25 Things About Me

I mentioned on Monday about taking Laurie Wagner’s excellent writing class, Telling True Stories, in July. Here’s another exercise she used to help us get the juices flowing. It’s common to see it around on Facebook and the like, but I haven’t written one in a while. Feel free to respond with your own!

1. When I was five, I had such a hilariously thick southern accent that even my mother – raised in the South – had a hard time understanding me. I wanted to be a Car Bar for Halloween and she had no idea what the hell I was talking about (translation: Care Bear).

2. I grew up in New Hampshire from age five on, but never took on the New England accent. But when I hear it in movies I laugh and LOVE the sound of it.

3. I taught myself to play guitar when I was 15. It freaks me out a little to say that I’ve been doing something like that for over 15 years. I feel like I should play a LOT better than I can.

4. I cry when I get too hungry. When I start to either get really mean or look like I’m about to burst into tears, my friends and family know to feed me IMMEDIATELY.

5. I’m an only child, and apparently a semi-miraculous conception. When my father had some routine medical work done recently, among finding out that he has only one kidney and it’s not really where it’s supposed to be, his reproductive equipment is also sort of mis-wired. My mom SWEARS the milkman was not involved.

miraculous conception baby

6. Sometimes seemingly inappropriate music makes me cry. It’s a little embarrassing. I swear, there’s this one song in the movie Sister Act that makes me tear up, every time.

7. I was salutatorian of my high school class. My speech at graduation was about running away from home when I was 15 and how the police picked me up about 30 minutes after I left my house when my friend failed to pick me up on time.

8. I am a huge fan of science fiction, particularly utopia/dystopia stories and feminist science fiction. I love reading about how our world could be so different, just one degree off.

9. I am a librarian by training. I finished my master’s 2 months before my oldest son was born, so I have actually never worked as a librarian. Maybe some day.

10. I have a strong interest in nutrition and healthy eating. This is a challenge for a mother of two children with enormous sweet tooths, thanks to my husband.

If I put it on a rainbow plate, they’ll eat it, right?

11. I got married on a boat by a ship’s captain.

Paddleboat wedding FTW!

12. I am a recovering perfectionist.

13. I kind of want the life of the cartoon character Curious George (modern version): house in the country with a garden, apartment in the city with a view.

14. I’ve lived for four years in our current house, which is the longest by far I’ve lived anywhere as an adult. And I’m kind of dying to move.

15. I gave birth naturally, twice. The second time was at home, on my bed. My son saw his brother born, and thought it was really cool (he was 3 1/2).

16. I am terrified of heights. Totally panic-stricken.

On a gondola ride over the Redwoods last summer. Trying to keep it together for the kids.

17. I love swimming in the ocean. Snorkeling, boogie boarding, body surfing, splashing in warm waves…mmmm, LOVE it.

18. I’m sort of inexplicably drawn to the Olympic Peninsula here in Washington state. Whenever we talk about going camping or on local trips, it’s like the rest of the state doesn’t exist for me. I just want to keep going there.

19. I am an introvert that can pass for extrovert. But I’m a true introvert – I don’t get energy from people, it takes energy for me to be around people. I need a lot of down time, which is proving difficult as a mother to young kids.

20. The only job I’ve had that I’ve ever liked was working in a pool hall in college. Except it ruined AC/DC for me. And Hotel California.

21. I have a strong interest in Buddhism and Buddhist meditation practice, particularly Vipassana or Insight Meditation.

22. I went to Girl Scout Camp once when I was 10 and I still remember the songs we sang.

23. I used to play guitar and sing at Open Mics all the time. Haven’t found a place since we moved to Seattle four years ago.

24. If you want to see me lose my mind, poke me repeatedly or make the same sound over and over. Repetitive noise/touch sends me straight to rage-ville.

25. When I was 20, I had five wisdom teeth pulled. Yep, I was so wise that I had an extra tooth. And no room in my mouth for any of them.

Please, do not take after me orthodontically.