"I simply remember my favorite things/And then I don't feel so bad," is a lyric most people can hear in their heads sung by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. The following are my raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens and addend the tally of basic information about me. This list offers a bit more flesh and personality about me including everything from favorite colors to favorite songs to favorite people. On the other hand, there are very un-favorite things as well. Treat this as an expanded version of one of those "ultimate surveys" that prove so popular among my friends and that circulate so freely in my email boxes.

(Like all good and honest things in life, everything is subject to change.)

FAVORITE COLORS | blue, silver, white (but most colors will do, though I'm not really into yellow or pastels)

FAVORITE THING-TO-WEAR | big plain white t-shirt, long shorts or jeans, argyle socks, dress Docs, wallet chain

FAVORITE SCENT | Sung for men, Gap Earth (which they don't make any more), Obsession for men, CKOne

FAVORITE FOOD | sushi, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, vegetarian (I like most foods and will usually try almost anything)

CROUTONS or BACON BITS | croutons (but not too many), sunflower seeds are good, too

FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING | blue cheese, olive oil & vinegar, salt & pepper

FAVORITE ICE CREAM | a good vanilla maybe swirled with chocolate or caramel

FAVORITE DRINK | Water

FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK | Snakebite (also called a Black Velvet, which is Guiness and Cider), Antidote (house drink at POW!, my favorite bar, made from pineapple infused vodka, a splash of cranberry juice, and a lime), Cuba Libre

FAVORITE BOOKS | too many to chose from, but include Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, books by John McPhee; The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen; fantasy books by Robert Jordan, David Eddings, the first six Dragonlance books by Weis & Hickman; Lolita by Nabokov; Shakespeare's Hamlet, The Tempest and King Lear, Rowling's Harry Potter

FAVORITE FILMS | again, too many to chose from, but include the Star Wars films, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Rebel Without a Cause, 2001, The Secret of Roan Inish, Dead Poet's Society, Noises Off, Much Ado About Nothing, Gleaming the Cube, Heathers, Beautiful Thing, Lilies, Princess Mononoke

FAVORITE TV | Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X Files, The Simpsons, MTV's The Real World, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Absolutely Fabulous, Doctor Who, Robotech, home improvement shows, cooking shows

FAVORITE MUSIC | an eclectic sort of everything, never was much of a music fanatic, but improving my music literacy--mostly alternative, emo, lesbian folk rock, some punk & ska, bubblegum punk, some industrial, definitely 80s, some country (yes, really), a capella, musicals

FAVORITE BANDS/GROUPS | Dashboard Confessional, Howie Day, Coldplay, Eve 6, Rancid, Greenday, Third Eye Blind, Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan, Kate Bush, The Cure, New Order, Depeche Mode, Alanis Morrisette, Madonna, Jimmy Somerville, Enya, Shonen Knife, Sinead O'Connor

FAVORITE SONGS | have many including "Galileo" by the Indigo Girls (my theme song), "Thank U" by Alanis Morrisette, "Open Road Song" by Eve6, "Fare Thee Well" also by the Indigo Girls, "The Promise" by Trace Chapman, "Motorcycle Drive By" by Third Eye Blind, "Cloudbusting" by Kate Bush, "Babylon" by David Gray, "Everywhere I Go" by Shawn Mullins

FAVORITE MUSICALS | Into the Woods, Les Miserables, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, The Lion King, Once On This Island, The Secret Garden

SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER | both, Suave Herbal

SKINNY DIPPING? | once, in a hot tub, by myself

CONVICTED of a CRIME? | nope

PILLOWS? | two (but I share if I'm with someone)

PETS? | a foster cat named Puck

BOXERS or BRIEFS | definitely boxers

FAVORITE NUMBER | 10

FAVORITE SUBJECT | English, Creative Writing, Film

FAVORITE PASTTIMES | hanging out, conversation, coffee shops, movies, independent films, reading, writing, going dancing, people-watching, making people laugh, cooking, theater, playing online, dying my hair, thrifting, activism

FAVORITE SPORTS | not a sporty type, but I like a little tennis, rollerblading, hiking, I love watching Aussie football, skateboarding, gymnastics

OTHER LIKES | Other Likes : friendship, anime (japanimation), mythology, recycling, aquariums, sci-fi/fantasy, role-playing games, thunderstorms, Elmo, road trips with friends, family, Shakespeare, feminism, shopping, museums, mysticism, coffee (though I'm now caffeine free)

WHAT I WANT in a FRIEND | honesty, social consciousness, similar interests, similar politics, expressiveness, loyalty, sense of humor, independence, style, open-mindedness, wisdom, the ability to talk with me, reciprocity

WHAT I WANT in a PARTNER | the same things I want in a friend, plus love, sincerity, sexiness, confidence, a wee bit of aggressiveness, good eating habits, good hygiene, alternative/punkish style, a great smile, the understanding that a relationship is the sharing of two, separate but shared lives

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT | it was in high school; I was my friend's piano accompanist; we were doing a duet with her on bassoon for the spring concert; I completely blanked on stage; we tried to start the piece two or three times; then she finished by herself; she cried; I cried; it was just awful

DISLIKES | Insincerity, Falseness, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Too Much Attitude, Psychodrama, Prolongued Indecisiveness, Stagnation, Living Too Much in the Past, Mosquitoes, Psychic Vampires & Vortexes, Co-Dependency, Gristle, Overripe Bananas (though good for making bread), Bad Table Manners, Rudeness, Ignorance, Needles, Spiders, Narcissism, Credit Card Bills, Bills in General, Black Licorice, Muggy Weather, Jim Carrey, People Who Abuse the Privilege of Spandex, Bad Hygiene, Excessive Bitterness and Cynicism, Monosodiumglutemate, Telemarketing, Stereotypes, Facism, Bad Drivers, Taxes, Violence, Drug Abuse, Barney