36 "Really? This Was Worth Sharing?" Facts

Tomorrow is my birthday. I'll be 36. In keeping with the weird list tradition I seem to have inadvertently started on this blog, I thought I'd think of 36 random facts about me you might not know.

1. It's highly probable most readers of this blog will find less than half of these to be interesting and/or edifying.

2. And no, I don't think #1 is cheating, even though I said this was a list of random facts about ME, because it was discussing said list and it was on my blog, ergo, it was about ME. In a convoluted sort of way, of course, but if you're unable to appreciate my logic, you probably aren't a regular blog reader anyway, so what do you care?

3. I was raised in a family where the Swedish side thought a dessert called Prune Whip Pudding was acceptable celebratory fare for a Christmas Eve celebration.

4. As I firmly believe prunes, whipped or not, don't qualify as dessert, and as I'm not about to stick brown jello in my mouth, I avoided this delicacy like the plague.

5. I once wanted to be a vet when I grew up.

6. A friend of the family was a vet and let me help him "fix" our male cat.

7. I decided I no longer wanted to be a vet.

8. I wrote my first short story in second grade about a school bus who was alive and didn't appreciate the screaming, inconsiderate children jostling around inside it. I think there was more to it than that, but honestly, I can't remember.

9. I had a pair of black patent leather shoes with clip on bows when I was in elementary school, and I adored them. A precursor of things to come.

10. All the kids in first grade who got hot lunches on raw veggie and dip day used to pass their little bowls of broccoli and carrots my way.

11. Yes, I'm strange like that.

12. The first time I remember using a fancy vocabulary word to perfectly express myself was second grade when I informed my teacher that the rest of the class was being awfully loquacious.

13. FYI, I was totally right. They were.

14. I didn't believe in Santa Claus when I was little, but I still looked to the sky every Christmas Eve. Just in case.

15. Much to the dismay of my boys, I totally suck at games like James Bond and Street Racer.

16. Whenever I drive a fairly long distance from home, my hubby sternly admonishes me to drive the speed limit.

17. I listen. And try to respect his wishes. Often, I'm successful. Sometimes I'm so far inside my own head (plotting or listening to my characters), I don't really know how fast I'm going until I look down and realize I'm driving ... somewhat over the 70 mph mark.

18. I don't do chick flicks or stupid, frat-boy-type humor in movies all that often.

19. I'm too busy watching action, paranormal/comic book, or whatever strikes me as strange/creepy/cool.

20. Boxing is one of my favorite sports to watch.

21. I understand the game of football. Not enough to be a commentator (although having listened to some of those guys, I'd have to say I'd probably sound far more entertaining), but enough to intelligently follow the game.

22. I used to be able to hula hoop from the neck down.

23. If I tried to hula hoop around my neck now, I'd probably require medical aid.

24. I once ate an olive right off the tree.

25. I do not recommend it.

26. I've always loved theater, musical or otherwise. I've seen a number of shows. To date, my favorites are Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

27. I chose my favorites based on one simple criteria: Would I want to see it again?

28. I used to have a collection of jelly bracelets that included the uber-cool glitter-and-water-filled ones.

29. I don't feel old enough to have a child in middle school.

30. I hated middle school. With a passion. So much passion, I wouldn't re-do it for anything.

31. I learned to drive on a 1979 Cadillac Brougham. It was a beast. A huge, can't-parallel-park-this-sucker-to-save-your-life beast.

32. I used to keep journals. I stopped sometime in college and never started again. The thought of keeping a journal now is just exhausting.

33. I can't sew. No, really. Really. I understand the concept of threading a needle and applying it to fabric, but the results are often unrecognizable and sometimes, downright scary. My mother used to sew Gunneax Sax dresses for us as children (which are some of the most difficult dresses to sew), but I inherited none of her sewing skills. Nor do I have the patience to learn.

24. I was once crowned Queen at the end of a dinner theater performance at Medieval Times by our section's victorious knight. I was a high school senior. The knight was cute. It was memorable, to say the least.

35. Okay, seriously? Did anyone see that I just wrote #24 for #34? I'll blame lack of sleep and working my brain to ye olde nub on CASTING STONES for that. If you have an alternative suggestion, I suggest you keep it to yourself.

36. I'm happy. I love my thirties. I enjoy my family, my friends, and how I'm pursuing my dreams.

Until next year! Same bat day, same bat crazy.