Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Important, yet random things about me

I was tagged by Stephanie over at Live. Laugh. Love. to do a 6 important things about me meme. I’ve done a 6 random things about me meme before. Somehow, I think these important things are similar to random things. And because I’ve been too lazy busy to do a 100 things about me post…maybe we can string together a bunch of these lists of 6 and call it a day.

1. I am a really good swimmer. I learned how to swim at the lake near my house in Florida. The lake was called “Dinky Dock.” And I was taught by a man named Fleet Peoples. I can’t make these things up. I have an anklet for swimming ¼ mile when I was 2 and then a bracelet for swimming 1 mile when I was 4.

2. When I was in college at UGA, I worked in the dining hall the summer between my Freshman and sophomore year. One night, I was helping to clean up, and I fell and cut both of my arms on glass. They were some pretty nasty cuts. One of the managers gave me a rag to help stop the bleeding…and then he put me in the van and dropped me at the university clinic. Yes, you read correctly. He dropped me off. I got out of the van, looked around and I didn’t even see a clinic. So, I wandered around a bit looking for some sort of signage. Finally I asked someone for directions – and I guess she felt pity for me with my rags and profusely bleeding arms. She walked with me…and guess what that clinic was closed! Closed!


Okay…this is way before cell phones. And I had no idea what the phone number for the dining hall would have been. My wonderful angel drove me to St. Mary’s hospital where I got 2 stitches in one arm and 15 in the other. I called Cindy Sue and she came to pick me up…and then take me back over to the dining hall to get my purse. They had me fill out all kinds of workman’s comp paperwork…including one set of papers about how I wouldn’t sue them. If I had only know then what I know now…because ya know, I *am* scarred for life.


3. I have an inner GPS. Sort of. I am really good with directions. I give great directions – because I remember not only landmarks but road names. But, I get stuck when someone tells me to “turn” north on a certain road. If I am not coming off of a highway that is clearly East-West…how on earth would I know which way is north? Or what store lies on the west corner of an intersection?


4. You all know that I don’t do crafts. And we don’t have paints, glue, glitter, play-do and things like that for my kids to do crafts. But…at one time, I tried to like crafts. I sponge painted placemats and aprons. I used to own a bunch of stampin’ up stuff to make cards for people. I was a collector and a dabbler…and then I sold all my stuff on ebay when I firmly realized that I liked the idea of it rather than the actual “doing” of said craft. And guess what? I have a craft that I did do…and do pretty well if I do say so myself. A few years ago when we went to Disney…I made t-shirts for all of us. With fabric paint. Wanna see?! I even got stopped at Disney to get compliments…and requests for directions on how to make these. So…what do you do then? Retire, of course.


Here is Michael's Georgia Tech Mickey Head. And for my shirt - and the ones I made for the girls, I really had to be careful as to where I put those ears...




5. In high school, I took 5 years of Latin and 4 years of Russian. I wonder why it is that I can remember my Latin…but the Russian? Not so much. I think I would still be able to read it. And I remember very little of the vocabulary. Except this. There is something in Russian called “ovat” verbs. They are verbs that pretty much come straight from English…with an “ovat” added to the end. For example, to photograph is “pho-toe-gra-fear-o-vat” or to flirt is “Fleer-toe-vat.” So…when we couldn’t remember a verb…we naturally turned it into an “ovat.” Like “eat-ovat” or “drive-ovat” or “read-ovat.” We thought we were so amusing…much to the chagrin of our teacher.


6. It’s painfully obvious that I love to read. I read all the time. I like just about everything. But, I must admit that I am addicted to smutty books. (Maybe I should do a Thursday Thirteen on these.) And not your momma’s romance novels…not the Sweet Valley High of your tween years…not the bodice rippers of the 80’s…but the “modern” romance novel. The ones with an edge. The ones that you need to read with a fan and a big glass of cold water. Ice water. The ones that you read and then later your husband might be heard to say “what the hell got into you? How did you learn to do that? And when can we do it again?”

Did you know that when you list your interests on your profile…you can click on those terms and see other people with similar interests? Apparently, I am the only one on blogger that admits to liking smutty books. There are 8 of us with an affinity for trashy books. But…if you were to put sex as one of your interests…you know just for scientific research purposes… there are over 18,000 people who say that is one of their interests. Just sayin’.

On that note...I am supposed to tag people to do this too. So...here we go:

Teri from Let Me Think on It

Kim from 4 Chambers of My Heart

Amy from The Q Family Adventures

Dancing Queen from To the Moon and Back

Elena at Manwaring Moments

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23 comments:

GBK Gwyneth said...

Love that GT Mickey! Too cute :)

Debbie said...

Love those shirts! And "modern romance" novels...You Dr. Kat? My literary go to gal? Oh and about the comment you left me...I am glad you are true to yourself because you are funny, smart and have lots of great stuff to read! You should NEVER feel inadequate in the blogging area! Plus loads of people read your blog and comment! Keep making us laugh!

Angie's Spot said...

The mystery is solved! NOW I know why you are enjoying my high school heartache series so much! Well, apparently I need to add "Smutty Book Writer" to my profile. LOL. I love those mickey ears shirts! I might just have to steal your idea for our Disney trip in the Fall.

The Joye of Teaching said...

You cracked me up with the sex as an interest search on blogger! Also, the romance novels do add heat to the bedroom! hahaha Thanks, I needed this

Skeller said...

Again, I'm grateful I'm reading this post in the afternoon, and NOT in the morning when I could snort my coffee out and make a really big mess while reading your #6. Michael is a lucky man. 'Nuff said 'bout dat!!!!

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

Gwyneth--Well, if I was going to make Michael a shirt...it had to be manly. Not that he has ever worn it outside the world...

Debbie--Yep. Me. Love 'em. I think I went a whole year where that was all I read. Almost 300 of them. Again...I don't do anything by halves :-)

Angie--I love your stories...they are so vivid...and because I have lived your stories :-) And most importantly...I have a *need* to know what happens...

Joye--They do add "interest." Yep, they do.

Susan--I'm glad my timing was good. I posted it hoping no one would injure themselves.

Firefly Mom said...

I'm not a "crafty" person, either, but I do love those shirts!

ROFL about your love of smutty books! So you can learn a few new tricks from them, eh? Maybe *I* should start reading them... :D

A homeschool friend of mine loves them as well (she calls them "verbal porn"), but she's paranoid of what people will think if they know. She won't even buy any off of E-bay because the seller will "know" that she reads them! I pointed at the the seller had read them as well, and wouldn't think any less of her, but she remains unconvinced ;D

Rhea said...

Oh, these were good. I love your list! It was full of interesting and informative stuff. I'm with Susan, I could have easily snorted some hot starbucks tea over the keyboard on #6. hehe

Those Disney shirts are fabulous! I KNEW you were a closet craft gal. You were holding out on me.

I love smutty books too...but I admit, I need plot. Then I like the bodice ripping and so forth.

Did you guys go on a field trip yet? To Austin? I wanna know! It's torture knowing you're so close...yet so far away!! :o)

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

FM--I *needed* those shirts. And what is sooo sad is that I made them for the four of us, plus my cousin's family that joined us. Count 'em...7 shirts! And then...the sad part...I don't have a picture of the 7 of us in the. Or even the 4 of us together in them. But we looked mighty cute.

And the smutty books...I have issues sometimes with covers...but I don't mind anyone knowing that I like to read them. If you let everyone know...you'll get other people to "confess" and then you can get some great suggestions! And YES...they can provide some fabu inspiration :-)

Rhea--Ooo...can we coin a similarly Seinfeldian term..."snort worthy?" ;-) I am truly a "retired" craft gal. I can admire...but I know I'll never do it.

For smutty books...I like plot...and I really like a sense of humor...like Julia Quinn or Susan Elizabeth Phillips...and sometimes...with Maya Banks...plot is overrated :-)

Can you believe we haven't done a field trip yet?! We are just hanging out...staying cool. We went out for Mexican for lunch today. And tomorrow morning we are going to the Alamo. And that might be it for field trips.

Sarah Mae said...

I had no idea that the intersts on the profile page would lead you to other people with the same interests - huh, you learn something new everyday! I guess I should update my profile then, it's lacking, big time!

Congrats on being featured on SITS! :)

leezee52 said...

Way to go you're the SITS girl today!

Amy @ The Q Family said...

Oh.. I love your T-Shirt. We are a big Disney fan so I might need a permission from you to try to make one myself. :) But I don't think I can make it look that good.

Thanks for the tagging. I will try to work on it. It's my first meme. :)

-Amy @ The Q Family

Anonymous said...

i love your blog and this meme! Even though you don't do crafts, those Mickey shirts are great!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Fun getting to know you... thanks for the lemonaide!

Jennifer P. said...

I love these! I love learning random, interesting things about people. In fact, I think we should all have a printed list of random, interesting things that we can just pull out and share with someone we just met :)!

daisy said...

Oh, I have to agree with skeller above...I'm glad I wasn't taking a sip of anything. I'd be looking for a napkin to wipe off the monitor instead of leaving a comment!

Love, love, love your honesty, AND your sense of humor.

THE Stephanie said...

Awww... thanks for playing! ARe you're truly a woman after my own heart with the craft thing. I despise them. The idea of them is great... but doing them? No thanks!!

Hope your'e enjoying your SAT trip :)

katylinvw said...

lol! i've got to try the interests thing!

love the mickey mouse shirts too!

any REALLY good books lately?

Insane Mama said...

I'm going to my Uncles Lake house in Georgia his dock is called Hickory Dickory Dock
How funny that people name their docks

Unknown said...

Can't believe I missed this post !!

Unknown said...

My little secret is that I like smutty books as well...

Unknown said...

My friend. Lori, has got bookcases full of them. I rather like Sherrilyn Kenyon ...

Unknown said...

Especially her Dark-Hunter series....