personal history survey

Ok, this is something innocuous while I continue to contemplate the future of my blog. One of my dumbass young "friends" on myspace sent me this awhile ago, and I might as well do SOMETHING while I'm still considering heavy stuff. Thanks for the push, Torina. I have asked three people their advice/opinions, and all three were kind enough to send me a response, and I still need to ponder awhile more. But in the meantime.....


personal history survey


place of birth?

Near Philadelphia. Who cares? Freaking identity theft stalkers, that's who.


what is your first conscious memory?

Jumping on my parents' bed while my dad was reading a newspaper on the toilet in the bathroom on the otherside of the room with the door open. When I told him about this a long time ago, he insists he couldn't have been USING the toilet, was probably just escaping the coffee klatch mom had in the living room. Knowing him, I believe it. Mr. Anal Retentive wouldn't have actually used a bathroom with a witness present, he would have locked the door.


state of your parents’ union?

Well, they were married when I was born, although it was the second time they had married each other. Gluttons for punishment I think.


remember anything about your first home?

Well, I was there for fourteen freaking years, so I say yes. It was a rancher on an acre of land with the house perched on a hilltop that made for GREAT sledding. Too bad I can't stand the freaking snow now.


did you have pets as a child?

A succession of dogs. The first I loved and was hit by the jackass neighbor's car who went five million miles per hour in an extremely residential dead end street. It could have easily been one of us kids instead. We mourned the dog horribly. Then got two more. All three had several litters of puppies (we were bad environmentalists then. Well worse, anyway).


biggest hobby?

Um, does reading count? I was a serious bibliophile at a very young age. I climbed trees a great deal.


music or sports?

both I guess. I loved the piano, but didn't take real lessons until like um eleven? twelve? I loved riding my bike, but I wasn't much for team sports. or teams. oo, wait, ping pong fanatic. WAY back in the day.


childhood bullies?

Yeah, Kurt at the top of the hill. Probably picked on me because my older brothers kicked his ass on several memorable occasions. I'm sure he's a cool adult now. There were others at school too, but I forget. I think the girls were scarier than the boys.


favorite childhood book?

probably the Ramona the Pest series. There were so many. Madeleine L'Engle when I was a little older.


first best friend?

Still is!! Lisa the Great. Lived across the street. Knew me in utero. Hardly get to see her now that I moved to the sticks. Bad me.


favorite elementary school teacher and subject?

My kindergarten teacher sticks in my mind as the kindest/sweetest, Mrs Rice. I think I know all the rest - Kinderman, Hallman, Walters, Feist, Gradwell, um, Swa-something. Favorite subject back then - probably reading. Getting to go to the library. Hated gym, was picked on too much. Failed math, I think.


best subject in high school?

Language arts? Math? I can tell you what I LIKED the most: ceramics. Didn't like gym still, but was excused by extremely sensitive laid back track guy who let me and a friend go work out with the football team in the weight room everyday. Somebody tell me WHY I found THAT less traumatizing?


extracurricular?

Was not a band twinkie, or cheerleader, or any crap like that. Was actually kind of antisocial. Started joining clubs my second year of HS for purposes of plumping transcript for college admission in order to get the h out of my household. Admissions application question: why do you want to go to our school? Truthful answer: must escape insane parents NOW. YOUR school has nothing to do with it.


first dance?

Don't think I ever did. No wait, does two proms count? Don't believe we did any dancing though.


first date?

not quite remembering. Probably with first real boyfriend.


first kiss?

With boy named David at Junior Achievement conference in San Francisco. I had gum in my mouth. He stuck his tongue in it. Oops.


when did you first get a driver’s license?

I think eighteen. I was TERRIFIED to drive. Might have been permit at sixteen, license at seventeen, didn't drive until eighteen.


first car was?

a blue 1981 Chevette, manual drive. Boy was that fun my first time on the freeway, during rush hour, in Los Angeles.


at what age did you have your first significant romantic relationship?

I see where this is leading, and I'm going to delete the next question. But anyway, I was fifteen and had a steady boyfriend that I dated for two and a half years. He was awesome. It made high school more bearable.


biggest trouble you got into during HS (or earlier?)

Probably when I was in the woods with my brother and his friends who were smoking pot. I wanted to come along for the walk. We went behind a church (stupid idiots) and they called the cops. We ran like hell, and they didn't catch us. Once I sat in the car while some of my friends T.P'd somebody's parents' house that they were pissed at. Also, I borrowed a key from one of the ladies in the admin office and went into the Dean's office right before there was a big standardized test administered. Holy hell broke loose that I might have compromised the whole school. I almost pissed my pants and came close to getting an ulcer. I sobbed in a bathroom for a half hour. And once my parents came home while my boyfriend was over at night(no, he wasn't supposed to be there) and I had to shoo him out the back door before they came in the front. I can't pick just one.


did you take a college entrance exam, and do you still remember the scores?

I know I took the SAT's, and my scores were 530 english (which shocked me b/c it was low) and 690 math (which shocked me b/c it was high). This was back when a perfect score in each was 800. Now I think they are 1200 in each category. I also took the Achievement tests? The scores were similar, I think.


class rank?

OMG, I have no idea. It was in the top ten percent. Possibly top five. What difference does that make if you have a low population in your particular class or if they are a big bunch of losers? it doesn't proove anything. There were almost 500 seniors the year I graduated, which was back in the dark ages.


H.S. diploma/College degree?

Yes and yes. Graduated high school at sixteen, didn't graduate college until 23. Just a bachelor's though. Grad school is not permanently out of reach.


first time you moved away from home, and RUNNING away doesn’t count…

I started college at sixteen, just a couple months before I turned seventeen, and I moved into the dorms. I did NOT rush a soroirity.


first job?

Sales Associate at a then major department store which since went out of business forever even though they had been around since 76 trombones led the big parade....


most interesting job?

probably working in the "skin shop." It was a talent agency for strippers and clowns and other party entertainment.


first deliberate career/field choice?

well I majored in human resources management for a reason. That's where I ended up. I should have majored in social work or nursing instead. But I don't regret it.


first baby/child?

I popped one out at 26. I had an early miscarriage two years before. It still depresses me.


first husband?

Strangely enough, I managed to get married BEFORE I got pregnant! Only dumb luck though. Let's see, I was 23, he was 26. We've been together, including our first date, for 21 years.


Probably I covered this stuff in my "Fifty things about me" other blog, or should have just added it there. And who is the bigger dumbass, the one who fills out this survey, or the one who copies the survey from the first dumbass, insults said dumbass, and then proceeds to fill out the survey herself? Oy.