me, me, me...

Alright, alright…a few days ago the Merkin Man tagged me. In this particular tag,—a meme none-the-less—I’m to tell you 10, yep, 10 interesting things about *pixie*. For some reason, these are always difficult for me. Am I really interesting enough to come up with 10 more things about me? Do you really care? Probably not, but this is what you’re getting today.

1. When I was around 8 or 9 I participated in a bike-a-thon. I have no idea anymore what I was trying to raise money for but I peddled and peddled around this loop at our local Rec Center, determined to raise some dough and win first prize. Guess what? I did! First prize was a 10 speed bike and I won it! I loved that bike. Many years later some asshat took my bike from a friend’s house and crashed it—subsequently effing it all up.
   
   
2. One of my all time favorite “pets” are Sea-monkeys. I’ve had them multiple times over the last 20 years and would be really excited to get my hands on some more of them. I still have the little “castle” tank that comes in the kit. I think one of my favorite things about the kit is the cool little spoon that comes with it to feed them.
   
   
3. I’ve never considered myself an athlete, but throughout my early academic career (that is grade school through high school), I’ve taken lessons or played all the following:
• Soccer
• Tennis (still do)
• Karate
• Broomball
• Swimming
  
  
4. At 10 years old I took a Hunter’s Safety Course and got certified to be able to get my hunting license. My Dad has been an avid hunter my entire life and he took me to the course. I even have my own compound bow. I’ve also shot a 45 and a 357 magnum, as well as rifles. I have not however, actually hunted an animal myself.
   
   
5. Around 13 I got a fish hook stuck in the top of my foot while walking along the bank of the lake at the apartment complex my Mom and I lived at. It had line attached to it, just short enough that I had to bend over and hold onto it while I awkwardly hobbled a good distance back to the apartment to avoid ripping it out of my foot. Anyone who has ever gotten a hook stuck in their foot knows that the doctor had to push it through my foot and create a second hole so he could clip the barb. Just talking about it gives me the willies.
   
   
6. I didn’t fish for over 10 years after that. I was deathly afraid of taking one in the face after that. Thanks to the doctor for telling my those types of horror stories while he was taking mine out. I have fished in the past 6 years, at least a few times. I realized that my fear was completely irrational, but I had to overcome it myself.
   
   
7. I once knocked out two teeth trying to do a wheelie on my pink Huffy (a bike I had that was huge). I pulled off the wheelie successfully but hit the curb on the way back down and wiped out. I ran home crying and my dear friend brought my bike and my teeth to me. Thankfully, they were baby teeth. I still remember what I got from the tooth fairy—$5 and 2 packs of Bubbalicious (orange and strawberry).
   
   
8. I (like the Merkin Man) enjoy taking pictures of food. Whether it’s food I made, or food somebody else made—if it’s photo worthy and I have a camera, it’s going to be immortalized. I have a bunch of pictures of food from our honeymoon in Jamaica. It was fantastic and it really is all about the presentation.
   
   
9. I played both a Munchkin and a Flying Monkey in a production of the Wizard of Oz when I was a little, little kid (I’m thinking 5 or 6 max).
   
   
10. There are 5 paintings in our kitchen—(2) 16 x 20 inch canvases and (3) 7 inch discs. I painted them all. The discs were originally these old brown plates that I had when I first moved into my own place. They were originally my step-dad’s.