Eight Facts Meme

HipWriterMama, Camille and MSMac tagged me for this 8 Facts Meme.

Here are the rules: Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1) From grades 1-8, I had long hair, worn in braids (except for intermediate school), and from grade 3 on, I wore heavy, ugly glasses. On the first day of 9th grade, I walked into high school with short hair and contact lenses. No one recognized me. No one. However, I went into a vinyl record store that weekend, and the woman who worked there (and had seen me a total of 3 times) said, “Hey! You got your hair cut. It looks good.”

2) I don’t lie to children, and I have a hard time lying to adults. While I could lie convincingly to save someone’s life, the best I can do in most circumstances is stay quiet and not volunteer information.

3) I have accidentally “outed” two people. Both of them were forgiving, and even bemused. Whew. I am not good at keeping everyone’s secrets in order. I get cross when I’m told to keep something secret, and do, only to find out later that the person who told me the secret has told everyone else—and forgot to tell me that the secret wasn’t a secret anymore.

4) I grew up with a Jewish father and a Mennonite mother. As a teenager, I toyed with the idea of becoming a Wiccan. I was baptized Mennonite when I was 19, and became Roman Catholic when I was 30. I’m 35 now, and I still don’t feel I belong anywhere. I’m starting to suspect that’s the human condition.

5) I am very, very sensitive. Over time, I’ve learned to mask the sensitivity to a certain extent, but I still get my feelings hurt easily. I don’t expect anyone to tip-toe around my feelings (hence the various emotional disguises), but it still surprises me sometimes how easily I get upset. I appreciate the “Yea rahs!” I get in the comments section. I don’t interpret those comments as critical analyses of my writings but as the vital cheering section that provides external validation. Speaking of which…

6) Sometimes I get jealous when I see other blogs with double-digit comments.

7) The week after I gave birth via caesarian surgery, my relatives went home, and I broke out in hives. They burned, they itched, and if I didn’t scratch them, the heat from the itch grew worse. The only two ways I could deal with the hives would be to ice them or to scald them in the shower. After the hives finally abated, my daughter and I developed thrush. Memo to all current and future pregnant women: if you go on antibiotics during or after the labor you will need the healthy bacteria to balance out your system. I think all the antibiotics and medicines I had in the hospital severely knocked my immunities for a loop. I can’t think of that time without scratching.

8) I’m fascinated by skin-conditions. Sometimes I think I missed my calling as a dermatologist. Then again, it could just be my primal grooming tendencies rearing up.

People I'm tagging:
Lady K
Friday
LoneStarMa
ABCGirl
Philip the Pun
Yorkshire Pudding
Brad the Gorilla
Tony Dowler
Neil Gaiman (come on Neil!)