25 Random Things

I meant to post this the other day, but the serious issues that came up - this and this - took precedence.

I was Facebook-tagged to make a list of 25 random things about myself, and thought it would be fun to share them here. If you're reading, consider yourself tagged, too.


25 Random Things

1. I spent Tuesday January 20th on the Mall – well, close to it for most of the inauguration ceremony and then on it when the crowds cleared out. The last time I was on the Mall for a political reason was in 1969.
2. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, which I think gets a bad rap. I like Cleveland.
3. I live on land that was once George Washington’s farmland, and used to teach German at a school called Hayfield Secondary School (remember the Titans?) that was his – well, you figure it out.
4. I speak fluent German and a little Portuguese, both studied in college, and taught myself enough French to pick up the news and read French magazines. Korean, which I’m trying hard to learn, still eludes me.
5. I used to tap dance with a local tap troupe that entertained at many local events, including a Fred Astaire 80th birthday extravaganza at the Tidal Basin in DC and the re-opening of Union Station.
6. I love olives.
7. All the men in my family are engineers – dad, uncles, brothers, probably some of the cousins, too. I, however, am not an engineer, although I think I would have enjoyed it.
8. When I was a freshman at Georgetown, Bill Clinton was a senior. I dated the guy that ran his failed campaign for class president that year.
9. I love musicals. Lame, I know.
10. My favorite place on the planet is a Korean temple called Naksansa. If you haven’t gone there, you must. It is heaven on earth.
11. My first real memory is of mud: Driving up to my family’s first house in Euclid, Ohio, on a yet-unpaved road, looking out at the yet-unsodded yards. My next real memory is of standing up to my knees in that mud, wailing because I was completely stuck.
12. My favorite author is Mark Helprin. Just thinking about “A Soldier of the Great War” makes me cry.
13. Speaking of crying, I cry a lot. Even for commercials.
14. I love the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie, which was my backyard for many years.
15. My first job was making cotton candy in the concession stand at Mentor Headlands Park in Mentor, Ohio.
16. I was a cheerleader in high school, and would give my eye teeth to get some of the flexibility back.
17. Since then, I’ve worked as a German and ESL teacher, secretary, technical trainer, customer support rep, support center manager, project manager, and financial analyst.
18. My favorite colors are purple and teal.
19. George Bush confused the country of my ancestry with another that started with the same letter.
20. Being a mom to my kids has been the most amazing experience of my life. Nothing tops it or ever will – nothing. They are simply THE BEST!!
21. I love reading maps and dictionaries.
22. India and Rome top my “places to visit” list.
23. My husband and I want to have a little place in Vancouver some day. We love the Pacific Northwest.
24. I wrote my master’s paper on the German colonization of Namibia.
25. I love cats. We lost our kitty Saja this summer, and are cat-free at the moment. I’m really struggling with it.

Your turn!