Things you never knew you wanted to know

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I've been busy helping develop a website at work, and its not so much fun to come home and blog when you've been doing very similar things at work all day long.  I'll get better, I promise.

If you're a Facebook connoisseur, and you know who you are, you've likely seen the viral postings going around inviting (demanding, insisting) that people post 25 (or 40, or 65, or 112) random facts about themselves.  Depending on who's sending the viral postings, they may or may not predict terrible fates that await you should you not post. 

So far, I've not posted, and as far as I can tell my hair hasn't fallen out, my love life isn't ruined and I haven't been struck down by the didn't-pass-on-a-chainmail god.  But far from thinking this a stupid, childish practice, I actually think its a great way to get to know some of your friends and friendly acquaintances. 


So, without further ado, here are 10 things you never knew you wanted to know about yours truly (not 112.  I make my own rules):


1.  Rory sometimes complains that his Uncle Toby's Plus cereal, which is supposed to contain freeze dried pineapple, mango and apple bits,  actually has very few of those bits in it.  What he doesn't know?  I dig through the cereal box after my weekly shopping trips on Sunday afternoons and pick out all the yummy bits.  Every week.  I consider it a fringe benefit for doing the grocery shopping.

2.  I have a really good memory for things and details that happened ages ago that other people have long forgotten.  But what I had for dinner yesterday evening?  Not so much.  Ask me again in 10 years time.

3.  I still regularly rock out to Ace of Base and the Escape Club in my car.  I just try to turn down the volume when stopped at traffic lights so as to avoid embarrassment and social ostracism.  Sometimes I even throw in a little bit of Spice Girls (which isn't so lame anymore, given their recent comeback.  Except their comeback failed, so possibly its still lame).


4.  I really, really like to be organized.  But I'm a bit lazy as well, so my good organizational intentions get compromised.  For example, all the dry goods in my pantry are organized into tidy little tubberware containers that at a glance look like an organizers dream.  But behind the tubberware is piles of stuff that wouldn't fit.  Not so tidy.  I consider it an exciting adventure akin to Christmas morning to sort through the junk drawers... you never know what treasures you find.

5.  I've never met a board game I didn't love.  I attend a weekly games night that is one of the highlights of my week.

6.  I absolutely, positively cannot tolerate French Onion Soup.  I ate some skiing in New Mexico as a little kid, got sick, and haven't been able to touch, see or smell it since.  Even a picture of French Onion Soup makes me a bit queasy (just tested that theory with google, still holds true).  But I love Green Bean Casserole made with French Onions.

7.  My dream job is to be the Elephant Handler at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.  If ever we move to Sydney, I intend to take continuing education courses to become certified as a zoo keeper or animal handler at the Taronga Training Institute.  My luck?  They'll intern me with the freakin hippo.

8.  In 5th grade, I thought I was a natural-born flute player cause the band teacher brought instruments as a recruitment tool and I actually made a noise blowing it.  Turns out it was a fluke.  I sucked, and once I figured out I wasn't cut out as a first chair flutist I threw the towel in on the whole thing.  I also never really played the flute in middle school band concerts... I really just lip and finger synced.  By 7th grade, our Band teacher had pretty much decided it was a lost cause and gave me credit for watching "Mr Holland's Opus" and "My Fair Lady" in the practice rooms.  The irony of the situation was that once we hit on that arrangement, I quite enjoyed Band Class.  Unfortunately, I wasn't invited back in 8th grade.

9.  I messed up a Band Flute in 6th grade attempting to oil it with grape chapstick (being as I was out of Flute Oil).  I'm pretty sure there's still a flute in the band storage room that smells ever so faintly of purple.

10.  Right now, my hair is the longest it has ever been since my father destroyed my hair in an unfortunate Dorthy Hamill wedge haircut incident at age 5.  Parents, beware.  Not a good look for a chubby 5 year old who already tends towards looking like a boy.  As of today, its also curly again.  Have a look:

Bonus #11.  I share the exact shade of blonde and texture of hair with my dog.  Put us together and you don't know where one begins and the other ends!