A-Z Meme

(tagged by Shifra, who grabbed it out of the æther)

ACCENT:
N'Yawk, particularly strong when using words like Brooklyn or anything with an "aw" [ʷɔ̹ːə̯] ([_wO_O:@_^]) sound, such as cʷawffee, tʷawk, or dʷawg. I am also a proud user of the sound [eǝ] (that's as in Mary, not merry or marry) in words like air, ale, grass, half, and ran. However, I do use y'all instead of the more proper non-'redneck'-sounding you-all or you-guys. But I pronounce it like a proud N'yawka — yʷawll.
I also have some idiolectal features not typical of all New Yorkers, such as not devoicing Ls after voiceless consonants. You may not know what I'm talking about, but, like my friends in middle school, you can probably tell that there's something wrong with how I say close the door. I also heavily swallow many other Ls, such as the L between vowels in the name Alan.
My Hebrew accents would take a whole post of their own.

BOOZE:
Almost all alcohol tastes like burning to me.
The ones I can stand the most are very sweet stereotypical Jewish wines like Kedem's Málaga, and 'dessert wines' like Moscato [D'Asti?]. The closest I get to liking beer is hard cider.

CHORE I HATE:
Anything involving heavy scrubbing.

DOGS:
Not allergic to them like I am to cats, but they make me uncomfortable. Way too nosy around certain 'private' regions of the human body.

ESSENTIAL ELECTRONICS:
Cell phone (before I got one, though, I thought they were decadent playthings of the rich and wanted nothing to do with them)
Internet access

FAVORITE PERFUME/COLOGNE:
I like walking through the perfume section of department stores, but can't stand most scents at close quarters or high intensity. I prefer unscented deoderant, and use baby powder instead of bathroom air fresheners.

GOLD & SILVER:
I wear my keys around my neck on a vaguely silver-colored dogtag-like chain made for lamp pull-cords.

HOMETOWN:
Spring Valley (NOT MONSEY!). Long Island. Borough Park. Upstate New York. Valley of the Aboriginal Ghosts. Upper Manhattan.

INSOMNIA:
I find it impossible to sleep when there's too much artificial light or noise going on. Neighbors who play musical instruments drive me particularly batty.

JOB TITLE:
High School Jewish Studies Teacher (looking for a new job for next year)

KIDS:
Not yet, but if one day in the future you encounter a beautiful Jewish girl named תְּנוּבִיאֵל, it's all my fault.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS:
Apartment with apartmentmates [who show no interest in blogs].

MOST ADMIRED TRAIT:
That I Admire: Quick "on your feet" Thinking
That Others Admire About Me: Easygoingness

NUMBER OF SPEED DIALS IN PHONE:
None

OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAYS:
None so far

PHOBIA:
Claustro-. I'm not actually scared of small spaces, but if I'm confined in a position in which I can't move for a long time (stuck in the back of a car, for instance) my limbs start to rebel and spasm of their own accord.

QUOTE:
"Can't we all just get along?"

RELIGION:
Jewish. Orthodox. Center-Left-Leaning MO. Dati ‘Olami. Generally Rationalistic, with "Indigenous" trends. God is a Trickster Deity. Barukh... shekakha lo be‘olamo.

SIBLINGS:
One older twin brother
(i'm the good twin)

TIME I USUALLY WAKE UP:
5:00am, if I can help it

UNUSUAL TALENT:
Whistling that sounds like "scary alien bees" (to quote a friend)

VEGETABLE I REFUSE TO EAT:
Tomato. Cucumber. Eggplant.
(they loved me in Israel)

WORST HABIT:
Procrastination

X-RAYS:
The new dentist I've been going to does digital ones.

YUMMY FOODS I MAKE:
Eggs with cheese and tomato sauce. Tofu vegetable stir-fry (ah those hippy days in Israel). 101 variations on the college kosher dining hall sugar cookie recipe.

ZODIAC SIGN:
Taurus (Year of the Rooster)