Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Thirty-Four Things, Part I

In one week, I will be thirty-four years old. I was inspired by an entry in someone's LiveJournal (you know who you are!) to write down thirty-four things I know about myself. The exercise was harder than I realized, because I wanted each item to contain a story within itself. So far, I've got seventeen items. I'll work on the other half this week and post the second part of the list on my birthday.

Thirty-Four Things, Part I

1) If I had to pick a fairy tale that reflected my life-outlook, it would be the Three Sillies. I wish it were something more heroic along the lines of The Brave Little Tailor.

2) In high school, I briefly considered choosing astronomy for my college major, despite my poor math grades. A friend of mine said, “You don’t need to know that much math for astronomy.”

3) When I was pregnant, people advised me to keep crackers by the bedside to help with morning sickness. To this day, the sight of a saltine makes me queasy.

4) I’ve said I’d rather endure dental work than read a mystery novel. I’ve had to pay for that remark. My mouth is a dentist’s cash cow.

5) Most of the food items I disliked as a child had to do with the texture and acidity more than the taste.

6) Most of my favorite foods come from the Middle East: stuffed grape leaves, megeddarah (lentils, rice and caramelized onions dish), little spinach pies, thyme/sesame seed/sumac spice mixture sprinkled on top of yogurt spread, lamb kabobs.

7) I enjoy devising cunning plans that are impossible to execute.

8) When I was a teenager, I wanted to be an alien “sleeper agent” who would be released from planet Earth once I had fulfilled my secret mission. I was at a bit of a loss as to the nature of my secret mission, but I hoped all would be revealed in due time. If “due time” included alien spacecraft zapping the meanies in my school, so much the better.

9) I taught myself origami because I hated organizing craft programs for the library, and I wanted to have something to do that was enjoyable.

10) When I was seven years old, I decided that when I died, I wanted to be buried with my dolls and my Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books. I thought I really could take them with me.

11) When I am happy, I like to listen to sad songs. The reverse is not true.

12) I like having gone out dancing more than I like planning to go out dancing.

13) I think getting enough to eat is a right, not a privilege, and that people are more likely to “better themselves” when they’re not starving.

14) I like bats, but I don’t often tell people because then they give me bat-related items. (Please! No more copies of Stellaluna.)

15) My favorite part about acting in plays was the built-in after-school social life. I missed out on a bunch of the cast-parties, but I’m convinced they weren’t as much fun as the pre-performance gatherings in the dressing rooms.

16) When I tell people I can’t swim properly (i.e. the crawl stroke), they think a miracle has taken place when I start dog-paddling.

17) I want to see the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere.

7 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Lovely idea to reflect like this. I look forward to Part 2 - undoubtedly that's where the sex and drugs and rock n' roll will come in...!
By the way you should be grateful about your second prize. Herman is looking forward to meeting you... Could be any night soon, in the early hours.... Don't worry Herman is only wanted in three states.

Liz said...

#4, #5, #7 could all apply to me as well. My teeth are a nightmare. I just finally decided to stop going to the dentist for awhile. My mouth and my pocket book both needed a break.

Is that a picture of you? If it is, you could totally be Laura Ingalls.

This was a super cute idea and I can't wait to read the rest :)

Anonymous said...

OK, advance warning: I'm totally stealing this idea come August.

Looking forward to the sequel...

Saints and Spinners said...

Goddess, You may totally be my guest. I stole the idea from Lesa Bellavie's (of the Magdalene Review) LiveJournal.

Nonny, I can totally relate to avoiding the dentist. I had a bad run in New York City with sub-par dentistry. I'm my current dentist's cash cow, but he and his office have done so much good, preventative work that I figure I didn't need to buy that cute little sportscar anyway.
And yes, the photo is of me as a little girl. I think my mom or aunt made the dress, hence the "Laura Ingalls" look!

Yorkshire Pudding, I'll see if I can work in some sex, drugs and rock and roll in part II in such a way that it won't be totally dull and trite. Oh, and thanks for the geoduck. Herman delivered it to me, refused a tip, and was on his merry way. I sold the geoduck to a local sushi-restaurant, and at 10 dollars a pound, I was able to use the money to buy 2 really nice cans of paint for the toolshed renovation project. Thanks a bunch, YP! Let me know if you ever need any more captions for your blog....

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday in advance! I too shall be stealing this meme in a few weeks when it's my turn. :)

I can totally gel with 4 and 5. To this day, almost everything that I can't stand to put in my mouth is due to consistancy rather than taste. (Except for olives. Can't get past the taste of olives.)

My mouth has also sent one or two dentist's kids to expensive colleges. 4 years of braces, 4 wisdom teeth extractions, 4 root canals, 2 crowns (which, incidentally, don't glow under UV light like the rest of my teeth so if smile in a nightclub, I look like a total Gomer) and several fillings. Sheesh.

Hazed said...

Yes, Happy birthday in advance! I love your list. I'm really looking forward to more. I think my favorite was the part about swimming. I swim rather well, but get very nervous when I'm in very deep water, so I tend to look a little silly. All that splashing around and the huge circles while treading water, rather than normal ones. Heh. You and I would make great swim pals.

Lone Star Ma said...

Such a beautiful child!