LUE: Randomness About Me
Aug. 14th, 2024 06:29 pmHere be 25 random bits about me. Proceed with caution.
1. I have been hospitalized numerous times, but my first hospitalization was shortly before my fourth birthday. I had some sort of nasty infection. I remember: my mom's prominent Walter Mondale campaign pin, a big IV, terrible food, and being sad that my dad couldn't visit (he was still on anti-rejection medicine for his kidney transplant).
2. When I entered university, I planned on becoming a linguist or translator. In the middle I switched to becoming a historian. When I left - without a degree - I was pretty much exhausted for plans and stayed that way for a good twenty years.
3. Best movie date ever? Surprisingly, over twenty years later, I maintain that Shrek is a perfect date movie. Fight me. Anyway, it's perfect for cinema dates. Introduce your sweetie to the Criterion Collection stuff once you've moved in together and are sure that they won't freak out over your passionate attachment to Lynch and Cronenberg (to say nothing of Catherine Breillat).
4. When I finally joined a band, aged 37, I was brought on as a vocalist. Since the band also played instrumentals, I was kindly handed a tambourine. (Eventually I bought my own.) To my surprise, I took to it.
5. I have a facial scar along my cheekbone. If it isn't concealed by my hair, it's concealed by concealer.
6. I took the civil service exam to apply for a job at the Crandall Library in Glens Falls. Wish I'd gotten it.
7. I taught religious school as a teenager. Mind, I was an assistant teacher, but I really enjoyed it. My kids were great kids. They all called me Miss Annie.
8. I lost my father when I was five. I lost my maternal grandfather at 13. It was a long time before I realized that neither time was it my fault.
9. I've always wanted to teach in some capacity, but it's taken a long time to take direct steps to that end.
10. I've been writing since...um, since I could write. Banishing my inner critic is a lot harder, though.
11. I started reading aged three. Writing took a couple more years. They're separate skills, and I wasn't so great at the physical aspect of writing (my spelling was fine - I just had trouble getting the physical part down).
12. My IQ is 138, two points shy of gifted. That's sufficient for Mensa, but I wouldn't join that group of pricks if you paid me.
13. From age 18 to about age 38, I kept my hair red (except for that disastrous time I dyed it black). I'm much happier now that my hair is back to its natural dark ash blonde.
14. It took me a long time to get the stick out of my ass and be okay with being a girl, with crying sometimes, and to quit trying to be snarky 100% of the time. I'm much happier this way.
15. I still have a thing for nice stationery and nice pens.
16. My bookshelf probably looks very weird to most people. There's a lot of Jewish texts: the Tanakh in an English-Hebrew edition, commentary, numerous devotional books, a few generalist books. Then there are the numerous books about practical magic: herbalism, spells, folk magic, dream interpretation, astrology. I do not see any conflict in these things.
17. I try to write in a paper-and-pen journal every day.
18. Yes, I wore hair extensions for my wedding, to anyone curious as to how I had such lustrous, full, perfect waves.
19. When it's time for holiday gatherings, my husband's family expects women to seriously glow up: best outfits, makeup, perfume, the works. My first test came at Pesach this year; according to my sister-in-law, I passed with flying colors.
20. I am not fluent in Hebrew. However, I can carry on basic conversations. I don't need an English menu at a restaurant. I can shop without problems. I can understand Hebrew fairly well, provided people don't speak too fast or mumble (looking at my brother-in-law Alon on that one).
21. I have a total of ten nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 27 to four.
22. My 25th high school reunion is this weekend. I am not sad to be missing it.
23. I have received the song "Punk Rock Girl" by the Dead Milkmen on no fewer than three mix CD's from three people who do not know each other.
24. As I recall, the first concert I saw was Willie Nelson at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, TN in 1987. I don't remember much about it. The first concert I saw without my mom was Bob Dylan in 1994. It sucked.
25. Most recent song that made me cry: Nina Simone, "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free." I started thinking of the hostages and lost it.
1. I have been hospitalized numerous times, but my first hospitalization was shortly before my fourth birthday. I had some sort of nasty infection. I remember: my mom's prominent Walter Mondale campaign pin, a big IV, terrible food, and being sad that my dad couldn't visit (he was still on anti-rejection medicine for his kidney transplant).
2. When I entered university, I planned on becoming a linguist or translator. In the middle I switched to becoming a historian. When I left - without a degree - I was pretty much exhausted for plans and stayed that way for a good twenty years.
3. Best movie date ever? Surprisingly, over twenty years later, I maintain that Shrek is a perfect date movie. Fight me. Anyway, it's perfect for cinema dates. Introduce your sweetie to the Criterion Collection stuff once you've moved in together and are sure that they won't freak out over your passionate attachment to Lynch and Cronenberg (to say nothing of Catherine Breillat).
4. When I finally joined a band, aged 37, I was brought on as a vocalist. Since the band also played instrumentals, I was kindly handed a tambourine. (Eventually I bought my own.) To my surprise, I took to it.
5. I have a facial scar along my cheekbone. If it isn't concealed by my hair, it's concealed by concealer.
6. I took the civil service exam to apply for a job at the Crandall Library in Glens Falls. Wish I'd gotten it.
7. I taught religious school as a teenager. Mind, I was an assistant teacher, but I really enjoyed it. My kids were great kids. They all called me Miss Annie.
8. I lost my father when I was five. I lost my maternal grandfather at 13. It was a long time before I realized that neither time was it my fault.
9. I've always wanted to teach in some capacity, but it's taken a long time to take direct steps to that end.
10. I've been writing since...um, since I could write. Banishing my inner critic is a lot harder, though.
11. I started reading aged three. Writing took a couple more years. They're separate skills, and I wasn't so great at the physical aspect of writing (my spelling was fine - I just had trouble getting the physical part down).
12. My IQ is 138, two points shy of gifted. That's sufficient for Mensa, but I wouldn't join that group of pricks if you paid me.
13. From age 18 to about age 38, I kept my hair red (except for that disastrous time I dyed it black). I'm much happier now that my hair is back to its natural dark ash blonde.
14. It took me a long time to get the stick out of my ass and be okay with being a girl, with crying sometimes, and to quit trying to be snarky 100% of the time. I'm much happier this way.
15. I still have a thing for nice stationery and nice pens.
16. My bookshelf probably looks very weird to most people. There's a lot of Jewish texts: the Tanakh in an English-Hebrew edition, commentary, numerous devotional books, a few generalist books. Then there are the numerous books about practical magic: herbalism, spells, folk magic, dream interpretation, astrology. I do not see any conflict in these things.
17. I try to write in a paper-and-pen journal every day.
18. Yes, I wore hair extensions for my wedding, to anyone curious as to how I had such lustrous, full, perfect waves.
19. When it's time for holiday gatherings, my husband's family expects women to seriously glow up: best outfits, makeup, perfume, the works. My first test came at Pesach this year; according to my sister-in-law, I passed with flying colors.
20. I am not fluent in Hebrew. However, I can carry on basic conversations. I don't need an English menu at a restaurant. I can shop without problems. I can understand Hebrew fairly well, provided people don't speak too fast or mumble (looking at my brother-in-law Alon on that one).
21. I have a total of ten nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 27 to four.
22. My 25th high school reunion is this weekend. I am not sad to be missing it.
23. I have received the song "Punk Rock Girl" by the Dead Milkmen on no fewer than three mix CD's from three people who do not know each other.
24. As I recall, the first concert I saw was Willie Nelson at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, TN in 1987. I don't remember much about it. The first concert I saw without my mom was Bob Dylan in 1994. It sucked.
25. Most recent song that made me cry: Nina Simone, "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free." I started thinking of the hostages and lost it.