25

So, I promised a blog post for Friday, and… didn’t follow through. Big surprise? Heh, not really.

Okay so. If you have Facebook, you have no doubt been “tagged” 97 times by this “25 random things about me” note. I know I’ve been mentioned in other peoples’ notes at least 20 times. And you know what? I like it, because I can trick myself into thinking that I’ve been tagged because people really want to hear about me , and it’s flattering, although in reality I’m sure that some (not all, some) of my taggers were just tagging me because they were scrabbling the bottom of their barrels to find that 25th person to tag and there I was. I’m nothing if not a realist!

I won’t be tagging anyone – either you’ve already done it, or you’re gonna do it, or you have no intent of doing it – but have fun reading!

Oh! Yeah, the rules: I’m supposed to tell you 25 things that you don’t know already about me.
This is going to be hard because I’ve been blogging for what? Five years? There’s not much about me that’s been left to the imagination. But here we go:

1) My dad’s parents, before they were married, had practically the exact same last name, except my grandma’s last name started with Mc, and my grandfather’s started with Mac (or maybe it was vice versa). But the second part was exactly the same. So McBlah or MacBlah. Once they were married, and started having kids, depending on who filled out the birth certificate, some of the kids ended up with McBlah, some ended up with MacBlah. My dad is a MacBlah. I pretty much let people spell my name however they like as long as it has some resemblance to the orignal. I get McBlah, McBlahh, MacBlahh… no big deal. Whoa, that was only one. I have to pick up the pace if I need to do 24 more of these.

2) I really like cheese. I do. But not the kinds that have mould in them. Bleu cheese? Uch. Tastes like vomit to me.

3) In fifth grade, I won the Canadian Parents for French “concours d’art oratoire” (oratory arts contest? basically a speech contest) in the francophone division, at the provincial level. They didn’t send 10-year-olds to the nationals in 1986 – not sure if they do now- so that was pretty cool. My speech was about dogs. I still remember the first bit.

4) You’d never think of #3 having happened, because I am a very, very shy person and hate talking to people (sure I’m a chatty cathy on the blog but in person? I’m painfully shy).

5) I love teaching, and have no trouble acting like a fool in front of 32 13-year-olds… but ask me to talk to their parents and I want to hide under the desk.

6) Sometimes I get a little obsessed with certain TV shows. Like this past week I watched every season of WKRP in Cincinnati. And I had to watch them, in order, from start to finish. Then when I’m done, I’m done.

7) I have had several surgeries in my life, but never for the “usual” (tonsils, appendix). Always for weird stuff (replacing my eardrums, collapsed lungs).
My parents have been married for 36 years. I suppose that’s not really about me, but it kind of is.

9) I get weird about numbers sometimes. Like if I’m walking somewhere, I’ll often catch myself counting the number of steps (there are 946 steps between my house and my brother’s, if you’ve ever wondered).

10) My sister had had her 3 kids by the time she was 25. My brother and his wife were done having their two by the time they were 27. I’m 32, and haven’t started yet.

11) I really, really, really want a dog. Preferably a mini schnauzer (or even better, a schnoodle, because that’s what my dog that I had for 16 years was and she was awesome). I think we might get one this summer, when I actually have time to train the dog and hang around with it.

12) I like sleep. alot. I could do with 10 hours every night. Usually I get around 8.

13) I’m considered tall for a girl (5’9″), but I’m the shortest in my family, aside from my mom.

14) Life fascinates me. Everything about it. I’m incredibly … inquisitive (nicer word for “nosy”) and want to know all about other people.

15) When I was a kid I wanted to be an artist, a librarian, or a teacher. I can’t draw, but I did work in libraries for years through university (and loved it – if I ever decided to quit teaching I’d want to go back to that). And I’m a teacher now.

16) My favourite numbers are 7 and 9. I do not know why.

17) I played the flute back in jr. high/high school, but our band program only went to grade 9, so I haven’t actually played one in like…18 years. Wow I’m old.

18) I am a crazy speller – I won the Grade 6 spelling bee! – I get so annoyed when I see misspelling (or punctuation abuse) on things like store signs.

19) I love to read. I could read a novel or two in a day, if I didn’t have to work or like, interact with other humans.

20) My husband is really my best friend. We met on the phone.

Speaking of my husband, I can’t think of five other things about me, so I will give him carte blanche to finish this list up.

21) Louise has a terrible phobia concerning how horrible it would be to bite an SOS pad.

22) She knows more about Henry VIII, his 9000 wives, and in general the Tudor period than can be considered healthy.

23) Under my tutelage, she has become a masterful swearer. I’ve been a bad influence on her, as prior to us meeting she was quite polite and not prone to cuss. Now, she’s like a drunken sailor.

24) If left to her own devices, I think she would spend her free time immersed in painting or photography, both hobbies of hers that I find that she excels in (she disagrees).

25) She sings the silliest, sweetest songs. Best songs ever.