Riding the Bike with One Pedal.

25 Random Things…

Yep…everyone’s doing it. I was going to wait until 25 people tagged me, but then just gave it a go. If you want to do this (here or on Facebook), have at it!

1. I hold a grudge like nobody’s business.

2. I can be extremely decisive, especially when those around me are wobbling.

3. I have a very fast wit. Sometimes it is too sharp. I bite my tongue a lot. The older I get, the more I’ve learned to just smile to myself.

4. I am an only child, and do not enjoy this “sharing” thing. I am generous,though – instead of sharing one, I’ll happily buy two so you can have your own.

5. I love crime shows, probably because I love puzzles so much. And a fascination with crime helps, too.

6. I learned to read when I was 3, and I skipped first grade. I was 16 when I graduated from high school; in retrospect, I wish my parents had sent me off to be an exchange student so I could have buckled down a bit more in college.

7. My father never let me win when we played checkers, authors, cards, any game, at any age. Any victories I had were hard-fought and mine alone.

8. I am extremely competitive. I did not even recognize this trait until I asked my husband if he thought I was, and his response was to burst out laughing, thinking I was perhaps joking or being sarcastic.

9. I was in a horrific car accident on I-80 when I was 17. We were hit three times by a semi going 65 mph – once on the driver’s side, once head-on, and a third time on the passenger side, which flipped us into the median. I was the worst hurt, with a bloody nose & banged-up knee. None of us were wearing seat belts. I can still see the faces of the husband and wife who, through sheer force of will and adrenalin, pried open the car door that was half-sunk in the dirt to get us out. At that moment, my faith in humanity was created.

10. If you ask me to keep a secret, I will. (But if you don’t tell me to? I’ll probably tell someone!)

11. Watching my father die was one of the most profound, life-changing moments I have ever experienced.

12. Marrying my husband on a windy day in Jamaica is my favorite life-changing moment.

13. Two movies that can always make me cry: American Beauty and The Pursuit of Happyness. And usually the song “Fix You”, by Coldplay.

14. Condescension is one of the fastest ways to piss me off.

15. I’m loud. I’ve been dinged by bosses for laughing loudly, as that might convey we weren’t “working hard enough”. I’ve had a lot of bad bosses.

16. I was the foreperson of a civil jury in St. Louis. I took my jury duties extremely seriously. I also became acutely aware that I should never do anything wrong, because a jury of one’s peers does not often contain people I consider my peers. Consider yourself warned.

17. If I were to commit a bank robbery, I would want to drive the getaway car.

18. I take ambulances and fire trucks and all other vehicles with lights and sirens extremely seriously. I usually get a lump in my throat, because I know that somewhere, someone is having a life-changing moment, and there but for the grace go I. And I also get really irate at drivers who don’t pull over.

19. If I were driving a getaway car and encountered an ambulance with sirens on and lights flashing, I’d probably pull over. Or try to find a side street really fast.

20. I’m going to write a book. Even if it only sits on my computer, I’m going to do it.

21. I love to entertain people with stories. I feel my life has given me some very unique ones.

22. My first car was a Ford Escort, until it burst into flames. That was a good story. But not at the time.

23. I’ve also had some problems with bats. I’m very pro-bat, until they are IN my inside living space, and then I dress up with a hat and use a scoop shovel as a shield. I’m very jumpy about mice as well, though I have dispatched one with a 1×1, because something takes over inside and I revert to a very primal essence: It’s him or me.

24. I knit almost every day. If I don’t, something’s usually very wrong. When 9-11 happened, I could only wind yarn. By hand.

25. I think everyone has the potential to do something fantastic and important, even if it only impacts a very small circle. I wonder what mine will be.

6 Comments

  1. meesha.v

    pro-bat but anti-mouse!

  2. bekah

    Your 25 things is very interesting!

  3. tonna11

    I hope you do write a book–the more I read from you, the more inspirational I find your words. really. I love the way you look at the world–slightly suspicious, but with a determined predisposition to find the best on those around you.
    Thats an amazing quality, and I certainly hope for your sake you can see yourself as keenly as you see others!!!
    I will share my bat story with you–once when I was in my late teens a bird got into my bedroom. It was circling above the bed, and I was lying there, afraid to move and scare it away. It circled down, and down, and finally landed right beside my hand—and I thought to myself “How amazing, that this bird landed on my bed, look at it, wait a minute, thats a f*%Cing BAT!!! EEEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!!”!! I did however, insist that the bat be removed gently from the home, LOL!!!
    I still like bats, but dont get me started on cows!!!

  4. Becky

    I’ve thought about your #25 for a long time — I feel like I’m meant (or just want) to do something “more” than what I’m doing now. I just haven’t figured it out yet. With your wit, I’d love to see the kind of book that you’d write. Even if it’s just in a Word file from your computer.

  5. Carolyn J.

    What’s up with #15? This has happened to me and many others I know. One CAN laugh while working. Someone should tell those stupid bosses that it is possible.

  6. Auntie Karen

    Your 25 things are very sweet. Makes me love you all the more.
    Isn’t it amazing how we see our lives differently now?
    The accident, your father’s death, your husband’s love, your greater experience of life.
    I am counting on no re-incarnation because I sure don’t want to be a teenager or even young 20-er again.
    Regarding # 25 – love the people near you. It is rare and more than enough.
    Love, K

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