Welcome to My Story. PART II

Welcome to second installation of "50 things you may not know about me". If you actually made it through the first 25 … CONGRATS! You already know more about me now than is probably legally acceptable without the filing of a restraining order. Well, here are 25 more for you to ponder. 

At the very least I hope to make you giggle, gasp, nod your head knowingly as you recognize a familiar character flaw, maybe exclaim “wow that’s pretty cool!” at least once, shrug your shoulders, cry a little perhaps, spontaneously turn to the person next to you and point at your screen shouting “ Hey! Me too!”, swear under your breath, roll your eyes,  scratch your head, laugh out loud or any combination of the above.

Feel free to comment once you’re done.

Or not. Either way. It’s ok. I won’t mind. 
(see #10 of Part I)

1. The strongest and most courageous person I know is my mom. And I think that even more every day.
   
   
2. I didn’t actually figure out what sex was until the 8th grade (if you do the math… I was 14) I was studying for a test on human reproduction. I got the whole “men provide sperm, women produce eggs from the ovaries, carry the baby,” etc etc etc. I totally understood the biology of it. I didn’t quite get the “how”. I thought that it happened in test tubes. I got HALF the question out of my mouth to my mom, when I actually LOOKED at the diagram of a man next to a woman and thought… hmmm look how neat. THAT would fit quite nicely THERE wouldn’t it? Oh. OH. OH!!! EW! You did WHAT while I was sleeping in the next room?!!
   
   
3. I like to smile at total strangers and get a smile back. It somehow makes the world seem fixable.
   
   
4. I feel absolute RAGE when flight attendants harshly tell you (or worse! wake you up by moving the seat) to put your seat in an upright position when the damn thing barely moves less than a half inch! The difference between life and death?? I THINK NOT! (Well, maybe theirs!!)
   
   
5. I have had baby birds hatch in my hands.
   
   
6. I LOVE cheese. My favorite is Parmigiano Reggiano but there isn’t anything I won’t try now. A little Chateau de Bourgogne (brie) on a French baguette? I’d have that everyday if I could.
   
   
   
   
7. I can’t watch hockey without thinking about my Dad….(often watching overtime through his eyelids.)
   
   
8. I think I am much more clever on paper (written) than I am in person. Things I write seem much funnier than when I say them out loud. I’m also not very good at telling jokes.
   
   
9. I have never ever taken someone’s job. I was always either hired into a new position, helped create a new position, or it had been vacated for some time. That’s the way I like it. AND I have never been fired. I was laid off once but rehired a few months later. Then I started working in racing where jobs were lost when sponsorship was lost and teams folded. But that’s a long story that I’ll need adult beverages to make it easier to share.
   
   
10. I took American Sign Language classes after I was laid off from a job in 2000. I continued the courses after I was rehired and still keep in touch with a lot of my deaf friends and enjoy making new ones. I’m WAY rusty now but can still keep up if they sign slowly. I first got interested in ASL because I used to watch a show called “Say it with Sign” on PBS as a kid. I think it’s a beautiful expressive language.
    
    
11. I still believe in happy endings… In movies and in life.
    
    
12. I have met and worked with a lot of “famous” people. Most are/were sports figures and some of which I am lucky enough to have them call me a friend. Pedro Martinez is still among my favorites. I was pretty geeked out to meet Jane Goodall in person. I have interviewed Alice Cooper and John Rys Davies (from Indiana Jones movies) and both made me laugh really hard! My favorite interview was hockey great Jean Beliveau. The first racecar driver I officially interviewed was the late Greg Moore in 1998. The only driver to blatantly hit on me was Jacques Lafitte (but I actually found that quite funny and charming).
    
    
13. Having a person I love take my face in their hands, look into my eyes and smile makes my knees week and my heart grow. My niece Maya was 3 years old when she first did this to me.
    
    
14. I think that if anyone hurt my sisters or my parents, I would actually be capable of murder. I am also certain that I would give my life to save theirs if I had to.
    
    
15. I love photographs. Some people have diaries… I have photos. I remember every single one I have ever taken and what it meant to me at that very moment. I have over 20,000 photos in boxes in my mom’s basement. Thank God for digital photography and exterior hard drives.
    
    
16. I will only wear perfume on special occassions but when I do it is usually only one of two: Anais Anais by Cacharel or Tuscany by Aramis. I would like to one day have a bottle of Chanel No.5. My grandmother taught me the value of perfume. Her dream was to open a perfumeria. I admit I am attracted to perfume more by the esthetic beauty of the bottle than that of the scent.
    
    
17. When I first saw the movie “Amelie Poulin” I actually felt lighter and happier knowing someone was saying it was okay to be like that.
    
    
18. I am convinced that I will one day write an incredible screenplay for a movie and win an OSCAR. I first got this notion when I was in the 6th grade. I’m going to use this line in my acceptance speech.
    
    
19. The best part of my day is going home to be greeted by a very happy wiggly dog. Dogs sure know how to tell you they missed you. I wish people would do that too!
    
    
    
    
20. I used to voice F1 race reports on Air Canada flights. I also translated & voiced 17 episodes of “Quebec a la Mouche” a fly-fishing TV show for the Outdoor Network in Canada & the US. I really liked doing voice over work.
    
    
21. I didn’t get boobs/breasts/puppies until I was 24. This was a constant source of anxiety for me through my teens and early twenties. I even did the exercises outlined in the book "Are you there God, It's me Margaret." They finally filled out (naturally) and I am very happy with how they have turned out. Really.
    
    
22. I LOVE birthdays. I believe that birthdays are THE one day you should be absolutely spoiled and pampered. You should be the center of everyone’s universe for that one day a year. 
    I love making a birthday special for people who are special to me. I write notes with riddles to where presents are hidden, make personalized cakes, favorite foods, etc etc etc. Anything to make the day amazing.
    
    The problem is… I’d love to have that done for my birthday too. While I don’t hold it against anyone, no one seems to really have the time to make the effort to do that for anyone anymore.
    
    Most real birthday celebrations seem to stop after you hit 7 years old. That’s not fair. I believe that on your birthday, the universe should give you presents too; a winning lottery ticket, a beautiful sunny day, extra love and cuddles, birthday wishes come true, the works.
    
    
23. If I find something REALLY REALLY funny... I laugh, then I snort. It’s an inherited family trait. I’ll snort and then apologize for it. Snort. Sorry. Laugh. Snort. Sorry. My friend Josh pointed that out to me years ago. He still laughs about it.
    
    
24. I don’t like the word extraordinary. Does it mean extra-ordinary or beyond ordinary?
    
    
25. I was PAINFULLY shy from birth to my mid-20s. I was afraid of people and as a result, I stammered and stuttered. All people seemed 'mean and scary' to me because quite frankly I have dealt with quite a few like that. (Yep I had bullying issue much like everyone else but I took it REALLY personally.)
    
    I finally figured out that the only way people would actually MAYBE like me is if they got to know me, if I did nice things for them, or made them laugh, or feel good. If they liked me, they wouldn’t be mean. If I was nice to them, then maybe they might actually be nice to me back.
    
    Sadly I’ve learned that isn’t always true. But I’ve also learned that it doesn’t matter. I’ve learned that it is still worth it, if only to find those that are worth getting to know because they can enrich your life so. Even if for just a moment.

That's it. That's all. Actually... That's not true. There is more. A lot more. But I'll let you recover from this first and then maybe, if you think I'm interesting enough, you'll come back for more. (If not, it's been nice. Thank you for stopping by. Happy Adventures. Hope to see you soon.)