You're It!

OK, so my friend at Abacaxi Mamao tagged me for a meme, and since I can't resist feeling popular-- a holdover from my severely unpopular days as a child, I suppose-- I am responding to it. Also, I like alphabetical acrostics. However, I've decided to add an additional wrinkle, which is that I'm going to try to be as brief as possible, mostly in the interests of time, but also to see just how decisive I can be.

Accent: Please, if you ever meet anyone from Texas (see below, "Hometown") and he or she does not have a discernible Southern accent, do not spend the first five minutes of your conversation grilling the person about why he or she doesn't have one. Please.
Booze: Stella Artois, Tecate; signature cocktail: Alabama Slammer
Chores I Hate: Putting away nice warm clothes just out of the dryer. I just want to make a big pile out of them and snuggle into the pile.
Dogs/Cats: If you don't have kids or another dependent, get a pet. It makes you a better person to have something lovable that needs you around. I like both dogs and cats.
Essential Electronics: In my dream world, none. In reality, my laptop.
Favorite City: Too tough to choose. Favorite city recently visited: Cuzco, Peru.
Gold/Silver: Silver
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Insomnia: Never; I am almost always sleep-deprived
Job Title: curriculum designer, learning facililtator, paper-shuffler, manners consultant, counselor, parental substitute, babysitter, janitor, disciplinarian, guide, and more...
Kids: inspire me and infuriate me, often at the same time
Living Arrangements: One of those rooms added on to an apartment to make the rent livable in Manhattan. Over the course of five years, I've had a fantastic assortment of roommates who I am lucky to have lived with and learned from. Almost always cluttered but never dirty.
Most Admired Trait: Many people assume that I am a very patient person and praise my patience. But they are wrong; I just do an OK job of stifling my impatient comments and urges.
Number of books owned: Oh, geeze, you're not going to make me count them, are you? I love books and I have a bunch. And they are breeding or something 'cause more keep appearing.
Overnight Hospital Stays: Thank God, only once, and that was not because I was sick but because I was staying at the hospital with a friend who was sick.
Phobia: Before I went cave-crawling at Tel Maresha in Israel and later at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, I was claustrophobic, but I basically beat it out of myself.
Quotes: All-time favorites: 1. "Cada uno es hijo de sus obras." -- Don Quijote 2. It is said that in 1881 when Robert Louis Stevenson was at Pitlochry, he saw a dog being abused by its owner. When Stevenson tried to intervene and stop the beating, the owner told him, "It's not your dog!" Stevenson replied, "It's God's dog and I'm here to protect it."
Religion: Jewish. Non-denominational. However, I should acknowlege that my worldview and conception of God owe a great deal to many other religions and philosophical traditions. Basically, I am an opportunistic mutt when it comes to finding ideas that inspire me and help me understand the world.
Siblings: One awesome younger brother who just returned from a round-the-world post-college tour.
Time I usually wake up: Between 5:30 and 6:00am. ARGH!!!!
Unusual Talent: Ummmmm... falling asleep in various strange positions with the lights on?
Vegetable I refuse to eat: I have always been embarrassed that I dislike asparagus, because people tend to cook it as a special treat and then I don't eat it.
Worst Habit: Can I answer this one tomorrow? (Procrastination.)
X-Rays: Once when I sprained my wrist at sports camp as a kid. I got the "best sportsmanship" award at the end of the summer because I basically had to sit out the rest of camp.
Yummy Foods I make: Black bean soup, stuffed portobello mushrooms, brownies, zucchini pie, veggie curry.
Zodiac Sign: Virgo. Love the astrology column in The Onion.