25 Random Things About Me

This thing has been going around Facebook and I finally decided to give in to the many requests I was sent to post random things about myself. I worked on it on and off for a bit and decided to post it on my blog as well. Well... here goes:

1) I have broken a leg, but it wasn't mine.

2) At one point I had pierced ears, but I decided the hassle of the whole process was too much to bear just so I could have shiny/sparkly things in my earlobes so I let them close up.

3) I can read really fast as long as it is recreational reading and not a textbook. I haven't really timed it, but I think I average 2-3 pages per minute depending on font size and intended audience of the book. For example, I recently knocked out a 250 page Tamora Pierce novel in 2 hours.

4) Speaking of which, I love love love to read and do it a lot. My first love is SciFi/Fantasy, but I've been branching out a bit recently. I've really cut back in an effort to write my dissertation in time and I feel like I'm going through withdrawls.

5) I can't stand it when the 4 fingernails on either hand (but not necessarily the thumb) are different lengths. And my nails are super brittle and break all the time. When one breaks, the other three get trimmed back too.

6) I make funny faces when I'm really concentrating on something. Like when I'm playing percussion. My high school drumline buddies used to tease me about it all the time.

7) I really like dark chocolate. Sometimes milk. But rarely fruity or minty chocolate. Give it to me straight up!

8) I originally declared Biochemistry as my major because it sounded cool, not because I knew anything about it.

9) I have a terrible long-term memory for detail. I can and do read the same books year to year and still really enjoy them. The same with movies.

10) I prefer my water at room temperature. I like soda and other drinks cold.

11) I don't have very good depth perception. This is one of the reasons I avoid sports where I have to catch things as much as possible. It also meant that I rear-ended several cars when I first got my driver's license. It's improved somewhat since I got lasik, but i'm pretty sure it's still not as good as most people's.

12) I get really punchy late at night. The filter between my brain and my mouth can ceases to exist. Some of you have witnessed this and may or may not have been scarred by the experience.

13) I recently compiled a 620 page book on the lives of my dad's dad's parents. It's pretty cool.

14) A few weeks from now I will be Karen Merrell PhD!

15) I have a 3 month attention span for my various hobbies. Everything gets done eventually, but if it takes more time than 3 months it may have to wait years to get finished.

16) I also go through breakfast phases where I eat the same thing every single morning for a month or so after which I don't eat it for a long, long time. I just finished my porridge kick and have moved on to english muffins.

17) If I'm sitting still listening to someone for more than 30 minutes or so I tend to fall asleep. This happens regardless of how interested I may or may not be in what the person has to say. This also has nothing to do with how much sleep I got the night before. This also happens when I go to symphonies, but not plays, or movies. Almost always happens at church.

18) I briefly considered going to cooking school after graduate school. I decided that probably wouldn't be a good idea and found a professionally trained chef to volunteer with instead.

19) I play the only non-brass instrument in a brass band. I love percussion! Hitting things with sticks really starts my Saturdays off right!

20) My communication style can best be described as blunt. I tend to call things as I see them. It's hard for me to fathom, but this makes many people uncomfortable.

21) My first pet was a dog named poochie.

22) It's really hard to offend or embarrass me. I think my mom used up a lifetime of embarrassment while I was growing up. This is how I can wear things like penguin and superhero costumes in public with impunity.

23) I was in 4-H from the time I was 8 years old until I graduated high school. I made it to state in target shooting (.22s) a few times, and won both grand champion and reserve-grand champion market show lamb at the 1997 El Paso County Livestock Fair.

24) I don't like things to be dirty, but I do like a little bit of clutter out and about. I'm uncomfortable in houses where things are antiseptically clean and nothing is out. Makes me feel like I can't relax.

25) I like having my legs even with my body. So if I'm sitting in a chair, I usually have my legs tucked under my body or propped up on something. When I'm at home I often sit cross-legged at the kitchen table, and I sit on the floor rather than on the couch when watching TV. Weird, but that's just how I roll.