Seven things about me

I am constantly disclosing too much here, anyway, but I'm going to go ahead and respond to Blog Meridian's all-call for 7 random things.

1. Multiple personality/career inventory assessments in high school (even college) suggested that I become a barber. I did consider it, but I did not want to stand up all day long.

2. I spent a sleepless night sharing a motel bed with a felon once in Limon, Colorado. (Some other blog, maybe I'll recount the whole story.) In short, I was stranded, rooming with two deputized ranchers from Utah who were returning this gent from Florida (where he had fled) to Utah for sentencing. Throughout the night I had no idea what his crime had been--murder? rape? some heinous act of violence?

3. On the timeline of my life, times and choices, the bankruptcy of our family farm in 1980 was likely the biggest turning point/crisis (next to deaths of loved ones) I have ever faced. It changed everything.

4. One of my all-time favorite films is a goofy movie, "My Favorite Year," starring Peter O'Toole and Mark Linn-Baker. One scene late in the film, when Alan Swan (O'Toole) has lost his resolve, is always a tear-jerker for me (this, in a comedy). Benji Stone, (Linn-Baker) essentially tells Swan that heroes, even sensationalized silver screen ones, are essential. He says something like, "I need my heroes as big as they come."

5. As I was writing this blog post, we had a false-alarm fire drill. They do that in this building, for it is attached to a high school.

6. I spent just enough time in a coal mine (one afternoon) to conclude that it was not the job for me--Mina Esmerelda, in Mexico. We were fully-rigged out, from coveralls to those cool miner's hats with lights (they really DO come in handy), and we toured deep within a mine. Back at the surface, it took literal days to wash all the coal dust from my pores, eyes, etc. Memorable!

7. I used to eat onions like apples. We had a truck farming operation and would swap loads of cantaloupes for other fruit/vegetables raised in Texas. One winter we had a truck load of onions in our outbuilding and I developed a taste for the yellow onion. (I have since lost that taste!)

This is a good exercise; try it yourself and pass it on. Let me know where yours is posted.