This meme has been running around facebook and because of it I’ve learned some cool new things about people. So I’ve decided to give it a try.
25 Random Things About Me
1. I never wanted to live in Utah or raise my kids here, but after 15 years I’m so firmly rooted that I’m not sure we’ll ever leave.
2. Remember that one Calvin and Hobbes comic that was done in a Picasso-esque style where multiple perspectives of the same objects were shown? The inside of my head is like that constantly. I sometimes have trouble shutting out alternate perspectives so that I can make decisions.
3. When I was a child, I frequently worried about the feelings of inanimate objects. I made sure that none of my toys felt neglected. I had trouble getting rid of things because I didn’t want them to feel unloved. I still sometimes think about the feelings of inanimate objects. When I restock books, I add to the bottom of the stack so all the books get a turn to be sent out. I know that this is silly, and sometimes I don’t think about it at all, but other times I do.
4. I am the middlemost child of seven siblings.
5. I was an assistant in the Junior High library when they were switching from pocket card tracking to barcode tracking for checked out books. I got to put barcodes on many books and help with all the cataloging. This was the same library where I misused my assistant powers to sneak books out of the library without checking them out so that I could keep the books. I later repented of my book stealing ways, returned as many of the books as I could find, and made a cash donation to cover the cost of those that I couldn’t.
6. Last year I wrote over 80,000 words in my blog. That is more words than some novels. Apparently I am wordy.
7. I know first-hand that skin really does peel off as a result of radiation burns. (I had six weeks of radiation therapy in 1999 to kill a tumor.)
8. I love birds, flowers, and books.
9. I turned 36 this year and will argue with anyone who tries to make jokes about anniversaries of my 29th birthday or who deliberately guesses me young. I earned those years, don’t try to steal them from me.
10. I love looking at clothing, mostly on people. I’m constantly analyzing what I think looks good and what does not. This is not about thinking less of people for what they are wearing, it is about analyzing combinations of lines and fabrics and patterns and shapes. I want to be one of those people who always looks good, and yet I almost never wear make-up or jewelry and I’m extremely prone to forgetting to brush my hair before going in public. Also, I like being comfortable, so I’m pretty sure that I’m not doing so well on the “always look good” thing. I think I do all right for events such as church, it’s the daily stuff where I get distracted and forget to do it.
11. In my 5th grade yearbook I declared my intention to be a lion tamer when I grew up. Now I’m the mother of four kids which is almost the same thing.
12. I am most comfortable in friendships that build gradually from lots of friendly interactions over an extended period of time. Proximity makes a big difference, fortunately for me the internet has provided proximity between me and people all over the world. My circle of friends is now much larger that I would have imagined possible a decade ago.
13. It still feels weird to be able to say “a decade ago” and be talking about something that happened to me as an adult.
14. I am fully capable of drawing other people out to help maintain a conversation. This is a carefully learned skill, not something that comes naturally to me. I am far more comfortable sitting on the edge of a lively conversation and just listening until I have something useful to add. Conversations are fascinating to watch. All sorts of social power plays and nuances are there to be seen.
15. I like small children and babies, but I’m really glad not to be taking care of one 24/7 anymore.
16. Most of the flowers I love best remind me of someone or some place in particular. Marigolds, roses, and sweet peas are my mother. Petunias and lilacs are my grandmother. Tulips a college roommate and my cousin. Bougainvilla is Africa. Poppies are California. Day Lilies are a neighbor who moved away years ago. Hyacinths and Lilies are springtime, particularly if I can get them to bloom indoors mid-winter. The list goes on, but I’ll stop now. My gardens are full of memories.
17. I still have my baby blanket from when I was a child. I occasionally loan it to one of my kids when they’re in need of extra comfort.
18. I never had a favorite color growing up and was always frustrated that people kept making me pick one. I didn’t want just one color. I wanted them all. I still like all of the colors, but I have preference for green. Not sure when that changed.
19. I never used to have a favorite season. I liked them all. I know exactly when this changed. Now I don’t like Winter at all and I love Spring. I need to practice liking Winter again because I’m going to have to deal with it periodically for a long time to come.
20. I grew up hating math, now I do all the accounting and book keeping for our family and two (tiny) corporations. And I find joy and satisfaction when all the numbers line up. I get stressed when I’m having to juggle depletion of reserves rather than accumulation, but that is just the financial squirrel in me. I find great joy in stashing money into savings accounts or in paying off big bills.
21. I love sourdough bread, but my efforts to make it have had very mixed results.
22. I rarely express my opinions about politics or social issues on the internet. The lack of body language and voice tone cues make me very leery about offending people or starting an argument. I’m much more comfortable discussing these things in person. But someday there will be a time or an issue when I feel I must make a stand. I don’t look forward to it.
23. I am terrified of riding ferris wheels. The last time I went on one, my oldest child was four. She had a great time. I spent the whole ride in white knuckled prayer that I would survive. Roller coasters are fine, but ferris wheels are scary. Not rational, but true.
24. If you name a Disney movie made prior to the year 2000 I can probably sing you a song from it. I actually played this game once with co-workers at my college job. I challenged them to think of a Disney movie that I didn’t know a song for. I won. I’m not sure I could still win that competition. During my childhood years I learned songs without even thinking about it and I saw lots of Disney movies.
25. It took me two weeks to create this list. I had to weigh each item to find the perfect balance of things that might be interesting to others but which will not be embarrassing or too revealing.