100 Things

1. I love 100 Things posts! I also think they're likely a large threat to anonymity - a quick reference that gives your audience a great deal of information in a quick post. But as new readers arrive, I thought it might be helpful to cover some background.
   
2. Apparently I also love organizing posts into categories. I hadn't planned on doing this, but it happened during the editing process.
   
3. And links! I adore links so much that I sprinkled them liberally throughout my 100 Things! (Sorry if that's annoying - even I didn't know it would be this intense.)
   

Work and School

1. I do medical research. I wanted to be a lawyer. Or journalist.
2. I had a very positive experience during an summer undergraduate research program, and adore faculty members who participate in them.
3. While the middle was fine, the beginning and ending of grad school were difficult.
4. Finishing graduate school was, for me, a little disappointing. Shouldn't there have been some sort of parade in my honor?
5. Some of my papers are still in progress.
6. I'm pretty good at interviewing. I went 6 for 7 in terms of offers my first round out.
7. I took the offer that was the least challenging.
8. I still think being a post-doc can be hard.
9. While sometimes frustrated, I'm quite awed by the power of the academic world.
10. I think animal research is important.
11. I can't do it.
12. I tried.
13. If this research thing falls though (and it might), I'm an excellent receptionist.
14. My current boss is wise and kind. I hope to be like him should I become a faculty member at some point.
15. I have a love/hate relationship with Matlab.
16. Regardless of years of training, I'm still easily fooled.
17. I have one of two problems, perhaps both. I can't teach, and/or I don't really understand multiplication.
18. I did submit a grant!
19. I'm inconsistent - sometimes I work, others I "work."

Faith and Religion

1. I believe in God. Always have.
2. I still struggle with my faith a great deal, however, and respect that you might think differently. (Or I'm saying that to cover up my "vicious attempt to convert [you] all to [my] cult-like fundamentalism.") See comments in that link if you're looking for the reference.
   
3. I miss God when I'm away too long.
4. I have a church to attend, though I'm considering looking for a new one.
5. My Sunday School teaching skills need work.
   
6. My relationship with God has a strong emotional core I find difficult to articulate.
   

Home and Family

1. Home, to me, is where my parents live. But that's starting to change.
2. Grandma and Grandpa watched me when I was little while my parents worked during the day. I love and miss them a great deal.
3. My parents are loving and wonderful and pretty amazing.
4. Brother is younger than I am.
5. I call my niece - his daughter - Little One. (Well, on the blog. When I see her, I use her name. Or Princess. Or Silly Goose.)
6. I'm a bit spoiled, though I'm proudly middle class.
7. I laugh a great deal with my family.
8. I have a melodramatic dog - Chienne. I love her a lot.
9. She's inspired more romantic interest lately than I have.
10. My parents would like another grandchild.

Crushes

1. I started with crushes early on. They tend to last a long time.
2. I kind of hate New Year's as a holiday. Valentine's Day, however, doesn't bother me.
   
3. I love Nick. (Nick is my PowerBook. Tells you something about me, right?)
4. I had an imaginary boyfriend.
5. I also had a long-term crush in college. It was largely unremarkable if you ignore one night.
6. I hold out hope that I will find someone to marry. But if not, perhaps that's OK.
7. I tried online dating for a little while.
8. Then I stopped.
9. I joined a dating service in grad school.
10. Then I wrote about the dates a few years later for my blog.
11. My most recent crush? It's not going so well, I fear. I shrug over the reason, but think it might be a "great guy, bad timing" sort of situation.
    
12. It did, however, produce some letters I like.

Friends

1. They are small in quantity and enormous in quality.
2. I went to undergrad with Rachel and Elle.
3. There's M, from grad school, who is a consistent source of comfort and support and laughter.
4. And Violet, who helps me with dating woes.
5. I'm shamefully envious of my friends who are married and considering children.

General and Random

1. I'm an alto, though I wished hard to be a pretty soprano.
2. I dream vividly and frequently. Sometimes about elevators.
3. I get lost. A lot. Perhaps that's sort of OK.
4. I sometimes judge people too harshly, too quickly. That's not really OK at all.
   
5. I'm terribly impatient - bad at waiting.
6. Especially when I feel I could be making progress.
7. I'm excessively proud that I have traveled to Japan. I would have guessed I'd be too timid to go. But I loved it.
8. Before going to England, London topped my list of travel destinations. After returning, it still does.
   
9. I'm sometimes selfish, yet try to dial it back.
10. I can be viciously competitive. Really.
    
11. Seriously, I don't like to lose. I've always been that way.
12. I own Longaberger baskets.
13. I'm not good at keeping secrets.
14. You don't want me around in a high-stress situation. I can be useless under pressure.
15. Though you've probably heard most of what's on Chandler (my iPod), I do like some country music.
16. Southern people fascinate me.
17. I make life more challenging than it needs to be. Also more dramatic. It's delightful. Yes, I'm kidding.
    
18. I know what "D&D" means.
19. My name is Katie.
20. I have this weird aversion to getting gray hair.
    
21. It's probably because I don't feel old. Though I accept that I am, in fact, aging.
    
22. If I must use a salutation, I'll go with Dr. Or Miss. Never Ms.
23. It's easy to hurt my feelings.
24. I prefer warm cookies to cold ice cream.
25. I'm quite introverted. And a bit insecure.
26. I'm capable of giving excellent gifts.
27. I'm a Capricorn. I also believe in astrology somewhat. Are you making fun of me?! See #23 in this section.
    
28. My vision is awful.
29. I get mopey, but tend to recover quickly.
30. I'm self-centered.
31. But very kind.
32. I bought a house. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a 2 car garage. I'm sometimes shocked that I get to live here by myself.
    
33. I struggle with depression.
34. I love TV in general, and am quite fond of wedding shows.
35. I can, in fact, sleep on planes. And I'm not so afraid to fly anymore.
36. I'm rather easily embarrassed.
37. I have a favorite analogy, though I've used many in this blog. It's how I think about life in general - this reminds me of that.
    
38. At one time, I was a fan of NKOTB. I say this because things change.
39. I worry excessively, even when I know it's silly.
40. I wish life came with progress reports.

Blogs

1. I'm fascinated by blogs, and read a lot more than I write. (I know that seems impossible, but it's quite true.)
2. I tend to post at night though I consider blog topics throughout the day.
3. I sometimes continue to be embarrassed that anyone reads this.
4. I compose a vast majority of my entries in Word, then paste them in Blogger to edit and add links.
5. I'm pleasantly surprised - a lot - by the depth and insight and ideas that develop by being part of this community. I linger at the edges - some of you intimidate me a bit with your brilliance and humor and easy confidence - but I'm quite pleased to be around.