25 Completely Random Things About Me

From my Facebook page:

Today at 12:46pm

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. Sorry if this is obnoxious(kind of like a chain-letter), but today it's a snow day and I figured it would might be fun. If I tagged you it’s because I you're an old friend that will cut me some slack or I wish that I'd kept up with better.

1) Attempting to do this on a snow day while the kids are home and awake is probably a bad idea.

2) I hated to read as a kid and my parents for a time would force me to read for at least half an hour a day. The irony is not lost on me.

3) In the mid-80's, while in Philadelphia at a restaurant(I never did know it's name) on South Street, I ate a meal of linguine and shrimp in a garlic and white wine sauce that has never been topped.

4) Before Peter Angelos ruined the franchise, being the radio voice of the Orioles was my fantasy dream job.

5) I was once offered and turned down a job to run a record label in NYC -- the salary was only $13,000, and I was too young to grasp the bigger picture.

6) Being an only child, I watch my kids and am already glad that they have each other.

7) While I have always wished that I could go back in time and see my mother's house in Shanghai as it was when she lived there(before Mao), I have little desire to go to China now.

8) It seems that I remember my life in the 80's better than I do the 90's, that's not to say my memory isn't full of holes.

9) I can't stand my own cooking, but most everyone else seems to like it.

10) Although I have kids, I rarely "feel" like an adult.

11) Other than hunting for books and records, I do not enjoy shopping.

12) I wish I had better rhythm.

13) Most of the clothes in my closet are t-shirts.

14) Also in the 80's, I took the Sex Pistols tune to heart ("...I got you in my camera a second of your life ruined forever") and hated having my picture taken. Of course, now I regret it.

15) My parents told me when I was little, I had lots of trouble saying "of course"

16) I watched a documentary about the Clash last night, and remembered how much I wished I had gone to see them at Ritchie Coliseum with Clark Chapin in '79. He had shown up unannounced at my door at the last minute with tickets, and there was just no convincing the parents(I hadn't done my afternoon reading, I'm not kidding...not to mention, I was what 14 at the time). I did end up seeing them a number of years later though.

17) I don't miss the day to day grind of the bookshop, losing money, or difficult customers. I miss the social aspect of having the shop, that old friends could drop-in unexpectedly (especially at the holidays).

18) I love routine.

19) Watching my kids sleep is surprisingly cool.

20) The bed I sleep in now(in my 40's), is in the same physical spot that my bed was in when I was 7 years old.

21) I haven't changed my haircut or barbershop since 10th grade.

22) I wish my father had seen his grandson.

23) Each of my kids has come over to the computer to sit with me at some point while I have been writing this. None of them seem at all concerned that they are still in their pajamas.

24) This whole exercise has been more interesting than I might have imagined(thanks Carol and Robin).

25) Right on cue, I hear at least one little boy melting down. It must be nap time.