When people ask me where I'm from, my brain seizes up and panics a little. What do I say? What do I say? Depending on my mood, I might just settle for Missouri, but most of the time that just doesn't cut it for me. That's not who I am. I wasn't born and bred there. True, so far I've lived there longer than anywhere else, but I still feel like I belong to other places, too. They snuggle together in my heart like a litter of puppies. I belong to all of them equally. I was born in Spokane, WA, which I feel is an important part of the story, even though it is always followed by "but I don't remember anything about it." Next, "I did my time in Utah," as I like to say. This means nothing to most people, but as I proudly belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this has some significance in certain circles. I started elementary school in Evanston, WY, which I start plugging hard core every year right around the middle of June. I keep trying to convince my friends to go there for the 4th of July. There's nothing quite like it. I finished elementary school and the rest of my public education in three different places in Northwestern Missouri, including Kansas City (north of the river). I went to two different high schools. My graduating class had 48 students. Now I study English linguistics at Arizona State University.
1. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. That may have something to do with the smell of fireworks.
2. I make some mean deviled eggs, which is fortunate because there's no such thing as too many deviled eggs.
3. I was MVP of my high school academic bowl team.
4. My first teddy bear is eight years older than me. His name is Brently Bear.
5. I have a special signature that I use solely for artwork.
6. If I could, I would never wear shoes.
7. My best friend says that my hair color is Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.
8. I use caffeinated drinks and tea medicinally.
9. We had spaghetti for dinner on the night I first started reading Harry Potter. I remember because I refused to put the book down and a sauce-slathered noodle left a stain on one of the pages. I was seven.
10. My family calls me the Puzzle Wizard because of my aptitude for jigsaw puzzles.
11. Once, I drank six and a half gallons of eggnog in a week.
12. When I hear a zipper, I think of camping.
13. When I read a piece of classic literature, my thoughts mimic the author's prose until I start a new book.
14. My maternal grandparents were migrant workers during the Great Depression.
15. I have been to London, Paris, and Barcelona. I desperately want to revisit all three.
Listening to: "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive
Reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Oh my...so many more reasons why we are - and rightly should be - friends now. Particularly zippers meaning camping. And thoughts mimicking those whom we read. And food stains on books we refuse to put down. Oh my.
ReplyDelete