tagged - ugh

ok, so i was also tagged to do one of these list thingys by elissa awhile ago. i would say that i've waited so long in order to be the last one, but it's really because i think entirely too much about everything. so here's my not-so-interesting list of random things about me...

1. i have twice in my life held a hummingbird. once when i was about 8, and then again around high school. i just happened upon them sitting on the ground, not looking too great. i walked up, put out my hands, and they climbed in and chilled out for a few minutes before flying away. i guess i have a way with birds.

2. when i was a kid i was really good at math and science. and i mean skipping several grade levels good. and i loved it. then in junior high something happened and i hated it. i'm still pretty good at math and am fascinated by science and am realizing that i probably should have been a physicist. oh well.

3. in college i worked in the computer lab with all the computer science nerds. they were only one step away from pocket-protector geekdom. they were - of course - all huge star wars fans and were super-excited when the special editions of episodes IV-VI were re-released. i went with them to see V and VI at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, which also included spending several days sitting in line. yes. i was one of THOSE people who slept out on the sidewalk. and i have a copy of the LA Times to prove it.

4. i have never owned a car with an automatic transmission. i have no idea why. it just happened that way. and i always name my cars. my current car's name is cyril.

5. when i was in the 2nd grade we studied electricity in school and did cool experiments with circuits and stuff. they explicitly told us never to experiment with anything bigger than a 9 volt battery. so what did elizabeth do? of course she went home and found a light bulb and some wire and some sort of night light and did some experiments in the wall socket. i came away from that one slightly dazed, with blackened fingernails and a new respect for electricity.

6. i have really odd color rules for myself. i will never wear black and brown together, but black and tan is ok. except for denim, i never wear blue. which was difficult when i started working at CBU, since one of their colors is navy blue and i have to wear it at certain events.

7. when i was a freshman in high school - i think it was during spring break - i was home alone and in the shower when someone broke into our house. i still have a hard time taking showers when i'm home alone.

8. because of a combination of several severe childhood ear infections and a lifetime of insanely loud music, i have significant hearing loss. especially in my left ear. the ringing is actually so loud that some nights it keeps me awake. i have a really hard time picking out conversations when there is a lot of background noise. i've gotten pretty good at reading lips, but i get a little embarrassed when i have to ask people to repeat themselves a lot.

9. i think it was my sophomore year in college, i came home for the weekend to find my street filled with fire engines and various other civil-service vehicles. turns out our next door neighbor had several propane tanks in the garage that blew up. and they swore up and down that it wasn't a meth lab. yeah, right. luckily the inferno did not spread to any other houses and nobody died except their dog. (but it was actually a good thing for the dog. they didn't treat him very well. my dad actually once found it stuffed in our mailbox.)

10. i failed art class in high school. go figure.