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10 Things You Probably Don't Know about Me

1. I speak French, German, and a smattering of srpskohrvatski. (Serbo-Croatian. I wanted to speak a language I could "sing my teeth" into. Took two years in college.) Next semester I am taking Spanish. Today I learned how to say, "No running in the library": No puede correr en la biblioteca!

2. I grew up in bowling alleys across the country. Yes, it's true. My parents actually met in a bowling alley in San Mateo, California, and we bowled as a family. One of the only strong memories I have of my father as a child was watching him bowl a 300 game in league. I kissed him for good luck before each turn. I was probably 7 or 8 years old. My sisters and I spent many Saturday mornings at the Navy base in Groton, CT participating in a junior bowling league. My highest game is 241. I can totally kick your ass at bowling!

3. I was the "bad" kid in my family. My little sister tells me that I often dragged her into trouble too, but that she didn't mind, because at least I made her feel included. (Awww.) I don't remember doing anything particularly bad, unless you count the numerous times I shoplifted, broke into other peoples cars and stole things, egged moving cars and houses at night, and various other juvenile delinquent-type activities. During 8th grade Tara Boudreaux and I had a huge falling out and I was ostracized from the "in" crowd. I became a geek after that. My life might be totally different today if it weren't for that.

4. I got into lots of fights as a teen. Physical confrontations. I never initiated it -- it was that nasty Tara Boudreaux and her pack of lies. Lies! Lies! I became a target and pretty soon everyone wanted a piece of me. Thankfully my father retired from the Navy and we moved to peaceful Manitowoc, Wi., where girls did not fight.

5. I know how to salsa and ballroom dance. After breaking up, in 1999, with a long-term boyfriend, I used to go dancing with the Three Antonios. One was Brazilian, the other Peruvian, and the last one Mexican. None of them were very good dancers, but they treated me like a queen and I ate it up.

6. I've had the following jobs:
--Ticket booth girl at a movie theater
--Waitress at Bob's Big Boy, around the corner from a loony bin. I was once proprositioned by a schizophrenic.
--Worked in a nuclear plant. Yep, that's right. A nuclear plant. Almost got fired when my dad found me sleeping on the job.
--Maid at a snooty resort. They totally screwed me over on overtime pay.
--Worked as a bartender in several different types of bars: a dive bar, a karaoke joint, a ski resort, and then worked for a catering company. I know how to make a real brandy old-fashioned sour. Dang, they're tasty.
--Teaching assistant at the U of MN. Hated it.
--In 2000, I was an enumerator for the US Census
--Worked in an art museum
--Current job: librarian

7. Five hot, virile firefighters once cooked dinner for me at the fire station on Williamson Street in Madison, Wi.

8. I hate doing dishes. Really, hate it with the heat of a thousand burning suns. And I tend to collect coffee mugs in my bedroom and on my desk at work. Go ahead, ask my coworkers.

9. I have a very elaborate teeth cleaning ritual that involves 5 steps
--brush with dry brush
--floss
--waterpik
--brush with brush and toothpaste
--mouthwash

10. When Oscar wakes me up before I'm ready to get out of bed, I will take him out of the cage and bring him into bed with me. He likes to cuddle up against my head.

Quirky types who can make me laugh at myself. Non-pod people.