I was tagged by Lainey at Blog in My Eye for the seven random things about yourself MEME. So here goes…
1. Even though I haven’t seen it for 10 years, I can still quote enormous passages of the movie Raising Arizona from memory. And do. Often. To the annoyance and/or confusion of those around me.
2. I’m surprisingly good at math, and I love to make spreadsheets. I’m lumping these two things together under the “things you would not expect from an artist with a degree in English” category. Weird, but true. Coming out of high school, I had a MUCH higher math SAT score than verbal, and one of my favorite classes was AP Computers, where I learned the basics of computer language (anyone out there remember PASCAL?). Making spreadsheets basically just gives me an opportunity to string together a bunch of “If..Then/Else” statements, which I love. You would be shocked to see how complicated my grading spreadsheets can get. Oh, and naturally, they have to look nice. And be color coded.
3. As a boy, I was convinced I was part Cherokee. There’s no good reason for this, and I have no idea where the idea came from. But I somehow intuitively just “knew” it to be true (it’s not). And I held onto that belief well into my teen years. My grandmother looked a tiny bit like she might have been part Cherokee, if the light was right and you squinted. And you ignored how pasty white her skin was. Somehow, that was enough proof for me.
4. First Job? Hong-Kong Phooey. I have mentioned this before, but still, it deserves to make the list. I mean, c’mon, how many people get to dress up as a cartoon character for money? I was 16, and worked at Carowinds, a large theme park not far from my house. I got the job in large part because my girlfriend at the time was Smurfette. That’s right, you heard me. I dated Smurfette. Should that be number 5?
5. I’ve got an arm. I started playing catch with my dad when I was 4. By age 6, I was pitching for our church-league team. I pitched until I was 12, when tennis took over as my sport of choice. I have always had proportionately short legs, with a long torso and long arms. Basically, I’m a trebuchet (I’ve mentioned this before, too).
Which means I can throw objects a long way, and I am really good at sports where you get to hit things with sticks. Sprinting, or running long distance…not so much.
6. I have a knack for strange impersonations. Two most requested: Charlie-in-the-Box from Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, and “the lizard.” Don’t ask. Really. It’s creepy, but underwhelming (come to think of it, so is my Charlie-in-the-Box).
7. I love mystery novels. Really. Love. Even the bad ones. I spend a lot of time over the summer in the studio listening to them “books on tape” style. If there’s a famous, cheesy, formulaic writer of mysteries out there, you can bet I’ve read them. And likely several volumes worth. My secret goal is to write (and publish) a mystery novel someday. A few of my favorite authors: Tony Hillerman, Ellis Peters, and PD James.
Filed under: Day to Day, meme
HAHAHAH. How come I never knew that you did a Charlie in the Box impersonation? I have to see it!!!!!!!!!
I miss Smurfing, really. A funny aside, I actually got a job because in the interview they asked me my strangest job and I told them about being Smurfette. After that they would bring it up at social events. I have regalled entire audiences with stories of Smurf and Hong Kong – especially the time we went on the roller coaster when we were not supposed to… (although that was Scuby and Hong Kong) and the time Vanity played b-ball and ended up in a sling. Even stranger, one day I received an email from Fred Flintstone reminding me of the time I drove the truck into the wall. Remember that? I’m laughing right now thinking of it. I thought Tina would fire me. Anyway, Fred is doing well and is a Methodist Minister somewhere in the South!
Since you linked back to your blog, I thought I’d mention:
1. We love *Raising Arizona* at our house. Hal and friends used to watch it over and over in college. Many of the lines are in the routine banter of our household. For example, when little ones aren’t happy at our house and we can’t figure out why, we typically say, “Baby’s cry, HI.”
2. I, too, am surprisingly good at Math, especially a Sociology major. It brings order to my brain and helps me make sense of the world. I love that, in me, it goes hand in hand with the compassionate, social work side. I have found that the combination (and what these interests/skills reflect about my brain) have become a key distinctive about who I am and what I do.
3. Hal *is* part Cherokee, on his Dad’s side. Cool, huh? It’s not that uncommon in the Carolinas, as you know. But it was kept a bit quiet in Hal’s family for many years. We’re still trying. To find out if it was just that Native American fraternization was frowned upon, or perhaps, the relationship was not a marriage. Not sure. Stay tuned!
7. Cheesy, formulaic mystery novels are such a joy to me! I think the place in my brain that likes them is right close to the place in my brain that likes liturgy. I know where it’s going; I’ve been there before; and yet the familiarity is so comforting and suggests I should dig deeper. Sometimes I have terrific thinking that occurs as a undercurrent to reading a formulaic mystery novel. The story line does not require all my brain power, so my mind is free to think about lots of other stuff, only perhaps peripherally related to the story. A joy!