7 “random” things about me
Thanks to Julie for this award and to Meredith for reminding me it exists. I get to share 7 “random” things about myself…
1. I’m a marine biologist with a focus on data analysis — in other words, statistics. So I can’t use words like “random” or “significant” without thinking of them from a math point of view. It makes me SUPER DORKY, and I can’t call this blog post “7 random things about me” without cringing… I mean, these aren’t truly random things (taken with no discrimination whatsoever) — I chose them, and that makes them inherently non-random. DORK, right?
2. My parents raised me as a vegetarian. I had no choice in the matter. My mother would not cook meat (she’s all about the animal rights), so no one in the family got to eat it. When I went to undergrad, I started “experimenting” with meats. At first I would get sick because my stomach didn’t have the enzymes to digest it, but now? I can proudly say I consume pork, fish, chicken, turkey, and… Well, I’m still working on the beef…
3. I’m obsessed with my dog. I realize this is probably because I don’t have kids to obsess over, but seriously, my Irish setter, Asimov, is my moon and my stars. I ADORE HIM. It’s kinda terrible and pathetic because I have pictures of him on Facebook and nothing else… But seriously, he’s just soooooo sweet!! My cats come in a very close second. And yes, the Frenchman knows where he stands on this list — it is third. (Disclaimer: This is a trait I inherited from my mother who also loves her dogs more than anyone else in her life. Blame her, not me.)
4. I have a purple belt in karate. And I have a green belt in kick-boxing. I started karate when I was 21 because I had always wanted to (ever since I fell in love with Rocky from the 3 Ninjas), and I finally stopped being scared of failure. 3 Ninjas + Sooz.
5. I’m a James Bond fangirl. Not just a little one, but a MAJOR one. Kinda like with my Nancy Drew obsession, I did a speech on 007 for my Speech Communications course in undergrad. I can name every movie, the names of the villains, the gadgets, the cars, and the actors… My favorite one is Dr. No. Oooh, or From Russia with Love… Oooh, or maybe Live and Let Die. Early Bond just can’t be beat.
6. I am terrified of the dark. Not dim darkness but pitch black. If I can’t see anything, I start shrieking and hyperventilating and all-around MADNESS ensues. Massive massive panic session. I keep a nightlight on for this reason.
7. I saved all my baby teeth when they fell out. They are still in a box in my childhood room… GROSS, huh? My five-year-old brain thought this:
What if, one day, I’m poor and need money? If I save all my teeth now, I can cash them in on that fateful day and be saved from poverty!
Very smart, little Sooz — thinking ahead. BUT… 1) the tooth fairy doesn’t exist, and 2) even if the tooth fairy did exist (or my mom was willing to take teeth in exchange for cash still), I only got 50 cents a tooth. That’s a total of $10. Yes, that will buy me a new Barbie, but it won’t lift me from the throes of destitution.
You tell me: What are some “random” things about you? Do you share any similarities with me? If you wanna partake in the Beautiful Blogger Award, then snag the image and share 7 things about yourself!
January 12, 2011 @ 10:59 am
1. I have a Bachelor of Arts with majors in literature and Irish history and honours in history. I have a Bachelor of Laws with an honours thesis in expert evidence law reform. I have a Masters in Conflict Resolution. I had trouble deciding, as you can see.
2. Not so much the vegetarian, but I once accidentally fed meat to one, then didn’t tell her because there was nothing she could do about it.
3. I ADORE MY DOG TOO. His name is Jack, he’s a labrador x whippet and looks just like a dingo, and I talk about him way, waaaaaaaaaaaay too much.
4. I know the self defence I learned in high school, that’s it. I sail pretty well, though.
5. During the literature half of my first degree I wrote about the role of Bond Girls at length. I am also a Dr. No girl.
6. The best dark I have ever been on was out on a yacht, a long way from land. The stars were incredible.
7. I kept my baby teeth too, and I didn’t even have your justification. I was just a hoarder as a kid. Turned out pretty well though, because I also kept alllll my books. Middle grade reading ahoy!
There — are my seven more or less random than yours? More, because somebody else picked the topics?
January 12, 2011 @ 12:20 pm
Holy crow, Amie!! WE HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON!!! I’ve never met ANYONE else who kept their baby teeth — hahahaha!
And no…still not random… To be truly random, someone would have to shuffle your facts like a card deck and then draw one from the middle somewhere.
On that note, how COOL would it be if we all our memories were cards we could shuffle? Hmmm…maybe not cool at all — I’m just geeking out, methinks.
January 12, 2011 @ 12:52 pm
It would be amazing if our memories were cards we could shuffle. Perhaps some could be quietly placed at the bottom of a drawer until they didn’t hurt anymore.
January 12, 2011 @ 12:55 pm
Wow, Katharine. That is some powerful imagery…and beautiful language. I think that deserves to be a quote it’s so evocative.
And when you put it that way, I DO wish memories were cards. There are a number that I would gladly set aside.
January 12, 2011 @ 11:58 am
1. I don’t even remember what happened to my baby teeth.
2. Did you ever read Bond? I read an old copy of Moonraker I found at my grandmother’s house once. It was pretty cool.
3. I grew up hunting and fishing, and eating meat at nearly every meal. My mom told me last year she needed to drink “protein water”, and I laughed out loud. There’s no way she does.
4. My husband got his dog after meeting me, in an effort to spend more time with me. They’re 10 now. When I was interviewed for the job in the Netherlands, the first question I asked them was: can I bring my dogs? My mom called them her “grand-dogs” for years (until I had children).
5. I have degrees in biology, anthropology, and studio art (undergrad), environmental studies (masters), and “sustainability and governance” (phd). And I still feel like I’m just figuring out what I want to do when I “grow up”.
January 12, 2011 @ 12:22 pm
I HAVE read Bond. It was…different…but I enjoyed it! I kinda thought it was just Ian Flemming fulfilling his fantasies on paper, though. 😉
That’s a TON of degrees, but I think it’s fantastic! You and Amie both — all that diversity has to make you a better writer!
PROTEIN WATER!?!? Dare I even ASK? Blehhh.
January 12, 2011 @ 12:55 pm
I think you hit the nail on the head with Ian Flemming.
I do hope the degrees will come in handy in all ways, especially in writing.
Protein water, one of those crazy american things like vitamin water. Bleh is right.
January 12, 2011 @ 1:23 pm
😀 I’m terrified of the dark too! And I have a purple belt in Tae Kwon Do! hehe My parents raised me to eat meat, but in college I went vegetarian. Now I’ll eat chicken and fish, but that’s about it. 🙂 My little guy is the same way by his own choice. Mom tries to feed him beef regularly and he turns it down every time.
January 12, 2011 @ 3:13 pm
What!? You have a purple belt TOO!? LET’S SPAR!!
Not really. I really don’t *like* sparring that much…at least not with my friends.
And that’s crazy that Super Spawn won’t eat beef — does he just dislike the taste?
January 12, 2011 @ 3:31 pm
Man, I used to *love* to spar. Several years and one baby later though? Not happening. LOL
I don’t know why he won’t eat beef. He has never even let it get past his lips, so it’s not the taste. Actually, when I was pregnant with him even the smell of beef made me ridiculously sick. Must be the smell or the look I guess. Whatever, I’m not gonna make him eat it. 😉
January 12, 2011 @ 1:52 pm
This is an awesome list! I am straight up terrified of the dark too. In college, I strung Christmas lights around my room and tried to play it off like I thought they were cool, when really it was just way too dark in my room and I got scared every night. And don’t worry, I too have a Facebook album featuring my dog. 🙂
I am SUPER impressed with your karate and kickboxing skills. Those could really come in handy!
January 12, 2011 @ 3:14 pm
Christmas lights!! CLEVER… I wish I had thought of that. Instead, I just had a flashlight next to my head for easy grabbing and bathroom trips. 😉
And yes, the karate stuff is useful when I’m writing fight scenes, but that’s about it!! 😀
January 12, 2011 @ 2:55 pm
Awww, an Irish Setter! My grandparents had one when I was young. Her name was Scarlet, as in Scarlet O’Hara 🙂 And she was dumber than a bag of hammers, but sweet as pie.
I bet it drives you nuts when people say “OMG, that is SO RANDOM!” Actually, drives me nuts, too, and I have a History and French degree with no background in statistics at all 🙂
“Random” things about me…I love snowshoeing, but only if I can use those old-fashioned kind made of wood. The newfangled aluminum things just don’t do it for me. And…I could really go for some creamy orzo with parmesan even though it’s 10 in the morning. The end. 🙂
January 12, 2011 @ 3:16 pm
Asimov, my Irish Setter, is actually pretty smart, though…he’s not breaking any intelligence records. But he’s definitely REALLY SWEET.
And WOAH, Rowenna, those are some truly left-field answers!! Snowshoes made of wood!? I’ve never done any snowshoeing, but you’ve got me super intrigued now…
And parmesan orzo? I am going to look up a recipe for that STAT. Anything with parmesan and I start drooling.
January 12, 2011 @ 5:04 pm
I love this! I’m definitely using it on my blog. The only thing we have in common is karate. I got up to green belt before I moved (which was very often growing up as a military brat) and I never took it up again. Thanks for sharing 🙂
January 12, 2011 @ 5:40 pm
Ooh, I can’t wait to see what you say on your blog — you’ll have to share the link when you do!!
And green belt is just before me! Yay! We can spar too — you, me, and Holly in a DEATH MATCH. Or not. 😉
January 12, 2011 @ 5:34 pm
Horses are my real love – they’re like people to me – so I totally get your Asimov obsession. 🙂 And regarding dorkness: guess who’s taking the (uber-hard) International Baccalaureate program for high school? (Translation: a TON of homework. D:)
January 12, 2011 @ 5:39 pm
DUDE!!! I DID IB TOO!!! I got my IB Diploma and everything! That is SO cool! 😀 It was a lot of work, but I loved it! There were 12 of us in the program and only 6 of us managed to get the scores to get the diploma — it’s tough but worth it!
And I think horses are lovely, but I’m totally That Person — the one who’s scared of them. I think it’s because their BIG and I have no experience around them!
January 13, 2011 @ 1:57 am
Whoa! I’ve never met any old people (relatively speaking, of course ;)) who did IB! Is it worth it? I have the Asian drive to do good in school, but IB is so taxing I don’t know if it’s worth it. I bus an hour and a half both ways to get to school, too. 🙁
And I totally used to be scared of horses, even as I did riding lessons! After a while I realized that (schoolhorses, at least) don’t care whether you’re scared of them or not. They’re just really sweet.
January 13, 2011 @ 3:53 pm
Did you just call me OLD? YAHONG!!!!!!!!!!!! I am DEVASTATED. No one has ever called me old before, and it HURTS.
But moving past my singed ego, YES. IB was worth it, if for no other reason than I developed an amazing ability to procrastinate and still make perfect marks. 😉 Definitely good prep for university workloads.
January 13, 2011 @ 7:26 pm
Sorry! Please don’t be devastated on my account! If it helps, I have (a lot of) gray hair… and people have called ME old because of it. 0.O
Does IB help you get *into* universities, though?
January 12, 2011 @ 10:42 pm
I think it’s so awesome that you have a purple belt in karate. It’s always been a dream of mine to study martial arts, and karate’s at the top of the list. :]
January 13, 2011 @ 3:48 pm
Do it, do it!! It’s so much fun — a real challenge that helps you hone self-discipline. 🙂 Let me know if you ever start!!
January 12, 2011 @ 10:53 pm
1. I’m with your mom on Vegetarianism and animal rights.
2. My wife and I have loved all our pets, heart and soul.
3. I once beat up a kid in wheelchair when I was a kid. He started it by pushing me off my bike and getting on top of me. He had super human arm strength but I won the fight.
4. I’m not afraid of the dark. I go into unlit caves and turn the flashlight off. You can’t see anything.
5. I’ve had 1 big panic attack in my life. I was convinced I was dying. I had a “This is it – Good-bye cruel world, moment.” Apparently I didn’t die.
6. I design computer chips for a living. I have a nerdish streak, but definitely not a dork. You don’t come across as a dork, nerd maybe.
7. I had a 15 year no vomit streak broken by a case of food poisoning.
BTW, Have you seen the movie “Desperately Seeking Susan?” It’s terrific!
January 13, 2011 @ 3:50 pm
I can’t believe you beat up a wheelchair kid — Onestep, this is TERRIBLE. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Though, if he pushed you off your bike, I *guess* it was deserved… But still…
And you’re nuts to go in caves without a flashlight. Just the thought makes my stomach hurt and my hands shake. NO NO NO. Never.
Desperately Seeking Susan?? No…I shall look into it RIGHT now. 😀
January 13, 2011 @ 9:54 pm
Well, I was about 10 years old when I had the encounter with the wheelchair kid, whom I didn’t know. He got on top of me and was holding me down. I had no idea why he was attacking me. I was able to get on top of him and I made him say “uncle.” I never hit him. Still, I felt a little guilty. I figured he had problems.
I don’t go into caves without flashlights (and extra batteries). I just turn the flashlight off in the deep bowels of the caves. Then I scream as loud as I can.
You’ll like that movie.
January 12, 2011 @ 11:45 pm
Aw, poor baby Sooz! I got 5 dollars per tooth. I found out that Tooth Fairy wasn’t real the hard way – I unearthed a letter I had written to her/him in my mom’s sock drawer.
That was devastating.
I’m a wannabe James Bond fangirl! Someday, should you and I meet, you will have to teach me the ways of true Bond Fan-ism. I’m off to a good start with a Sean Connery poster! ;D (We had a James Bond party at my house to celebrate the DVD release of THE QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Ooh! And I made a three-tiered cake. The top was a red die.)
I can’t stand pitch-darkness, either! I have had multiple episodes of hysteria. I get so claustrophobic and panic and… well, it get’s messy. I don’t even like to think about it.
More similarities! ;D
-Madeleine
January 13, 2011 @ 3:52 pm
I can’t believe you got 5 bucks. I just can’t believe it… I feel so ripped off. Though at least I didn’t have my tooth fairy dreams crushed quite so brutally… Sock drawer = major ouch.
James Bond PARTY!?!? AWESOME!! Invite me next time, and I will dress like a bond girl and educate you on the spy gadgets of 007. Or I’ll just giggle, eat your awesome cake, and talk about how how Daniel Craig is. Whatevs. 😉
January 15, 2011 @ 4:00 am
You would be so screwed in Germany as a vegetarian! lol I mean…who can pass up those stinkin’ brats?!?!
January 15, 2011 @ 10:30 am
No kidding! I LOVE all kinds of wurst and ham — who *knew* there were so many hams? — and Leberkäse (not the Stuttgart kind with liver, but the other kinds without it). I would definitely STARVE to death…or get enormous from eating only Brot and Kartoffeln. 🙂