n is for...

what is this Wordplay thing? well, wordplay is this cool personal alphabet/dictionary doodah that Laume is hosting. hosting? i don't know what to call what she's doing, but she's doing it. if you want to know more about it click here. i'm still way behind everyone, but it's fun. join in if you'd like.

nick - my dad. yes, it's actually nicholas, but he goes by nick. he's a great dad and i'm lucky to have him. we don't get to see him and moni nearly enough. it's funny how having irene in school has cut down on our traveling time.

nicholas - rhys' middle name. yep, you're absolutely right, it's after my dad :) he's OFTEN called Rhys Nicholas when he's being a bit naughty. with irene, it's always her full name b/c it really flows quickly. with rhys, it's usually just the first two to begin with. it's REALLY bad when we use his entire name. one time when dad and moni were up visiting, rhys was being particularly trying and was rhys nicholas'd a lot. at one point, dad said something to the effect of, rhys, you need to watch what you're doing - i don't like hearing my name in that tone of voice. heh heh. we do also use rhys nicholas in endearing ways as well.

new zealand - some day we're going to go there. period.

new order - one of the 80s groups that i like very much. i danced my ass off to them whenever they were being played at The X or 15 minutes (they were the same club - just different days - then 15 minutes was JUST The X). i still listen to them. still enjoy them.

nadia comaneci - i remember my dad and i were in a hotel somewhere west of the mississippi when she scored her perfect 10. i loved watching her. i wanted to be an olympic gymnast just like her.

nails - there were a few times as a kid when i pounded nails into a board when i was really angry.

nails (the kind on your fingers) - the only time i haven't been a nail biter/cuticle picker was when i was engaged until soon after our wedding. it's a heck of a habit. i wish there were a patch for it.

naked - while i'm not so excited with my weight etc, i'm perfectly happy being naked.

nudity - while i don't mind nudity (obviously), i *do* mind gratuitous nudity. perhaps this is, in part, because it's always female nudity. and what's sort of odd is that in europe, there were occasional boobs on the screen during ads, but it wasn't any big deal. perhaps because they weren't augmented beyond belief? i don't know. i probably don't make any sense at all. oh well.

(The) Netherlands - while in amsterdam, i got lost in the red light district...at dusk...i was alone. that was an interesting experience. i also went to anne frank's attic. it was an amazing experience. I can't tell you how many times i've read her diary. it was very moving.

namaste - i apparently know the western version of this "I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me" - but in hindu it is actually "I bow to you." more people seem to be using it now. b/c i'm in western coulture, i think most people either equate it with "peace" or the I honor the spirit in you which is also in me." i hope that more people adopt it and the spirit of it.

nana - (short a sound) - who my mom is to my kids.

narrow-minded - i try very hard *not* to be narrow-minded. i don't like that so many people are narrow minded. it seems like if more people were open-minded and willing to listen to other ways of thinking. i will admit that i have a hard time listening to right wing news like fox, and entertainers like rush limbaugh.

nasturtium - i love these flowers. they are fun and grow quickly. they taste good too :)

necklace - i have some very special necklaces. one is the string of pearls i wore when i got married. they were my grandmother schoenmann's. rob gave me an emerald pendant the night before we got married. i'm wearing it right now. pat (my mother-in-law) gave me bob's (FIL) baby ring that she'd been wearing as long as i'd known her. she gave it to me after I had rhys. i'm wearing it also.

night - i've switched many times between being a night owl and morning-ish person. i love the solitude and quiet of the early morning -- of course, i have to get out freakishly early to have morning time with silence as the kids get up pretty early. we've been staying up later - well, maybe *i* have been staying up later b/c when we go to bed, i read for a fairly long time.

neverland and never fairies - okay, so i of course knew of neverland, but until they started having the books about tinkerbelle and the other never fairies, i didn't know that they were specifically called never-fairies. the books are really quite sweet.

nearsighted - i've needed glasses since 8th grade.

need - it is interesting how many things we think we need that we truly do NOT need. most things that we might perceive as needs are really wants.

no - since having kids, i've heard this (and probably said this) a WHOLE lot more than before i had kids.

negative - sometimes it's hard to get rid of the negativity in life. there's a lot of it in the ether - these days more than i remember at any other time in my life in the world. i need to try to remember to try and keep it out of my inner world.

neighbors - i wish neighborhoods were more like the neighborhoods in which i grew up. people aren't as open. even when we try to get to know our neighbors, it's often like pulling teeth. it's sad.

news - i tend to give the news 3 stories...if all 3 are bad bad news, i will generally leave in disgust or turn the channel. i don't understand why some of the awful news can't be balanced with some of the good things people are doing. for instance, dara has written about all the wonderful things she and her buddhist nuns and monks have done for the animals (dogs and cats, i believe) that were left behind in Louisiana during hurricaine katrina. they are trying to raise the money for the balloon payment that is coming due soon for Dakini Valley where they are caring for these animals (they call it Tara's Babies). this is a GOOD THING! people showing huge amounts of the loving side of humanity. if the news people don't know where to find such things, perhaps they can go to The Good News Network and grab a story or two. they can make one of THESE stories the headlining news, not plunk a little fluff piece at the very end of the news.

nice - i think that i could be characterized as nice. i like nice people. it would be better if more people worked on trying to be nice and not negative.

noonles - this is what irene called noodles for the longest time. we call macaroni and cheese mac a noonies - or just noonies (not to be confused with nooners - those are completely different!).

nimrod - well, it appears i'm going to have to rethink this name. i've used it to describe people i perceive to be idiotic. i looked it up just to see what it says in the dictionary...it means "any skillful or enthusiastic hunter" hmmm... okay - i just looked up further...i knew nimrod was a king in the bible - but here is more info from ask yahoo: The American Heritage Dictionary offers two distinct definitions of a nimrod -- either a hunter, or a person regarded as silly or foolish. The dictionary goes on to explain that the second meaning probably originated with the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. The wily Bugs used the term in its original sense to refer to dithering hunter Elmer Fudd, whom he called a "poor little Nimrod." Over time, however, the "hunter" meaning got dropped, and the "dithering" connotation stuck.

Norfolk - where my good friend,Lydia, lives and where we went last summer. we had such a wonderful time. rhys has spent much of the morning talking about benny and sadie and all the things we did while we were there. he then asked if we could go there tomorrow. why oh why isn't all the money that is currently going to war and oil being put into tesseracts (like in wrinkle in time) and getting beamed here and there a la star trek? then we could indeed be there tomorrow!

nostalgia - it seems that i've been more nostalgic this past year than i have previously. not really entirely sure why.

nik kershaw - singer of Wouldn't It Be Good. yes, i loved the new wave of the 80s (which would now be called alternative, i suppose?

new york city - i've been to new york city twice. once when i lived in spain, again when mom and ken ran the new york city marathon. i loved it. i loved the vibrancy, the museums, the busy-ness. jolie and i had a really fabulous time going from place to place. she lived there for a summer (maybe longer?) while she was in college, so she got to show me some of the fun places. we went to Serendipity and had the Frozen Hot Chocolate. YUMMMMM! we did not get to see a broadway show - but then, we were cheering on the runners, so there wasn't time. that is also where i had thai food for the first time. also YUMMMMM!

i'm sure there are more - but i'm going to stop here