Tag, I'm Boring

There has been a game of tag going on amongst the blogs, and at first I didn't think I wanted to play. But then I thought, what the heck.

When I first started writing this, I thought, gosh I'm boring, or else I have a crappy memory. I'm sure I could go on and on, but I need to go run now, so herein is my short list:

1. I am deeply geeky. Read on and you will see evidence.
2. I was a Valedictorian in High School. There were 7 of us in a class of 350. But I was the only one with straight A’s for every QUARTER (they only counted the semester grades).
3. I started college in pre-med. I ended up a lowly math major. Dating a guy in medical school changed my mind, I guess.
4. I had a 4-year academic scholarship to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, but I worked in a genetics laboratory cleaning and changing bottles containing fruit flies to pay for my room and board and other expenses.
5. I was Social Chairman of my college sorority, Delta Zeta, for 2 years. I was good at it! For one of our fundraising efforts I suggested we sell massages, $1/minute, and we had way more business than you can imagine. I dressed up as Cat Woman to deliver mine.
6. As much as I appreciate nature’s way of food chain, my eyes still well up when watching nature documentaries where large cats fall victim to other animals or humans. OTOH, watching a raptor kill a rodent is exciting to me.
7. Only my back 4 molars ever got cavities.
8. If you whistle around me while I’m packing my Ironman bags, I may need to beat you up.
9. I began playing the piano without lessons at age 4. The music I wanted to play most was the classical stuff used as background in Bugs Bunny cartoons. So I ended up studying classical music through the 8th grade. I still play occasionally. Bach is my favorite, followed by Mozart.
10. My IQ was measured at 147 in 2nd grade. I’m not sure that means anything, but it’s a nice number.
11. I like to crochet. I taught myself how when I was 8 and my dad refused to repair our one TV (he had been a TV repairman before then). My only living Grandma at the time, marveled at the unique way I held the thread and needle which made me able to crochet quite fast. There are doilies all over my house, like an old lady. Oh wait, I AM an old lady!
12. When I was in 2nd grade, my dad tried to get the school to skip me 2 or 3 grades. They refused on the grounds that I wasn’t “emotionally ready.” They may have been right!
13. Until I was in 7th grade, my dad made me and my 2 brothers and sisters read 1 book every week during summer vacation and deliver him a book report. I actually read the books! I hated the duty, but looking back realize how I have come to love reading. I stopped for many years; now it’s something I enjoy as one of my winter hobbies.
14. A teacher in the 6th grade tried to give me a “B” in English. My dad stormed into the school and practically killed the teacher, much to my dismay. As it turned out, I didn’t deserve the “B” and it was changed to an “A.”
15. Nobody intimidates me anymore. When I was in my 20’s I wanted to be a CEO, and I thought all these higher ups were something else. As I moved up in my own career, I realized nobody was really smarter or better than me.
16. I am a social klutz. I suck at parties. Unless someone wants to talk gardening, triathlon, quantum physics, birds or large cats, I will be very quiet and keep to myself. It’s getting worse by the year. One on one, though, I function much better!
17. I have 20 rose bushes amongst my flower beds. I’m a pretty good gardener, and have removed about 30% of my lawn through the years and replaced it with flower beds. When a neighbor asked if she could cut some of my flowers, I told her, “No—I like them right where they are.” I rarely cut any and bring them into my house. I would much rather go outside and just gaze at them and the birds, bees and bugs that live amongst them. Also smell them!
18. In my 20’s my form of exercise was rollerskating. I would skate about 40 miles a week. I didn’t think it was a big deal. Now running 40 miles a week…
19. My favorite champagne is Veuve Cliquot Brut. Doesn’t need to be vintage. Ideally served with French cornichons (I think that means "little sour pickle") and caviar on baby Stoned Wheat Thins.
20. The one person I would like to meet is the Dalai Lama.
21. I am very sensitive to people making promises to me and not keeping them. It’s something I am working on dealing with better. I try and not promise something unless I know I can deliver.
22. When I was married, you would have called me Martha Stewart—perfect house, gourmet meals, always well dressed, always hosting parties and such. Now I could care less about how my house looks, and I dress like a freaking bag lady some days because I work at home and train so much. Although come summertime, I do tend to flaunt whatever I think I have that I can flaunt. And I can clean up pretty well. I have a lot of really nice dresses that I sewed over the years. I taught myself to sew in 7th grade when my mom no longer had the time.
23. I love men; if you know any good single ones, send them my way!
24. I was once raped and held at gun and knifepoint for 3 hours. Convincing those people to not kill me was one of the biggest tests of mental toughness I’ve ever faced. Which is one of the reasons why, in the big scheme of things, I don’t think training for an Ironman is that big of a deal. I hope I can always keep that perspective. Hey, I'm just happy to be alive!
25. I am not all sweetness and kindness. I am sometimes catty, bitchy, rude, and possibly just plain mean. But I’m working on it. I like bitchy, though :)
26. I only stopped smoking cigarettes in 1999. If they weren’t bad for you, I would still smoke them. Oh yeah, they stink, too.
27. If I had unlimited money, I would eat sushi for dinner every night.
28. I have a little suede bag hanging in my home office that contains a bunch of marbles. They are MY marbles. I hope to never lose them.
29. I am wearing a ruby stud in one of my ears right now that I plan on wearing every day throughout this triathlon season. It is something I had planned to give to another person, but I decided against it. It has since become an amulet; a symbol of my own personal progress to achieve greater serenity and peace in my life and also peak athletic performance.
30. I really believe life is beautiful and keeps getting better.