Quite some time ago, I did post a few photos of myself on a separate page to satisfy the curiosity of a few readers, then took them down. It's a Privacy Thing. Some of you have met me and can vouch for the fact that I'm a Real Person and do, in fact, exist.
Anyway, I thought today I'd share some random facts about me that might help to fill in some gaps or merely round out your view of me. Or maybe even surprise you. Here then is the list of stuff that's
All About Me
1. I met my husband Rick in golf class in our first year of college.
2. I have two sons: Jared is 40 and Sam is 37. Jared is the father of my grandson, Theo, who will be 2 in about two weeks.
3. I changed my college major from veterinary medicine to elementary education to secondary education and became an English teacher.
4. I learned to read when I was about 3 years old.
5. I am deathly afraid of snakes.
6. I detest winter.
7. I've lived in Ohio all my life.
8. I am a recovering Catholic who is now atheist.
9. I am almost always cold, and I have three heating pads.
10. I am a huge Dog Appreciator and know almost all dog breeds by sight, but I won't ever own a dog.
11. I do not like pizza.
12. I have a big 15-year old orange tabby cat named Piper; he will be my last cat forever.
13. I used to have a massive and long-running crush on Daniel Day-Lewis.
14. I hate country music.
15. I do freelance writing and editing.
Time is running out for me to post this. It was a tiring day. If you'd like details on any of these, please ask, and I'll be happy to provide in Comments. Otherwise, give me some similar facts about yourself: Who's your celebrity crush? Do you like country music? Have a phobia? Dislike a popular food? Let's hear it.
I've known you for two and a half decades, so I knew most of these things, but there were a few I didn't:
ReplyDelete1. I met my husband Rick in golf class in our first year of college.
Golf? Really?
5. I am deathly afraid of snakes.
This does not surprise me. Was there an incident? Or it it just a general fear? I'm afraid of snakes in the wild (because I don't know if they're dangerous), but I randomly have several photos of me with snakes in places like Benin and Burundi.
11. I do not like pizza.
Really? Please elaborate.
Mikey--I am shocked and also so happy that we've known each other for SO LONG. It's wonderful.
DeleteYes, golf class. We were required to take three classes of phys ed. I chose golf for one class because I thought I wouldn't have to get sweaty, wear special clothes, or run. And my dad liked to golf, so we could maybe do that together.
The snake thing came out of nowhere. I think it was because of watersnakes at my grandparents' lake cabin. They freaked me out. And snakes just move so sinisterly. I get nauseated just thinking about it or picturing it. Ugh.
I used to like pizza! I ate it with gusto. Now, I'm just ... I don't know. It's too much. I don't enjoy it. It's so heavy and so often just mediocre. I'm just sick of it and would rather not.
That is an excellent reason to choose to take a golf class!
DeleteYeah, a lot of pizza is just mediocre. I imagine this is especially true of some of the places in the suburbs of NEO. But there is also some great pizza out there! My friends and I just discovered three new awesome pizza places during my last trip to New York.
What are some foods that you do get excited about?
I bet the pizza in NY is way better than here. I love really good pasta, especially freshly made. I get very excited if there's duck on a menu. Really, really good Chinese food makes me happy. Maryland crab, lobster...I can eat a ton of shrimp unless it's fried. And I love appetizers like calamari, burrata, brie and compotes made with something tasty like figs or apples or berries, and brussels sprouts with balsamic drizzle. Now I'm hungry.
DeleteThis is so helpful! Because I AM a new reader, so this helps me catch up.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're always cold/ hate winter - I wish I could transport you to someplace tropical! At least for half the year. I'm sure Ohio winters can be COLD.
Celebrity crush: Jim Cuddy, of Blue Rodeo fame. I met him once and it was everything I could have hoped for. I also have a thing for Gabriel Byrne.
I like some country music for sure. I enjoy some of those old school country singers, like Dolly and Kenny and Willie. I like Zac Brown and some other newer songs that my son and husband play and I have no idea who sings them, but I know all the words. (there's one that makes me tear up, Buy Dirt). Oh! And I like Before He Cheats, by Carrie Underwood, and I like Chris Stapleton. I like most genres of music though. I can bop along to most things.
I used to have a phobia of moths but I have worked through it. I have a fear of fire, which I think is a very reasonable fear to have. I don't eat meat and so that's the popular food I dislike.
Nicole--Thank you. I like Dolly Parton because she's just a wonderful person. That makes listening to her palatable to me.
DeleteI get Gabriel Byrne. Currently, I have a thing for Ted Danson (I know, he's old but he's funny!) and Jeremy Allen White. Men with large noses (and yes, Rick has a large nose).
If I were not married to a very definite carnivore, it would be my preference to be vegetarian. As it is, we eat vegetarian at least 2-3 times a week. I feel much better not eating meat, so I eat little of it.
Jim Cuddy--I just googled him. Pleasant to look at.
It makes so much sense that you considered becoming a vet. Daniel Day Lewis? I just saw him interviewed discussing his return to the big screen in his son's film. Do you plan to see it? My crush is Hugh Grant. And Ryan Reynolds. I hate Country Music. Unless we're talking about John Denver. I grew up listening to his records because my mom played them constantly. I do enjoy his music, because it takes me back to the good ole days. Otherwise, no. I do not get the obsession with country music, esp for those of us not in the country. I'm not sure if I'm deathly afraid of anything, but I get grossed out really easily and that can lead to me passing out, which I hate.
ReplyDeleteErnie--I crushed on DD-L back in the days when he looked so lovely. Now he looks ... not like that. I don't plan to see that film; maybe when it comes to a streaming service.
DeleteI like Hugh Grant, but he's a little blinky for me. Then he had that episode with the prostitute, and even though he handled it pretty smartly, it still gave me the ick. Even though I'm old enough to be his nana, I also have an illicit crush on Timothee Chalamet, but it's waning because he is involved with a Kar--shian, and that means he's kind of stupid.
I'm a fainter as well. It's awful, isn't it? I haven't done it in a while, but I really do hate it, too.
This was mostly new to me and very interesting. Team Ohio here, and also Team Real Person Who Likes A Little Privacy. I grew up with cats and love them dearly but my Husband and stepsons are allergic to them. I was always afraid of dogs until a friend's German Shepherd took a liking to me. We became dog owners by accident when my husband's ex-wife got a dog for the kids that somehow ended up becoming our dog. Because of her (the dog, not the ex) we will always be dog owners as long as we are physically able to be.
ReplyDeleteBirchie--I love cats, too, but grew up a cat hater! My family loves birds and our back yard was a bird (and bunny!) sanctuary of sorts. Any cats that prowled in were The Enemy. We often pinged their backsides with a bb gun. Can you believe it?
DeleteI love dogs so much, but I don't want to take on the kind of care that dogs require. Cats are easier. I'm glad you can still have a pet companion you love. Your dog has a great life, judging solely by your blog.
I love this list!
ReplyDeleteI hate country music, pizza meh. Love dogs, cats are okay. How did I miss that you live next door, so to speak???
G Sue--LOL! Right next door.
DeleteYou'd better love dogs, what with your crew. I already went through my Pizza Meh stage. Now I dislike it. Beware!
It was fun to read these things about you! I enjoy most country music, and most music in general. I don't like songs with swearing or offensive things said about women. I love dogs and cats and cows. I don't have a celebrity crush. I'm usually disappointed with celebrities when I see them interviewed on TV. I don't like spicy food, so Mexican is out. Or onions, or garlic, so Italian is out. I basically only like food that I make myself!
ReplyDeleteMG--You know, you can make Italian food without onions and garlic. I do it all the time. Rick cannot abide garlic, especially fresh. I SACRIFICE SO MUCH FOR THAT MAN! And you can make Mexican food without it being spicy. Or do you already do that, and you're talking about food from restaurants?
DeleteI don't mind songs with swearing; I swear a lot myself. The theory that people who swear do it because they lack sufficient vocabulary to express themselves otherwise is--and has been proven to be--baloney. I don't, however, like songs that demean women. Low threshold for that.
As you know, I also love cows! They're my favourite animal by far. If I could have a pet cow (my longtime dream), I'd have one. Cows are the best.
I’ve known you for ages and ages, but did not know 1, 3, or 15. It makes me sad that Piper will be your last cat forever. I hope to have another pet at some point, but Ted is against.
ReplyDeleteI can sometimes get into some old school country music, Loretta Lynn or Dolly Parton, but nothing current.
Is it a celebrity crush if you were once married, but divorced and are glad for it because you both are/were better off? In that case, my first husband, David Bowie.
J--I honestly cannot believe that I haven't written about the Rick and Nance Origin Story on this blog at one point. Clearly, I need to. The short version is that I had to take three phys ed classes in my freshman year of college. I chose golf for the first one because I knew I wouldn't have to change clothes, get sweaty, or have to run. And my dad liked to play golf, so I thought maybe we'd eventually go out and play together.
DeleteI do know I wrote about #3 at some point. VetMed was too full of math. I started washing out when the math got really hard. Then El-Ed was so boring. I had to get outta there. I went to my real love, English and Literature Secondary Ed. It was the best possible thing ever.
Finally, yes, I do freelance editing and writing, mostly business stuff. I haven't had anything for a bit because Economy. Lots of places are just using in-house people or just not doing anything right now; they're in a holding pattern. Or they're just not doing anything, which is obvious by the shlocky crap that's out there.
Don't be sad about Piper, please. I'm ready to be pet-free. I love him, and I very much miss Marlowe. But I am sick of cat hair and I want to be irresponsible and free.
Yes, your first celebrity husband does count, former Mrs. Bowie.
PS--We've known each other forever now, and we've even met! I cannot tell you how happy this makes me.
DeleteWell, of course, I've been reading your blog since 2006, so I knew everything on the list except:
ReplyDelete#2 — Of course, I knew your sons’ names, but… for some reason I always thought that Sam was the elder of the two. Not sure where I got that idea.
#11 — Did not know that you do not like pizza. Although that factoid is likely buried in a past post, but I never noticed it. If you wrote a whole post on pizza, then I am really slipping, lol.
Me:
— As a young girl, my celebrity crush was Gregory Peck.
As an adult… Ryan Gosling / Liam Neeson.
— No kids, sadly. Missed that boat for a lot of reasons.
— Country music: only Dolly Parton.
— I am also a recovering Catholic who is now an atheist.
— Phobias: Lots! Snakes, rats, cockroaches.
I am also terrified of heights and extremely claustrophobic.
— Popular food I dislike: Hot dogs. Yuck.
— I detest summer because: it now lasts for 6 months in Texas.
— Don’t do any freelance work currently.
— I met my husband at a bilingual Toastmasters club.
— I have lived in Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas and, of course, Spain. I just did the math, and that was: 8 houses, 1 dorm, 14 apartments and 1 condo where I’ve been now for (thankfully) the last 19 years. Moving is not currently on the horizon, although these days I would prefer a ground floor condo for health reasons.
Ortizzle--You have been with me for such a long time, friend. It's incredible.
DeleteMy dislike of pizza is relatively new. I started being sort of ambivalent about it: there's so much mediocre pizza, and honestly, pizza is just bread with some stuff on it. And it's so heavy and kind of overwhelming to me. I prefer to eat lighter foods, and pizza is so stodgy and...unrelenting. It all tastes the same, you know? Now I'm really Anti Pizza. Over it. I also dislike hotdogs.
I wonder what percentage of atheists were Catholics? I bet it's pretty high.
Oh, Gregory Peck. Who wouldn't have a crush on him? He was perfect. I can appreciate Liam Neeson, too. And I can listen to Dolly Parton simply because of who she is as a person.
I remember you having a place in Mexico? Or am I mistaken?
Luis has a small house in his home town that he inherited from his mother. It's rented out and provides a bit of extra monthly income. He also owns land just outside of Mexico City in a beautiful hillside neighborhood. He started construction on it decades ago right before he came to the States. In 2016 he went back to Mexico for about 6 months (on his own, of course, since I was working) to finish off building a house. In recent years, his cousin took over continuing it, but they altered the architectural plans to make it into a place with several bedrooms that could be rented out to students at a private posh university that's just around the block. Several months ago, Luis decided that it was becoming a real money pit and eating away at his retirement savings, so it's all on hold for now. Reminds me of the movie "The Money Pit." He's still deciding what to do with it at this point. We wanted to go to Mexico last summer to have a look at everything, but we're terrified of leaving the country right now. Luis came here on a visa, got his work permit (green card), and has been a U.S. naturalized citizen for years. BUT: He's also Mexican. The way things are going now, I would not put it past ICE to try to nab him at the airport on reentry to the U.S. —They have no shame, and are snatching up and torturing innocent Hispanics *who have citizenship* left and right. Bottom line: We're staying in the U.S. for the long haul, and God knows when we'll feel safe traveling to Mexico again. Pisses me off a lot because I was so looking forward to a really nice vacay in Mexico after I retired. Fuck Donald.
DeleteOh, my friend. My heart aches for you both. I hate that this is even on your radar. XXOO
DeleteI'm new to your blog so this was helpful! I would not have guessed you met your husband in a golf class! You do NOT strike me as someone that is interested in golf. Ha.
ReplyDeleteSo my funny celebrity crush is John Dickerson. I call him my dad crush. When I turned 40 in 2021, Phil got an autographed photo of him. His cousin's wife works for CBS in DC so she was able to arrange it. Funnily, John did not have a stock of photos of him so his assistant had to take a picture and then they laminated it once he signed it. I guess he is not getting lots of requests for autographs. I hear he is leaving CBS - I hope that means he is retiring. I just love his thoughtful analysis, especially on election nights.
I don't love country music but I used to when I was young, so I like some 90s country songs!
I am afraid of a lot of creepy, crawling things, like snakes, spiders, mice, etc. If it scurries and is fury or scaled, I'm afraid of it, generally speaking...
And I used to not eat pizza for like 20+ years but now I eat it again. Something popular I do not like is cold coffee, like cold brew or even coffee-flavored ice cream. I need my coffee piping hot!
I would love to know what your favorite books to teach were when you were an English teacher? What grades did you teach? My MIL is also a retired English teacher but she taught middle school (God bless her... but she loved teaching that age group!).
Lisa--I am definitely NOT interested in golf AT ALL. In undergrad, we had to take three classes of phys ed. I chose classes that would not make me run, make me sweaty, or make me change clothes. Golf was the first of those. I also thought that if I liked it, I could go out and play golf with my father, who loved to play.
DeleteI love your Dad Crush. There are lots of times when I find certain people attractive because of things beyond looks. I'm kind of that way with Ted Danson currently. His whole manner and sense of humour charm me.
I don't get the iced coffee thing, either! It looks and sounds like something I'd really like. I mean, I love the taste and smell of coffee, and I will eat Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream occasionally, but iced coffee is so wrong to me. It makes me shudder and feel like someone needs to heat it up.
I taught 11th grade regular English, 10th grade honours English, and Creative Writing I and II, which were classes I developed and wrote curriculum for. The latter were open to 10-11-12 graders, with preference given to 11-12 graders because it was taught at a college level. I did a stint of one year at a junior high, teaching 8th graders, and I could not wait to get back to the high school. Bless your mom; she is a special lady.
I taught American lit, and I loved teaching The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, The Old Man and the Sea, and the play The Crucible. For a while, the 10th grade curriculum included To Kill A Mockingbird, and I loved teaching that, too, so much. The students responded so well to it, and they were active in discussion, especially since I taught at a very diverse school. That's what I really miss about teaching--talking about the books I love and teaching teens how to look deeper into a book for other things that make the story even richer.
Thank you for sharing! I did not read any of those books for my HS English curriculum. I went to a tiny K-12 rural school in ND and I think my education was a bit sub-par... but it all worked out. I did read The Great Gatsby for a freshman honors English class and loved it! But then I only took one other English class in college. I was a math major so didn't need many humanities credits. When I retire, I look forward to auditing classes! I was meant to be a math major but have more passion for the humanities as an adult.
DeleteYeah, I finally figured out how to sign in to Google so I can comment. I have been reading your blog for a number of years and enjoying it very much.
ReplyDeleteI’m not recovering from any religion and I am an atheist.
I do not like country music either.
But I do like pizza. Ha ha… but I am a food alcoholic.
I have no children and that’s fine with me. I was married almost 30 years and now I am a widow for the last 12. The marriage was good in the first 2/3 not the last third. Retirement changed it.
I’ve lived in Florida most of my life, but also in North Carolina for a while.
My childhood crush was James Gardner of Maverick fame.
Not really afraid of any creature, but I do hate roaches. They give me the creeps.
Wow John Dickerson. I used to see him a lot on the news and thought he was very sexy. I was in DC one time with a friend and there he was with a couple other men standing on the corner and I thought oh my he looks even better in real life!
I’m retired and I garden and enjoy a moderate social life.
I always look forward to your blogs and now that I know how to comment you will hear more from me. Mary
Mary--Welcome to Comments! I'm glad that you'll be here and chiming in. Thank you for being a loyal reader and for the kind words.
DeleteJames Garner of Maverick and The Rockford Files! I can hear the theme music of the latter as I'm typing this. Did you know he was nominated for an Oscar?
I feel like I've missed out on the John Dickerson thing. Maybe I need to watch him and see what I'm missing.
Oh, Nance... #11 broke my heart! But with you 100% on #4, #5, #6. I did not know about #15 when I reached out to you... I would have agreed with #14 a few months ago, but something about the genre is changing, and I'm here for it.
ReplyDeleteYou must have had J and S so young!
maya--The last thing I ever want to do is break your heart, but I'm afraid that it's true, albeit relatively recent. It's just that pizza is so heavy and unrelenting. I cannot eat things like that. I get bored and full too fast. I'd rather have some really excellent bread and good olive oil.
DeleteI'm not doing any freelance work right now, and I haven't for a while, thanks to the economy. So many places are using in-house people, or they're waiting until they see How Things Are Going, or they're not doing anything at all, period (and it shows). Right now, I'm just keeping sharp by being annoyed at the fact that The New Yorker insists on using a double-S when adding word endings to the verb Focus, and this week's edition is full of it: focussed, focussing...AAARRRGGGHHH.
I was 26 for Jared and 29 for Sam. I felt almost too old when I had Sam--almost 30! We had babies earlier back then. I was getting a lot of pressure early on before we had Jared. After all, we got married at 22!
I grew up using the double-S under the British system, and still have to correct myself :). I do find the New Yorker's use of the umlaut a bit pretentious.
DeleteI suppose 26 is old enough, but how young that is in the big scheme of things...
Living in Ohio and detesting winter do not work well together. I am cold all the time, too, even here in Florida!
ReplyDeleteMartha--It is 51, cloudy, and pouring down rain here in NE Ohio right now. I am freezing. My second-string heating pad is employed (the other one has been laundered and is drying). Is the furnace on? But of course.
DeleteI'll bet you get cold in air conditioning. I do, too. Restaurants turn me into an ice cube.
Even though I think I have been following you almost from the getgo, there is always something new. Golf? And it is interesting that elementary and secondary English are two different certificates. I don't think we do it that way in Ontario. My certificate is 9 to 13 - the 13 that was dropped about twenty years ago.
ReplyDeleteMary--I think I'm going to explain the whole Golf Thing in a separate, non-listy post tomorrow. It's really befuddling my readers and the story is rather entertaining.
DeleteIn Ohio when I was teaching there were many different levels of certification. K-8 would allow me to teach only from kindergarten through 8th grade in my certified subject area. Secondary is 7-12, which let me teach junior high and high school in my certified subject area. An elementary certification was something different entirely. Now, it's very, very different, largely because they cannot get enough teachers in the classroom. There are all kinds of alternative pathways to become a licensed teacher. I'll refrain from giving my opinion about that.
I am laughing because I ate pizza for breakfast today (it was just ok). Mike and I have found that we prefer thin crust so that we can enjoy the toppings more & not get filled up on so much bread. We almost always get pepperoni, mushroom & banana peppers. But I definitely have slowed WAY DOWN on pizza consumption as I've gotten older.
ReplyDeleteBug--See! It was just ok. Why eat stuff that's Just OK? I'm done with that. Pizza around here isn't even Just OK anymore. We switched to thin crust as well, and that still didn't help. So I called it quits on pizza. I'm not eating anything I don't enjoy. I already do that enough with trying to force myself to eat a breakfasty thing lately when I don't have much of an appetite. I'm not doing it with dinner stuff too.
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this post! Since I'm a fairly new reader, it helped me get to know you even more! We definitely have a lot in common: I'm also afraid of snakes, I don't love winter, I am recovering Christian who is agnostic (close-ish), I am always cold, I love dogs, and I hate country music.
ReplyDeleteKari--Well, thank you! I could tell we had a lot in common just by reading you.
DeleteI started with agnosticism. That did not last long, relatively speaking. For me, it felt like a stop along the way.
Golf class? I had no idea, and I love knowing this.
ReplyDeleteI do like pizza! I do like country music! I don't mind non-poisonous snakes.
I hope your tiring day was due to FUN and not stress! I can't believe Theo is gonna be two soon---that escalated quickly.
BB Suz--You are a brave lady--big toads and snakes don't rattle you at all!
DeleteI can't believe Theo's going to be two either. I miss holding him and cuddling him and giving him a bottle. Lucky you--you're just getting started!
I miss my dogs but I am enjoying the freedom and reduced workload of not having any right now. Plus, I'm likely to get my granddog for an extended visit while the kids are traveling in the spring.
ReplyDeleteI was originally supposed to be a math major and then a math teacher but when I got placed in a large lecture class for calculus (which I had already taken in high school) and couldn't understand the professor, I quickly changed to English. I thought that was my second love but it was really my first love all along. But I had no desire to be an English teacher. Elementary teacher it was. For a while anyway.
I don't seek out snakes but don't freak out when I see them unless they're poisonous. I saw an art exhibit recently that was heavily snake themed and I was not amused. I much preferred the frogs and toads I saw in the preview for the art exhibit I'm seeing tomorrow. Like Mary, I also hate the creatures that being with an "r"! I don't even like to say the word. We gave Bo a creepy crawlers set years ago and he made some and put them my cereal on April Fool's Day. He's lucky I forgave him for that one!
I do love pizza but don't get to enjoy it very often because finding safe gf pizza is next to impossible and making it at home for just myself is not terribly fun.
I think Lenny Kravitz is pretty appealing. I agree with you as far as Timothee's current dalliance being a sign of stupidity. We watched A Complete Unknown together this summer and Justine kept calling it the Timmy Dylan movie and now that's stuck in my mind forever. lol
Theo at age two will be so adorable!
I've come to hate winter over the years and it's even harder to face alonedi. I'm trying to gear myself up to do firewood again this year (chimney is getting cleaned Friday) because my house is just so cold without the wood stove going plus I really detest the sound of the heat pump running nonstop outside my bedroom window.
Country music has become even more horrific over time IMHO. Talk about something that will make one agnostic or atheist, it's certainly up there. In general, I feel there is a lot of poor music currently. Not much of it really appeals to me. Any time I'm in the car, I'm listening to an audiobook these days. It's been that way for a good while. I used to listen to the radio to hear the latest hits and catch the news but I don't really want to hear the news any longer. It can't be avoided even if you're trying to avoid it to stay sane.
That's more than enough, dear. xo,
Shirley
Shirley--Dear friend. I wish your son and DIL lived in a warmer clime so that you could go and stay with them for the winter. I hate being cold in my own house as much as I hate high heating bills. This is why I have big heating pads that I employ whenever I get a chill. They are so cozy, and I don't like using a blanket/throw when I'm fully dressed.
DeleteI literally laughed out loud when I read your comment about today's country music causing atheism. That's not what did it for me, but what a terrific remark! Like you, I used to want to listen to current music, but not so much anymore. And let's not even talk about the news. All I can say is, I hope the people who wanted this are happy that they got it.
Theo is a light in my life. A brilliant one in more ways than one. So are my sons.
I wish you lived closer. XXOO