25 Random Things

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
I've been pretty uninspired here of late, and in order to continue that trend of utter mediocrity, I'm swiping a meme from Facebook in order to have a blog post for today.

Today's meme is "25 Random Things About Me."

1. I was such a poor student in high school that I barely graduated. Barely.
2. I've been married four times. I finally became successful when I realized that I was the one who needed to change, both in my choices and my outlook.
3. Seeing the way adolescent kids treat each other makes my heart ache for those who are different.
4. My family kept horses when I was growing up, and I became quite an accomplished rider. I subsequently outgrew my interest, although I wouldn't mind owning a mule.
5. I joined the Navy when I was 17 years old. My parents had to sign my enlistment papers.
6. I love good television, but I hate commercials and don't like having it on "in the background." NetFlix and TiVo are the best inventions evah.
7. When the Smart Twins are off the payroll, I want to go to Law School and take up a life of public service. I'm kind of over engineering. I'm really over corporate America.
8. When I watch nature shows on PBS, I feel bad when the predators actually catch the prey animals, even though I know they'll die if they don't. I can't take the terror of the prey animal as they're run down.
9. I have very eclectic taste in music. I love R&B, folk, classical, rock - pretty much anything but rap.
10. Even though I had a rather strained relationship with my dad, I still miss him.
11. Sometimes I think the process of becoming an effective adult is nothing more than fixing what's broken about yourself.
12. I've been a college student, on and off, for over twenty years. With the exception of a "B" in microbiology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, I'm a straight "A" student.
13. I always wished I was more athletic. Because I'm really, really not.
14. My favorite place in the world outside of the U.S. is Singapore.
15. The Smart Twins were nine weeks premature. When they finally came home from the hospital, they ate every two hours, around the clock.
16. I'm a bit compulsive about knitting, which is strange, since the only thing I do is make hats and scarves on a loom.
17. I met my Smart Man at work. We were on the same team, so I didn't ask him out until 18 months later, when he moved to another division.
18. I miss being in the Navy.
19. Sometimes I wish I had the natural gifts to be a scientist, instead of my natural gifts in the liberal arts.
20. I used to be poor. I'd rather not do that again.
21. I'd like to live downtown, but I don't think I ever will.
22. I eat Kashi Go Lean Crunch for breakfast almost every day.
23. I once spent a summer roofing.
24. I've always wanted to drive a Beemer.
25. I'm a member of a sooper-sekrit online community called the UCF. To quote Jeri, we're dedicated to international espionage, debunking bad science, creative writing and comment-hijacking.

11 comments:

neurondoc said...

#8 -- Same thing here. Yes I understand the food chain in an abstract way. I just can't stand seeing it in action.

#3 -- I spent my awkward adolescence reading science fiction. It helped. I am worried about reliving adolescence with my 6 year-old, who told me yesterday that she thinks she's not pretty. Eeek!

#13 -- I can type fairly fast. Would that count? Didn't think so...

John the Scientist said...

12. I've been a college student, on and off, for over twenty years. With the exception of a "B" in microbiology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, I'm a straight "A" student.

More proof that American public schools are a waste of fucking time. My mother hated school so badly she missed more than 1/3 of her first 3 year s of elementary school (this was back before mandatory attendance quotas in order to advance, if you could do the work, you advanced in a farming community where a lot of kids stayed home to help in the family business) and she graduated valedictorian of her HS class.

7. When the Smart Twins are off the payroll, I want to go to Law School and take up a life of public service. I'm kind of over engineering. I'm really over corporate America.

19. Sometimes I wish I had the natural gifts to be a scientist, instead of my natural gifts in the liberal arts.


When I'm done with corporate America (and I'm probably even more over it than you, but the Chinese Confederates are going to be on the payroll a lot longer than yours), I'm going to start a company that makes science kits for private schools, magnet schools homeschoolers, and the like. The point will be to make experimental kits where the kids don't know the outcome in advance, can't fudge the data, and, you know, do real scientific-method science.

I'm sure I can find something for you to do, and you can work virtually.

John the Scientist said...

Oh yes, just so we don't sound like clones (:D) - I always root for the predator, and I want to see BLOOD! I'm always pissed that the aquarium never feeds the sharks during visiting hours.

Janiece said...

Natalie, when my typing skills are in "fighting trim," I can type over 75 words a minute. And you're right - it doesn't count.

John, you're on.

Chris said...

"I can't take the terror of the prey animal as they're run down."

Glad I'm not the only one :)

Anne C. said...

I'm not sooper athletic, but am not as hopeless as I used to think I was, so that small (but vital) realization keeps me from feeling completely jealous when I see trim young females at the gym or hear an airy story about "oh, I just did an easy 5 miles, no biggie."

Interestingly, my public school education was similar to JTS's mom. In elementary school, I was always getting into trouble for not doing my homework or reading during class. By the time I made it through BMS and BHS, I had realized that if I just quit slacking and did what I was asked to do before going to read my book, I'd get As, no problem. I would have been one of the valedictorians (we had something like 5, since all their GPAs were the same, all girls, I believe) but I got a B in typing. Ironically enough, I became much better at touch typing when I went into college, shifted over to doing homework on a computer, and had to type much more frequently.

The Mechanicky Gal said...

Please dont' miss the Navy. From what I hear of friends that are still in the trenches (so to speak) it has gotten out of control. I don't miss the baby-sitting and how if FN Fenderhead gets in trouble it is a direct reflection of MY moral character.
No way.

Jeri said...

We've talked about living downtown - the urban condo thing would be kind of fun. Problem is, it would suck as a dog owner!

On the athleticism, I'm strong and flexible and determined (although completely out of shape). This makes me decent at individual stuff like swimming and rowing and biking. I suck, though, at anything requiring hand-eye coordination - from softball to video games.

WendyB_09 said...

"9. I have very eclectic taste in music. I love R&B, folk, classical, rock - pretty much anything but rap."

Ditto. One of the best part time jobs I ever had was 10 summers at an outdoor amphetheatre here in Atlanta. Got to see EVERYONE. Worked my arse off pouring beer into happy concert-goers, but there was enough down time every night you could see most of any show you wanted.

What's on my i-pod can be anything from Bach to Buffett, Mozart to Metallica, lot of new age as well, good bit of folk singers like Gordon Lightfoot and Harry Chapin. Think at the moment I've got all 9 Beethoven's symphonies (Cleveland Sympohony ROCKS!), all Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, 3 Buffett, 2 Lightfoot, 3 Enya, 2 McKennitt, 2 Crosby, Still, Nash & Young plus solo ventures, Lynard Skynard, Guns & Roses, 3 Petty, Beatles, John Tesh, and a bunch of stuff I don't remember because it was too cold to stik earbuds in my ears this morning so the ipod is at home today!

but, I can't handle rap. or hip hop. at all. even a little. makes me cringe just to think about it. don't doubt the talent it takes to create it, as many artist are based out of Atlanta. But not for me. evah.

WendyB_09

Tania said...

Amen to #11

John the Scientist said...

Mom went to Brunswick in the 1950s, Anne.

And I was known as the asshole who read books in class, but still raised his hand when a question was asked or when I disagreed with the teacher (often in American History, since Ridenour was so liberal). :D