I wrote this 4 years ago (2009) and in honor of my Blog-aversary, decided to repost it.
25 Things most people don't know about me...
1) I'm a sap. I love happy stories. For instance, my Favorite Story of the Century has got to be Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landing that airplane on the Hudson River. It makes me all goose-pimply and teary-eyed every time I hear about it. Thankfully, this happy story was all over the media which seems to be full of bad news every single day.
2) I am actually a cat. I like stalking and pouncing, freedom and fish. Sometimes, I feel like I’ve lived several lives already within this one and that there are several more to come…our cat, Harley Moon, is my guru.
3) I like cemeteries. A lot. They've always enchanted me.
4) Insects don’t “bug” me. I’ve been the official “Spider Extractor” ever since Girl Scout camp when the latrines were held hostage by a roaming band of Daddy Long-legs. Now rats are another story. I've held a grudge against those creatures since reading Stephen King’s short story, “Night Shift” on a Greyhound bus while in college a couple of decades ago.
5) I don’t have the “shoe gene” that most women claim to have. I own relatively few shoes. I really didn’t get the whole shoe-thing until my daughter enlightened me a few years ago. I’ve become something of a voyeur since then. I love looking at them, but have trouble wearing anything with a high heel due to excrutiating pain that seems to penetrate my whole body. I like my cowboy boots better.
6) Birds fascinate me. If I could come back to earth in another life, it would be as a bird. Most fascinating bird: hummingbirds, amazing creatures that defy all natural laws of physics.
7) The first car I ever drove was an Alfa Romeo at age 13 on a Dallas highway at midnight.
8) I was conceived on my parents’ honeymoon in Mexico after a heavy-duty “Margarita” bender and as Hurricane Carla was making its way to the coast of Texas/Mexico. It was classified as a Cat 5 cyclone which hit land as a Cat 4, and at that time was the second strongest storm to hit the US in the 20th century. Perhaps that accounts for my temperament.
9) I was the First Born Son my father wanted so badly. The story goes that my parents were told by the doctor that I was a boy. They had a name all picked out (hint: I was to be a “junior”). When I finally popped out, my surprised parents took 3 weeks to figure out what to name me. I was told the choices were “Margarita” (see #7 above), and “Deborah” (after Debbie Reynolds, my mom’s favorite actress and the prophetess in the Old Testament, my dad’s favorite book). I think my Southern Baptist grandmother had a hand in the final pick.
10) I am Ambidextrous. I can write with both hands. I can read upside down. I can write backwards. I can also tie a cherry stem with my tongue in less than minute.
11) I deeply regret that I never learned to do cartwheels.
12) I’ve gone skydiving once and only once. It was exhilerating and frightening all at the same time…and on my list of “Things I Have Done and Don’t Need to Do Again.”
13) I am always amazed at my wonderful friends. When I look back at my life (hopefully as a healthy and active centenarian with all my mental faculties), I will still be in awe of the people I have loved and who love me. I have THE most talented, creative, loving, generous, interesting, and fun friends on earth! I would give any of them one of my kidneys if they needed it!
14) The 2 Great Loves in my life are my daughter and my husband. Love is still a surprising phenomenon. It truly has the power to transform lives and people and I’ve been a witness to many miracles. I’ve learned never to second-guess its power. I never thought I would have kids, but my daughter’s birth taught me about true unconditional love. I also thought I had given up on marriage after too many painful and foolish catastrophes, but My Music Man brought me hope and has taught me more about patience and kindness, and how loving another human being with such depth and passion doesn’t have to be painful. He also welcomed us into his family and community with generous and open arms. I hope we continue making our friends sick until we both drop!
15) Music is God’s voice drifting down and touching our human souls. What else can I say? It’s my favorite thing in the world.
16) My second favorite thing is Laughter. A baby’s laughter brings ecstacy to my ears. Of the 2 Faces of Drama, I would rather spend my time on the “Comedy” side of the face…
17) Scariest accident of my life: I was 6 years old and playing “Monsters and Dragonslayers” with my brother and other childhood friends. I vaguely remember I was the Monster (complete with a paper bag over my head) and one of the Dragonslayers (equipped with his trusty magical pencil-sword) poked me in the eye with the sword, I mean pencil. Almost turned me into a Cyclops. Missed my eye by centimeters, but made me aware of the dangers of being the Monster.
18) I adore ice cream, but don’t like cake. And I really don’t like the icing on cake. I scrape it off and leave it on the plate, or try to give it away to the nearest sugar-holic. However, I have a well-known pie fetish. I love all kinds of pie, especially berry pie. But apple pie is pretty darn good too. Whoever invented pie should have something big and important (like a stadium or a city) named after them. Also, I think ice cream would solve all the world’s problems, especially war. Can you imagine sitting across from an enemy eating ice cream and not smiling? It stops people from crying, too.
19) I’m afraid of dying. Not the dying part where you get sick and mumble things to some unseen presence, but the actual end of this lifetime. I think I am afraid that I'll miss the people and events here on earth when I go on to whatever comes after this, which I’m sure will be wonderful. Plus, I’m so curious to see how it will all turn out. I just don’t think I’ll ever be ready to leave this life, so I want to live to be 100 years old, just so I can have a century of memories. Maybe I’m a “life-aholic.” Is there a 12-Step Program for that?
20) My favorite cartoon character is Pepe Le Pew. I adore his passion and optimism. I also think he is handsome…for a skunk.
21) I think my biggest pet peeve involves “Consensual Crimes” – those things that are illegal that don’t involve another person, or where there are consenting adults involved. Like prostitution. I know, this is a thorny issue, but I just don’t think it should be illegal. Ever. Anywhere. Regulated, yes. Illegal, no. What business is it of mine what 2 (or more) people do -- and for how much – behind closed doors? Also, marijuana shouldn’t be illegal, either. It’s nuts. Tobacco is legal and pot is not. Strange world we live in, indeed. There’s a whole list of these, but you get the picture.
22) On that note, I think I would make a wonderful Global Dictator. If I ruled the world, then every road would have a safe bike lane. Education would be free. Euthanasia would be legal for humans, not just our pets! Criminals would have to repay their crimes by serving mankind in some way. I have many more of these but I have to keep them secret in case I ever actually hold this office.
23) I truly love my home here in Tomales. It is my Heaven on Earth. And if we can create what we want in heaven, then mine will look like this.
24) My mind thinks in pictures and stories, which is really annoying when I have to answer a simple question.
25) I have a horrible fear of enclosed spaces, like caves and crowded busses. Seriously. I don’t like elevators. I don’t like the idea of being in a coffin when I die. My secret fear is being buried alive. When I watch films where this happens, I am truly horrified and have to close my eyes. I feel the fear down into my bones. I also don’t like crowds and the idea of being crushed by the masses makes my skin crawl.
Now, I'd love it if you would share some of yours with me...