8 Random Things About Me

My lovely sister Valarie tagged me for a meme. I'm supposed to write 8 random things about myself, so here they are in no particular order:

1. I love gummy worms. I love how chewy and tough they are; I love the fruity flavor. In fact, thinking about them right now is making my mouth water. They are totally delicious!

2. My toothbrush is blue and white. I spend a lot of time choosing the toothbrushes I buy -- not because I'm obsessed with oral hygiene but because I'm convinced the color of the toothbrush affects my mood when I use it. I generally bounce back and forth between purple and blue. I once tried pink. I won't do that again.

3. My first kiss from a boy came when I was in kindergarten. His name was Chris, and he actully had a crush on my best friend. He asked if he could kiss her, and she told him only if he kissed me first. I ran, but he chased me down, tackled me, and kissed me. She kissed him, and they were happy. Meanwhile, I was lying on the ground covered in dirt.

4. I rarely make my bed in the morning. My former roommates have commented on the fact that I tend to make my bed at night before getting back into it. (If I make it at all.) Of course, since I moved to Florida I never sleep under the covers, so my bed is is always made.

5. On another household chores topic -- I hate ironing. I would rather scrub a toilet. I'm just not a neat enough person to do a good job with an iron. Although I have never left one of those gross brown iron scorch marks on the fabric, I tend to iron in as many wrinkles as I iron out. Thank goodness for permanent press! Ten minutes in a dryer to fluff.

6. I am very jumpy. When I get startled, my right arm (and right leg if I am seated) tends to fly about haphazardly. Sometimes people get punched. Once I was with Randy in NYC, and my own reflection startled me. Another time I was with my sisters at a restaurant. A little boy came running around the corner, and for some reason I thought he was a leprechaun. I jumped into the air and flung my arm out. I think I scared the little boy as much as he scared me. He looked nothing like a leprechaun, but for some odd reason that's what I thought he was when he came flying toward me.

7. I collect shopping bags. I have bags from all over the world even though I have never been outside the U.S. People find out I collect, and they donate cool bags to my collection. I had an art teacher in college who gave me several bags from European stores; I have bags my parents brought back for me from Africa. One of my favorite bags is from about 20 years ago. It's a Bloomingdale's Christmas shopping bag. It has little bears dressed like Santa on it. It seriously looks like it will fall apart if you touch it.

8. I am afraid of birds, especially geese. I run from them. Once I lived in an apartment by a lake where the geese swarmed. They were aggressive and mean, and they pooped EVERYWHERE. I was outside with Valarie and her family one day. When one of the geese approached me and Mikaily (Val's oldest), I grabbed Mikaily's hand and yelled "RUN!" We ran, and Valarie laughed. She will never let me forget the experience.

Technically, I'm supposed to tag 8 people to write random things about themselves also. I'm not going to do that. (I apologize to the meme police.) If you want to do it, go for it. It was actually pretty fun recalling memories to write about.