Fours...

Thanks to Amanda for the tag, b/c I (like Robin) enjoy such things...
Oh, and sorry, H - for my mad "no one loves me" rant. :)

Four Jobs You've Had
(1) Singer/Dancer - Decatur Park Singers
I spent the summer after my freshman year in college singing and dancing my way through the Midwest. I was part of a 16 member perfoming group with full backup band. We traveled throughout Illinois and Missouri putting on a one to two hour shows at the local fairs and festivals in order to raise money for the Decatur Park District. Most shows were outside in the blistering sun of the day, or the terrible humidity of the evening. I swallowed about 300 bugs that summer. I lost about 30 pounds. I met amazing and interesting musicians from all over the country. It was probably one of the best summers of my life.

(2) Camp Counselor- "Camp I Can"/ Music Instructor - "Summer Arts Jamboree"
As part of the Decatur Park Singers program, all of the performers were required to have summer jobs through the Park District. Some were vocal directors and choreographers for elementary school-age performing groups (Best of Summer Stock), some were on crew and one girl was on laundry duty (she washed all our costumes). Another singer and I were assigned to Camp I Can and Summer Arts Jamboree. Camp I Can was a day camp for kids with special needs, aged 5-12. We did swimming and water safety, arts & crafts, and hippotherapy (horseback riding). We had kids with autism, Down's syndrome, and other afflictions. It was a difficult job, but extremely rewarding in the end. The second half of the summer, I taught music and dance at Summer Arts Jamboree, a day camp for kids with special needs, aged 13-21. There, the kids did art projects, took dance and music classes. This job proved to be much more difficult b/c the kids were required to perform on the last day of the Jamboree. That meant we had to find something that these kids could do. I had one kid sing "Crocodile Rock" while wearing a crocodile costume. One of my favorites, Ty, sang "I just can't wait to be king" from Lion King, while wearing the cutest lion suit ever. It took an enormous amount of effort to make accomodations for those kids who were wheelchair bound, or unable to communicate at all. I was probably at my most creative that summer!

(3) Barista - MT Cup
I worked at the MT Cup coffee cart at Ball Memorial Hospital while in college at Ball State. I loved working there b/c I got to know many of the doctors and their very particular orders. Many days I felt more like a bartender than a coffee cart girl - those persons who had relatives and friends in the hospital would come and talk to me about their lives while ordering up a latte or cappucino. It was certainly an interesting experience. And to this day, I still know how to make a "Milky Way."

(4) Sixth Grade Teacher
Well, that kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it? After all, we have all been in sixth grade. I taught at a small, poor, rural elementary school in Delaware County. I loved my students. For the most part, they were a complete joy. They were at the age when they were just starting to come into who they were as people - they were sensitive and smart and funny as hell. I miss it to this day. But I certainly don't miss the paycheck!

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
This is another tough one, as I am a movie junkie - and love to watch them over and over again!
So I will pick four groups of movies!
(1) John Hughes movies - especially "Breakfast Club" and "Pretty in Pink"
(2) Jane Austen movie adaptations - especially "Pride & Prejudice" (Colin Firth, the true Mr. Darcy) and "Sense & Sensibility"
(3) Films where Vince Vaughn cracks me up (i.e. "Dodgeball" & "Anchorman")
(4) Legal thrillers ("A Few Good Men," "The Firm" & "Pelican Brief")

Four Places You've Lived
(1) Collinsville, Illinois
(2) Mount Zion, Illinois
(3) Muncie, Indiana
(4) Fort Wayne, Indiana
- I am a Midwestern girl!

Four TV Shows You Like to Watch
(1) House
(2) Gilmore Girls
(3) Criminal Minds
(4) City Confidential

Four Places You've Been on Vacation
(1) Hong Kong
(2) Grand Cayman
(3) Disney World - a lot...three times in the past year.
(4) the Bahamas

Four Websites You Visit Daily
(1) My favorite blogs
(2) Television Without Pity
(3) Google
(4) Westlaw (I am a nerd.)

Four of Your Favorite Foods
(1) Mashed Potatoes
(2) Anything Italian
(3) Bread and Butter (real butter)
(4) Wine (as Amanda said, it is a food....sort of)

Four Places You'd Rather Be
(1) Home under a blanket reading a book.
(2) At my parents' house.
(3) On a cruise.
(4) Back in Hong Kong, at my in-laws' flat.

Four Albums You Can't Live Without
(1) Barenaked Ladies "Rock Spectacle"
(2) John Mayer "Room for Squares" (It got me through law school)
(3) Bela Fleck & the Flecktones "Live at the Quick" (It got me through the bar!)
(4) It is a three way tie....either Alison Krauss & Union Station's Live Album, "Wicked the Musical," or any compilation album of James Taylor's.

Four People to Tag
...yeah, I got nothin'. They've all been tagged!