Even Though I Don't Like Meme's, I am in the Mood...30 Things You (Probably) Already Know About Me.

1.    My middle name is Jo, named after my great grandmother, Johanna from Norway.
2.    Raw carrots make my lips swell, not unlike Angelina Jolie’s lips, except mine sort of swell in spots. Not attractive.
3.    I wore an eye patch until I was seven years old. After they took it off, I went blind in the other eye. Oh well.
4.    I stepped on a dead bee once and was on crutches for weeks until the swelling went down.  I still wore jeweled sandals, though.
5.    A few members of the Doobie Brothers babysat my brother and me one day. They had a lot of ashtrays in the apartment and those Pepsi bottles that are twisted this way and that.

6.    My grandmother taught me to knit when I was about 8. When I was 9, I stopped knitting.
7.    When I was about 37, I picked up needles again.
8.    A serial killer was my babysitter but he did not kill me.
9.    He killed a couple of our neighbors, though.
10.    The girl my parents hired after he went to prison popped a lot of popcorn and invited her boyfriends over.
11.    I never take showers, only baths.
12.    I have eyebrow hairs that measure more than an inch, sometimes.
13.    I was on a synchronized swimming team when I was about 10. My dad even installed outdoor speakers by our pool so I could swim to the “Nutcracker Suite” in the evenings.
14.    Our neighbors were not amused.
15.    One day, I managed to get dog poop up my nose.
16.    I accidentally inhaled a fly during a very important corporate meeting once, too.
17.    I was pregnant for nearly three years. Not all the time with the same baby.
18.    I have one living child.
19.    There is not a single day when I don’t think of Luke or Eden or the one who I never named.
20.    My physical therapist asked me what it was like to live in the 80’s yesterday.
21.    Then the other physical therapist joined in and said it was an historical time. You know, Michael Jackson and all.
22.    Every year is good.
23.    I had a cherry red 1969 Beetle when I was in college.
24.    Until I got into a crash on my way to a class.
25.    I failed chemistry. I’d like to blame that on my accident, but the truth is, I suck at that sort of thing.
26.    I can speak pig latin like nobody’s business.
27.    I can also tie knots with cherry stems in my mouth in about 8 seconds flat. If they’re super short, I need about 15 seconds.
28.    A good friend of mine became a porn star.
29.    We are no longer in touch.
30.  All my male friends are very impressed by #28.

Comments

[rudee]

All your male friends may be impressed with #28, but frankly, I am impressed with all of it. I'm sorry about your babes. #8 needs more explanation because that is really scary.

[PainterWoman]

What an amazing list. Really. There are lots of items that have my curiosity antenna buzzing... but I'm too PC to pry.

[Wanett]

Thanks for sharing Wendy. It breaks my heart every time I read about your babies.

[Tammy]

Fun, fun list. Maybe some day we can get together and do some synchronized swimming. Although truthfully I was much better at the butterfly than I was with a leg in the air.

[kat]

Um whoa...that is a LIST and a half, espesh the serial killer one - holy crap! And you've had quite a lot of interesting things up your nose :)

[Lizbon]

Love the last two posts. I, personally, am more impressed by the cherry stem than the porn star.

Which sounds, by itself, like a manifesto of some kind.

[Annie]

I couldn't read about your babies and not post. I also have been pregnant with several children that are no longer with us (three of them) and one living child, and am now pregnant again and hoping that this baby sticks around.

(((hugs)))

[Fufina514]

You have to go into more details on #8

[Lee]

What a list??? Number 5 and 8 need details hehehe

[christina (apronstrings)]

I never take showers either-now I know I am.not.alone. Um, I am not so sure that I will use your parent's babysitting vetting process.

[LittleWit]

Wow. That's some list. It sounds like you have lots of stories for the grandkids though. ;)

[Pascale]

Dear Wendy,

I've read your blog and admired your style for a while. Your experiences seem like many lifetimes of highs and lows with lucky breaks here and there. The fact you are able to share really speaks to your authenticity as a writer/blogger and this is something that shines through in your book. Just one of the reasons it is such a wonderful book!

I have a quick question that I hope doesn't seem trivial. I also picked up the needles again later in life and am loving it. Many ladies in my knitting group are all spinning aficionados and tell me it's a matter of time before I get hooked on this too. But I have not yet felt any pull in this direction and was wondering if you are thinking of becoming a spinner. Is this the natural evolution of a 21st century "slow clothes" movement knitter?

Thanks!

[shobhana]

i used to know a serial killer, too. he was a bouncer at a bar where i used to hang out. he'd always give me money to take a cab home even though i only lived a couple of blocks away. he told me it was too dangerous to walk home alone at night.

[Marion]

Wendy,

Wow is all I can say. I too (carried him to term) Lost my frist baby and know the heartbreak it brings. (makes me cry today thinking of it) God bless and keep you! Your life has been a wonder of ups and downs and I am amazed how rounded you are. Your little one (girlfriend is what I beleave you call her) Will always be your specail one. As for the rest just shows you how crazy life can be. Huggs and I am a spiner as I think you know by seeing my blog there is nothing more calming for me than spinning. I would love to see you try it!!!!
Warm reguards Marion

[Maria]

Wow! I am a boring person, thank goodness. I can relate to the baby part though. I just figured out that I was pregnant for 5.25 years, and throwing up! We have 5 children, and lost 5.

And we're still sane....relatively!?!

[Lynn]

What an amazing list! And I agree, we need more explanations for #5 and #8.

[Katie]

Oh, yeah! More on #5 and #8 pppplllleeeaaassseeee? You're fascinating - and I'm never hiring baby sitters. Never. :-)

[Keri]

Wow, that was fun. Thank you for sharing!

[Kathy]

My best friend from high school was a serial killer's victim. I also used to ride public transit weekly with a different serial killer who took an interest in my son. The day he was electrocuted 10 or so years later it occured to me why he seemed so familiar to me from the tv.
I soon moved out of Washington state!

[The Knitting Archaeologist]

I always find your blog so interesting. Even though I have been reading for a while, I did not know any of these things. I'm sorry to hear about your babies, and thrilled to hear about the Beetle and synchronized swimming. Thank you for being so open about your life!

[setters]

i read your blog often but dodn't usually comment - today i wanted too and i just didn't know what to say....

so, hello from the UK & i love your blog

[Donna P]

As a child of the 70's, I would like to know if the Doobie bros sang you to sleep.

Heart goes out to you on the loss of your babies, Wendy B.

[Luise]

Your roller-coaster adventure of a life is a little more extreme than most, but it gives me perspective on how you can make choices to come out on the level, smiling. You're an inspiration to many, and your honesty is proof that it is more than okay to be sad and mourn -- part of the whole.

[Renee]

I always enjoy memes but yours is amazing! Serious killers, porn stars and pig latin...
I'm so sorry to hear about your babes, I've miscarried too and never stop thinking about the child that wasn't meant to be. {{Hugs}}

[Helen]

Your list reads like a book or a screenplay. If it happens, you can thank me in the credits. :)