What Do You Know? Part 2

About me...

Due to popular moderate demand: more things you didn't want to know about me.

I apologize in advance...it takes an alarming turn at the end. But I am too lazy to rewrite it.

51. My reaction to spiders and other creepy-crawlies varies depending on where I am. Outside=not such a big deal. That is where they belong. Inside=they do not belong and must be smited.

52. I love camping. My family has a cabin and land on a lake, and I always sleep in my tent at the campgrounds.

53. Even during storms. The only time I "wimped out" and headed for the cabin during a bad storm was when my tent campanion(s) couldn't take it any more.

54. To my knowledge, I have never been stung by a bee.

55. I was stung by a wasp once. In the eyelid. I closed my eye just in time.

56. My brother and sister stumbled into a wasp's nest once when they were about 8 and 3 years old, respectively. He left her there and ran away.

57. The cousin who broke his leg skiing was drowning frogs in the lake once. When I found out, I ran down to the lake. He jumped in with another frog, and I jumped in after him, fully clothed. That frog survived.

58. That cousin is a year older than me and his mom used to babysit me, so we had almost a sibling rivalry during our childhood.

59. I kinda like to fish. I just don't like to catch anything.

60. My dad used to hunt (it's a requirement in northern Wisconsin, I think) until he shot a deer but didn't kill it. He tracked the blood for hours, but never found the deer. He hasn't hunted since.

61. He eats venison, though, so I view any sausage he gives me with suspicion.

62. My mom says the first time she saw my dad cry was when I was born. I assume they were happy tears.

63. I was born in Wisconsin. My brother was born in Minnesota. My sister was born in Illinois.

64. I am pretty close to both of them. They are not close to each other.

65. When my parents want to know what is going on with the other two kids, they call me. Even though the four of them live in the same house.

66. My sister stole my car when she was 15 years old. She left a note that she was running away to Mexico.

67. The car was back the next day, but she wouldn't come home until I promised not to kill her.

68. She's still alive. But I moved out of my parents' house a couple weeks later. I haven't gone back.

69. My mom thinks my sister might be a lesbian because she doesn't date much. I just think she's shy. She used to be obsessed with Brad Pitt...so it could go either way.

70. When Mom asks what I think, I always say, "Who cares if she is?"

71. Because who cares if she is.

72. I think Mom should be careful what she wishes for...she wanted grandkids and she got two of them, but their mother is Satan. Now their father is broke and living back at home. But Mom keeps pushing her daughters to have kids anyway.

73. My dad really likes Corvettes. Specifically, the 1973 Stingray. If I win the lottery, that is the first thing I'll buy.

74. Dad used to read car magazines to me when I was little. I have pictures.

75. I could read before I got into kindergarten. They had a hard time keeping my attention.

76. I remember reading "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" to my maternal grandfather. Like a lot of kids, I confused the "ch" sound for "sh." He tried to correct me but I insisted I was right. It wasn't until several years later I realized why he was laughing.

77. I liked school, but mostly for the social aspect of it. I was bored most of the time in class. I got "As" in the classes that were interesting and challenging...from grade school to college. I got "Bs" and occasional "Cs" in the rest. I didn't study for a test until college. I could regurgitate the classroom lectures well enough to pass.

78. I tutored other students and they would get better grades than me. It didn't bother me.

79. You can't teach history by ramming dates and facts down students' throats. They won't retain it and it won't mean anything to them. Half the history teachers should be teaching math. Most of them are coaches biding their time between football games. People who hate history had bad teachers.

80. I really like museums.

81. And zoos.

82. My great-grandfather's fishery is part of the National Park Service. I think that is very cool.

83. The plaque outside the fishery has a drawn picture of the three brothers. My great-grandma didn't think the picture of my great-grandpa looked anything like him. Everyone else thought it looked exactly like him.

84. One of my favorite pictures is of my great-grandma, my grandma, my mom, and me. The entire maternal line.

86. It irritates the heck out of me that the University of Iowa and Iowa State University have the same fight song. A little imagination, people?

87. When I went to the University of Iowa, I was almost always in the front row of the student section for home football games. It takes planning and speed to get there.

88. I almost always overslept for my French class, however.

89. Not sure how I passed it. I missed more than 50% of the classes. The T.A. hated me.

90. I have a favorite bartender. He's been my favorite ever since my 21st birthday. I'm nothing if not loyal.

91. I used to see him a lot. Now I don't see him very often. Alcoholism is an expensive hobby.

92. Ask my brother.

93. No, I am not an alcoholic. But I felt like I was getting close 4-5 years ago. So I changed.

94. I don't smoke, by the way. My parents did until a few years ago. My brother and sister do.

95. The spider-killer from # 50 should be a non-smoker.

96. And have a sense of humor.

97. Unmarried. You'd be surprised how often that becomes an issue. To be clear...not married to anyone else. Legally divorced, widowed, or never wed.

98. Mechanical aptitude a plus.

99. Ability to remember my birthday when I talk about it for a month in advance would be good.

100. Must be able to tolerate a large, drunken family from Wisconsin. They're good people, really. Did I mention I have six uncles on one side? They're a little protective but if you're worthy, we'll all love ya forever. :-)

(Hmm. This became more of a personals ad at the end there. Sorry. I shouldn't have been reading the comments to the first fifty as I wrote this.)

Posted by Jennifer at September 15, 2003 07:50 PM