Kurt (“Whale Watching…”) tagged me before Christmas to make a list of five things you may not know about me. I’ve put it off, obviously, but realized that hey, when you get tagged, you are IT. Also, Erica (“Mopey Southern Chick”) did hers, so I was shamed into completing the assignment. But I’ve put it off because I truly cannot think of five interesting or surprising things about me. Oh, I have a good life, a very interesting job (where I get paid pretty darn well to do pretty much whatever I want…sssshhhhh), a great marriage (mostly) with two awesome kids. But interesting? Surprising? Hmm. Let’s just go for stuff you don’t know about me.
1. Despite my putting myself out here on an almost daily basis, I am a very private person. I work in a large office, and several of my co-workers come in, day after day, telling all their business (whether we want to hear it or not). Priding themselves on being an open book, they say. Ummm. I think not. No one up here knows much of what goes on in my personal life. If I’m having a spat with hubby, they aren’t going to know about it (unless they hear me slam the phone down or something like that). Home is home, and that’s that.

2. I am grossly overqualified for my job. No matter, really. I like my job. And I’ve been here a really long time and people respect me for my professionalism and knowledge of pretty much everything up here. And I’ve carved a niche for myself. But on paper, overqualified.

3. I have never been water-skiing. This may not be all that big to some of you, depending on where you live, but down here, everyone is on the river. All the time. I have no interest. Not in rivers, camps, tubing, skiing, fishing, jet-skiing. The rednecks are united in their effort to rid their state of me.

4. I was born in Spain. You would never know this if you met me. I have a midwestern/southern accent (a little of both). Very southern until freshman year, when I came in contact with a gazillion other accents and realized that “ten” was not pronounced “tin”. Came here from Madrid when I was 3 1/2 years old, speaking nothing but Spanish. Within one year, I spoke only English. Never tried to hold onto the language until it was too late. Did relatively poorly in college Spanish classes (my mother decried what they taught as “Mexican”).

5. I live near, and work in, a city that had 3 separate serial killers at one time. Not surprising in and of itself, but we are a small city, as capital cities go. And, because of where I work, I’ve been involved in or will be involved all of their trials at some point. Just one of the things that make my job really interesting.

Adam (ummm, don’t tell us everything, dear…)
Metten (make time for me, dammit!)
Rennratt (if you’re still around; you’re one who really should be writing on a regular basis…)
Kristie (do it or I’ll make something up about you!)
Brenda Love (because something tells me you’ll come up with something really surprising…)

I’m off (more than likely) until after New Years’, so…be safe, be happy, be hopeful. Happy 2006!