25 Things About Me

This meme has been going around facebook ... and the blogosphere as well. I've been tagged for it about 25 times so I'm giving in and doing it.

1. I have a scar on my left arm from the time I ran into a dog on my bicycle.
2. I can sing "Silent Night" in Hawaiian. That's because the elementary school I attended had these nuns who were from Hawaii.
3. My early feminist influences were, in fact, nuns -- strong, independent women who had no husbands to defer to. I don't know whether or not they understand that they were modeling feminist behavior.
4. I bought my first "real" camera last summer -- a Nikon D60.
5. When I was in first grade, and the teacher asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, I said, "A writer and a teacher."
6. I am a writer and a teacher.
7. My mother's closest friend when I was a kid worked for a local non-profit environmental group as the editor of their publication. During the late 80s, I was editor of that same publication.
8. I once broke a window by throwing a bag of frozen peas at it.
9. When I was little, my father's nickname for me was "Mouse" because I was shy and quiet.
10. As an adult, I am an extrovert. Aunt Seashell always said that I take after the Irish politicians in the family. I know how to work a room.
10. I get my love of reading and writing from my mother.
11. When I was in college, I used to tape letters from my mother to the door of my dorm room because all my friends wanted to read them.
12. I don't play a musical instrument. I wish I did.
13. I'm not much for following rules -- unless they are accompanied by logical reasons.
14. I love to dance. I am one of those people willing to be the first person on the empty dance floor.
15. I don't dance particularly well. But I am not self-conscious about that. I figure that everyone on the dance floor is busy worrying about how they look, and the presence of someone dancing crazily, but not particularly gracefully, will make them feel more comfortable. I am good at talking other people into dancing.
16. I am Irish and Italian and German. In that order.
17. I have never had short hair. I like the feel of long hair.
18. I like going to art museums. And science museums. Well, pretty much any kind of museum. Whenever I travel to a city for a conference, the first thing I look up is where the museums are.
19. When I lived in London as a college student, I lived in a building that was filled with families from Saudi Arabia. I made friends with some of the women and the kids, even though they spoke no English.
20. I still remember some words in Arabic.
21. I drink several cups of herbal tea every day.
22. I love the smell of coffee, but I don't drink it.
23. I read a lot of books on spirituality, personal growth, and psychological principles. Human behavior fascinates me.
24. I have this idea that reading books like that will make me a better person. Still waiting for that to happen.
25. I prefer even numbers to odd numbers so it annoys me that this list is supposed to end on an odd number.
26. See, even numbers just feel more complete.