Fifty Firsts

I swear by Monday I'll be back to my regular food bloging. Until then, here is something to tide you over.

1. First Memory
I was in second grade and my teachers name was Mrs. Mara. She was tall and had blackish curly hair. On our way in from recess every day we had to line up against the wall and file into the classroom quitely one by one. Well when It was my turn I openend was going to ask her if I could go to the nurse but instead I threw up all over her ankle blue length skirt.


2. First Pet
My family always had pets. The first ones I remember being given to me were a pair of Russian hamsters - a breed that stays tiny their whole life. It turns out this is not a factor that promotes long life as they are easily misplaced. For some reason we kept them in a bird cage - the kind that has bars all close together. I think that I left the cage door open because one day they had mysteriously dissapeared.


3. First Embarrassing Moment
Suprisingly the secondgrade vomiting incident wasn't my most embarassing. I was to young to care, and apparently to sick. In fifth grade I had the teacher from hell. She expected us to know how to do high school level outlines and of course having just come out of fourth grade I had no idea how. I started failing. One time not even having seen my paper yet she used it to demonstrate what not to do by holding it up, announcing grades and calling us up to come get them. "Jessica got an "F", this class is how not to do your work" I never went to her class again. I stayed home until the principal agreed to let me switch classes which took like a week.


4. First "Best Friend"
I lived on a street where just about everyone had kids. I remember it being like that movie the sandlot where everyone knew everyone and it was safe to let your kid be outside after dark alone. So my best friends were Kelly Thuleen who lived in the big yellow house on the corner that I could walk to by myself and Christina and Kimmy who lived next door except they were kind of mean, selfish and snotty. And were my best friends and worst enemies.


5. First Night Away from Home
I don't remember the first successful sleep over although I do remember many unsuccessful ones at Christina and Kimmy's Which was literally less than 20 feet from my own house. Usually I was fine until I actually had to fall asleep and then I made my mother make a ridiculous trek across the driveway at what felt like ungodly hours of the night to come get me. Although it was probably closer to 10 pm.


6. First Love
Steve Brisson my first boyfriend. We were together for a couple months until he left me for another girl. I cried. That was the first and last time I have ever cried over a guy. About a year later we had a second rendezvous - a summer fling but it ended there. I loved him very much at the time and come to think of it I "stole" him from my friend Stephanie Buntine. Just as a bit of advice - it is hard to keep friends when you steal their boyfriends.


7. First Unrequited Love
In high school of course a boy who never even knew I was interested in him that way although many other people did, his name was Noah R. The largest crush that lasted several years after moving out of the state and graduating in another school. Sometime during the first year of college I heard people thinking he was gay. Of course my undying love led me to find him at his school and e-mail him. I admitted my high school crush and asked him for the truth. He is not gay. That email ended my crush. He was the only person I ever let me call Jessie because I was pretty much thrilled that he knew my name at all.


8. First Lover
One guy comes to mind. We slept together and the feelings were there to actually make it a relationship but other circumstance kept us apart. Star crossed lovers or something like that. He is now married to my highschool best friend.


9. First Kiss
In my bedroom with Steve. It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening before I kissed back. After that we spent a good deal of time practicing.


10. First Bike
A pink and purple 10 speed huffy with racing handles and skinny road only tires. I remember it as being huge, of course I was a small child so everything was huge. I lived on a hill so naturally the first ride was down the hill. I lost control and ran into a bush. I came out with a couple of scratches and a branch that cut me directly in the center of my palm. My memory says the branch practically went through my palm but my mother insists it was a little scratch.


11. First Car
A red Chevy Cavalier, don't remember the year. I paid for half of it up front then paid mom the rest in payments. It was a two door and the back windows a rainbow tint to them, sparkled in the sun,that is what sold me.


12. First Time on a Motorcycle
Yet to happen. I think motorcycles are kind of dangerous, a neighbor of ours died in a car accident - he was on a motorcycle and that memory hasn't left me; especially now that I have my own child. Although that doesn't stop me from wanting to try it out.


13. First Plane Trip
When I was younger my family moved back and forth between California and New Jersey a couple times. Mostly we drove but one time we flew. I was like 4 years old or smaller, needless to say I don't actually remember it. I'd like the first one I actually remember to be to a wonderful European country, any country I'm not picky. Europe Rocks!


14. First Trip Abroad
I have never left native shores. I could probably make a list of 50 places I'd like to visit. When it does happen I'll let you know. In detail.


15. First Job
I worked as a cashier at the A&P Supermarket on Rt. 31 in Jersey for $5.15 an hour. I brought home like 100 a week and I though I was rich. It didn't last long because being a cashier is really really boring.


16. First Apartment
I still live at home. Although I dream of having my own place to live but can't afford it yet. some day.


17. First Furniture Purchased New
None yet. I'm looking out for a nice headboard to stick on my hand me down bed but I'm not sure that officially counts as furniture. I'd love a shoping spree in Ikea but I'm funneling all my spare cash into art supplies at the moment.


18. First Regret
Not getting to kiss a certain guy goodbye before we moved out of Jersey. All of the other mistakes I've made I've learned from. Now said guy is happy in love and although I have been offered the opportunity to kiss him I have yet to take him up on the offer. I'm not sure if I ever will. I think maybe the memory of kisses past are better than a new one. Maybe. If the real thing was better than my memory I'm not sure I could stop at a kiss.


19. First Fight
I was sitting at lunch on those big long cafeteria tables chatting with some friends. Jeff, this guy from my bus stop, was sitting next to me chatting with his friends (in the opposite direction of me talking to my friends). I kept getting hit with trash like balled up napkins and shit. It was distracting, rude and annoying. First I thought it was Jeff then I realized it was this girl sitting across from him - Liz. So I looked across from me (again in the opposite direction of Jeff) and told my friend Rebecca that I though Liz was a bitch. Apparently Liz heard me. She turned and said "What did you just call me?" I said "A bitch, I called you a bitch. Did you hear me that time?" she then jumped onto the table and punched me in the face. Then stood up on the cafeteria table and started swinging her arms and screaming. (I was standing on the floor thinking she looked like an idiot, although in retrospect she was a bit like Tarzan). We got pulled out of the caf and sent to the office. She got suspended I got an ice pack. Her friends threatened to beat me up for weeks because "I got her suspended" but fortunately never followed through. Like they even got my private number and called me at all hours.


20. First Big Book Report
In sixth grade everyone had to read a book and then do a presentation in front of the class. This sticks in my mind as being one of the first times everyone in the class got to pick the book they wanted to read instead of everyone reading the same book. I read Sphere by Michael Crichton. Yes really. For the visual aid I brought in a small ball of gray sculpey clay to represent my mental image of what the sphere looked like. The clay was passed around and played with for the whole of the day. When it was my turn to do a presentation I rolled it into a small ball in my hands and that was it. Several other kids did shoebox diorama's but I wasn't penalized for my choice, actually I believe I got an A.


21. First Scar
I was five and playing in my mother's friend Sylvia's backyard while my parents had coffee. She had this huge glass planter which was broken at the top. My leg scaped against it and I got a big cut, really big. I had never seen that much blood before and the adults brought me inside (from the bright sunshine outdoors) and I was momentarily blinded (I know you've experienced this) All I could see was the bright light hanging from above the table they laid me on. I though two things - 1 my leg was going to fall off, I had never seen that much blood before. 2- I was going to die and I was headed toward the light. I have a scar on my right leg and admittedly it is rather small only like an inch or so and happily my leg is still firmly attached to my knee.


22. First Surgery
About two summers ago I got my tonsils taken out. I sounded like a freak speaking for like two weeks. They gave me some heavy duty pain killers but they made me sick to my stomach so I used children's tylenol - grape flavor.


23. First Hospital Stay
When I was born I was put in intensive care because I swallowed the mucus that babies are suppose to spit out that I believe was 1 week. Then in 2000 when I had my daughter I was there overnight. I caught a cold while there and couldn't even get a cough drop because the nurses had to "o.k." it with the doctor.


24. First Automobile Accident
After graduating high school I briefly thought I was going to be a chef. And so naturally I attended cooking school. One January Saturday morning I was running late for class. I was driving my 74 Ford Clubwagon, for those of you who have never seen one it is large and seats like nine people easily. Mine was watermelon green on top and light green on bottom. Anyway since the car was so old you could take the key out with out being in park. I thought I was in park and I jumped into the back seat to get my books. As I did this the car started rolling and it jumped over the small cement lip at the edge of the lot, down a steep hill and into the fence post of the graveyard next door. Had I been one foot over I would have went through the fence and crashed into some expensive headstones. Well I rushed into class and used chef's cell phone to call my mother and the police. The hill was so steep that the van started to pull the tow truck backward. I had to sit in the tow truck and step heavily on the break before the van was able to be extracted.


25. First Trip to the Emergency Room
I was dinner time and the house was crazy. We were cleaning off the table and starting to cook. By we I mean the seven of the nine people that live in my house were all in the dining room and kitchen. All of a sudden my daughter yells "I swallowed a pin" I freaked out. I knew she was going to be ok but at the same time I didn't know anything. My mother and I took her to the emergency room where it took hours to get an x-ray for the doctors to tell us that yes she swallowed a pin. A week later we took her back and she was ok, the pin passed through with out harm. It turns out that she put the straight pin in her straw and then took a huge sip of her strawberry milk. I was lucky she was ok, it is true all you have to do is turn around for one second.


26. First Religious Experience
I was attending church with Christina and Kimmy and for whatever reason the church required children my age (like between 8-10) to sit in on the sermon given to the adults. And so I would bring small toys to play with and amuse myself. This was way back when Polly Pocket was like less than ½ inch tall and came in a small playset that folded up and fit in your pocket. I dropped Polly and she slid across the newly waxed floor. And so of course I got up to get her and man did I receive some looks from the congregation. I don't think I attended again after that.


27. First Album
Most likely The New Kids on the Block album. I was a die hard NKOTB fan. Absolutely believed that Donny Whalberg and I were destined to be married. Unfortunately he never responded to my marriage proposal. I still think he is quite a hottie.

28. First Arena Concert
My mother took me to see NKOTB when I was young. Couldn't peg an exact age but it was large and noisy and I can't say I truly enjoyed it because you could barely hear the music over all the screaming. I never did understand the "lets all scream at the musician" mindset.


29. First Concert
The only other concert I ever attended was by force- my sister a devout Hanson fan, needed a chaperone to the York Fair a couple years ago when they played there. Yet again to much screaming. I may be cured of the concert thing for life.


30. First Movie That Scared the Shit Out of Me
Pet Cemetery. I knew it was by Stephen King, although I did not quite understand who he was. I snuck into the hallway right outside the living room and watched like ten minutes of the not scary parts- think people making a cup of coffee and driving to town generic stuff, this all gave me the creeps. And as soon as the ghost guy with the messed up face appeared on the screen (before he even said a word) I turned and ran. I had nightmares for like two weeks. I now find King an annoying writer, freakin love horror books and have not read pet cemetary.


31. First Movie I Saw More Than Once
Dirty Dancing. God I love that movie. The end scene still give me goosebumps. I want to dance like Baby.


32. First Theft
I was 15 and got caught shoplifting from the local Ames Store with my best friend Erica. I got let off with a warning, have not done it since. But have been banned for life from ever entering Ames again.


33. First Run-In with the Law
I have gotten two tickets for having expired registration, and one for not having my daughter buckled into her car seat. We were literally going right down the street and she had been buckled in but she climbed out and well $90 dollars and a new car seat later she is buckled in these days.


34. First Vote in a Public Election
I voted for Al Gore in the 2000 election.


35. First Public Nudity
I was young, A friend of mine had a swimming pool and her parents were out and we were playing truth or dare and being summer and all someone said skinny dipping and so the closest we all got was swimming around with our bathing suits around our ankles. We might have gone all the way but she had a horrible older brother and we weren't taking our chances on being found out.


36. First Time Being Drunk
What can I say I am horribly boring and safe when it comes to lifestyle choices. I didn't even go out for a drink on my 21 st birthday, and now at 24 have yet to purchase any alcoholic based beverages.


37. First Death of Family Member or Friend
My favorite Uncle Marcus died of a drug induced heart attack when he was 35, I was like 10 or so. I was to young and didn't attend the funeral. My grandmother, who lived with us for at least 5 years passed away 2 years ago in august. She was 92 so it wasn't a big shocker. Her bed was in the back of the living room and once in a while she would go to bed and I would still be watching tv (really really quietly) and I could hear her pray and ask God why she couldn't come to heaven. The pain in her voice and seeing her wake up every morning was much harder then her death.


38. First Illegal Drug Use
Again I have no story to tell. Well I have a story but I'm not posting it here. Like family members and stuff occassionally read my blog and I have no desire for them to know the truth.


39. First Funeral
I was not allowed to go to Uncle Marcus's funeral. My mother said I was to young to understand. Now that I'm older I don't really have an interest in going. My grandmother didn't have a funeral.


40. First Wedding
My Uncle Brian married Debbie and she had two bouquet throws 1 for the kids and one for the adults. I caught the kids one and they wanted me to let this strange boy take the garter off my thigh at this point in time boys were gross, and I didn't know this kid and so I didn't want him near me never mind touching me.


41. First Time I Felt "Like an Adult"
I was getting in the car and driving my self to the store for something small and I just felt independent, kind of like "hey, you're not a kid anymore". Since then the novelty of being an adult has worn off. So has the novelty of driving.


42. First time I Grieved
Right after I moved to Pennsylvania. I had left the perfect highschool existance. It was like I lost my cool somewhere in the 3 hour drive between the old life and the new one. It took me a long long time to get over the life I would never have.


43. First Forced Apology
8th grade. I was totally into the Beatles and purchased a copy of their recordings from when they were on the BBC. I lent it to a friend of mine and I got it back with the case totally destroyed. And so I went to find the girl I lent it to and called her by her first middle and last name and asked her what happened. Mind you this was all in fun. Her mother was standing there and forced her to apologize and offered to buy me a new one. I said no because the cd's still worked.


44. First Time I Was Impressed with Myself
I was on the boys fencing team in high school because they didn't have saber fencing for girls. Well we had a new coach that year for the saber squad. One day at practice the old coach came back and I was standing around with my team mates and just listening to them talk to him and he looked at me and said "who are you" and I told him I was the girl saber fencer. He laughed and said "oh I thought you were a joke, I didn't know they were serious about you". I practiced hard that day, finished running the stairs early and by the time it was over he said he would have let me on his team. Which was a large compliment considering he was against girls saber


45. First Bad Haircut
My mother went to beauty school and so the hair cuts weren't that bad but I did have incredible wavy hair. But only in parts certain sections would behave so she permed my hair. I absolutely hated it for like a week. Then it relaxed and I liked it ok. Later that summer excess chlorine made my hair fall out, I was nine. I have never permed my hair since and it is now still curly.


46. First Time Being Grounded
Ashley was my then best friend. She was more like a sister to me. Her mother was having a Fourth of July party. And so someone came to pick us up with the intention that they would bring us home to sleep at her dad's house for the night. We lived in Jersey her mom was out in PA somewhere. We went. Had a great party then night came and nobody was able to come pick us up. We ended up having to call my parents because after refusing to sleep there her mom had locked us out of the house we were in the garage. Well my parents drove something like two hours into PA picked us up and grounded me for a week. It wasn't that bad considering Ashley and her then boyfriend Chris were allowed over all week.


47. First Piece of Clothing I Loved
I absolutely loved this pair of leopard print underwear I had in highschool. I loved them so much when I showed my friends while undressing in the girls locker room.


48. First Realization that Not Everyone Else is Like Me
After I had my daughter I was forced to grow up and make decisions that would improve my life and not destroy it because I now had a responsibility to her. I encountered several people my age who were (and probably still are) into getting drunk for fun. Like vomiting and head spinning was cool. I just want to get A's in school. This one continues to amaze me in so many ways. My problem is that I assume everyone else is just like me but then when they aren't I'm surprised I wont go into details here because then I'll end up making broad sweeping generalities and I don't want to perpetuate stereotypes.


49. First Computer Encounter
In seventh grade computers were just starting to be integrated into the classrooms. I have had one since they first became affordable and prodigy was cool. I could type, like actually type not hunting a pecking. We had to type out this essay in class on the computer and the other kids in class were amazed that I could type "that fast".


50. First Fight With A Teacher
I was in culinary school. I had already decided that I was going to quit but a it was a presentation day for a project I was working on with a partner so I showed up. It was a horrible night. Chef Blood, my instructor, and I had never gotten along well. Well as part of the project someone prepared corn and crab bisque. And he offered the leftovers to us students to take home. So I took a container. I was on my way to put it by my seat and he took it out of my hand and handed it to Chef Greene with out even asking. I would have given it up all he had to do was ask. So when he didn't I finished my cleaning and when Chef Blood asked me what was wrong I told him how wrong he was and that he wasn't allowed to treat me that way. He told me I was making to big a deal out of it all. On my way out to my car I repeated my self and told him that he shouldn't treat people that way I was crying. In retrospect after speaking my opinion the first time I would have just walked out and wouldn't have cried.