10 Extremely Random Jenny Things

I’m just now getting my act together on some blog awards and there will be more on that in the coming weeks. I’m so excited about them but, before Gene Lempp’s post on 9/4, I wasn’t completely sure what to do with them. (Yeah, I know…I teach software but was clueless on blog awards. Go figure.)

Between Gene and Catie Rhodes’ post last Monday, it seemed it was time for a 10 Random Things About Me post.

General

1.    My favorite drink is coffee.

With cream and a Splenda (or sugar) if you’re ever making me a cup. 🙂 I could drink coffee all day long but I don’t because it would be extraordinarily bad for me (you’ll find out why a few points down). I struggle to drink enough water each day and I usually do it by disguising it as minty green tea or adding lemon. I really dislike the taste of most water.

2.    My favorite food is anything cool with potatoes.

I don’t get to eat nearly as many potatoes as I’d like to because I worry about my weight but if you fry or mash or shred up a potato, I’m so in. Y’all might argue with me, but I’m convinced that In N’ Out Burger has THE BEST fries in the history of fry-making and I love sweet-potato fries with a passion. I’ll rarely crave chocolate but I’ll always shove three people out of my way for some great potatoes.

3.    My guy says I’m more of a “dude” than he is.

I grew up with a big brother and am extremely comfortable with men. I also work the computer software field, which is predominantly male. There are times that my honey reminds me to be more patient and sensitive and, well, “girly.” It doesn’t mean I don’t love a good chat with my BFF’s…I do. But a lot of them are pretty cut and dried females as well. Though I like to dress up (once in a while), overall I’m more of a t-shirt and flip-flops kinda gal.

Career

4.    My first job ever was at Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

My forearms killed me for the first three weeks of that job. You used to get two free scoops for every shift you worked and my family LOVED it. I trained in the Beverly Hills store and worked most of the time in the Beverlywood store. The most famous patrons I served were Melissa Gilbert (Laura on Little House on the Prairie), Mitch Gaylord (Olympic gymnast) and Linda Lavin (title character in Alice). Ah, to grow up in Los Angeles…

5.    My first teaching job was with autistic children.

I worked as an Autism Specialist with the Judevine Center for Autism out of St. Louis. I was part of the Autism Project in Columbia, MO (where I went to college) with a caseload of kids ages 3-19. It was the most interesting and creative job I ever had. Whenever I mention my work with autistic kids, people ask me if I ever use that knowledge. Without fail, my answer is “every day!”

Health

6.    I’ve had a near-death experience.

For those of you that read my post on Judgment Day Bucket Lists, you know that I was diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder in my late 30’s. The big trouble with that was I discovered it by getting blood clots: DVT’s in each leg and the one in my right leg shattered and sent about 50 blood clots to my lungs. My doctor calls me his “one-percenter” (this is the number of people who survive my scenario) and I feel extremely lucky to be alive.

Blood clots SUCK. Drink lots of water and don’t dehydrate yourself drinking coffee all day long. (See, back to #1!) Get up, move around. Wear compression hose on planes and long car rides. If you really want the key elements to a healthy lifestyle, go read this post by Kristen Lamb.

Family

7.    I was raised as a Youngest, Only and Middle child.

I have one “full” sibling, three “half” siblings and no step-siblings. While I don’t ever think of full vs. half, it was interesting to hold so many sibling roles as a kid. My big brother is two years older than me and we lived with separate parents from the time I was eight years old. At fifteen, I met my oldest half-sibling and welcomed my younger sister into the world. Surreal.

8.    My husband and I have large families.

His father was the youngest of 11 children. My mother was one of four siblings. Her mother was one of eight children. Family gatherings, at least on my husband’s side are usually a minimum of 50-60 people. We get at least 25-30 going on my mom’s side where everyone is a bit spread out. Though we’re up to 60+ for family reunions on my side, a reunion on my husband’s side is an all-out party of more than 100 people. Our family is a tremendous comfort to us because all of our connected parents are deceased.

Hobbies

9.    Like most writers, my favorite hobby is reading.

I also love to knit, garden and scuba dive. Though knitting has been a bit harder to do since the pregnancy carpal tunnel, I find knitting to be so creative and I wish I was better at it. The highlight of my garden this year was the blueberry bush and the zucchini plant. My cucumbers did zilch. Ditto on my blackberry bush. Last but not least, I haven’t been diving since my pulmonary emboli but it’s on my list of activities to get back into. My favorite dive was the reef in Cozumel – I saw two gorgeous sea horses when I swam through a cavern in the reef.

10.  There’s rarely less than 100 bottles of wine in my house.

I belong to four wine clubs whose wine I love – Gelfand Vineyards, Paraduxx (limited membership), Consilience Wines and Castoro Cellars. That supplies us with our reds and we buy the whites as we go along. Our favorite white is Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc. I love to be able to go to my wine rack and pick out the perfect wine for whatever meal I’ve made.

Before you start thinking I’m too saucy, we also give wine as gifts and take wine with us when we go to restaurants. I’d rather pay the corkage fee and KNOW I’m getting a great bottle of wine. Plus it saves us tons of money…restaurant wine mark-up is usually 400%.

In a nod to Catie, who encouraged me in this idea with her post, today you’re invited to post one (or more) random things about yourself. If you want to make a post out of this on your own blog, consider yourself tagged and get busy with it. I love hearing from you, and I can’t wait to read the comments!

Also, since this is a Life List Club Milestone week, I am giving a prize out to one new subscriber between now and the end of September. If you haven’t clicked on the subscribe button in the upper right sidebar yet, please do it. My prize for all you bloggers is a guest post. Who doesn’t want to have a free blog post in the bag?

Happy Monday!

Jenny