Tagged!

I was tagged! I don’t really know what it means, but I’m honored. Sadly, I have no one to tag after me… my brother, perhaps? His blog seems all business-y though, not really appropriate for this sort of thing. Anyway, Caroline over at Brain Scramble tagged me to list seven random things about myself. Here goes…

1. I worked (off and on) for nearly 6 years at the Golden Arches and still think back on it fondly. Yes, fondly. There was something that I liked about the order. I got to prepare the deposits and count down the cash drawers. Picture Scrooge here: sorting money, making sure all the bills point the same way (I still do this, whether it’s money in my wallet or out with friends settling a tab), counting stacks multiple times. Sometimes I wonder whether quitting finance was such a good idea seeing as I have a great love of sitting amidst piles of money. I also got to open the store a lot and it was so nice to be able to set up in the morning and have everything nicely organized and stocked. I think I have some control issues here SDER (self-directed eye roll).

2. I went to Lithuania when I was in high school as part of an exchange trip. I also got to see St. Petersburg, Russia and Vienna, Austria on that trip. It was such a great experience and one I hope to be able to do again someday. I am sad that I lost touch with my host family (whose daughter we hosted here in the US the year before). I wonder about them often.

3. I have acrobatic fantasies. Oh, come on here people, this is a family blog!!! Get your minds out of the gutter. I simply mean that in my fantasy abilities I am variably a gymnast, figure skater, or ski jumper… even–despite my fear of water–a high-diver. I have serious doubts about my agility or ability to do any of these things, but in my fantasies I defy gravity regularly.

4. I have an odd love affair with my alma mater. What’s odder is that most people from my school seem to share this love affair. I assumed all people felt this way about the colleges they graduated from. But from what I’ve seen, many don’t. College was something to do for four years or it was a way to get their degree in a chosen field. For us it was something that seeped into our bones and calls us back with its siren’s song.

5. Despite my ardent love for my undergrad institution I still feel wistful that I did not attend McGill. I often wonder how I could end up there. I looked at their med school (need to boost the GPA), nursing school (need to be able to speak French fluently as judged by the Province, which has standards even native speakers don’t necessarily meet), and business school (oh, yeah, I don’t really have any desire to get an MBA) at various points over the years.

6. Speaking of McGill, I want to find out if I am a Canadian citizen. According to their rules (born outside Canada to a parent who was born in Canada) it appears that I am. But that seems far too simple! I need to send in my proof of citizenship form and see what happens. I have no idea what I would do differently if I knew that I was, in fact, an authentic Canadian, but it seems like something cool to know.

7. I am a grammar and spelling fiend. It takes me forever to write things because of this. I am catty when I see people misuse words or punctuation (though not to anyone’s face). Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style is one of my favorite books ever and I think it should be mandatory annual reading for English students from, say, grade 9 on.

If anyone wants to play, just post a link in the comments section.