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July 11, 2007

The Random 8

I've been tagged by Jim Thompson to cough up 8 random things about myself. Here goes!

• My childhood dream was to become an artist. This goal did not sit well with my parents. In an absolute temper tantrum at 18 after learning I'd not be attending art school, I tossed a decade's worth of paintings and other art-related projects into a trash bin. I wouldn't pick up a paintbrush again until many years later. My paintbrush has since morphed into a camera. :-)
• I was held up at gunpoint. While browsing in an Upper East Side store with a friend, the perpetrator entered and waved his gun at us. In a very soft-spoken voice, he instructed us (me, my friend and the two salespeople) to go to the back room of the store, sit on the floor and give him whatever cash we had, all the while waving his gun or shoving it into someone's back. He then told us not to move and closed the door of the room. After sitting on that floor for about 10 minutes, the salesperson peeked out the door and decided to go out into the store, grab the phone and call the police. The cops finally showed up, and I was amazed at the differing descriptions of the guy each of us gave to the police officer. Once all the pertinent information was delivered, we were free to go and I proceeded to laugh non-stop for the next two hours until my friend told me that if I didn't stop she was going to punch me. I didn't laugh because I thought it was funny. I suppose it was a nervous reaction to an unbelievably frightening experience.
• When I was in high school, my mom was constantly called to the school because I'd always suffer some injury while doing gymnastics or some other sport. Each visit to the doctor brought the same diagnosis: severely bruised. As an adult, I've walked into a building support, the glass pane of a store window and have fallen down stairs a few times. (This brings new meaning to the word clumsy.) Regardless of all those mishaps, I've never had a broken bone.
• I've actually considered the idea of working in the military -- but then that age limit got in the way. My feeling is that there are probably a lot of folks out there who WOULD want to serve their country but can't simply because they're considered too old. I certainly get the point of having the young and extremely fit on the front lines, but if you're working in an office I fail to see how that mandatory training is really necessary. I personally think that's a lot of valuable brain power going to waste, what with all those Baby Boomers not yet ready for retirement. I've also considered working in the police department -- but then that age limit got in the way.
• My dad was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. For some strange reason the idea of jumping out of a plane doesn't phase me, and one day I'll do just that.
• I am seriously considering returning to school to further my education. The problem is that I'm having a hard time limiting my educational leanings to one area. To date subjects of extreme interest for me include Computer Science, International Relations and of course, Photography AND marine biology or ecology, research, and wildlife conservation. :-)
• The very first Web site I built ('93) was titled Wild, Wild West and had a bunch of links to Web sites about cowboys and indians on it. The next one was titled "Off the Beaten Path." It garnered some press. In Web years, I'm an old fart.
• In 2003 I turned my one-page Web site into a full-blown weblog. The idea that I was more out in the open on the Web prairie (sort of like moving from behind the curtain to the stage) had an adverse effect on my writing. Even though I had my 15 minutes of fame back in the '90s, my ISP had changed and since I didn't have my own domain name at the time, I subsequently lost my readership. Being under the radar was fine by me, but for whatever reason, I couldn't escape the feeling that I was somehow back on stage in primetime. Of course I realize this was my own perception rather than a marked reality, but my writing suffered as a result. I was suddenly self-conscious and cautious about what I wrote, constantly editing my thoughts and rewriting or deleting on a regular basis. I regret having changed my single page to a full-blown blog, and often find myself pining for that writing voice that escaped me 4 years ago.

Consider yourself tagged:
Pat @ The Gray Monk :|: Loup @ Because I Said So :|: Dale @ Scribble, Scribble, Scribble

Cindy

Comments

Brain matter deposited by: RONW on July 12, 2007 3:22 AM

Brain matter deposited by: Cindy on July 12, 2007 5:58 AM

Brain matter deposited by: The Gray Monk on July 12, 2007 7:02 PM