by correspondence in high school.

6. How do you feel about acronyms?
Prior to being a part of a military family, I probably thought they were a bit silly. However, I use them all the time in my job and in day-to-day conversation with John because they’re so much easier. They also result in clearer, more effective communication. Which would you rather say, “ERB” or “Enlistment Record Brief?” How about (for all you space geeks like me) “CAPCOM” or “Capsule Communicator?”

7. What’s the most creative things you’ve ever done?
That would probably have to be my fiber print for one of my photojournalism classes. It took me hours too (for one print). I suppose the book I made for John as part of my wedding gift to him was also pretty creative, too. 🙂

8. I’d rather jam a pen in my eye than…
– eat olives
– swim near fish/creatures in the water
– have a cockroach anywhere on/near me

9. What company has the best advertising?
AFN (Armed Forces Network – see? acronyms are everywhere in my life)
That’s a big joke anyway since AFN doesn’t air “real” commercials. They’re all basically PSAs. We don’t get the commercials you guys in the States get unless we turn on the Slingbox. When we’re watching that, though, it’s usually DVRed stuff, so we fast forward through the commercials. Thus, I can’t really speak intelligently on this topic. I know I saw at least one commercial in the past week or two and I thought it was pretty good, but I can’t remember what it was for. Goes to show you how well the marketing worked on me!

10. When is your birthday?
That’s the second time in as many days that I have been asked this. February 8th