"Tell us about yourself."

I'll go ahead and say it: I talk about myself all the time. I mean, I have a self-titled blog, for crying out loud. However, I am just now discovering how difficult it is to talk about myself in a 750-word limit entrance essay to the highest caliber journalism program in the country. The autobiographical essay asks that I simply tell the university's program about myself, about my family, passions, education, whatever I want. Completely open-ended, no restrictions.

Let me just ask, is that not the entire content of this here blog?

Nonetheless, this is daunting and perplexing. I have already written two full length essays in response to the prompt, as well as about six opening paragraphs, and have scrapped them all. If I were in a movie, I would have a wastebin full of crumpled balls of paper at my feet, and would be sighing and rubbing my forehead.

Instead I am nervously shoveling handfuls of Trader Joe's trail mix into my mouth and washing them down with my daily Americano (probably an illegal act, next to a library computer).

I could write about Dibbs, and ensure that the school would not accept me.

The good news is, I suppose, that this school is the most intimidating of all those I am applying to, so once this essay is out of the way I will hopefully be on my way. For now I am going to return to my typed stop-and-start ramblings about my family, moving around while growing up, Anne Lamott's amazing books, why I hated to write in college but now do it as a hobby, etc. Hopefully I will get somewhere.

Love to you readers who stay with me while I try to get to that Somewhere,
Bailey

This is my life

Today I began moving into my new "apartment." And by apartment I mean my parents' basement. I did some calculating as we shuffled around all of the heavy furniture and realized I have lived in every bedroom in this house. That is sad. I think I have lived at home a little too long. Mm hmm. Leave me alone, I'm going to school next fall...

Taste

I got home from the gym tonight and my Mom got excited as she remembered something and declared, "Oh I got you a surprise!" She then handed me a tube of Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles. I got equally excited, popped them open, and we each tried one and were both quite satisfied.

I took one downstairs to Dad, a lover of both salty chips and dill pickles, assuming he too would love the chip. I put it in his mouth, not telling him what it was but assuring him he would like it. He, trusting me, accepted it. And then, like a small child, he spit it out onto the plate in front of him. "What the Hell was that?!" he squawked.

A similar reaction came from my brother Patrick in 2001. Patrick and I had been playing softball with our church youth group, and we stopped at McDonald's on the way home. As our Previa barrelled down the interstate, Patrick took a bite of his burger and promptly made distressed "Ack!" sounds, out of which I somehow translated the word "Pickle!" He rolled down the window to spit the entire bite onto our nation's highway, attempting not to swerve off the same highway. After a minute of recovery he exhaled heavily, as if we had just come face to face with a bear and escaped, and said, "Whoo! We almost got into an accident!"

Like father, like son. Personally, I love pickles. Particularly in large amounts heaped upon one single sandwich.

Civilized

Tonight I went out to dinner with friends and in the course of two hours, accidentally yelled "What?!" at a waitress who was asking if I wanted something to drink, threw a pen behind my head to a table that was luckily no longer occupied, and did all of this while wearing horrifically mismatched red and green clothing for the dinner's Ugly Christmas theme.

I have been asked to babysit this weekend and need to return the phone call, but am wondering if I am qualified to babysit considering I often feel that I am the one who needs a babysitter.

Festivities

December 1st. Today is World AIDS Day.

Interestingly enough, today is also Become an Official Follower of The Daily Bailey Day.

I love making up holidays. I think I'll make tomorrow Give Bailey a Dollar Day.