a Meme to come back to.

i need to pay more attention to my blog...but i just haven't had much to say lately, and life has been quite busy.

in any case, i got this from ali's blog, bhd's blog, and beanie's blog.

here goes the rules:
bold all the statements that are true. My personal commentary will be in italics next to the statements I want to comment on.

some legal stuff for the meme.

Original source: The list is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. The exercise developers ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright.

If you want to participate, please do the same. And here we go!

Father went to college - Lafayette
Father finished college - and grad school at Pitt. engineering degree and MBA.
Mother went to college - first, nursing school, then later in life, Pitt - psych and art history major
Mother finished college - BA in psych, then on to get her grad degree in social work.
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor -
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home -
Were read children’s books by a parent
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 - ballet, clarinet, piano, and several different types of art lessons
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively - weird, general statement. hmm.
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs - not a trust
Went to a private high school -
Went to summer camp - Summer's Best Two Weeks,every year as a kid from first grade through 6th, affiliated with our church. also continued to be involved in it on the Work Crew and eventually as a counselor. and also away camp for two weeks each summer for 2 yrs in 5th and 6th grade on lake erie.
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
Family vacations involved staying at hotels - sometimes. most of the times we had time-shares, or something.
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 - my mom is a very talented seamstress. when i was a kid, we had matching outfits sometimes! but she made some of my clothes always. even each of my formal and prom dresses.
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them - no, i didn't start driving until i was 25.
There was original art in your house when you were a child - yes, we all love art in my family
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home - yes, possibly also before i was born.
You had your own room as a child - yes - i was and am an only child.
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course - yes, we were all required to do so in our school.
Had your own TV in your room in High School
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 - florida, georgia, new england
Went on a cruise with your family
Went on more than one cruise with your family
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up - yes, often, and to the ballet and symphony and flower conservatories and the aviary.
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family - absolutely unaware.

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i look at my answers, and i feel that it paints a weird picture. i was (and am) quite fortunate. and yes, we were upper middle class. i never thought about it, nor did i compare myself to any of my friends - except that we had a smaller house - which makes sense because there were just the 3 of us. we could have been closer, but i never wanted for anything, even love. i certainly was (and am) blessed. but, i feel moreso because my parents were so culturally aware and really allowed me to pursue any type of art that i was interested in. unfortunately, at the time, i didn't appreciate that. i was blissfully unaware of so many things. we had troubles a couple times, that i'm aware of now that i'm older, but they kept it from me when it was happening.

your life is so small when you're a kid. your whole world is your home and your school and your friends. simpler in youth.

my dad was a different person then. now that he's retired, i see a happier, gentler and less stressed man. the transformation is physical and within his character. it is a good thing to see.

my mom just had an art show at a gallery in pittsburgh, and my camera was broken so i don't have any pictures to share yet. she will send me some so that i can share. i am very proud of her.

anyway - fun meme. a good thing for reflection.