THE RULES:

1. Post these rules.

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them that you’ve tagged them.

1. I thought my favorite color was green until I realized a few days ago that everything I buy anymore is purple.  Apparently, my favorite color is purple.

2. I want a cat more than anything else in the world.  My parents are allergic and I’ll be moving back home after college for just a little while until I get on my feet, so I definitely won’t be able to afford a cat for a bit, but when I can get one, I want to name it either Alot (see: Hyperbole and a Half) or Hayek (an Austrian economist).  Big, lazy, cuddly cats are my favorites.

3. Recently, I discovered that I prefer shooting with my film SLR (which is from the 1970s) to shooting with my DSLR (which is from 2010).  I feel like a total hipster jackass saying this, but it’s just so different.  If you’ve never tried film photography, I recommend picking up an older SLR (a Canon, Nikon, or Minolta) and giving it a go.  It’s so exciting when you get to pick up your rolls.

4. I love beer.  My favorite beers include Mad Elf, Dogfish Head 90 Minute, Victory Golden Monkey, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, and lately, I’ve been really like Belgians, especially ones with fruity notes.  I love stouts, too.  And when it comes to ubercheap beer, I don’t think you can beat a PBR or a Duquesne Pilsner.  

5. I have/had really bad generalized anxiety.  My arousal level was pretty much constantly at a 6/10, so little things would take me way up to an 8 or 9.  I’ve had a couple of panic attacks, but anxiety attacks for me were really harsh and could last for hours.  I finally told my counselor I’d been seeing for it that I was having problems concentrating and thought I might need more than talk therapy, so I’ve been taking medication for it (daily antidepressants, not anti-anxiety drugs) and I feel infinitely better.  It really bothers me that there’s such a stigma against taking these medications.  I just know that I feel a million times better than I have in the last several years.

6. The college I go to was originally my last choice school.  Ha.  By the time I actually visited, though, I absolutely fell in love.  I visited after I got accepted, and I had applied purely on a whim and to have an extra safety.  It was the only school I really felt at home at, and people were so, so welcoming.  I applied to 4 schools: Tulane, University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Melon University, and Notre Dame.  I got into the first two, and was rejected by the second two.  I wish I had applied to more schools, but I’ve been so happy at Pitt, and I wouldn’t change that.

7. I’m very close to my parents.  I’m an only child and both of my parents have always been a really big part of my life, always very involved.  I love and respect my parents more than anyone.

8. I have really bizarre luck.  My friend Rob says that I lead a charmed life.  That may or may not be so haha.  When I quit my high paying retail job in October of 2010, I didn’t have another job lined up, but I did need one.  Three weeks later, I got a text from my friend Jess asking if I wanted to come work with her.  I’ve been working at that cafe for a 15 months now, and I’ve never had a job I’ve loved more.

9. You probably won’t see many outfit posts on Marvelous Darling, because I’m very self conscious about my feet and the fact that I can rarely find cute shoes.  I have two completely different sized feet: my left is a kids’ 11 and my right is a womens 6.  I can walk and run just fine, and I have special orthotics to keep my bone structure from screwing up my knees and back, but as you can imagine, it’s hell trying to be stylish.  I’m very blessed to live in the means that I do, where I can afford medical care, but as selfish and first world as this sounds, sometimes a girl just wants a pair of heels, y’know?

10. I turn into a puddle of goo over dogs, especially pit bulls.  I love pit bulls.  But I love them so much that I usually can’t get the full two words to come out of my mouth and I end up saying “pibbles.”  They’re such good dogs.

11. I have two middle names, legally.  I think one is supposed to be a confirmation name, but they’re both on my birth certificate and my social security card, and I use them both.  This is why I can’t have anything monogrammed.

11 Questions from Dorian & Maine