1. MUSTARD IS FOR HOT DOGS: When I was very little, my Uncle Walter showed me the best way to get the last drop of condiment out of a jar. He cut up a Kosher hot dog and tossed the pieces one by one into an almost-empty mustard jar, then he screwed the cap back on and shook the jar. I still remember the smile on his face while we shared the yummy taste of hot dog pieces all coated in French's Classic Yellow.
2. SPELLING BEE CHAMP: When I was in elementary school, I won the school spelling bee and came in third in the regionals. As a result, I’ve become a spelling snob. You would, too, if spelling was your nerdy claim to fame at an early age. Years later, I still beam with pride when I find a typo no one else has noticed.
3. ENGINEER WANNABE: In junior high, I dismantled an old radio that belonged to my Dad. I was fascinated with how it smelled, how it looked and how the glass tubes fit inside the box. I wanted to see if it was possible for me to assemble it after I’d taken it all apart. Yes, I somehow managed to remember where everything went...and it still works, too.
4. SALES CONTEST WINNER: In high school, I was very active in Junior Achievement, winning sales contests and attending events. I have an old baseball cap filled with pins and a cheesy trophy on the mantle. Back then, the only gender available for the salesman of the month body was male. The JA counselors jokingly said they’d knit a tiny dress for the trophy if, on the odd chance, a girl actually won. Nope, I never got the dress...as if I ever cared.
5. GUINNESS BOOK OF WEIRD COLLECTIONS: When my husband and I were first married, we referred to artificial coffee creamer as "liquid Naugahyde," in reference to the mostly-unidentifiable ingredients and yucky taste. As a joke, we started a collection of "liquid Naugahyde" labels from our travels, mounted in a magnetic photo album and captioned as though we were wine connoisseurs. For example, one caption read "An amusing little creamer without breeding, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption."
7. STAND-UP COMIC: One Saturday night, I sat in the audience of a comedy club thinking, "These guys aren’t so clever. Heck, I can do that!" During the comedy Renaissance of the 1980s, I was a runner-up in the Southern Colorado Comedy Competition, which aired on local cable TV repeatedly. People would come up to me in grocery stores and laugh...which was most disconcerting until I realized I didn’t have a booger hanging out of my nose. They had just seen my act on TV.
8. HIGHER EDUCATION IS FOR FUN: My high school aptitude tests pointed to either engineering or computing as a career path, but I preferred instead to major in performing arts as an undergrad. Later on, I was drawn into the computing world, eventually earning a Masters degree in computer resources management, then writing articles and books about the Internet. My daughter will be a senior in high school this year. No matter which path she takes in college — whether it's musical theater, vocal music, graphic arts or something totally unrelated — I'll cheer her on. After all, what's an education worth if you don't enjoy it?
Now it's time to "Pay It Forward," by tagging the next group of folks. I hereby pass the meme torch to the following people, in no particular order:
~ Kim
1 comment:
Very cool stuff. I love the variety of what you've done and your Naugahyde labels collection. Thank you for continuing the meme.
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