Martial Arts Mom has posted a challenge on her blog: Write a list of ten things people would be surprised to know about me. So here’s my addition to the meme:
10 Things People Would be Surprised to Know About Me (and may not even care 
)
1. In college I worked as a local fashion model for a few months. The problem wasn’t in finding work — it was that the minimal pay I received wasn’t worth being treated like a mobile coat hanger instead of a person. And it took too much time out of my studies.
2. I once played “midwife” on the phone to a litter of kittens being born on the other side of the country. My mom raised Shaded Silver Persians for show while I was growing up, so I’ve had a fair amount of experience with kitten births. Ergo, I’m the person who gets called if something may not be going right, even when I’m in California and the kittens are being born in North Carolina.
3. I grew up in the Navy, but we were never stationed overseas. My dad is a retired JAG officer and there aren’t many overseas billets available for them. We tried over and over, but just couldn’t get one.
4. I never had a driver’s license before January 2009. A long and complicated story involving past history of abuse, lack of self-confidence and a deep-seated fear that would kill someone accidentally if I ever drove. Finally, after many, many years of working at it, I got my driver’s licensce this past January. If Jay (my SO) hadn’t been a patient teacher, I doubt I’d have it even now.
5. I’m a native Oregonian (as are my parents and some of their parents), but I’ve lived away from my home state more years than I’ve lived in it. As kid, that was because of the Navy-thing, but as an adult, its because of lack of work opportunity back home. I keep hoping that someday I’ll be able to move back home, at least part-time. Jay’s a native North Carolinian and I don’t think he’d be able to handle Oregon winters very well (Yes, they really are a dark and wet and people say).
6. I love to cook, but I don’t like to eat. If I could be healthy without eating, I’d be one very happy camper.
7. I love coloring books. Even at 42, I still love to color in coloring books — or anything else I can find. I’ll color in black and white illustrations in non-coloring books. I especially like Dover’s “stained glass” coloring books. I don’t particularly care for crayons — instead, I use markers and colored pencils, often together.
8. I love “hard” science fiction. Give me the science stuff. While I do read other types of books in the genre — space fantasy, “soft” science fiction, high fantasy, etc. — I really prefer the authors who write about how science affects society: Frank Herbert, Larry Niven, Kim Stanley Robinson, to name a few. It’s probably because I’m an arm-chair astronomer.
9. I was once told that my soul was Chinese. Before I met my ex, I worked as the assistant manager of an independent metaphysical and self-help bookstore. On day when I’d sent the other employees out on break and I was in the store alone, an elderly Chinese man walked into the store. He stood a little ways away from the counter, cocked his head, and stared at me for awhile. I was a bit uncomfortable with this and I asked him if there was anything I could help him with. He smiled and in heavily-accented English said: “Your body is Western, but your soul is Chinese.” Then he left. I never saw him again.
10. I’m a compulsive counter. I count things in my head much of the time — how many stairs I’m going up, how many clean spoons I’ve just put away, etc.
So there’s my contribution to this meme . If you contribute to this meme, please let me know in the comments. I love learning more about people.
Tags: Personal History
Compulsive counter…until you said that, I didn’t realize that I do that too! When I bowl, I count 1 on the 1st step where I pull back my arm, 2 on the next step and 3 when I throw it. I do the same with stairs. Funny – by reading about someone else, you learn about yourself too!
I’m a sci-fi fan myself. I just reread Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and Robot series. Frank Herbert is familiar to me as I read that in my youth I’d bet. I like how these writers can create their own rules and civilizations in the stars and then (hopefully) not end up with the same problems we have here on Earth.
Oh yeah… Herbert – the Dune series…
I love SF & Fantasy of almost all kinds. David Brin’s Uplift books are a favorite in the harder vein. Asimov I like in parts, but the Foundation series was shot down for me when I realized that there were only two female characters in the entirety of the first book – both minor, both frivolous – and neither appearing at all until past page 100. Asimov could do a good female character when he thought about it, but unless being deliberate, women simply didn’t appear in the universes in his head. Once I noticed, I couldn’t un-notice it.
@Perpetual Beginner: You’re right about the female characters. I had a similar revelation with other authors and, like you, I couldn’t un-notice it. At least some of the modern stuff has strong and sympathetic female characters. Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy is particularly noteworthy for it’s great female characters.