25 Random Notes

It's a big trend on Facebook now and I actually succumbed after being tagged and nagged than no less than 10 people within a few days. . . so now I share with you, 25 completely random things about me:

1. 24 is my lucky number so I'm only doing 24 "random things" instead of everyone else's 25 . . . I declared it as my lucky number confidently in Kindergarten when I realized all signs pointed to it: a. when we lined up in class alphabetically, I was always 24th, b. my birthday is April 24th, and c. I had 24 crayons in my crayola box.

2. When I was 4 I wanted to be a "ballerina, a kitty cat, a lollipop, or a Solid Gold dancer" . . . when I was about 10 I wanted to be an archaeologist. in high school I first wanted to go into musical theatre until I got my first gig as a graphic designer at the age of 15. I cannot believe I've been doing this now ever since . . . I still love it most days but know that my path could always change someday.

3. In men, I have the following physical attractions: 1. brown eyes, 2. brown hair, 3. glasses. I also get weak in the knees when a guy has a fresh haircut.

4. I love to cook but only with a recipe usually — I'm not good with impromptu cooking like most. I think its because I learned how to bake first. That and probably because I'm a perfectionist and I want to get the meal as perfect as possible.

5. My actual first 15-minutes of fame was not actually that stupid reality TV show a few years back . . . in the third grade, my classmate wrote that he was thankful for Children's Medical Center in Ohio on our hand-drawn turkeys at Thanksgiving. It was published in the Sidney Daily newspaper and when the hospital saw it, they decided to put our class in a TV commercial. I had a pretty decent profile close-up in it and have since then been famous throughout the world as a child star gone wrong.

6. I adore all the biggest, fastest, and scariest of roller coasters but nothing puts me into a frozen state of panic like that dumb Viking ship ride that swings back and forth. Pure terror.

7. When I first interned in Boston in 1999, I had a really bad car accident where I ran a red light and I barreled into a woman going about 40. My car was just shy of being totaled as was her car, she was fine and I was left with bruised ribs and a partially torn ACL . . . and a date with my ambulance driver who asked me out when I was strapped to the gurney on the way to the hospital.

8. I love revealing that my mom was a "professional" clown for a couple of years. She took classes for it (clown college) and did parties and parades. I think I became a pretty cool second-grader because of it at the time. To this day, she still makes the best balloon animals and I couldn't be prouder.

9. Oranges, pineapples, and grapefruits (and similar citrusy fruits) make me literally get sick.

10. Facebook messages helped me get through the horror of putting my cat to sleep last week. I was literally constantly checking Facebook when I wasn't on the phone crying to friends and family over the weekend. I'm not over it yet and doubt I will ever fully be but it felt good to know I have such great people in my life that care about me. So that really helped (thanks) as did being distracted for hours with that stupid Tetris marathon. Dang it.

11. I've pretty much taken up a new sport each year: 2008 - triathlons/swimming. 2007 - marathons/running. 2006 - bikram hot yoga. 2005 - snowboarding. 2004 - surfing. 2003 - golf. I kinda like this trend: 2009 - I'm going to do a long (hopefully a century) bike road race. 2010 - badminton? rhythmic gymnastics? synchronized swimming? I'm looking for suggestions.

12. I am the middle child of three girls. Most people hate being the middle child but I wouldn't want it any other way . . . its great to have someone to look up to and also someone to give advice to . . . although it seems like we all three do both for one another despite our birth order! I'm also lucky to have a large collection of girlfriends that are as close as sisters as well. What up, ladies?

13. I have a dream of making my own line of product . . . my main challenge is I have too many ideas and cannot decide which one I really want to pursue.

14. Although I'm a little bit ashamed to admit it, I was actually a cheerleader for a very brief stint in high school and also in a sorority girl through college. Although looking back on the people I met, I'm pretty grateful for both experiences. My sorority gave me a scholarship that paid for my last three years of college as well so it was definitely well worth it in many ways!

15. My nickname as a kid was Lissa. Which Tessa as a baby turned into Lila. Which somehow means my sisters both call me either Lila or Lily to this day. But my nephew randomly started calling me Amica over the summer even though no one could really figure out why and that seems to be sticking as well. I HATE when people call me Missy though because that term can be used as a generic "hey you missy" . . . and I am certainly anything but generic.

16. I love mashed potatoes. My life wouldn't be the same without them. They were there for me in the last year of painful braces. They are indeed the most comforting food to me. I love them so much that I rarely ever want gravy. There's even a rule in my family's house that has been in effect since I can remember that I don't get to serve myself potatoes until everyone has some on their plate.

17. I grew up on a corner plot of my grandparent's dairy farm. Getting dirty, feeding calves, playing in the cousin's clubhouse (an abandoned chicken coop), throwing the hay through the floors of the barn lofts to torment the cows below. The smell of cow shit still reminds me of childhood.

18. My middle name is Lynn . . . which is also the name of a super close friend. That is NOT however the only reason I like her.

19. I am so good at randomly finding obscene bargains that friends and family will literally say "I totally pulled a Melissa" . . . its just dumb luck too because I don't even shop that often or really enjoy shopping. But I feel so validated though when someone compliments a dress I'm wearing and I can say "Yea. Its Diane von Furstenberg . . . Regularly $300, I got it for $40!" or when I can give my friends a $400 Dwell Studio crib set for $75 at a sample sale.

20. I'm a pretty quick and determined learner: trapeze, knitting, sushi-making . . . most things i can accomplish to some degree pretty easily . . . except gardening. *sigh*

21. Let's reveal the real reason I wear high heels so dang often right here and now — I claim that its because they make my ginormous size 10 feet look smaller (which is sorta part of the reason), but really the added height just makes my proportions seem thinner and my butt look better!

22. With college internships across the country and a very restless situation in Boston, I have now lived in 21 different houses/apartments and moved a grand total of 25 times over the last 30 years!

23. When asking my older sister for some "random fact" suggestions, she offered that I remember EVERYTHING. it's true. I still remember the phone number of my elementary school best friends' house which I have not dialed since the third grade (kelly — 2095 right?). Its really not a good thing because it annoys the crap out of people and it makes me feel a lot of pressure sometimes since it can make it hard to relax!

24. I hate wearing shorts — even when I'm running in the hottest weather, I wear either running capris or pants. I think since my coolot days I've probably only owned about three shorts and those never got much use anyhow. (PS my sister also dared me to mention my childhood obsession with coolots somehow although I pointed out that most girls in our generation could probably claim that they wore them when they were young too so its NOT actually that random).

25. See number 1.