Below you'll find a glossary of names, places, people and terms that you might come across in this blog. I've been told I have a way with words.
Megisms
I have this tendency to talk/type too fast and come up with new words. Some are really great, though. And I have certain signature words that come back in my speech if you listen to me/read my blog long enough.
Annifursary: What we celebrate on December 6 and 12 around here--the dates I got Harley and Millie, respectively.
Badsass(y): My friend Shae is sassy. She Tweeted a pic of her new "badass" steel-toed boots. I told her she's now a "badsass." It's a very badsassy way to be.
Democrazy: Not sure this really needs to be defined. We live in a democrazy. This is a typo I came up with whilst discussing politics once.
GAH: A glottal sound I make to express extreme emotion, often in place of the more unholy "Oh, my God."
Glass of whine: I once actually typed this in a blog post, caught it, and refused to edit it because it was hilariously appropriate for the post. Another relevent post to "Scarfapalooza" is here.
Gymbo: I came up with this in 2009, to describe my transformation from couch potato to Work Out Queen. I'm a gymbo. Yes, as in "gym bimbo." Not an actual bimbo, just someone who works out a lot.
Kindergato: A kitten. Specifically, Mom's cats Bella and Duchess were the Kindergatos, attending kittygarten, naturally. For those who are slow on the uptake...I mixed the German kinder and the Spanish gato.
Ovarydrive: I'm not particularly known for wanting to do the pregnancy-and-popping-kids-out thing, but every once in a while, something (or someone) will send me in to ovarydrive, meaning HOLY COW, I've got ovaries! And they've got eggs! I'd have that man's baby! As of August 2013, there's been one guy who's made me feel that way...and I'm not tellin' who. ; )
Pagan Megan: My cheeky nickname for myself, as I don't really subscribe to any particular religion, and believe more in a universal higher power than an actual God. It's hard to explain. But I'm not actually pagan.
Purrvert: A cat who is a pervert. You know, sticks his paw down his human mom's shirt. Rolls around in her dirty laundry. Sits on her lap when she goes to the bathroom. Not that I know any cats like this, or anything.
Scrazy: A strange hybrid of "scary" and "crazy" that I came up with whilst on Instant Message with a friend and drinking wine.
Snarkable: Today (March 22, 2012) I told my trainer, M. the Reasonable, that I find it hard to snark about him on my blog. "You're not very snarkable." I got a huge grin in response. "Snarkable! That's a GREAT word!" And so it is, M. And so it is...
People
Aaron: Occasionally mentioned...this is my older brother. He lives in Idaho with his wife Susanne, and two children, Echo and Tyson.
Amanda: A duck lady from Holland, our very own Dutch Girl. She speaks English better than I do and has a sharp wit that keeps all of us on our toes and laughing hysterically.
B. the Sadist: My first personal trainer. I only worked with him for a couple of months before he moved. Former Marine who cut all good fat out of my diet. In retrospect, I think he was a moron for this.
Bella and Duchess: Mom's pampered tortoiseshell littermates. See "Kindergato," above.
C. the Sweetie: My second personal trainer. Sweet girl, but in four months, I lost maybe 5 pounds because she let me get away with everything.
Chris: I met Chris the day before my 16th birthday, at music camp. We were instant friends and we've kept in touch over the years. He's happily married and living in Colorado these days, but we try to have lunch or dinner whenever he visits California. He thinks my life is hilarious.
G. the Meanie: My third trainer, and the one who "bullied" me into losing forty pounds for a grand total of 60 pounds lost. Often painted in an unflattering light here at the Little Pink Blog...but he's actually a nice guy who listened to me vent about job stress for seven months. His real name, Gershom, was revealed when I stopped working with him in July 2010.
Harley Dude (2008-2012): Fifteen pounds of purrverted shamelessness in a striped orange fur suit. I never dreamed I'd only get four years with him. He was naughty and feisty, but also a sweet soul with a loud, rumbling purr--hence his name. I miss him like crazy. (November 5, 2012)
Kathy and Derek: Sometimes referred to as my "English Parents," this is the wonderful couple I rented a room from when I lived in England for a year. It's so very lucky that we got along so well; they truly opened home and hearts to me and I will always remember fondly our long discussions about literature, music, and the inevitable conversations comparing British and American culture, customs and language.
Keane: My favorite band--they're an English rock group made up of four awesome guys who not only make incredible music, but also do good things for the world and honestly appreciate their fans. I've made a fool of myself in front of all of them now. It's all good.
Lindsay: A fellow duck lady, a proud Spartan from Michigan from whom I've learned a lot about Detroit, and being a more positive influence on the world around me. Mother to the cutest little boy ever.
Matt (M. the Reasonable): Trainer Number Four, from November 2011 to April 2012, and now, again in 2015. Though these days I consider him less trainer, more friend--a friend who happens to be able to make me do things I didn't know I could do, like dead lift 100 pounds.
Maayan: A crazy, loud actress from New York who met a crazy, loud musician from California (me) through the Official Keane Forum. We met in person in April 2011 and my former neighbors are still complaining about the noise.
Meghan: I've known Meghan since 7th grade; our fathers rode the commuter bus together and introduced us to each other. We fell out of touch after high school, but thanks to Facebook, we keep in contact and have found we still have a lot of similar interests. She's good for an awesome adventure (Mumford and Sons in Santa Barbara? Sure! Day trip to Santa Cruz? Count me in!) and has an awesome daughter named Roz.
Millie: My sweet torbie, Millennium Joy. She was a pre-Christmas surprise from Mom and Dad in 1999, and she was the light of my life. After fifteen years, I lost her in June 2015.
Mom and Dad: Well, that's obvious. My parents. But besides being my parents, they're my friends. I'm lucky to have a great relationship with them, and I appreciate everything they've done for me.
The Peanuts Gang: Made up of four tiny, adorable kittens named Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy. I fostered these sweet babies for two weeks in July 2010. They all found good forever homes. I'll never forget them.
Rosie Pro: Okay, she's not a person or animal. Rosie is my 2003 Mazda Protege. When I bought her, I vowed I was far too grown-up to name my 2nd car (my first car was Fester the Escort). And as I rolled her off the lot, the song "Kissed By A Rose" came on the radio and it suddenly hit me that this car was all girl, and all Rosie. It stuck.
Sarah: The English duck lady who appears quiet and dignified at first glance but possesses a wicked sense of humour (see the British spelling, there?).
Sarah: A college friend who I lost contact with for a couple of years post-England. We found ourselves both living in the same area and now we hang out when we can. Old friends are good friends!
Shae: We originally met through being fans of NASCAR, but our friendship has progressed to that level where I count her among my top confidants and favorite people. Shae is one of the most inspiring people I know. She also has a blog.
Summer: One of those awesome people you find in life who loves you both because of and in spite of your many quirks. The kind of friend you hang onto (she knows too much). We met in choir at Chico State in the fall of 2000, became fast friends, and she's been putting up with me ever since. How many adventures have we had? I lost count after about 2002.
Places
Antioch, California: Sometimes (childishly) referred to as Anti-yuck, I lived and worked in this East Bay city for two years, from 2006-2008.
Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex: The town and county where I lived and worked for a year in 2004-2005.
Folsom, California: For all intents and purposes, my home town. Moved there in 1987 and left for good in 2004.
Lincoln, California: Retirement city of my parents and frequent place for me to visit or crash between jobs. Current home.
Omaha, Nebraska: Place of birth. Lived there for my first 18 months, then moved to Spain for six months.
Port Ludlow, Washington: Tiny, middle-of-nowhere town on the Olympic Peninsula. Lived there for a year in 2005-2006.
Stockton, California: The Central Valley city I called home from 2008 until 2011.
