Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Ten Things

Bonus: Whenever I smell a good orange, I recall this day. 1970, La Mesita {dirt runway airport}, with Abuela Antonia, my brother, Bill, and my Mom, Delia. Leaving El Valle de Tacupeto.

1. When I was ten years old our family lived, briefly, in Guatemala. I even attended school there. Our "English" teacher taught us the seasons: "Winter, spring, fall, and autumn." When I oh-so gently asked about summer, she replied authoritatively, and with obvious disdain, "Summer is an American holiday." Not wanting to get my palms rapped with a yardstick, I let it go at that.

2. I have 1.333 functioning kidneys. (I asked Geoff to help me compose this list of "Ten Things You May Not Know About Me." Because I blog, I feel certain I have said everything already. I figured he could come up with something genuinely new. But. Well. I get shy talking about my kidneys. Still, he's right, and it may be something people don't know about me.)

3. I failed biology at UCSD, then took the class again and got a B+. The plus really matters.

4. Someday I will go to Maine, and Massachusetts, and I hope to live a year in the Pacific Northwest, and another year in Hamaku'a.

5. Geoff said I should mention how I can name all fifty states and their capitals, but then I couldn't remember the capital of Delaware. Technically, I've lost the bragging rights on knowing all the capitals, and I wonder if I should bother trying to hold on to that former glory.

6. In middle school I feigned an intense crush on Clark Gable, so my peers would believe I was neuro-typical, but I see, now, that Clark Gable may not have been the figure to swoon over in the 1980's if my intention was to seem like one of the gang. Besides, I really preferred Gregory Peck, and Julio Iglesias.

7. I have slept in a gilded mansion, and under the stars. I much prefer sleeping under the stars.

8. When I was five years old I was curious about how my bread toasted, and how clothes came out clean from a washing machine. After some thought, I reasoned that it must be accomplished by very, very small beings inside the machines, who know what to do, and this satisfied me for quite some time. Recent observations have given me reason to doubt my beliefs.

9. My ancestors were Crypto-Jews from Spain, various Native American tribes of the Southwest, and Cuban, from Cienfuegos, and there is rumored to have been someone who was Chinese. I think about them, and hope they were happy, and wonder if we will ever meet. I'd like to hear their stories.

10. I feel squeamish, shy and goofy about sharing this list, and I over-thought and muddled through this whole thing, then considered dreaming up ten lies to tell about myself... the four I came up with are so satisfying that I feel really nice imagining they are true, which tempts me to start a new meme.

6 comments:

Sylvia said...

Fascinating! Thank you for sharing this with us. (You look like Maria in that photo. Is that what her new haircut looks like?)
P.S. Did you get my email about the French chickens book? Maybe it went into your spam folder...)

Anonymous said...

Two things you didn't know about me:

1. When I was in grade school, I was called upon to stand and recite a poem. When I stood up, the sweater that was in my lap fell to the floor. I froze, mortified, thinking that my skirt had just fallen down.
2. When I listened to my favorite radio station, I thought that the rock bands were actually in the studio, and begged my parents to take me down there to meet the Beatles and the Beach Boys.

Zan

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

My hair was really short... I'm realizing.
Maria's is longer... a shoulder length bob.
(I should be calling our barber and friend, Daniel,
because my skills were tested, and she deserves
a little straightening up.)
Found it! French Chickens! Thank you. I am going to
follow the link, now.

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

#1... I totally feel your mortification. You poor thing!
#2... Love it!

Jennifer said...

if you listen very quietly, keeping very still, i think you will be able to hear massachusetts gently calling your name.....

warren said...

You should hold on to knowing all of the states and capitals. I am always pleased whenever anyone remembers that WV is indeed a state separate from Virginia (or as I like to call it, East Virginia).