25 Things about Me

I wrote this for something that was going around Facebook. I haven’t written anything in several months, so I thought I’d post it here, too. It was kind of a fun exercise. So, here you are: 25 random facts about me.

1. When I was a little girl, I dreamed I would grow up to be a wide receiver in the NFL. Also, I wanted to be a writer, but not a sports writer.

2. When I was nine or so, I got a bad concussion when a steer stepped on my head in the Fortuna Rodeo. I threw up for a couple of days.

3. I am an adventurous eater, but I hate Canadian bacon on pizza, yams, sweet potatoes, and peas (out of the pod). I love anchovies, brussel sprouts, and fruitcake.

4. I avoided eating eggs for nearly 30 years after being offered an explanation of the food chain in first grade that went something like “chickens eat bugs and worms, turn them into eggs, and we eat ‘em.” I realize this is somewhat contrary to my idea of myself as an adventurous eater.

5. I’m a strong believer in “the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” but I usually only remember this after the fact.

6. Too much candy makes me feel high (and a little mean). I am also a bit of a sour candy expert.

7. I once tried to kill a deer with my bare hands, but I meant well. (Please see #5)

8. I love the way old men tell stories.

9. Living in an unfinished house has miraculously turned me from a slob into a clean freak late in life.

10. I enjoy climbing hills more than going down them.

11. I constantly covet ridiculously high-heeled shoes in which I couldn’t walk more than a few feet. And yet I am steadfast in my belief that I have exceptionally good balance.

12. I prefer Heathcliff to Mr. Darcy. I have tried several times to read Pride and Prejudice, but have never finished it.

13. I am afraid of mice, heights, and fast-moving water.

14. I am terrified of public speaking, but secretly love the attention. I was once told to get off stage, but refused because the crowd really did seem to adore me. No, really.

15. I don’t have a TV, but it’s not because I hate television—it’s that I love it too much.

16. In college, I waited until the night before my senior thesis was due to start writing it—well, really even to begin researching it. I believe that it’s exactly this type of procrastination (and its consequences) that primed me for employment at Internet startups.

17. I made myself start taking my coffee black because I grew tired of being disappointed when there wasn’t any milk in the house. I’m a lot happier now.

18. I wish I was better at swimming, putting on makeup, and backing up a trailer.

19. I was once accused of throwing a spelling bee.

20. I have a reputation for being a fast driver and yet people complain about how slow I go when they are in the car with me.

21. The happiest day of my life was in eighth grade when I made a hook shot over a six-foot-tall girl who had dominated me and the rest of the little kids in the league for two basketball seasons. I had practiced for that moment for more than a year and can still remember the collective gasp of the crowd after I did it. Nevertheless, we lost.

22. I like playing sports, but I don’t really enjoy watching them on TV anymore.

23. For about a year, I had a terrible crush on the actor Walton Goggins, who plays “Shane” on “The Shield.”

24. I love to make polenta with my 92-year-old Italian grandma, but it really bothers me that she can stir the pot for much, much longer than I can. I am convinced she has some secret technique she’s not sharing—like it’s all in the wrists or the hips or something.

25. I am a descendant of Israel Putnam, who famously said, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” before the battle of Bunker Hill. Also among the Putnams was Ann, who played a prominent finger-pointing role in the Salem Witch Trials.

Posted by Kristin on 01/31/09 at 10:23 AM
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