11 Things - (The Teacher Girl Version)

I have been blogging quite a while now, and have done quite a few variations on the "tell us something about you" prompt. When two different bloggers I like and respect tagged me in the "11 Things" meme, I bit.

The "11 Things" post consists of a) writing 11 things about yourself b) answering 11 questions put to you by the person who tagged you c) writing 11 questions of your own and d) tagging 11 people to answer the questions you wrote in "c." I argue that this is a "44 things" post in the long run but I suppose that is splitting hairs!

The first person to tag me was Teacher Girl. This is her "11 things" post.  

Before we get to those 11 (not-so) fascinating facts about me that I promised, here are the rules:

The Rules

You must post these rules.

Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.

Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.

Go to their page and tell them you linked him or her.

No tag backs.

No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." You have to legitimately tag 11 people.

11 Things About Me

1.  If my Sag Harbor Jacket and Counterpart pants from Beall's outlet (among other things) wouldn't make me the extreme outlyer, I would go to the Tallahassee Drake Concert on February 24.

2.  Cool people I have met in addition to meeting Kit* from Blogging Dangerously (just online of course) include former President Jimmy Carter.

3.  Kit, via tweet, also suggested cool places I have been. I'll go with:
a) ziplining over a former poultry farm turned into ziplining adventure course in Lula, Georgia
b) Lake Atitlan in Guatemala
c) Onstage as "part of the show" at Xanadu on Broadway

4.  The reason my "big" goal for 2012 (as it was in 2011, 2010, and 2009) is to run a 5K in less than 30 minutes is that in 1995, I ran a "novelty" run that was celebrating Florida's sesquicentennial. The run was from somewhere in Central Florida to the Capitol, Tallahassee. Groups of runners had mile segments. I attested that I could run a 10-minute mile when I registered. Whatever the actual timing was, I know that the rest of my group was a lot faster than me and I held up traffic on Highway 41, with law enforcement trailing me, while I slogged in way behind them. That did not feel good.

5.  It may be a sign that instead of immediately worrying about whether Wayne Kevin is playing too much MW3, I thought, "where can I fit that into the blog?" when my son called these palm trees with protective barriers against the construction around them "C4 trees" because they look like they have C4 explosive attached to them.

6.  My Spanish is probably a little better than I give myself credit for but I have a very long way to go. I would love to do a Spanish immersion program.

7.  I lost the county spelling bee when I was in middle school by misspelling the word "yacht" (I spelled it yaght).

8.  I am pretty much endlessly amused/mystified by signs and explanations on packaging - misspellings, weird logic, you name it. For example, why does Weight Watchers feel the need to instruct the consumer to return the 2nd tray to the freezer?

9.  I love dancing - closest I come these days is blasting the music station on Friday nights coming home from Skate World with my son and him Shazaming the lyrics. Fun but not the same.

10. I had braces .... finally ...... when I was 41. Still glad I did it.

11. I don't talk politics on Twitter.

My responses to Teacher Girl's questions:


1. If you could be any character from a book, who would you be and why?

Anne Frank, from Diary of a Young Girl, because she persevered in her optimism in spite of it all. And dealt with it through writing.

2. If you were going to move anywhere in the world, where would it be?

This is a no brainer all the way. Manhattan. Manhattan. Manhattan.

3. What is something embarrassing that happened to you that you now think is funny?

I'm not sure if I should go here. If you don't want PG+-rated, skip to question 4. When I was in college, I had a water skiing trip to Tennessee coming up with my boyfriend. Some friends of mine offered to teach me how to ski, on Lake Jackson here in Tallahassee. I was having my, um, "monthly visitor." When I was being pulled in after many ski attempts, I discovered just how strongly you contract your inner thigh muscles when you are trying to learn how to ski ..... because the item that had been, um, "interior," was now stuck on my back. Fortunately I grabbed it and threw it into the water before anyone could see but I have never forgotten that incident ..... nor how much inner thigh strength it takes to ski.

4. What do you do when you have "nothing to do?"

A) sleep B) read C) marvel at the fact I have "nothing to do"

5. What was the last book you read?

I am reading Pride and Prejudice on the Kindle I got for Christmas. I really can't believe I am just now reading it. It is slow going, though. I hardly ever have an opportunity to read (see 4(c) above). On audio, I am listening to The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.

6. What are the top 5 songs on your playlist right now?

I don't have just 1 playlist but let me try to cobble something together:
Here's what's on my iPod:
Motiontraxx 180 BPM Lightning Tempo Mix
And except for The Paris Wife, that's it for my iPod - we are having computer issues at home so I have had some iPod transfer issues.
Four other "audio" things that rock my world, though, are:
Any RunRunLive podcast
Guitar music by Alex Pinto
If You're Not the One by Daniel Bedingfield (old, sentimental, favorite)
Defying Gravity from Wicked

7. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Not enough. But the answer (if we're just counting stuff I actually wear, not old castaways in the closet) is maybe 15. My running shoes are my absolute most critical. I am also considering going shoeless for the day on April 10 for the One Day Without Shoes campaign. I guess it won't matter that day.

8. Never have I ever...

Finished a 5K in less than 30 minutes (yet)

9. If _____ showed up at my door...

Tenley Albright showed up at my door I would be so ecstatically happy because I want my daughter (named after her) to meet her.

10. What is something you are afraid of?

Dying in debt. Never getting out of debt. Debt.

11. Tell me something wonderful that happened to you this week (or month, ya know, if it has been a bad week).

I got invited (as did 100% of the world's population) to join Luau on September 16, 2012, for the Boston 13.1 as a part of the Autism Speaks team. And when I mentioned it to my spouse, he wisely said .... an answer that did not include the word "no"! (Luau's post is here.)

My 11 questions.

1.  This Daily Good piece discusses selflessness, altruism, and perspective. As an example, it cites Tim Tebow's generosity in inviting people in need to his games in Denver, and the ways in which he extends himself off the field. The post asks, "What is your privilege?" and encourages you to share it with someone who would benefit from it, who wouldn't otherwise have access to it. What is your privilege?

2.  This Daily Good piece shares three parables that "give perspective." What parable or story gives you perspective?

3.  This Harvard Business Review article talks about the challenge of reinventing yourself, using Margaret Thatcher's career as an example. The author says, "Thatcher's story is ours as well. We might see the need to evolve, but towards what? When the formula is working, how do we determine the shifting point? How do we come to value the polar opposite of everything by which we have defined ourselves? Have you faced a shifting point in your life? Any advice from that time?

4. Another great question from the HBR article referenced above is this: What is your dark side and do you like it?

5. This iJourney.org piece by David W. Hawkins says, "High power, like high voltage, must be handled with respect." Have you seen high power abused? Had it and lost it? Tell me more.

6.  Yes, I do like Daily Good! You gotta go with what works. In this article, Richard Whittaker talks about his quest to interview architect Paolo Soleri, who reportedly did not do interviews anymore. What was a time a door was closed to you but you decided to go for it anyway and hope "the way would open for you"? 

7.  I didn't take all of my questions from Daily Good. This post from Raising Happiness talks about body image in relationship to advertising. What are your thoughts on body image and how far would you go to change your body?

8.  Another Daily Good post talks about how teamwork can foster creativity. Talk about a time that a group you were in "felt the flow" - especially if egos "blended."

9. Some of my favorite food memories involve eating a common food in an uncommon place, such as the gyros that I ate with my niece and her friend when we were in Chicago. It was just a mall food court, and we had eaten other "nicer" places on the trip, but the conversation was so good that the gyros felt like fine cuisine. Do you have a similar memory?

10. Would you rather have someone recognize you fomally in public, or informally and in private?

11. Are tattoos right for you? If so, tell us about what you have/want to get?

My 11 Tags:

Jennifer at Run for the Boys

Arnebya at What Now and Why

Karen and Gerard at Right Where We Belong

Susan of Susan Fields

Velva of Tomatoes on the Vine

Robin of From the Ashes Yoga

Sara and Abe of Two in Tally

Amy of 365 Thru Amy's Eyes

Liesl of Mama's Log

Jessi of Breathe Easy

Ginger of (Not) Just Another Mom of Twins

*Kit earned her way onto my 11 Things list by responding to my tweet about what I should say for my "11 things about me." I am sucking up to her because she's in charge of #wineparty on Twitter and oh, the power that gives!!