6 things

Tina-cious tagged me - I'm IT!

The rules of this meme are:

Link to the person that tagged you.

Post the rules on your blog.

Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

6 things

1. At the age of 5, my parents would put me on a Trailways bus, in the front seat and send me from Troy, NY to NYC to visit my Grandmother for the weekend.  (It was about a 4 hour bus trip)  The driver was told to keep an eye on me!  I LOVED it. This was done many times as I got older, too.  Times sure were different in the 60’s!
2. I used to be so allergic to poison ivy that from the first time I noticed a little red bubble on my arm, it would spread over my entire body within hours.  And I mean, EVERY inch of my body!  My eyes would swell shut.  It was between my fingers and toes.  I was a pink blob – covered from head to toe in calamine lotion.  This guaranteed me a week out of school every year.  One year it was so bad, the doctor told my Mom to bring me in the back door, so I wouldn’t scare anyone (and I had a bag over my head, so no one could see my face!).  I haven’t had poison ivy since I was a sophomore in H.S. and can roll in it now and not get it!
3. I tried unsuccessfully to conceive a child via artificial insemination using countless sperm donors over a 7-year period starting at the age of 34.  This was done with and without fertility drugs.  Giving myself shots of these drugs and having my ex-partner give me the shots.  Wild times, let me tell ya!  Indescribable mood swings.  I knew it wasn't meant to work the minute I held my daughter.
4. I was in the U.S. Navy for 4 years.  I was supposed to be in for 5, but a scorned ex lover of mine turned me in and I was discharged (Honorably).  Unknown to me, every employer who checked my record saw that homosexuality was the reason for my discharge, despite the fact that the Navy personnel told me that no one would be able to see the termination reason.  It wasn’t until I went to adopt my daughter (18 years after being discharged!) that I obtained a copy of what was on record in Hartford and saw exactly what employers saw.
5. When I was in 10^th grade, I wanted a 10-speed Schwinn bike SO badly, that when my parents made a deal with me that they’d get me the bike IF I brought home a report card with only A’s & B’s, I changed a ‘C’ in Biology to a ‘B’ and never told them until I was an adult.
6. I hate public speaking and dread it more than anything in the world.  I physically get ill at the thought of it and no one believes me.  I do it as infrequently as I can.  Out of the 4 of my siblings, 2 of us can do public speaking and 2 of us dread it.  Go figure.  Must be in the genes. 

I tag whomever feels like doing this, as it was a fun thing to do, but I can't remember who's done it and who hasn't!  So go for it!

Comments

[naomi]

i used to be scared of public speaking too. because at one time i wanted to be a teacher i figured it would be a good plan to diffuse that fear. so i took an acting class. it's worked wonders. i've done well over 100 presentations about child sexual abuse, co-facilitated and facilitated workshops and done class presentations. that class really helped because it gave me relaxation techniques and other things that helped.

[cruisin-mom]

Val, that was a really great post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each of those. #1: yes, times have changed, we were outside for hours on our own as kids, rode bikes everywhere,etc. #2never had it...sounds horrible! #3:what a brave journey that led you to your sweet Sophie. #4:simply? Sad...hurts my heart. #5: ooooo, you are BAD!!!
#6:well, this I can relate to, also hated public speaking, made me nauseous. til I finally said, that's it...and just started to push through the fears, doing it over and over...today I present to groups of 75 people and love it. Maybe one day you'll find a way to overcome it...or not!

[Val]

Naomi... That's great for ya. Me? I don't see it happening. I've taken plenty of courses to try and overcome it. I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be, but I doubt I'll ever be comfy.

Cruisin... thanks. It was fun writing it. Thanks for the kind words.

[Tina-cious.com]

Why didn't I know they booted you for being a big ole lezbo?

Or did I know and forget....?

Hmmm -- anyway, I hate that military b.s.

I can't believe they outted you to anyone who looked at your record!!

Did you do anything about that?

Wow.

Just. Wow.

[Maria]

Isn't it weird to look back on the 60's like that? I remember being gone for whole days at a time in the summer and not ONCE checking in with my parents. If Liv did that now, I would be hysterical.

And, wow...I was so lucky with Liv. I was 40 years old when I decided I was ready to be a parent and by my 41st birthday, I had her. That fast and that easy. Made a wish and it happened. I never had to go the shots route and that is a good thing, since I get physically ill when given shots...

And I actually enjoy public speaking, but I detest one-on-one conversations at parties. Go figure.

[Jack]

Good list. I remember Summer days where I'd leave the house at 9 and not come back home until it was almost dark.

I miss those times.

[SassyFemme]

I had no idea you were in the Navy and that had happened to you.

If it's for something professionally, public speaking doesn't bother me at all. I don't think it ever really has.

[Lori]

Was that ex lover also Navy? Did they kick her happy butt out too? Aw, I figure Karma got her one way or another.

[Val]

Tina... I'm sure I've told you, but you have short-term memory loss, dear. 'member? course ya don't!!!

Maria .. you & Liv were lucky (also Bing)! 1-on-1 is hard for you... we all have our issues, don't we?!

Jack... so true. I wish our kids could have that, too.

SF...it's interesting to see what bothers people.

Lori... yeah, she was in at the time and told them that it was just an 'experiment'. When I last spoke with her, she was living with her female partner off-base and had re-enlisted. And yes, I believe things go around, too!

[KMae]

That was neato, enjoyed it.
I can public speak, but prefer not to.
The wierd thing is when I do PA's on the plane my voice is totally different with a microphone...
which is a good thing.

[Deborah]

Interesting, very.