Memes-A-Go-Go
Did you know that “a-go-go” comes from the french word for galore? I didn’t. There is probably some rule about starting a post or an essay with a question, especially a question that is pretty irrelevant to the rest of the piece, but I just broke that rule. Ha! I laugh at rules. Today, we are talking memes and there are many out there.
Dana at Mombian challenged me to explain my life in six words. Marjorie at 280 Main Street tagged me twice: once for 7 weird or random facts about myself and once for 6 kid quirks. Kat at Sassy Irish Lassie also tagged me for the 7 weird facts thing. In a related meme, Missy tagged me for 7 things about myself a very long time ago. Lastly, Mo over at Bike Ridin’ Momma tagged me awhile back for 6 useless facts about myself. All these great bloggers were kind enough to invite my participation and I pretty much ignored them. I want you all to know that it is not personal – there is something about memes that brings out the oppositional defiant streak in me. Well, that and the fact that I have been a pretty lazy blogger lately. When I first started blogging, I remember wishing to be tagged because it would mean that someone other than Luisa was actually reading my blog. Then, I started getting tagged and I was all, “How nice!” and then I would go do something more productive than responding…something like staring into space thinking about a new pair of socks. Tsk tsk. Today, I am going to change all that. Today, we will have the Day of the Memes! Yes, I can feel your excitement! So, here we go…
My Life in Six Words
This was actually hard for me because I kept thinking in syllables. It is not easy to write about your life in six syllables and, when you start trying to do that, you know you write way too many haikus (search haiku on this blog and you will see what I mean). Anyway…my life in six words: Queer with a white picket fence. Yes, I am much more than a mom and a partner and all that stuff but, really, my identity is pretty much defined by that at this point in my life. When my kids are out of the house maybe I’ll get to change it to Queer with time on my hands for creative pursuits and travel and reading and music and quiet dinners and sleep…wait, that’s a few more than six.
Six of My Kids’ Many Quirks
1. When Miguel was about two, he had an irrational fear of torn drywall and cracked plaster. He would refuse to go into rooms that had either of those things. He would point, back up and say, “NO! Torn dryWALL”.
2. When a word ends in the letter “f”, Zeca pronounces it as “th”. So, this morning she asked if she could wear her purple scarth.
3. You know how you hear stories about kids who stick their tongues to metal things in the winter and get stuck? I always wondered what kind of kid actually did that…then we had Miguel. He once licked the pole of a street sign in the dead of winter and, of course, his tongue stuck.
4. Zeca loves to swim and loves baths but she hates to be touched with wet hands. She cries and responds as if she has been doused with acid.
5. Our kids fight over who gets to sit at the head of the table…every single day. They also fight about who gets to have a particular fork (one that does not match the rest of our silverware).
6. Both of our children will talk to anyone about anything!
Seven Weird or Random Facts About Me
I have done one meme on this blog and that one asked for five facts. None of those were very weird or random so I’m going to go with seven new things and hope that this list will also take care of the six useless facts at the same time. Yay for efficiency!
1. I have six toes on one foot. Nah, I’m just kidding but that would certainly be weird, huh? My feet are standard issue though they do have a superpower. I have monkey toes and can pick up just about any object with them and can also really pinch with them. Ask my friends.
2. I bite my cuticles and have since I was about 7. It’s awful and I stop for awhile and then resume this nasty habit. As a result, I don’t wear my wedding ring anymore and I hide my hands in pictures. There is this funny picture of me holding Miguel when he was about 3 months old and he is sitting on my lap and I am keeping him balanced there with my fists.
3. My shoes have to match my belt. I know that many people feel this way but, if I got to work and realized that I was wearing a brown belt with black shoes, I would drive all the way home to change. I would have to or I would not be able to concentrate.
4. I have a strange fascination with peeps…but I think you know that already.
5. I spent several summers in Climax Springs, Missouri. The name of the town still makes me giggle like Miguel does when he hears the word “fart”.
6. I once ate a tablespoon of salt on a dare. Yes, I was rather stupid. Yes, it was really disgusting. Yes, I was then very thirsty.
7. In celebration of our 15th anniversary next month, I have been planning on writing the story of how Luisa and I met but I’ll give you a little teaser here. On the night of our second meeting, I thought it would be a good idea to do my noodle trick. This involves putting a piece of cooked spaghetti up one side of my nose and snorting it until the end comes out in the back of my throat. Then, I pull that end out so that one end is hanging out of my nose and one end is hanging out of my mouth. I thought this would make me memorable in a sea of lesbians. A friend tried to talk me out of it but I did the trick and Luisa saw it. Looking back, I can’t believe she agreed to go out with me after that.
There you have it…more than you ever wanted to know about me and mine. I’m not going to tag anyone else though. I’m too shy for that (a bonus weird and random fact)!
Posted: March 26th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
Comments
Comment from Vikki
Time March 26, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Don’t be sorry! It was fun once I got started.
As far as the noodle trick goes, I think that fateful night was the last time I did it. Luisa likes to say that she went out with me “in spite of” the noodle trick not because of it.
Comment from leigh
Time March 26, 2008 at 12:43 pm
thanks for the humor
cracked dry wall!?!
peace & love
leigh
Comment from lula
Time March 26, 2008 at 1:25 pm
You are such fun to read! If I didn’t know why I was reading this blog, then you have just made it very clear to me with this last post. You’re a riot, as my mom in law would say.
Comment from Anthony
Time March 26, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I’m glad that you are connecting and playing well with other bloggers. In this technologically-amplified and networked world, you don’t want to piss off other bloggers–or they’ll just talk about you on THEIR blogs.
In reading about the weird and random facts, I felt a certain privilege and honor from actually having experienced some of those moments with you. Of course, the pinching of the monkey toes SUCKS, and I don’t think anyone should celebrate your peculiar brand of sadism. I have seen you “snort the noodle”, though, with much admiration, and I have witnessed the ingestion of the salt. Oh, yeah…..I dared you. May I offer a correction, as well? You were dared TWICE to eat the spoonful of salt–and you did it both times. Makes me shiver every time I think of it.
Comment from Polly P
Time March 26, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I have been laying in wait in nearby bushes, breathless with anticipation about what you’d do with the six sentences thing. I am still balking. But I take heart.
Lord god do I wish I’d have seen the noodle thing. Though I kind of think I might have been present at one of those early meetings? Did you meet outside of the storied Avenger meetings? ‘Cause I thought you weren’t together yet. Aside from making the world safe for baby dykes everywhere, I kind of think the Lesbian Avengers also inadvertantly functioned as Hook-up Central.
Comment from Anthony
Time March 26, 2008 at 2:08 pm
One more thing…..After reading about the noodle trick, I understand completely now why the neti pot holds such appeal for you. Similar in concept?
Comment from Kristin
Time March 26, 2008 at 2:17 pm
My dad has 6 toes – really. you should take a look sometime.
Comment from Vikki
Time March 26, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Anthony also failed to mention that he was the person who first suggested this trick. Oh, and he did it with me that very first time (and on other occasions, I do believe). As for the salt, I complete forgot that I did it twice. I was even more stupid than I remembered. We all have some embarrasing dares in our past though don’t we Anthony?
Polly…was it six sentences or six words? I did words but I might have done it wrong. Drat. As for Luisa and I hookin’ up, we were together before we joined the Avengers. Maybe we were just shy in expressin’ the love.
Comment from Marjorie
Time March 26, 2008 at 6:29 pm
OK, that’s it–I’m calling for a video clip of the noodle trick! Who’s with me? NOO-DLE! NOO-DLE!
Comment from Vikki
Time March 26, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Marjorie – I don’t anyone really wants to see that. There is a lot of gagging involved and my friend Anthony (from above) even threw up during the trick. I have never thrown up but I still have a sneaking suspicion that the trick is not that pleasant to watch. Freakishly exciting, perhaps. Pleasant, no.
Comment from Marjorie
Time March 26, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Oh, you so convinced me. I withdraw the request. I will enjoy the freakishness without the visual. 
Thanks for the laugh.
Comment from Missy
Time March 27, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Oh my gosh….I hope I never see the noodle trick, but I am glad ti worked out for you!
Comment from Anthony
Time March 27, 2008 at 2:50 pm
My last comment on this, I promise…..
I think my favorite thing about “the noodle trick” is the other name by which it is known: brain floss. The freakishness cannot be truly appreciated unless the performer is holding the ends of the noodle and pulling them in a flossing action.
I’d like to support Marjorie’s call for a video clip. It’s not for the faint of heart, but perhaps you could insert a disclaimer that “what you are about to see may be disturbing.”
The blogosphere would be agog and a-twitter with your amazing skill.
Comment from Kat
Time March 27, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Ok, you did get me hooked on the neti pot but I am not sure I can go the noodle route. As children, my brother and I would swallow noodles and see how far we could get them down our throats before we pulled them back out and did it again. Glad we aren’t the only troubled souls out there
Comment from Vikki
Time March 27, 2008 at 3:18 pm
A neti convert! I love it.
I guess we are learning that there are many things one can do with a cooked noodle.
…and NO to the video. Besides, I would probably shoot it and then it would take me 10 years to get it edited. ha ha.
Comment from Andrea
Time March 27, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I really had no idea how much we had in common until you described this “noodle trick”. I personally hooked my partner by listing all fifty states in alphabetical order in one breath. We’re suave, you and I.
Comment from blue milk
Time March 29, 2008 at 8:26 am
The noodle trick scored you a girl? You must tell the rest of this story sometime. I’m thinking you mustn’t have been thinking about flirting with her at the time when you decided to do your noodle trick, you must have had platonic thoughts for her or else figured you didn’t have a shot or something… surely? Surely not pre-meditated?
Comment from Vikki
Time March 29, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Sadly…it was pre-meditated. Somehow, it turned out o.k. in the end
Comment from radical mama
Time April 2, 2008 at 9:54 am
You are the only person I know who witnessed the tongue-sticking phenomenon. I thought that only happened in the Christmas Story. Poor Miguel!
Comment from Marjorie
Time March 26, 2008 at 12:00 pm
And to think, if you hadn’t done this post, we may not know about the torn drywall and the noodle trick, two of the most fascinating and hilarious things I’ve ever heard.
I totally forgot I tagged you twice–I’m so sorry to pile on the pressure for something you didn’t even want to do. Forgive me! Wait, actually, I’m not really that sorry because I love this post.