Since I've started blogging again, I figure I should do my best to finish out my "100 Things About Me" section. Where are we at?
98% of the time, I hear music
OK, so, most of the time, when it's quiet and I'm just thinking to myself, I hear music. Usually, it's something I just listened to, or something I heard on a commercial, or sometimes, it's just some random song that got picked out of the archives (this week, it's been the March of Carmen. yeah, bizarre, I know). But there's almost always music. And it's not annoying somehow. It's just like... background music. You know, like you'd listen to when you're doing housework.
Or here's another way it shows up... a lot of times, when I'm just sitting here thinking about stuff (and wanting a Pepsi), I'll just start tapping out rhythms... beats... maybe a little humming to myself. Does anyone else do that? Do you find it hard NOT to do that?
Sometimes, I'll make up words to [whatever song] to match whatever I'm doing... especially if it has to do with Lulu. I don't know how many "feeding a bunny" and "petting a bunny" songs I've made up (and, sadly, sung out loud) in the past year. But I'm pretty sure this isn't weird. I know you dog owners out there sing some weird stuff, too.
But, back to the music in my head thing... does anyone else have this? I've noticed that sometimes I even type to whatever song's in my head. Just sometimes.
What's weird is, I don't even play an instrument. I don't sing. The last thing I played was the violin back in... 9th grade (and yes, I do vividly recall having to practice March of Carmen). But I haven't done anything musically since then... well, unless you count playing Rock Band a couple of times. So why does music still rule me?
One more thing... I know there are people with tin ears. I know that there are people who don't like music.
Who are these people?
I don't mean that in a bad way... I just... well, I just can't imagine NOT liking music, so the concept fascinates me. I would love to hear the thoughts of non-music lovers...
I was over at Christy's yesterday, and she was talking about Mike Reno of Loverboy, and I remembered... back when I was a kid, I soooo wanted to be him. I thought he was the coolest. And I wanted a pair of red leather pants, like he had on the cover of that album, "Get Lucky." I never got the pants.
But. Back in those days, there were a few notable clothing purchases made simply because I wanted to be like the cool guy in the video...
OK, I remember this well, because it was hard to find a grey and purple striped tie. But I found one. After months of trolling the local Chess King [and whatever other hip young man mall stores were at the time], I managed to find what I was looking for. I found the damned tie. Why this particular tie? I wanted to be like the guys in this video for I Can Dream About You (and whoa, check out the young Diane Lane!). Yes, I know the guys in the vid didn't sing the song... I just wanted to cultivate that look.
Oh! And I also remember having a hard time finding a white tie and the right colored blue shirt... so I could be like Simon LeBon (well, all of Duran Duran, but I really wanted to be Simon) in the video for Is there something I should know? Yes indeed, I strutted around in my slick blue shirt and white tie (tucked in, of course, just like in the vid!).
Needless to say, neither of those looks really worked on me. I was still a big nerd.
I have problems saying the word "girl." Seriously. I don't have this problem with any other word, but when I try to say "girl," it sounds more like "gull." So, usually when I say that word, you'll hear me pause for a second, because I have to make a concious effort to enunciate the erl sound.
Oh, hey, I just remembered this... apparently, I have a slight lisp. Sometimes. I personally have never noticed it, but then again, I never listen to what I'm saying. (most other people don't, either... lol)
Oh yeah, this is a good one that I always seem to forget... I was raised as a Catholic. I even went to CCD as a kid (as an adult, I can't even remember what CCD stands for, but I know it was like, religion classes at night for kids... or something like that). The only thing I remember from CCD was that once, we were asked to draw what we thought God looked like. My God looked like a sailor in his dress whites, for some reason.
Obviously, I'm not religious any more, but my mother still is. Like, she goes to church multiple times a week. And she makes sure that I have rosary beads in my car. But me? I never really "bought" religion. I distinctly remember that, even at a young age, I was having problems reconciling the story of Noah's Ark. I mean, really, two of everything? Everything? On one boat? Really? Nawwwww! From there, the rest just fell apart. For me, anyway.
Well, that's 50 out of my 100. Whooaaaaah, we're halfway there.
So, I was talking to The Ex (no, not my Ex... her moniker is "The Ex") and she noted that my "about me" section is empty. Really, I just need to link that to my 100 things category. Come to think of it, I haven't added to my 100 things in a while. Maybe I'll give that a shot right now...
I'm not a concert-goer. I've never been excited to go see bands live. I blame "growing up in Alaska" for this - nobody ever went up there to tour. Just about the only reason people gave concerts in AK was because they're on the way to Japan for a tour. In case you're curious (and you'll get a good laugh out of these), my first concert ever was Tommy Tutone. You know, the 867-5309 guys. I even got the lead singer's autograph. I think I was like, 12 or 13 at the time.
Since we're talking firsts... the first album I ever bought was a Ktel album. I remember that I thought it was so "scandalous" that I had an album that had cussing in it (Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl" repeatedly mentions "It's a bitch, girl"). Like, woo, I'm edgy now!
And, yeah. I happened to find a commercial for my first album on YouTube a few months ago. And I'm not afraid to say... I still like a lot of those songs.
Now, the first single (vinyl) I ever bought was... oh crap. I don't know for certain, but it was either Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero" (got stars in his eyes), or The Human League's "Don't You Want Me?" (don't you want me, ohhhhhhhh). I used to be pretty sure that it was the Human League that I got first, but now, for some reason, I'm not positive anymore. Hm. They say that the memory is the first thing to go when you get old...
And, in case you're curious, the first cassette I ever bought was... Soft Cell's Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. Yeah, I bought it just for "Tainted Love." Yeah, I ended up liking the song "Sex Dwarf." But the rest of the cassette was crap.
And my first CD? I don't have the foggiest.
For some reason, I seem to date a lot of J named girls. A lot of Jennifers, a Julie or two, a Julia, at least one Jeanie, and most recently, a Joelle.
My first kiss (no tongue) was in 2nd grade. It was with Jodi (*gasp* another J name!) Haywood during recess, out by the log cabin thingie (playgrounds in AK. heh). I distinctly remember that I kissed her 8 times (we counted) that year, but then, next year, I was transferred to another elementary school. Those bastards.
I'm a pepsi drinker. Most people are coke people, and there are quite a few "no cola" drinkers, but I reside firmly in the Pepsi camp. Of course, when it comes to fountain drinks, I'll drink Coke. For some reason, fountain drinks almost always taste better than canned or bottled.
Speaking of drinking, I'm not that much of an (alcohol) drinker anymore. Oh, sure, back in college, I'd drink five or six times a week and still make it to class in the morning. Now? I drink like, three beers, and I'm hung over for two days. So, yeah, I don't drink much anymore.
But. When I do drink... well, something besides beer... I'll drink Jack & Cokes. I'm not a fancy drink drinker... I don't any special flavorings or anything foo-foo. Just gimme a Jack & Coke. And a beer. (in a tree)
OK, I think that's about enough for now. Well, that's all I could think of right now.
So, I was thinking about high school. How much I've changed. It's kinda weird to remember the things you've done, especially things you did so long ago. I dunno... maybe it's hard for me, because I still think of myself as "growing up" rather than "getting old."
Anyways, here are a few random things about me in high school that you may or may not believe, but I can assure you, I did 'em.
My high school had done away with the "Student of the Month" award for a time, but they brought it back my senior year. And I was the first Student of the Month of the new batch. Remember, this was way back before the advent of the "My child is the blah blah blah" bumper stickers, so all I got was a plaque.
I was on the cross-country running and cross-country skiing teams. Now, before you go and think that I used to be athletic, let me tell you... I sucked. I had no endurance. But a lot of my friends were on those teams, and they were really good, so... I joined the teams, too. And sure, I may have been one of the worst people on either of those teams, but... hell, at least I was doing something physical. I wasn't a typical geek - I loved math and computers and all that nerdy stuff, but I also liked to play. I liked physical activity. I made sure that I had P.E. every semester. I may not have been very good at anything, but at least I tried. I participated. I played.
I never had detention. I was a good kid back then - I obeyed all the rules, and did my best in school. I was one of those "perfect attendance" geeks for quite some time, all the way up to my senior year. Plus, I was friends with the principal. I wasn't a rat or anything; he was just my social studies teacher back in 7th grade, and I did pretty well in that class. Except for one time that I vividly remember... we were watching a boring ass film (I don't remember what it was about), and I was sitting in the seat right in front of the teacher's desk. And I was sound asleep. From what I understand, he very nicely and quietly tried to wake me up by saying my name. Louder. And louder. Still asleep. Then he took a ruler and smacked it down on my desk. I think that woke everybody up. Isn't it funny, the things you vividly remember? It's so random sometimes.
I was also on the soccer team. I'm listing this one separately, because I was a little better at soccer than I was at, well... anything else (except volleyball). When I was 16, I tried out for an AK all star team, and actually made it. That summer, we went to Finland, Sweden, and Denmark to play in some tournaments. We never made it out of the first (round-robin) round, but hey, at least I can say that, yeah, I've played internacional futbol.
So, volleyball. Yeah, pretty much the only sport I was good at. Sure, I may not be the tallest person, so I really worked on all the fundamentals because my net play wasn't as strong as some others. It all started in... P.E. I had a bunch of friends in the same class, so we all learned volleyball together. Then we'd start playing at lunch, when they had an open gym. Then we'd start playing after school, when we didn't have anything else to do. We loved it so much, we started a high school club team (there weren't any boys volleyball teams in AK), and tried to get people from other schools (there were only 6 high schools total in Anchorage at the time) to play, too. Ah, fun times. There were a few sand courts downtown, so during the summer, we'd play all night, just about every night. Now, remember, up there, during the summer, the sun doesn't set until like, 11pm or so... so we played a lot. Until midnight or 1am, some nights. I continued to play organized volleyball well into college, and managed to be on a AA rated (in USVBA) team. I haven't played in forever, though, so I probably suck now. Well, except at passing and defense. We practiced passing and defense so much, there's no way I'll ever forget how to do that stuff.
OK, I think that's enough talking about myself for now. I hate talking about myself. I dunno, maybe because I'm afraid that everybody'll find out that yeah, I'm pretty boring. Oh well.
You may wonder why the numbers start at 37... well, I figured I'd throw this into my 100 things category, since I haven't updated that in a while. And I would have had more high school memories, but I already covered the fact that I was in the Rubik's Cube Solving Club and that I played the violin back here. Yeah, the Rubik's Cube Solving Club. Yeah, I played the violin. Hey, someone had to.
I don't like having my picture taken, unless I'm doing something goofy or silly. Like, if you ask me to pose for a picture, more than likely, I'll make a face. Eh, I don't really like how I look, I guess, so I figure, if I'm gonna look dumb, it'll be on my terms. And I really, really love taking stupid pictures. Like this and this. This is probably my favorite picture of me.
I hate hate hate it when people say "irregardless." It's not a word, as far as I'm concerned. I hate that it's so obviously not a word, and yet, people who use it are trying to sound intelligent (they don't). And I really hate when people say "Well, it's in the dictionary." I'm sorry, but in this case, the dictionary is wrong.
Speaking of things I hate... phone trees that make you talk. OK, we've all called somewhere and gotten a phone tree. "Press 1 to check your balance. Press 2 to transfer money. Press 3 to speak to a representative." You know what I'm talking about, right? Well, I can't stand it when the computer at the other end makes you speak. "Please say the name of the person you're trying to reach." Yeah, whatever! I mean, can you feel any more stupid than when you're talking to a computer on the phone?
Of course, it probably doesn't help that, when I get one of those interrogative phone trees, I'll cuss during every answer. When I do this, well... the computer doesn't understand me:
Computer: "Please say your zip code."
Me: "Listen, you fucking piece of shit. Why can't I just get an operator? Why do I have to put up with this bullshit? OK, fucking fine. My fucking zip code is fucking 9 fucking 2 fucking 1 fucking 2 fucking 2. Are you fucking happy now?"
Computer: "I didn't understand that. Could you please repeat your zip code?"
Grr.
Another thing I hate? Pencils. Seriously, I can't stand writing with a pencil. For some reason, I totally hear the sound of the graphite running across the paper, and it irks me. It gives me that same chill that many people get when they hear fingernails on a chalkboard (strangely, that sound doesn't bother me at all). Consequently, I've always been pretty good at math and crossword puzzles (you have to get good, if you're always working at those in pen, yanno?).
Just so you don't think I'm just filled with hate... I love dogs. All kinds, all sizes. They're all good dogs, and they're all going to heaven.
Eh, I'm not just a "dog" person. I love cats, too. And birds. And... and... and... Well, I pretty much love all animals. I just love nature. Yeah, I said it. And I don't care if I sound like a hippie.
I have three tattoos. In order of appearance - a snake (half arm-band), a dragon (hip, front left side), and another dragon (other half of the arm-band). Am currently considering getting at least one more tat.
I have an "Orion's Belt" of moles/birthmarks (three in a line) someplace you will never see.
I played the violin from the time I was in 4th grade until 9th grade. I was pretty good, too, despite not practicing as much as I could. I even made the Anchorage Jr. Youth Symphony for a few years. But alas, I hated my orchestra teacher, so I quit.
I was a total nerd in high school. I'll admit it. My proof? In 9th grade, I was in the Rubik's Cube Solving club. You know, kinda like the Chess club, except with a Rubik's Cube. My fastest time was a little over 40 seconds.
OK, that's all I've got for now. Well, about that, anyway.
Check this out - OK, I know everybody loves checking their stats and seeing what people were looking up. I just got a referral for someone looking for "her skirt rode up." Now, I don't remember everything I've ever blogged about, so I clicked the link to see what had happened to me that day. Check it out.
And now I'm done. So. How's everybody doing on this fine hump day?
Just a quick add to my 100... (something reminded me of it, and I wanted to post it before I forgot)
I once auditioned for a bit part on Two and a Half Men. Really, it was no biggie - it was basically a talent check at the local mall, and anyone could "audition." Now, normally, something like this would barely be worth mentioning, but... there's video proof. My, how embarassing.
No, really.
Well, if nothing else, at least you got a good laugh at me before the weekend.
Nothing else to say, so I figured I'd rattle off a few more for my 100 things post...
I speak in movie quotes quite frequently. Hence, most of the time, people have no idea what the fuck I'm saying, or why. I said, I said that I saw your dad on "Fantasy Island!"
Star Wars geek? Check. I've seen all the movies at least a billion times each. I can quote almost the entire original movie (episode 4) off the top of my head. Episodes I, II, and III... I saw them all on the day they opened, all on the first (midnight) showing. The last movie to come out, Episode III, I saw twice on the day it came out. But my Star Wars knowledge is all about the movies; I've never read any of the related fiction books.
I hate reading books. I really do. Magazines, newspapers, blogs... I have no problem reading any of those. But... books? Screw that. I don't have the attention span for it, and really, I don't care to read. The last book I read in its entirety had to be in 1986, my senior year in high school. I don't remember what book it was, but I'm sure it was something assigned to me, and thus, something really boring. The last book I read for fun was Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions." I believe that was in 1985.
I am a Star Trek fan. Not a Trekkie, not a Trekker. A fan. I don't speak Klingon, and I don't go to conventions. (Really, I've always wanted to check out a convention)
I once stuck my hand into a beehive. We were rock climbing, and I missed the "Whatever you do, don't put your hand in this hole, because there's a beehive in there" warning. I was slipping, I needed a hand-hold, so I put my hand in the place where I could get the best grip. Unfortunately, the beehive was there first.
See, kids? Never drink and rock-climb. You just might get stung 20 times or so.
And, I can't think of any more for now. See? This is why I made it it's own category, and not just one single "100 things" post.
