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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Meme-alicious

Eeep! I've been tagged, by Dana from Mamalogues, to write a post about five things people don't know about me. Hmm. But which people? Blog people? Real Life Friend people? Family people? Professional Contact people? I suddenly feel like no matter what I post, someone is going to comment and say, "But I KNEW that about you, Jaelithe. That's totally lame. Where's the good stuff?"

(Does the fact that I am having such a difficult time coming up with oddities and secrets mean that I live an utterly banal, unmysterious life?

Or does it mean that I am even more secretive about the few certain secrets I do keep than most other people?

Hmmm . . .)

Five things (some) people (probably) don't know about me:

1.) I attended a very swanky, expensive private school from sixth through twelfth grade. In fact, I attended the most expensive private school in town.

On scholarship.

The first day I walked into that school, I wanted to kiss the polished marble foyer floor. The library was the size of my previous school's cafeteria (which, incidentally, had a been a roach-ridden, poorly lit, unfinished basement). For the first several weeks of classes, I fully expected a choir of glowing angels to descend at any moment.

That is, of course, until the other girls in my class started calling me Bag Lady for wearing second-hand clothes.

By my freshman year in high school I figured out that if I wore black all the time people would think I was just being artsy and moody and wouldn't notice that I didn't have a walk-in closet at home filled with three months' worth of outfits from the Gap, Abercrombie and J. Crew. This trick did indeed work wonders for my social life, though I must say I rather tired of my high school photography teacher calling me "Johnny Cash."

2.) In my life thus far, I have been in six car accidents in which the car I was a passenger in was totaled. I was not driving in any of these instances; the accidents happened with several different drivers, and each time it was not the fault of the driver I was riding with.

The first time, I was riding with my father and we were hit from behind by a taxi in the middle of a downpour. The second time, I was riding with my mother and we were hit from behind by a teenager driving a new sports car coming down the highway off ramp. The third time, I was riding with my father and a man driving in the oncoming traffic lane had a heart attack and died, and his SUV swerved into my father's car and smashed it into a guard rail. The fourth time, I was riding with several high school friends of mine coming home from visiting a haunted house for Halloween, and we were hit at an intersection by a speeding drunk driver. The fifth time, I was coming back from the grocery store with a college friend of mine and we were hit by an old lady who ran a stoplight. The sixth time, my husband had just picked me up from work; we were stopped at a red light coming out of a parking lot and a college-age guy in an SUV rammed us at 40 mph from behind; he was speeding and claimed he didn't see the stoplight or the cars stopped in front of him because he was talking on his cell phone.

I've been a passenger in three other minor accidents where the car was not totaled.

And once a car actually flipped and flew through the air OVER a car I was riding in on the highway, but the car I was riding in was not hit.

(Oh, and I'm not sure this one counts, but my mother was in a car accident when she was seven months pregnant with me.)

3.) I am terrified of driving. (Note that I can drive, but it terrifies me.)

4.) I once quit a job I needed and liked, loudly, in front of about seventy-five co-workers, after a self-important manager practically everyone secretly hated falsely, publicly (and rudely) accused me of lying. My co-workers actually cheered for me as I walked out. It was one of the best moments of my life.

I have quit two other jobs based solely (or, okay, mostly) on moral principle. One, because of religious discrimation against a co-worker, and another, because my boss was embezzling from the (non-profit) company.

5.) I can't stand a certain sound that is made by certain types of rough surfaces scratching on cloth. It makes me want to rip my own teeth out. It's like fingernails on a blackboard to me. Only actually, I'd prefer to listen to fingernails on a blackboard. However when I hear someone making this sound, by, say, scuffing their booted feet on a carpet, I generally clench my fists and do not say anything, because I want people to like me and not think of me as that insane woman who yells at people for scuffing their feet.

And yes, this does give me a special level of understanding when it comes to my son's reaction to the sound of my blender . . .

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Edited to add: Woah, did I forget to tag someone? How lame. It was midnight when I posted this, though. I tag Raquita, only because she hasn't posted in a few weeks and I want to hear from her again (only if you have time, though, lady), and Stephanie, because, well, I get a feeling she probably has some interesting answers for this one . . .

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

If we ever manage to do our midwest road trip and come visit ... remind me to NOT give you a ride ... seems you attract danger :)

Very glad you survived all of these ... maybe you are a good luck charme after all :)

Her Bad Mother said...

I can tell variations of all of those things (from private schools and wearing black to multiple car accidents to fear of driving and beyond). But that's why this kind of meme is so cool - stuff that you think is JUST YOU sometimes actually isn't.

Cool.

Jaelithe said...

HBM, is this a hint that you want me to tag you, too? I can't remember if you've already done this one . . .

If not, I am totally tagging you right now :P

Lisa said...

This list is great!

I said this to Dana and I'm saying it to you too... This makes me like you even more!

And good for you for having the guts to quit a job for being treated like poop! I think you sent that boss a strong message. ANd I hope that boss got a clue!

Perstephone said...

I'm so drooling over your private school. I always wanted a top notch education. Instead, I was surrounded around people who cheated (in honors class). Seriously, half of my signatures in my JR high yearbook say something to the affect of, "Thanks for helping me through algebra (enter english, geometry, etc), I never would have made it through it without you," or "I cheated off of you all year. Thanks for the help."

Perstephone said...

Oh, and as soon as I feel a little better I'm totally up for the challenge!

Jaelithe said...

Oh, Stephanie, if you think the kids don't cheat in private school, PLEASE, think again.

Not to say it wasn't an excellent school, but, trust me, people cheat everywhere.

Ron said...

Hey, I just quit my job. I don't think they were treating me like poop. Poop you wipe off of your shoe. I was the thing they were using to wipe the poop. And yes, this is a total ploy for sympathy....

Ruth Dynamite said...

Jaelithe, the car thing is freaking me out. I feel like this is some weird sort of Touched by an Angel phenomenon - and clearly, you're protected. (Thank goodness.)

Great answers. You've got it goin' on, lady.