7 Things You Don't Know About Me

[agt_spooky]

I was tagged to do this challenge on Facebook then decided it would be fun to post here on LJ, too!

7 Things You Don't Know About Me challenge. Hmm…what can I tell you guys?

1. I have always, always, always wanted to play the drums. Signed up for band when I was in grade school. Parents said I had to play the flute. I said no way. And that was the end of my band career! Still want to play the drums, though.

2. I'm a total believer in extraterrestrial life on other planets. It's naive to think we're the only life in the entire universe. I wear my "I Want To Believe" shirt proudly!

3. Vancouver, Canada is my most favorite place in the whole world. I'd live there in a heartbeat if I could.

4. I won my entire wedding (including a honeymoon in Barbados) through a radio contest. My parents only had to pay for the reception. You've never seen two happier people.

5. I'd give anything to quit my day job and become a professional photographer. Or a baker. Or a writer. Or an FBI agent.

6. I'm a roller coaster fanatic/adrenaline junkie. I've traveled all over to go on the biggest and fastest that's out there. I also zip-line off the tops of mountains. And go white water rafting.

7. One of my favorite hobbies is going to conventions to meet my favorite actors and actresses. I've been all over the country (and to Canada). Some women spend their money on clothes and shoes. I spend mine on autographs and photo ops, which make for some amazing memories.


Now YOU guys do this! Let's get to know each other even better!

Comments

[violateraindrop]

1! I had piano lessons for 10 years and learned as much as other people do in 2 or 3 years. I had a friend who only had real lessons for half a year and was way better than me. So when another friend of mine told me she wanted to learn how to play drums, I jumped at the chance, quit the piano and had every intention of learning to play drums. It never worked out :/

I love roller coasters! It's something I share with my father, so we visit at least one park every year, although the last couple of years we always went to the nearest, which I love, twice a year. People probably think it's weird that I'm 25 and still do that with my father, but honestly, why shouldn't I? The two or three times I went with friends were also fun, but obviously it's way easier to charm my father into riding a certain coaster! I really want to visit the US some day and that definitely includes going to a park to ride a roller coaster. Funny thing is, I always get super nervous before trying a new one, even though I KNOW I'll like. It's part of the experience I guess.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

So when another friend of mine told me she wanted to learn how to play drums, I jumped at the chance, quit the piano and had every intention of learning to play drums. It never worked out :/

What is it with the drums?? LOL!

I love roller coasters! It's something I share with my father, so we visit at least one park every year,

Oh my gosh, same here! It’s my dad that got me into coasters and he was always my favorite person to go to amusement parks with. So I totally understand where you’re coming from. :-)

I really want to visit the US some day and that definitely includes going to a park to ride a roller coaster.

You MUST go to Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio. No other park in the States has as many coasters as they do. It’s my favorite park, hands down!

Funny thing is, I always get super nervous before trying a new one, even though I KNOW I'll like. It's part of the experience I guess.

LOL! Me, too! But it’s that thrill of anticipation that makes it even better. :-)

[violateraindrop]

I googled the park and it looks awesome! It's also super cheap compared to the prices in Germany, although I suspect lodging and food is more expensive.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Cedar Point is fantastic! I've been going there since I was a kid and they keep adding more and more amazing coasters. The hotel prices around there aren't bad at all. The food is a little pricey because they've got you trapped inside the park. But it's good food!

I was at Europa Park in Germany several years ago and really enjoyed myself. We were only there for a day, but I could've spent several there, easy. I hope to go back one day!

[violateraindrop]

they've got you trapped inside the park
That's so true for all parks! Disneyland in Paris is really bad. The food was very expensive and didn't even taste good.

Europa Park is great! I've always spend two or three days there ;)

[bluewolf458.livejournal.com]

1) I'm with you on extraterrestrial life. Any planet in a habitable orbit of a star has to have developed life, maybe technologically intelligent, maybe not, but considering the size of the universe, a lot of planets have to have developed life. Not sure I believe in the feasibility of spaceflight to other solar systems, though.

2) I'd zip-line (I think) and I'd consider white-water rafting (I've participated in a couple of airbed races on rivers here) but no way would I go on a roller coaster; they don't have brakes (that I'm aware of)!

3) I would like to try parachuting, but there's nowhere near here where I could; and I'd love to have learned to fly, but for practicality had to settle for learning to drive...

4) I've given up on conventions (other than GMOH) - there aren't many in the UK now anyway - but I used to love them.

5) I'm not particularly musical - had piano lessons for years and was never much good. I could never absolutely synchronise my hands; my left hand always hit the keyboard a nanosecond before the right.

6) But while I've never used the qualification, I *am* qualified to do speech training. I've done a little amateur stage work over the years, though, which I suppose has made some use of it.

7) I'd have liked a job in biological research, but after I passed all the biology exams at school (with good marks) I discovered that I'd been misadvised; I should have taken chemistry/physics to get a BsC and gone on from there into biology. I suspect my head teacher did that deliberately; he didn't really believe in girls doing academic work apart from teaching. So I ended up in teaching by default.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

but no way would I go on a roller coaster; they don't have brakes (that I'm aware of)!

LOL! They have brakes! Granted, they’re pretty much only used at the end of the ride. ;-)

3) I would like to try parachuting

That’s one thing that I’m only interested in doing at the indoor facility we have here. But it is really, really expensive for literally 30 seconds of flight.

4) I've given up on conventions (other than GMOH)

I’m so jealous that you guys still get to see Garett. I keep waiting for the new Moonridge Zoo to open (yeah, been waiting for that for the last 6 years!) and hopefully he’ll be there again so I can go see him.

I should have taken chemistry/physics to get a BsC and gone on from there into biology. I suspect my head teacher did that deliberately; he didn't really believe in girls doing academic work apart from teaching. So I ended up in teaching by default.

Wow! What a jerk! I mean, he completely put you on a different path in life because of what HE believed in.

[bluewolf458.livejournal.com]

LOL! They have brakes! Granted, they’re pretty much only used at the end of the ride. ;-)

I thought there was something on the line near the end of a ride that caught and slowed the thing. :-)

he completely put you on a different path in life because of what HE believed in.

In fairness, it was 1950, and at that time the idea of females in certain jobs was - well, unthinkable for a man who was certainly older than my father, who was born in 1906. It was a reflection of attitudes prior to WW2 (and for some years after) when the general feeling still was that women's primary job was to look after the house and kids (when my parents got married in the early 30s my father said that no wife of his was ever going to have to work) and it's really only in the last few years that women have been considered for certain jobs. (Yes, women held down certain jobs during the war, and when the war ended the women were o-u-t to give work to the men.)

Hell, I'm reflecting that attitude when I... well, think it wrong for a married woman to be expected to get a job (and then use most of her wages to pay someone else to look after her pre-school-age kids). (Fair enough to get a job if Gran is available to baby-sit.) Once the kids are at school, yes... At the same time, how much of that stems from my feelings of having been abandoned by my mother when I was evacuated in 1939/40? I'd guess quite a lot...

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I thought there was something on the line near the end of a ride that caught and slowed the thing. :-)

LOL! Oh my gosh no! Though that could be a really interesting ride...

In fairness, it was 1950, and at that time the idea of females in certain jobs was - well, unthinkable for a man who was certainly older than my father, who was born in 1906. It was a reflection of attitudes prior to WW2

Very true. Everything needs to be put into perspective, for sure. I’m certainly glad times, and attitudes, have changed!

Hell, I'm reflecting that attitude when I... well, think it wrong for a married woman to be expected to get a job (and then use most of her wages to pay someone else to look after her pre-school-age kids).

I’m kind of in agreement with this. My mom didn’t work after I was born (and then my sister). She didn’t go back to work until I was getting ready to graduate high school and we needed money to send me to college. It was nice to have her home when most of my friends didn’t have a stay at home mom.

There are several women who I work with who have young children who don’t really want to be a mother. They want to have the image of a perfect family (husband, wife, 2.5 kids and a dog) but don’t want to actually raise them. So they work and send the kids off to day care. That really upsets me. Especially when their husbands make really good money and they don’t have to work.

[bluewolf458.livejournal.com]

There's a subtle difference between wanting to work and being expected to, even when you have kids. Even during WW2, mothers of school-age children (certainly under 12) were exempt from having to do war work (though many did voluntary work of some kind during the school day). Now, though, the government is bleating about getting married mothers back to work... with someone else paid to look after the kids. 'Course, that means the Exchequer pulls in more from PAYE...

[tracys-dream.livejournal.com]

That is so cool you won your wedding and honeymoon - how wonderful.
I always wanted to play the guitar but can barely play the keyboard, lol.
I would love to be able to sing, but sadly cannot. I couldn't live without music, it really does feed my soul.
I love the beach but don't really get the opportunity to go. When I was younger I lived near the coast but now I'm nowhere near it and I still miss it.
I would love to be a professional photographer too and after going to my first convention in July 2013 I know what you mean. Meeting Norman Reedus (and Sean Clark) was one of the best experiences of my life.
I love to read h/c Spn fanfic, which I read on my phone in bed each night.
Once I like an actor I have to see and usually own everything they've done and I'm currently working my way through Ryan Gosling's movies.
I love the sky and taking photos of it, as it's never the same.
And when I was born I only weighed 2 pounds and 2 ounces. :)

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I couldn't live without music, it really does feed my soul.

Same here! Been singing in choirs since I was a kid (since I can’t play an instrument) and I constantly listen to music at work and in the car.

after going to my first convention in July 2013 I know what you mean. Meeting Norman Reedus (and Sean Clark) was one of the best experiences of my life.

And it becomes completely addicting to want to keep going to them!

Once I like an actor I have to see and usually own everything they've done and I'm currently working my way through Ryan Gosling's movies.

You sound like me! I’ve done that with Jensen, Connor Trinneer, Scott Bakula and Ewan Mc Gregor. :-)

And when I was born I only weighed 2 pounds and 2 ounces. :)

Oh my god! You were definitely a miracle baby!

[tracys-dream.livejournal.com]

:)

[vala3.livejournal.com]

Funny, I attempted to play flute and the band instructor finally asked me if I wouldn't be better off as a baton Twiller.
I am right with you on et's. Too many other places and we aren't the end all.
I have too many "favorite places'. Loved Maine (only in the summer though).
I love roller coasters and white water rafting as well. Would love to do a zip line.
I was lucky that I did really enjoy my stint as an anesthetist and also like to do my art work on the side. Did a lot of old STTOS fanzine art. Paint, draw, ink and even did sculpture in the past.
Would love to do more traveling, especially Greece, Italy and the south of France.
Enjoy eating at gourmet and fine dining restaurants and try to go to as many as I can. Some aren't well known or recognized as such, but they exist.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Funny, I attempted to play flute and the band instructor finally asked me if I wouldn't be better off as a baton Twiller.

I was a baton twirler when I was a kid! LOL! Won a few ribbons and marched in a few parades. :-)

Would love to do more traveling, especially Greece, Italy and the south of France.

You and my husband would make great traveling companions!

[pattrose.livejournal.com]

Barb, are you going to Connexions? I don't know if that's how you spell it or not. I wondered what type of panels they have and some other questions when you have a minute. If you're familiar with that one.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I’ve actually never been to Connexions. I designed a shirt for them one year but never had a chance to go. I’ve heard very nice things about it, though!

[aerynsun5.livejournal.com]

Always love to hear the interesting things you like.

1) I've sung in every prison and state mental health facility in Alabama, and some in Georgia and Florida with my church youth choir. :) I've also sung in dozens of churches and schools, as well as choirs in high school and college. I have a couple of solos on albums (though these were only my church choir). I haven't sung with a group for about 30 years, and am really sorry I stopped. I croak like a frog now. Singing was one of the most important things in my life, and I'm not sure how I gave it up.

2) My first celebrity crush was David McCallum on The Man from UNCLE. That went on for years, and I still have a very warm spot in my heart for him. I even fantasized about becoming secret agent, until I had my first knew surgery at 20 and found out my pain threshold was pretty much zero. If the bad guys tried to torture me, I'd give it up in seconds.

3) My guilty pleasure is hot stone massages, at least an hour, preferably 90 minutes. This was a total surprise to me.

4) Some of my favorite go-to writers are Walker Percy, Jane Austen, PG Wodehouse, Ann Patchett, Ellen Gilchrist and EF Benson (I'm a total Luciaphile. On one of my trips to England, I made a special point of going to Rye, aka Tilling, just so I could see where the Mapp and Lucia books were set.).

5) I love to travel to Europe, but I love, love, love road trips by myself in the US. I like to have a rough plan, then stop every 30 minutes if something looks interesting, or drive for hours if nothing strikes my fancy. This is hard to do if you're traveling with someone else. I'm excellent company, and I have a high tolerance for it. :)

6) My least favorite household chore is taking out the trash, recycling and compost. I don't know why, it just seems so hard.

7) I didn't know about fan fic until I saw "Monster at the End of this Book." I started reading on ff.net, because Google said that was the biggest, but I noticed that some writers said they were also posting on LJ. That's how I found my way here, and it's one of the most satisfying things I've ever done. It's my happy place and I love the friends I've made here. I spend a ridiculous amount of time here; ask my untidy house.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

1) I've sung in every prison and state mental health facility in Alabama, and some in Georgia and Florida with my church youth choir. :)

That is way freaking cool. :-) Not many choirs I know would sing in places like that! I, too, love to sing. Was in every choir from grade school through high school, then my church choir while in college. I really miss it, too!

2) My first celebrity crush was David McCallum on The Man from UNCLE. That went on for years, and I still have a very warm spot in my heart for him.

So funny you say this! One of our local TV stations randomly started showing UNCLE from the beginning a few weeks ago. So many of my friends are huge fans, so I decided to check it out. My, my but Illya was a handsome man!

On one of my trips to England, I made a special point of going to Rye, aka Tilling, just so I could see where the Mapp and Lucia books were set.).

I hear you! While I was in Baltimore I made sure to visit as many Edgar Allen Poe sites as possible.

5) I love to travel to Europe, but I love, love, love road trips by myself in the US.

Wow, that’s so interesting! I don’t know many people who like to travel alone.

7) I didn't know about fan fic until I saw "Monster at the End of this Book."

Get out! Seriously? I guess I tend to forget not everyone has been reading fic for at least 20 years like I have. Glad it led you here to LJ!

[donelbo.livejournal.com]

Interesting stugg ;).

But I did know #2, #3, #5 and #7.
I had no idea about #4 ... that's pretty awesome!!!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Yep, at least my marriage got off to a great start! LOL!

[mousedm.livejournal.com]

Okay, here goes

1) No musical aspirations at all. Played the piano as a child and hated it. Loved playing all sports especially cricket and judo! Am now a third Dan black belt in Taekwondo.

2) I loved astronomy and am fascinated by everything to do with the cosmos. I cannot believe that there are a hundred billion galaxies and a hundred billion stars in each of them without life. You bet there are other lifeforms out there!

3) Visited Vancouver two years ago and totally fell in love with it - although I also love most of the Northwestern cities - Portland and Seattle are also wonderful.

4) Never won anything in my life!

5) Absolutely love my day job - except it doesn't pay anything. I home school my kids and couldn't be happier.

6) Love roller coasters, though can't afford to go that often. Love zip lines and high ropes courses. Not quite as fond of things on water although I've gone white water rafting several times as my husband loves it.

7) Never been to a convention, although I would dearly love to do so, but I don't live in an area where there is a lot of activity and my husband doesn't understand the appeal or support the expense. However, I did go up to watch White Collar filming twice and met and chatted with TIm DeKay - whoot!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Am now a third Dan black belt in Taekwondo.

Damn, I’m impressed! I can do yoga. Does that count? ;-)

I also love most of the Northwestern cities - Portland and Seattle are also wonderful.

Same here. I’d live anywhere in the pacific northwest if I could.

5) Absolutely love my day job - except it doesn't pay anything. I home school my kids and couldn't be happier.

Aww, what a rewarding job!

However, I did go up to watch White Collar filming twice and met and chatted with TIm DeKay - whoot!

My jealousy knows no bounds over that! You lucky woman, you!