A Compendium of 100 Useless Factoids

1. I’m Episcopalian.
2. I pursued mathematics all through school, even earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, all because the little boy who sat beside me in sixth grade said that girls couldn’t do math.
3. I don’t really like math.
4. I much prefer literature and creative writing.
5. I was addicted to the Sci-Fi channel series Farscape for the first season, posted on the fan bulletin boards, conversed in the fan chat rooms, and I haven’t seen a single episode since then and there’s been like 3 more seasons.
6. I met my husband through a personal ad on the internet.
7. My husband is a Canadian.
8. He immigrated to the US to marry me.
9. I have night terrors, complete with screaming, talking in my sleep, and occasionally sleepwalking.
10. The first time I hear a new song on the radio, I instantly know if it’s going to become a huge number one hit.
11. I’ve fired about a dozen different kinds of firearms, from a 22 caliber pea shooter to a double barrel shotgun.
12. And I briefly belonged to the NRA.
13. I took piano lessons for 8 years growing up.
14. The only songs I can still play from memory are Fur Elise, The Spinning Song, Chopsticks, and Heart & Soul.
15. When I was in grade school we had a Yorkshire terrier named Winston that died really young from the Parvo Virus- please vaccinate your pets!
16. I was valedictorian of my graduating class in high school.
17. I have my paternal grandfather's nose. (Not in a jar or anything, eww gross, what I mean is my nose looks just like his did.)
18. I hate my hair. I've always hated my hair.
19. I love classic movies, particularly old romantic comedies or musicals.
20. My face is covered in freckles (which I love) and big pores (which I hate).
21. My parents are still married to each other, as are my grandparents.
22. I'm a very UN-graceful swimmer and though I may LOOK like I'm drowning, I'm probably OK. Unless I'm screaming, then, for heaven's sake, throw me a line!
23. This month I learned to make pie crust from scratch and baked my first banana cream pie with homemade filling and real meringue!
24. I’m allergic to cats.
25. My favorite concert ever was the Eagles.
26. I collect fountain pens.
27. I’m pretty good at fancy gift wrapping, Martha Stewart look out!
28. When I was in 1st grade, my best friend and I would play Cassiopea and Athena from Battlestar Galactica and fight over who got Apollo and who got Starbuck.
29. My favorite soft drink is Dr. Pepper.
30. Even at my age, I’m still a little afraid of the dark.
31. Currently, my favorite TV shows are E.R., Lost, and Desperate Housewives.
32. I scored 35 on the ACT in 1990.
33. From Kindergarten through 11th grade, the only sandwich to ever grace my lunch box was peanut butter and grape jelly on white bread.
34. I’m a season ticket holder to the KC Theatre League and Starlight Theater.
35. I used to give my great-grandmother manicures.
36. I used to get in trouble for reading in bed with a flashlight when I was little.
37. My first car was a silver 1979 Firebird.
38. I totally did not appreciate what a cool car I had back then.
39. I think a sense of humor is the sexiest trait a man can have.
40. I have really big boobs. Even before I became overweight, I had really big boobs.
41. My dog is a ten year old lab-collie mutt named Bear. He’s black and furry and weighs about 75 lbs.
42. I need to lose about 75 lbs.
43. I wear glasses and sometimes contacts. Without them I’m practically blind as a bat.
44. I prefer to be shoeless whenever possible.
45. My favorite diamond cut is a princess or square cut.
46. For several years, I hated (HATED) country music, but now it doesn’t bother me as much. It’s still not my top choice, but I actually like a few of the songs.
47. Like “It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long” by the Notorious Cherry Bombs. That video cracks me up.
48. Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but I was actually hooked on the very first season of Nashville Star; I haven’t watched any of the subsequent seasons, though.
49. I haven’t had my hair cut in nearly a year, can you say “split-end city”?
50. Kansas City is my hometown, but I spent the formative preteen and teenage years just outside Raleigh, NC in a town called Cary.
51. When I get REALLY tired, or REALLY tipsy, sometimes the southern drawl will pop back up in my speech.
52. I love Frank Lloyd Wright designs and architecture.
53. I got to play FLW’s piano at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona.
54. I’ve actually tried the Olympic sport of Curling, but I’m too much of a klutz on the ice to be any good at it.
55. My idea of the perfect vacation is a beautiful beach, warm sand, peaceful waves, a lounge chair, a big umbrella, a stack of romance novels and crime thrillers, and a fruity drink.
56. And sunscreen, as I am possibly the whitest white girl that I know.
57. I bought the entire Time Life “Sounds of the Eighties” CD collection.
58. So did my husband, before we ever met. So now we have two sets!
59. My favorite cake is German Chocolate.
60. I drink skim milk and my husband drinks 1%. Neither of us will compromise so there are always 2 different gallons in our fridge.
61. I’ve never mowed the lawn.
62. I use sarcasm as a defense mechanism.
63. I take medicine daily for a thyroid deficiency.
64. I’m right handed.
65. I exceed the posted speed limit on a regular basis.
66. I prefer white wine over red.
67. I prefer beer over wine.
68. I used to be able to drink a long neck bottle of beer with no hands using only my cleavage (see item 36) when I was younger and more flexible.
69. I used to chew my cuticles.
70. I have three piercings, all in my ears.
71. I hardly ever wear earrings anymore.
72. My mother wouldn’t let me get my ears pierced until I was sixteen. Even then, my aunt took me to get them pierced.
73. I don’t have my gall bladder anymore.
74. I used to work as a dealer on the craps table at private casino parties.
75. I love playing craps, but am too conservative to actually gamble real money.
76. I’m a registered Republican.
77. My favorite cartoon character is Winnie-the-Pooh.
78. I decorated my daughter’s nursery with Classic Pooh.
79. Seeing my daughter smile and hearing her laugh sends my heart right up into the sky.
80. I like my sleep, I miss my sleep. That’s the one thing that I would change about pregnancy and parenthood; I would make it possible for moms to get more sleep.
81. I have a younger brother who is artistic and cool.
82. I can crochet, but only really simple stuff like a neck scarf or a small blanket.
83. I like a soft bristled toothbrush.
84. I do the crossword puzzle in the newspaper nearly every day.
85. I consider myself a good listener. You learn more by listening than by talking.
86. I also think being a good listener makes me a better friend.
87. I’m deeply conflicted about wanting to stay at home with my daughter and wanting to pursue a career outside the home.
88. I get migraine headaches with a preceding visual aura. They’re fun. Lots of fun.
89. I’ve taken dance lessons and know the basic steps for the waltz, rumba, foxtrot, tango, and swing two-step.
90. I collect snowmen and snowflake Christmas decorations.
91. I think I appreciate my mom more than ever, now that I’ve become a mom myself.
92. I worked in a library all through high school and still consider myself a bibliophile.
93. I’m a sorority girl who belonged to an atypically cool smaller sorority.
94. I’m starting to find more and more grey hairs on my noggin (or maybe they’re just easier to spot with all the post-partum hair loss…)
95. I like my eggs scrambled.
96. I think laughter is the most beautiful noise on the planet.
97. I also love the sound of a thunderstorm.
98. I feel like I should be contributing more as a citizen of the planet.
99. I think being a wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, and a friend are the most important jobs I’ll ever have.
100. I didn’t think I was going to be able to come up with 100 things!