25 Things

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you and post it. At the end, choose 5 people to be tagged. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

Thanks, Gerard! Thus…

1. I’m a leftie.

2. I’m an INTJ, which probably explains why I’m not entirely comfortable fulfilling this task.

3. My favorite color is grey. No, not gray, grey…

4. I have a Snowshoe Siamese cat named Claire Monet. It’s really annoying when I take her to the vet and they file her information under my last name; she has her own.

5. I was raised loosely Roman Catholic, but I wasn’t baptized until I was six, so I got to pick my church; I chose St. Nicholas in Gdansk, which was built in the 14th century.

6. Growing up, I was an only child. My sister was born when I was almost 16 and, a few years ago, we learned that we have an older brother. So, I’m actually a middle child who acts like a princess.

7. When I was 19 and my sister 3, I threw a fit because she got a Paddington bear for Christmas, so I ended up getting one, too.

8. I played the tuba in Band for a while. Yeah, that’s right…

9. I’ve had at least one cup of coffee every day since I was 14, except for one really, really bad day about ten years ago, when I slept for 40 hours straight.

10. Remember those red/blue 3D pictures back in the 80s? They’re called anaglyph images, and I can’t see them. My eyes can’t process the effect.

11. When I was a kid, I wanted to become an architect. Nowadays, I’m happy circling around issues of architecture and being friends with grumpy architects.

12. I once jumped off the garage roof holding an umbrella; I didn’t break anything, but I got in trouble anyway.

13. I’m at least a fourth-generation urbanite so, if I sometimes come off as arrogant or presumptuous, it’s because that sense of urban entitlement courses through my veins.

14, I don’t know how to drive. There’s no reason why I couldn’t learn; it just never happened. I’m really good with public transit, though.

15. I’ve been to six motor sports events — Indy 500 [twice], motorcross, sprint cars, monster trucks, and a tractor pull.

16. When I went off to college in upstate New York, I thought the rest of the state was Westchester. But, no, there are cows and farmers and plenty of people who don’t care about the city. Who knew?

17. Another shock came during my one and only cross-country road trip, when I learned that you get on 80 in Erie, PA and get off in Oakland. It’s too damn simple.

18. I was 19 when I first experienced a suburban subdivision. “Shock and awe” might describe my reaction.

19. I’ll eat anything; the craziest thing I’ve ever eaten was a deep-fried cow brain sandwich. It was really good.

20. Over the years, I’ve been told that I look like Molly Ringwald, Winona Ryder, Parker Posey, and Angelina Jolie. I don’t think these comparisons would help you recognize me on the street.

21. I’m really accident-prone; I’ve had three on-the-job injuries over the years: a concussion, a torn ligament, and a busted back. Imagine if I were, say, a construction worker instead of a graphic designer?

22. I was really homesick while I lived in California, so a friend took me to Noah’s Bagels, where I burst into tears over their steamed bagels, “shmears,” and fakey-fakey NYC/Jewish references. Sorry, not everything’s better on the West Coast.

23. My first concert was Yngwie Malmsteen at L’amour. Yngwie who? Yngwie fucking Malmsteen, that’s who.

24. My coolest brush with fame was meeting Joey Ramone at CBGB, when I was in high school. I was so flabbergasted that I called him “Mr. Ramone, sir” which, in turn, left him speechless.

25. I’m in this video. If you blink, you’ll miss me.

And now it’s my turn to tag five innocent bloggers! Here are my victims:

Anne of Wit, Wisdom & Food, whose once-excellent food blog has lapsed in recent months
Craig of Cinemasparagus, an esoteric cinemacentric blog
David of 12th & Republic, who writes among the mad and marginal
Danielle of Generous Adventure, whose blog touches on art, design, and nature
Matthew Gavin Walsh, whose blog is an ongoing experiment with analog typography, illustration, and doodles

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