Tagged...

So, I just got tagged.  I normally don't do these type of things, but I guess I'll give it a try.  Thanks, Cristi of 2 if By Sea!

Here are the rules:

1.  Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2.  Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.

3.  Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.

4.  Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1.  I'm not a big fan of black licorice.  When we were kids, my grandparents got us like 20 foot ropes of licorice.  What might seem like a nice treat for a troupe of rambunctious children, turned slightly more sinister.  A long time ago, there was a road between Poplar Bluff, Missouri and Piggot, Arkansas that was extremely hilly.  Imagine for a moment, gorging yourself on black licorice and riding up and down and up and down in the back of a Suburban.  

(That and rough-housing with your many cousins.) I spewed what seemed like black poison for hours.  I've never been able to look at it the same way again.

2.  I studied Tae Kwon Do and martial arts for several years.  I was actually pretty good at it and won several trophies and medals.  It's hard to imagine it nowadays, but I was also really flexible and could drop down into splits and straddles and could kick really high.

3.  I am slightly phobic of rats and mice.  I mean, I can see them and play it cool, but the instant one even gets close to me or the thought of one crawling around on me just makes my skin crawl.  I think the major creepy factor comes from their reptile-like tail.

4.  I hate to admit it, but I'm a prime-time soap opera addict.  Over the 

years, I've tried to curb it back and even at one point got rid of my television, but for several years I was hooked.  Then again, it seemed normal at the time and everyone else was doing it too.  Who doesn't love Dallas, Knots Landing, Dynasty, Melrose Place, Falcon Crest, or the short-lived Savannah or the even shorter-lived Central Park West or Models Inc.?

5.  I'm a huge fan of dried cuttle fish.  When we were kids, my mom used to take us to the Vietnamese section of town to go to the "Oriental Store" and pick some up.  It was one of the only places that we could get it in Orlando at the time.  We'd get big bags of the stuff and munch on it happily.  Usually we'd get it either on the way to or on the way back from the flea market.  To someone who's not already hooked, it's hard to describe exactly the combination of sweet, spicy, savory, and a little stank – but I love it.

6.  The first movie that I saw in theaters was Masters of the Universe.  We didn't have a lot of money when we were growing up and I was... to put it lightly... a handful to take care of.  This combination meant that we hardly ever went to the movies at all.  I think this made me appreciate these outings all the more.  For years afterwards, I would keep the ticket-stubs to every movie I saw.

7.  Whether it was my attempt to find the perfect solution to a permanent tan that wouldn't wash off or to become all weather-proof – I don't know, but I once covered my entire upper body with deck varnish.  I really can't explain why I did it.  I achieved a shiny gloss.  That's for sure.  But I ended up being that kid that was hosed down in the front lawn with enumerable curse-words being shouted from his parents in multiple languages.  

Okay, so I tag:

Cynthia Thornton

Sheila Thornton

Jean Yates

Melanie Brooks Lukacs

Heather Wynn

Jen Tong

Margot Potter

Carter Seibels