25 Random Things

I don't usually take part in the trends that sweep through Facebook or MySpace, but this particular one caught my eye. Lots of my Facebook friends have posted an item called "25 Random Things About Me". I thought their lists were so interesting, plus the fact that I was "tagged" by at least one of them to provide my own list, convinced me to offer up a few random details of my own.

I went out of my way to pick a variety of things, so that there'd be a surprise or two for just about everyone, even people who've known me a long time.

So here you go... 25 Random Things About Gabey.

1. I've been known to sweeten coffee with honey. (Try it. Really.)

2. My favorite color is green.

3. I collect foxes.

4. I've been called a font of useless knowledge. But I'd rather say I'm a font of trivia. After all, it's not useless knowledge if people are asking me about it, right? :)

5. I have a wonderful husband, and two four-year-old felines that think I'm their mom cat. The sun rises and sets on them.

6. I know 2.5 languages. I'm fluent in English and American Sign Language, and I can stumble along haltingly in Italian.

7. My earliest memory is of standing up in the back seat of my grandfather's car, feet on the floor and gripping the window frame, looking at a huge frame of steel girders. The building-to-be was The Spectrum, and judging from the time frame in which it was constructed, I was probably approaching my third birthday at the time.

8. I am an amateur birdwatcher.

9. Did you know that 10-15% of the US population has an allergic reaction to sunlight? Yeah, neither did I, until I finally found out last summer that THAT'S what's been plaguing me every summer for years. Hello sunblock, goodbye symptoms.

10. A favorite snack: take a soft pretzel. Slice it in half like a bagel. Toast it to within an inch of its life. Add cream cheese.

11. My grandpop gave me a shortwave radio when I was 12. I still love shortwave stations, though sometimes I cheat and listen to them online.

12. I learned to read at age three. My parents figured out that I was reading because of the questions I was asking about the words in the books.

13. I taught myself to read music when I was in grade school. In high school, I actually studied music and since then I've learned to play violin, guitar, recorder, and a few other oddball instruments like the melodica and the fife.

14. I can both knit and crochet.

15. The last time I took a typing test, about two years ago, I measured 85 wpm.

16. The first Phillies game I ever attended resulted in a 2-0 shutout for Steve Carlton. The first Flyers game I ever attended was a 4-0 shutout for Bernie Parent. The pattern was broken when first 76ers game I ever attended did NOT result in a shutout. :)

17. My first childhood idol was Bernie Parent. My admiration of him (read: I worshipped the ice he skated on) led to a fascination with goaltending that has continued to this day.

18. I am an avid fan of the String Bands, and unless I am sick or out of town on the day of the Mummers Parade, look for me on Broad Street on New Year's Day.

19. I attended both Flyers Cup parades and both Phillies World Series parades.

20. I am a stupendous klutz in many things that involve maneuvering myself from Point A to Point B. The exception is that I'm good at roller skating. Maybe I should just skate everywhere from now on. :)

21. I sing first soprano.

22. I got my first car 17 years ago. I still have the same car today.

23. I know how to do calligraphy.

24. Where I come from, the tomato product that people add to their pasta is called GRAVY. That's my native dialect of English, and I'm sticking to it.

25. I can read Grade 1 braille, and can write it with a slate/stylus or a brailler (which is like a typewriter but it produces braille).