Pieces of Eight

Okay. I was fairly tagged by Ryan over at Stunning Sexy Guys. Anyhow, here are eight things that you don't know about me:

1) The owner of my husbands’ architectural firm (in the 80’s) broke my left index finger playing volleyball, when I went down to dig a return and he jumped up over me in a vain effort to make a return. I never told him and just grinned and bore it. Shortly thereafter I had an interview to be a safety coordinator and went to it with my fingers all taped up. I got the job anyhow.

2) I developed small stretch marks on my upper thighs when I was 16 and weighed all of 95 pounds (43 kgs). I noticed them during synchronized swim practice and was really upset. They are the only stretch marks I have today at age 50 and 115 pounds (52 kgs).

3) I studied the French language in junior and senior high school and in college. This is about all I can manage: Bonjour Jeanne. Comment vas tu? Très bien merci et tois? Pas mal merci…But, drop me in France and it all comes back to me pretty quickly.

4) I currently volunteer for 2 hours a week at my local library where I put protective covers on hard cover and paperback books. I also apply spine labels and bar code labels. I love working there. Yesterday they offered me a job that would entail using the computer. But I told them I could not work for money or I would lose my Social Security Disability paycheck but asked that they teach me to use the computer anyhow. They are looking into it.

5) During one summer home from college, I climbed really high up in my favorite sycamore tree. A tree branch snapped under one of my feet and I plunged through the tree with branches snapping across my back the whole way down. At last there were only a few branches left to go and I caught the last two with my hands to keep me from hitting the ground. I had fallen a good 15 – 20 feet. So I hung there for a while and then dropped out of the tree and went into the house. My mom was there and saw me and said, “Susie, what happened? You are white as a sheet.” I explained and she couldn’t believe it until she saw the red marks across my back where the branches had hit me. (Did I ever mention that I was a gymnast on the uneven parallel bars?)

6) Sean and I were demolishing a fireplace hearth where a wood stove once sat from our living room. We had already used a jackhammer to loosen the bricks and we were grabbing armfuls and dumping them off of the porch. Sean had just come back in and told me not to lean on the porch railing because it was really weak and I knew it was not supported by any balusters. So, stupid me, what is the first thing I go and do? I grab an armload of bricks and swing the load weight and mine right off the porch and through the god dam railing and the railing gives way, of course. I let go of the bricks and go flying off the porch. But I had the wherewithal to grab the post as I was flying off into space and that swung me around and back towards the porch where my knees slammed into the porch floor, as I grabbed the opposite rail. There I hung while Sean ran out of the house and grabbed my wrists and exclaimed, “I’ve got you!!!” But, my toes were on the ground anyhow. (Did I ever mention that I was a gymnast on the uneven parallel bars?)

7) I used to be quite the artist. It all started when I was quite young and continued through my adulthood where at I participated in shows at my company and at local museums. I used to do pen and ink, water color, and sculpture. Pointillism with a fine point ink pen was a particular specialty of mine. But that all ended after my brain surgery. I had some hand tremors and loss of hand eye coordination that make me unsure of the result. My hand writing is far worse than it was before by surgery and on some days I could not even use chop sticks. Using those as indicators gives me pause as to how good my drawings might be. Someday perhaps I will get back to it as I gradually improve over time.

8) I just started riding my bicycle again. I had stopped after my surgery because my balance wasn’t good enough. I would get on and just fall right over to the right. I tried again a couple of years later and just felt too shaky to be comfortable riding. Well, it is good enough now to ride my Reagan era Peugeot mountain bike and I am hoping that riding it will improve my balance. I am a bit shaky yet. Some day I will get back on my carbon fiber Trek touring bike, even if it kills me.

I tag:

Peter at Tipping the Scales who has his surgery today. GOOD LUCK Peter! Do this meme when you can dear!

Jessica at Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories

Doug at Change is Constant

Paul at Bedtime Stories

Brenton at Aussielicious

Doug at Unnatural Devotions ( please humor me)