Yo La Tejo

Me! Me!

Yay! Laura tagged me for my very first meme. So here goes:

Ten years ago: I was living in New York City, on 58th between First and Second Avenues. I'd been working in publishing for almost a year, which I'd always dreamed of doing (majoring in English, there's very little else you're theoretically cut out to do). I had a job in subsidiary rights, which I didn't like all that much, assisting a manager who sold translation rights for computer books to Latin American publishers. But I dreamed of editing, which I would break into the following year. I'd been married for three years, which were great. The next two years...not so much.

Five years ago: I was starting my second year of graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin. I'd finally left my ex-husband, and decided to pursue my dream of studying Latino literature. (Yeah, I know...I gotta lot of dreams.) I was blessed with the friendships I'd made during my first year of school. I had my own apartment for the very first time ever: a tiny efficiency with one window and, oddly enough, a walk-in closet. It wasn't much, but it was mine. Poor as only a graduate student can be (it's paradoxically the most cash-deprived yet privileged lifestyle I know), I nevertheless was having the best time of my life.


One year ago: I was starting my fourth year of graduate school (funny how these entries are starting to sound more and more alike!). I'd taken off two years and moved back to Chicago to be closer to my parents, but missed school, teaching, and Austin so much that I came trundling right back. I'd just moved out of my one-bedroom apartment ("one-bedroom" being used very euphemistically here), and moved into the lovely apartment that I share with my dear friend Jennifer. It's been a year full of laughs, good times, red wine, and Sex and the City re-runs.


Five snacks: banana royale, World's Finest Continental Almonds, bite-size Snickers bars, apple wedges spread with crunchy peanut butter, my roommate's homemade cookies

Five songs I know all the words to: This is a tough one. I was put to the test recently when the boy I'm dating was playing his guitar for me and asked for requests...turned out that most of the songs I thought I knew, I really only knew halfway. OK: Dress You Up by Madonna, Like a Virgin by Madonna, Lucky Star by Madonna, Rain by Madonna, Deeper and Deeper by Madonna. Can you guess who I listened to over and over? (And sometimes still do.)


Five things I would do with $100 million: Pay off my student loans. Pay off my brother's mortgage, and buy my sister a house. (She lives in L.A.--does that eat up the rest of the money?) Fund a fellowship for Chicana grad students. Buy some yarn.


Five places to run away to: Paris; Tahiti; Grand Cayman; Guanajuato; New York City

Five things I would never wear: anything chartreuse; a jumpsuit (the crotch will always drag); a Brazilian bikini (don't want to cause anyone to go blind); Birkenstocks; Daisy Dukes (see reason #3).

Five favorite TV shows: Sex and the City; Will & Grace; Friends; Seinfeld; Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

Five biggest joys: knitting; calling in sick and playing hooky; hanging out with my niece; learning to do something new; learning to do something well

Five favorite toys: Needles and yarn; my laptop; my Trivial Pursuit game; my camera; my Volkswagen Golf

Five people to pass this on to: Jennifer, my roomie; Heather, my blogging godmother; Elizabeth, a fellow knitting academic (whose blog features the Shakespeare Knitting quote of the week--how does she do it?); Ashley, a talented knitter who first got me interested in this whole blogging business; and Marisa, my good friend and faithful reader (currently blogless but hey, that could change! You already have a Blogger account!).

posted by Olga @ 4:25 PM