Weird Stuff About Me

So I got this idea from Lisa at U-Handblog… basically, I just post 7 things about me that are weird. Or at least, I guess I’ll be posting 7 things that I think that you will think are weird, but which you may not think are weird … who knows what you’ll think, really?

1. I love Agatha Christie. I love the mystery genius and her characterizations. I love her occasional meanderings into esoteric topics. I love her writing. I just love her. I have read everything (seriously, everything) she has ever written - mysteries, fiction, short stories, plays, interviews. Most of it I’ve read twice. I’ve memorized a couple. I used to own over 60 of her books until an unfortunate incident forced me to get rid of over half my library.

2. I am the only kid I know of who was sent to the principal’s office for reading too much.

3. I write music. I started writing music at about age 8 and secretly kept doing so - I write piano music, and if you know clarinet or piano you might recognize me working out fingering on my knees or in the air. I love music - I started playing piano at age 4, I can read & write music from over 1000 years ago to the present (musical notation has changed significantly over time). Being a medievalist, I took several medieval music classes and was lucky enough to have access to a great manuscript library.  There I spent much time with photocopies in music rooms picking out old chants. Since the advent of Garage Band, I’m now writing mostly electronic music based on piano interpretations of chant melodies.

4. I have lived in 19 different domiciles in the last 14 years in a number of states & cities. Yes, that’s approximately .74 domiciles per year. No, I don’t like to stay still, how did you guess?

5. In my 14 adult years, I’ve rarely owned a car. Although I love cars, I only love working on cars, and I do love pretty cars. But I really, really despise driving - it makes me quite nervous, and I’m night-blind to boot. Doesn’t mean I don’t have to do it, but … Most of the time I’ve lived within walking distance of my work, taken public transportation, or just lived in a place where owning a car is a rather silly & expensive proposition.

6. The only country outside of the U.S. that I’ve been to is the U.S.S.R. (cue Beatles song, Back in the USSR). I was 15 then, it was 1991, so it was still Soviet Russia. It was an awesome trip, and life changing. I’ve been to Siberia!  It’s really sandy!

7. Qualified for the college swim team by several tenths of a second in 2 strokes, but although tempted because I do love swimming, I declined to complete any trials because practice was at 6 a.m., and I am not a morning person.