My Curious Life

I took some time this evening to catch up on my newsfeed reading, and was entertained and amused by (Shane’s) Own Drummer post. He was, in turn, inspired by WAH(web)Mommy’s How Weird Are You?

Thanks to the current chaos in my day job, an overabundance of caffeine in my system and a lack of real purpose this evening, I’m feeling like chiming in with my own weird confessions. So here goes with my own 7 weird things …

1. I have six kids.
   From three continents. Four of them adopted. Three boys, three girls. You there, stop humming the Brady Bunch theme song! Never did I ever expect to have such a large family, but once you’ve gotten past three kids, you’re screwed anyway, so why stop the insanity there. As a result, I have come to embrace the chaos and somehow thrive in the midst of it. My kids keep me young and help me appreciate all that I have. And I have seen some beautiful parts of the world thanks to the international adoptions we’ve done.
    
2. I don’t drink coffee, beer or like seafood.
   And I grew up in the Northwest. Go figure, huh? I’ll drink coffee only if I can mix some serious chocolate with it, so why not just make an awesome hot chocolate? I was scarred for life in Munich by Rauchbier, which is akin to drinking warm blended wheat and charcoal. My affinity for the sea-species has been pretty limited to bland, white fish for years, though Mr. Williams was able to get me to try a variety of sushi in San Jose. I must admit that most of it was quite tasty, but finding equivalently delectable sushi in Portland has been a challenge. Perhaps there is hope for me to live up to my Northwestern roots someday.
    
3. I decorate cakes for fun.
   I have my own Wilton decorator tip set, and the will to use it. I can tell you about buttercream frosting recipes, home-made cake fillings, and how to make frosting roses in a number of sizes. And yes, I even do those kitschy little scalloped edges, too. Both my mother and grandmother decorated cakes in their time, and both of them semi-professionally.
    
4. I love speaking in front of groups.
   Especially if it’s about something I enjoy or can teach. (BONUS: I was going to go into teaching, but got diverted when some legislation passed that killed my plans.) Yet, if you get me alone in a room, I revert to my psychology training and start analyzing posture, asking open-ended “feel” questions and try to divert attention from myself. I’m fine in small groups though.
    
5. I cry at sappy movies/TV, but not much at real life.
   I can’t explain it, I get all choked up by Dead Poet’s Society or Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, yet horrible things like 9/11 or the loss of friends and family just leave me numb. Not unfeeling, just unable to express it. Strange … perhaps even weird.
    
6. I will have no (facial) wrinkles when I’m old.
   Or at least very few. On my left side. I’ll be an excellent spokesperson for Botox or anti-aging creams. I’ll also make a great before and after snapshot. I was born with a hemangioma occupying the cavity under my left cheekbone that went unchecked until my teen years. A surgery and some other procedures later, I have little feeling on that side of my face, a quirky smirk of a smile due to nerve damage, and a re-grown tumor. C’est la vie! And to make matters even more ironic, that part of my face sweats when I should be salivating, and salivates when I should be sweating.
    
7. I have a funky number memory.
   I can recall my 8-digit library card number from gradeschool, my first 16-digit debit card number, Social Security numbers, phone numbers and all sorts of other random numbers of some relevance. Whether I want to or not. Just don’t wave your Visa near me and tell me you have some credit to spare. (Just kidding, of course!)
    

Thanks to Shane and WAH(web)Mommy for the entertainment!