Legal Quandary

Saturday, January 15, 2005

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

I've been meaning to put one of these up for awhile, but just haven't gotten around to it. Since I have a paper to write this weekend, I figured now was just as good a time as any.

In no particular order. And not because you asked, but please, feel free to comment.

1. I am obsessed with my teeth. It hasn’t always been that way (as evidenced by my many cavities) but since I’ve been an adult, I can’t go to bed without brushing and flossing. Doesn’t matter how tired I am – I can’t sleep unless my teeth are clean.

2. Both of my grandmothers are over 90 and still alive. My Grandma, who is 90, lives in Indiana. Sadly, she has Alzheimers and lives in a home. My Oma, who is 96, still lives on her own in Germany. She also still bakes fabulous tortes from scratch and knits amazing sweaters – by hand.

3. I hate bananas. In fact, I’m not really fond of any “tropical” fruit, other than pineapple.

4. I went to 3 different high schools in 3 years, and 10 different schools total. Not including college.

5. I still talk to my first boyfriend on a fairly regular basis. We started dating when I was 15. I met him at summer camp and we dated all through High School (except when he broke up with me for about 4 months to date this girl named Sherri. That bitch.) I broke up with him shortly before my 20th birthday to go out with Roundboy.

6. We live in the same house Mr. Q. lived in during college. And not because he’s been here the whole time – we’ve lived in Nebraska and California since then.

7. I’ve actually lived in Santa Maria, California. I know what Santa Maria Barbeque is, and where to find good Santa Maria Barbeque. Mr. Q. and I had it at our pre-nuptial dinner, which was a casual sort of poolside affair because of #9.

8. My parents did not attend my first wedding.

9. My parents were the only members of my family present at my second wedding. Also, out of the approximately 130 guests at our wedding, only about 25 were not family members. Which obviously means Mr. Q. has an enormous family.

10. I broke my nose playing flickerball. Flickerball is a ridiculous Air Force sport played at Officer Training School and Squadron Officer School. The basic idea involves throwing a football around a soccer field, using (roughly) basketball rules. The goal is to throw the ball through a board with a hole in it. You also score points (but not as many) for bouncing the ball off the board. It’s a stupid game. The only game that comes close to being as stupid is crud.

11. I met Mr. Q. at a crud tournament.

12. I touched a Titan IV Rocket a few weeks before it launched. Which means that unless the rocket was wiped down prior to launch (doubtful) or the prints were burned off during launch (more likely), my fingerprints are floating around in space somewhere.

13. I’m really good at Air Hockey.

14. While I hate actually “moving,” I love moving to a new place every couple of years. In college, I moved to different apartments several times, simply because I got restless after being in one place too long.

15. My grandfather was in the German Army during World War II. He was a prisoner of war in Poland. I never met him because he died when my mom was 19.

16. My other grandfather was a sports writer. He died when I was 6, but I can still remember him taking me to Hockey and Baseball games.

17. My father hates sports and wouldn’t allow me to participate in any sports except for track and field. I defied him and played field hockey and basketball in Jr. High. I also lettered in swimming and tennis in High School.

18. People who clip their nails in public are a pet peeve of mine. Do-That-At-Home. Behind closed doors. Preferably when no one else is home. Seriously – that’s such an irritating noise. It has no place in a movie theater, on a bus, or anyplace where other people might be present.

19. My other big pet peeve is people who leave the toilet seat up when using the bathrooms in my house. Do what you want in your own home, but consider the following:
A. The only décor that “goes” with the “open waters” look is post-modern cellblock. Just ask Martha Stewart.
B. It’s toilet water. And when you flush with the seat up, microfine droplets of that toilet water gets sprayed all over the bathroom. All over your brush, your hairspray, your towels, and your toothbrush. Seriously, ick.
C. It’s dangerous. Pets get poisoned by the chemicals used to clean toilets and a toddler can drown in a toilet. If you use the bathrooms in my house, you’ll notice all the toilet seats are down. Is it that hard to put the thing down after you use it?

20. I have a weird thing about my ears being wet. It’s fine when I’m actually swimming, taking a shower, etc., but the minute I’m out of the water, I want my ears to be dry. Q-tips are a necessity in my house, and more than one otherwise romantic moment has been ruined by some guy who decides it’s sexy to stick his tongue in my ear. There is no faster way to spoil the mood for me than to get my ears (or my neck, for that matter) wet.