Okay, I got tagged on this dumb thing on Facebook.  I wasn’t inclined to do it, since there are well over 25 random things about me here on my blog, but Sara’s constant nagging finally got to me.  Some of these are stolen from my 8 things from about 8 months ago.

1) The first time I ever flew in an airplane was when I was a senior in college.  I was actually flying to Philly for my job interview!

2) I taught myself how to play the guitar.  I’ve been playing for about 7 years (not counting when I half-heartedly tried to teach myself in college)

3) I played the clarinet in my tiny school band from like 4th grade to 6th grade or thereabouts.

4) I was a green belt in Tae Kwon Do.

5) In going with the “skills you didn’t know I had” theme, I was in the fencing club in college. I only did it for about one year and I never participated in any tournaments, but I did own my own foil and everything.

6) When I was in about middle school, a couple of friends used to come over after school. We would use my bow to shoot arrows straight up in the air and then lay on the ground and see how close to us the arrows could fall to see whose nerve would break first.

7) When I was little I had this blanket that I took everywhere, and I liked to chew on it. My mom couldn’t get me to forget about them so whenever she washed them she would rip off a piece until they got so small I kind of had to give them up. My mom is mean!

8 ) Speaking of my mom being mean, when I was learning to drive my mom told me that she heard somewhere that if you see a box or a bag in the road you shouldn’t hit it because sometimes that’s how people get rid of unwanted kittens. Whaaaa?!? Why would you tell someone that!?! So now I have a pathological need to avoid any bag or box in the road even if I saw it just blow in and it couldn’t possibly contain kittens. But I just can’t risk it! Imagine the carnage!

9) When I was little I was blond. Like really, really blond! This lasted until I was like middle school.

10) I have been continuously employed since I was 15.  I actually had a paper route for about 3 years before that, but I gave it to my sister and took a little break before starting at Subway.

11) When people used to ask me where I was from, I would always say, “Originally Wisconsin, but I grew up in Indiana.” Actually, though, we moved from Wisconsin when I was 6 so it is kind of random to mention it. I always felt a connection with Wisconsin though since we went back frequently to visit my large extended family.

12) I actually was accepted to college in Communication for a degree in film studies.  I transfered into Computer Science before I started school though. I wanted to go into special effects.

13) I really wanted to go to Notre Dame and only applied to Purdue as a backup. I actually got accepted to Notre Dame (of which I am proud) but it was too expensive for me to go. Good thing I went to Purdue though, since I met Sara.

14) I have been accused of being obsessed with pirates and zombies.

15) Every time Sara goes out of town, I make myself ham and (fried) noodles.

16) When I’m sleeping, I *have* to pull the sheet up to my neck (for vampire protection! j/k). If it is hot, sometimes I will have my entire body out of the sheet with a little tendril across my neck.

17) I had my ear pierced.  Twice.  I used to wear a ring in the lower one and a stud in the top one.

18 ) The second time I got my ear pierced, my dad and I went together (although he was only getting his pierced for the first time).

19) When I was little I got my little brother and sister to give me their money so I could put it in my “bank” and charged them for the privilege of keeping their money safe.  Then I didn’t mention it again until later when I gloated that the charges equaled the amount of money they had given me.  My mom made me give them back their money, even though I revealed the contracts I’d made them sign before hand.

20) When I was about 5 I started a rock selling business.  The rocks were priced between $0.05 and $1. I remember one of the more expensive ones was priced that way because I thought it looked like a hamburger.  My only customers were my mom and dad and I think my mom still has some of the rocks.

21) One time I was supposed to be babysitting my little brother.  My best friend and I built a fort for him and set a timer and told him not to come out until it went off.  Then we walked to the comic book store and bought comic books. In a fit of guilt we bought a comic book for him. When he asked where we got the comic books from, we told him a man had lost his dog out front and he gave us the comic books as a reward for helping him find his dog.

22) When I was in middle school I played Dungeons and Dragons.  My mom thought that meant I was a satan worshiper and she contacted our priest.

23) I used to take a blank piece of paper and draw roads all over it, crossing over and under each other and looping all around. I thought they were the bee’s knees. I made a sign for my desk at school proclaiming I could create one of these masterpieces for any interested party for the low, low price of $0.05.  I think I even had one customer!

24) I like musicals and my favorite it Jesus Christ Superstar. I used to listen to it over and over again. When I was really little my aunt took me to the store and I sang, “You’re a fool Jesus Christ!” and she said, “Oh no no no Shane! We don’t say that!” I can only imagine what she thought my parents were teaching me. 

25) When I was little I though the word magician was pronounced “maj-ik-an”.  Like a combination of the words “magic” and “can” (not so crazy when you think of it like that!).  I also thought the chocolate/vanilla/strawberry ice cream was Napoleon ice cream.