100 Things About Me

I got this idea from Clew's blog. Clew kindly leaves me comments now and again. It seemed like a good idea, so I thought I would try it, this lengthy list of 100 things about myself. I've been working on it off and on for a few days-- I didn't sit down and do it all at once! So, for your reading enjoyment, I present 100 Random Things About Me.

1. I think I knew pretty much everything I needed to know about God when I was 4.
2. Every bit of theology and religion I’ve studied since then has been an attempt to regain that instinctive knowledge I used to have.
3. Both of my pinky fingers are crooked.
4. As far as I know, this is the only way in which I resemble my father.
5. Sometimes when I see my younger brother, I am surprised that he is not tiny anymore.
6. I was glad to have a brother so much younger because it gave me an excuse to play with dinosaurs and read kids’ books.
7. The day before my parents were sending me from Florida to Michigan to live with my aunt and uncle until they could move themselves up north, I rode my bike to the beach. I had to tell the ocean goodbye.
8. Sometimes the wind off Lake Erie on a hot day will have a water and salt smell very close to what the ocean wind had. It’s not quite there, but it’s close.
9. I really don’t like to cook, except for sweets.
10. I was always a little jealous because I think my cousins are prettier than I am.
11. I’m terrible at doing “girl” things like shopping for clothes or putting on makeup. Most of the time this doesn’t bother me, but it bothers me a little that it doesn’t bother me.
12. When I was in middle school, there was a guy who would constantly try to touch me and say lewd things to me, even after I told him to stop.
13. The last day of 8th grade, I punched him in the gut and kicked him in the knee. He cried.
14. I was ashamed of how good it felt to make him cry.
15. I’m a little nervous to listen to my MP3 player at work, because I might forget that no one else can hear this music and start randomly singing.
16. In college, a lot of my friends were music majors. They would start randomly singing without the aid of MP3 players.
17. For years, I have had occasional dreams of a baby boy with brown hair and green eyes. I think he is a dream of the baby I might have one day.
18. During the 9 months from my marriage day to the day I moved out, I did not dream of that baby boy even once. Two nights after I was on my own, I dreamed of him.
19. I did not get my first kiss until I was 19. I’m still good friends with the guy I kissed.
20. I sometimes wonder why I am still held responsible for college and career decisions I made when I was only 18.
21. I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up.
22. Even today, if I was given that chance, I would jump at it.
23. I believe in reincarnation. One life is not enough to learn all that we need to know or create the soul bonds we need to create.
24. I used to be so jealous of the way my mom could talk to people and make friends so easily.
25. I have a small scar on my arm. I put it there myself many years ago. I wasn’t trying to kill myself; I just needed to make sure I was still alive.
26. Usually if I dream of something twice, it’s something I need to pay attention to symbolically. If I dream of it three times, it’s something I need to look out for literally.
27. When I said I didn’t go to the dances in high school just because I didn’t want to, I really didn’t mean it.
28. I wish, just once, I could play a lead character in a play instead of playing the “wacky friend” type.
29. One of the hardest parts of writing a story is picking out the characters’ names.
30. When I have to deal with a stressful situation, I panic afterwards. During the crisis I’m fine, but afterwards I will shake or cry.
31. I never have adapted to living in cold weather. I still bundle up like a pre-schooler if I have to go outside in the winter.
32. I’m really bad at keeping happy secrets. Bad ones I can sit on for years and never breathe a word of, but the happy ones bubble up inside until I wind up revealing too much.
33. I have a happy secret now.
34. I’m trying not to tell it to the whole world.
35. I have peace stickers on my car. One has a stylized US flag with doves instead of stars, and it says “Peace is Patriotic.” The other is a white dove on a blue background with “peace” written in different languages around the outside edge.
36. This sometimes makes me nervous that my windows will be bashed out.
37. I know all the words to all the songs from The Lion King.
38. All through elementary school, I was the tallest kid in the class, and some of the others would call me “beanpole” or “giraffe.” Now my wee brother is taller than I am, and he calls me “shrimp puff.”
39. I wish I didn’t have to wear glasses.
40. When my cousin and I would play with Barbies when we were little, we didn’t do the normal sort of “house” or “shopping” games. We would make up truly bizarre stories and have the Barbies act them out.
41. I never knew my father, so I imagined many things about him when I was growing up. Sometimes I still do.
42. One bright spring day, I didn’t want to go to work, but I didn’t want to stay home with my then-fiance either, so instead I called in from my cell phone and just drove and drove for hours. I wound up somewhere in the middle of Ohio before I turned around and went home. He never knew.
43. People seem to think it’s okay to ask how old I am. I am not sure why, but a lot of people do. I don’t mind telling them.
44. I miss being a college student. I wish I could take a class this fall; I was hoping I’d be able to.
45. I have a deep and burning dislike of those teachers and guidance counselors who told me I’d be wasting myself if I majored in writing. I never respected them again after they said that.
46. I wound up majoring in speech communications anyway. But they’d probably consider that a waste too.
47. I really hate when I have to explain my jokes.
48. I’m a speedreader. I spent most of my childhood and adolescence reading.
49. I probably missed out on a lot of good books because I was so intent on reading fantasy and science fiction.
50. I went on my first date when I was 16. We went to the movies and saw Jurassic Park. I was the one who picked it. This confused my date.
51. I really dislike most chick flicks. I’d prefer the dinosaurs. Or well-choreographed sword battles, those are always good.
52. I think I may spend too much time looking at the castle picture I have on my calendar at my desk and wishing I was there instead of here.
53. I want to go parasailing someday. Never mind that I’m afraid of heights.
54. I’m usually very glad I was born when I was. Childhood seems to end sooner these days, and adolescence seems to last longer. Both of these are very bad things, in my opinion.
55. I’m not the girliest of girls, clearly, but I am very proud of being able to do cross-stitch embroidery.
56. When I have my midlife crisis, I plan on getting either a motorcycle or a horse. Right now I’m leaning more towards the horse.
57. I absolutely can not walk correctly in high heeled shoes. It just doesn’t work.
58. The temptation for ice cream is the most perilous part of any diet I have ever tried.
59. I seem to have a “thing” for geek guys. I think it’s because most other guys can’t even come close to carrying on a conversation.
60. I love to travel. It doesn’t matter where I’m going or how I’m going, I just love to go. It’s always an adventure. Seeing new places is the important part.
61. I have seen woodlands and rivers which are far more sacred than anything I have ever encountered in church.
62. There’s a 5-year-old boy at my church who absolutely adores me and comes running up to hug me when he sees me. It makes my week!
63. When I was in college, I would watch “Sightings” late at night before I went to bed. It would usually give me the creeps and then I couldn’t sleep. Yes, I know it was cheesy. It gave me the creeps anyway. But I kept watching it.
64. In spite of the bit of inconvenience, I think I am glad my apartment is small and has thin walls. My neighbors are pretty quiet, and this way it sort of reminds me of my dorm room on a subconscious level. I think I’d be scared to live by myself otherwise.
65. When I was on the speech and debate team in college, we would have a contest amongst ourselves to see which of us could get the most phone numbers from other competitors. I was always too shy to ask anyone.
66. With help from teammates, I managed to convince many freshmen that our speech coach’s long hair was actually a wig.
67. I think I was once accidentally pregnant and miscarried the child very early in the pregnancy. But I have never confirmed this. I think I’d rather not know for sure.
68. The main reason I picked the college I did is that it was far enough south from home that when I went there, it was spring. It was still winter here. Five hours east and two hours south, but that was enough.
69. I’ve always wanted to ride a raft down a river, like Huck Finn.
70. One of the best feelings in the world is when I’m telling some sort of complicated but important-to-me story about some implausible-but-true thing, and I look up and realize that the listener actually understands.
71. Most of my friends my own age are guys. I do seem to be able to befriend women my mom’s age (give or take a few years) without much problem, though.
72. I’ve never done any illegal drugs, but if I were going to, it would have to be a hallucinogen. If I’m going to do something illegal, I’d better get some poetry or visions out of it.
73. I don’t believe in my horoscope, but I read it every morning anyway.
74. Sometimes being as shy and socially inept as I am causes me problems with things I have to do at work.
75. I need to exercise more.
76. I always dream in color. Bright vivid color, more bright than anything I see in waking life.
77. I was very surprised when I learned that some people dream in black and white.
78. When it’s my turn to help serve at the altar during a Communion service, and I have to drink some of the wine at the end (if there was too much in the chalice), I have to try very hard not to make a sour face when I taste it.
79. Sometimes I talk in my sleep. Usually a tiny part of me is awake, and will yell at my mouth to shut up, but my mouth just keeps talking and might say any sort of embarrassing or random thing.
80. If I’m feeling insecure or ill, I will cuddle with my old stuffed animals when I go to sleep.
81. I think part of the reason I’ve had writer’s block for five years and can’t finish writing a story is that I’m afraid it will never be good enough to be published.
82. September 11, 2001 is very much a blur to me. However, I remember almost every detail of what I did on September 10, 2001.
83. I have a slight irrational phobia about making phone calls.
84. When I was on psychotropic medications for a few months, I felt like I was being turned into a zombie, and I hated the psychiatrist. So I stopped taking the meds. I have never regretted it.
85. A few years ago, I took my brother and his friend trick-or-treating. I was also in costume (I went as a murdered referee), and I also asked for treats. Not a single person questioned it. I was 26.
86. I have yet to meet a dog who did not want to be my friend.
87. When I was in high school, I would read certain classic literary books even though they weren’t assigned. I’m embarrassed to say that this started mainly because I wanted to show off.
88. I had cable installed in June and have watched TV maybe 3 times since then, but I don’t want to get rid of it because I want to be able to watch hockey when the season starts in October.
89. My eyes seem to have the ability to change color, from brown to green and various hazel combinations in-between.
90. When I was a young teenager, I read about unicorns and how only virgins could come near them. I promised myself then that when the time came, I would be sure that the person to whom I gave my virginity would be worth losing the ability to touch a unicorn.
91. I did not keep this promise I made to myself.
92. I hate wearing shoes. I avoid shoes whenever I can.
93. When I graduated from college, I tried to join the Navy. They wouldn’t accept me because I have a slight curve of scoliosis. Now I am very, very glad for that.
94. Even if such things were possible, I would not be a teenager again for a billion dollars.
95. I very much believe that there is intelligent life on other planets. I like the idea. However, if I were suddenly faced with a UFO or gray alien, I would probably be so scared that I would pee myself.
96. I want to learn how to bellydance.
97. I also want to learn kendo and/or tae kwon do.
98. Even with all the fancy-schmancy video games out these days, I kind of miss the old Nintendo with the little rectangular controllers. Legend of Zelda was the best game ever.
99. Sometimes I am almost half convinced that I must have been left here as a changeling by elves or aliens.
100. I have no idea who would play me if someone made a movie about my life. I think I would just have to play myself.