13 Things Thursday: Random Facts

13 things about me that you might not know

It occurred to me that some readers might not know me really well, so I thought it might be fun to share 13 random facts about myself. This one has been sitting in my drafts for a little while and was the closest to being complete, so this is what you’re getting! Ha.

Based on the poll results from my last newsletter, most of you prefer shorter lists with more details, or switching it up depending on the context. I’ll transition to 3 Things Thursdays once I decide on a theme or a structure for my next one. Thanks for your feedback!

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1. Even though I put myself out there and share about myself, I’m fairly private and take information security seriously. So if I seem a little guarded or don’t share certain details about my life, there’s usually a good reason for it.

2. I’ve named all of my pets after fictional characters, either from books, movies, or TV shows. Della was named after Donald Duck’s sister on the new DuckTales.

3. I can raise one eyebrow at a time.

4. Thanks to my dad’s endless string of outdoor hobbies, I learned fishing and archery at a very young age. I shot my first bullseye at 3 years old, which was almost certainly a happy accident, but I’m proud of it anyway. My dad is most proud of the fact that I can tie my own hooks and put a worm on it, even though he usually does it for me anyway. :)

5. I take after my dad by always having new hobbies or things I’m learning. I’ve talked about all my research rabbit holes in previous newsletters, but this has been consistent over the course of my life. I joke that I don’t understand people who say they could never retire, because I could definitely retire tomorrow and find a million new ways to occupy my time.

6. As a kid, I loved dolls. Barbie, American Girl, Bitty Baby, Polly Pocket, you name it. But my favorite thing to collect were the matryoshkas, or Russian nesting dolls. The smaller they got, the more I loved them, because I was fascinated by how the artists were able to paint even the smallest figures in such intricate detail. There are still a bunch of them on the shelves in my childhood bedroom, and I still play with them occasionally.

7. I’ve loved reading from a very young age and would devour books as a kid. My recent pivot to reading more fiction as an adult reignited my love for it and is so healing for my inner child.

8. If you ever want to make me laugh, send me a fart video. It gets me every time.

9. One of my secret talents is what I call “packing Tetris.” Whether I’m organizing the refrigerator, packing my suitcase, or loading up the car with necessities for our annual beach vacation, I’m the master of fitting 10 pounds of crap in a 5-pound bag. If there’s anyone who can make it work and find a place for everything, it’s me.

10. Back in the day, I used to make my own kombucha. It was fun for a while, though I had trouble getting it to fizz properly in second fermentation. My fear of exploding glass bottles and “burping” them every few days to release pressure probably had something to do with that. Grad school happened, and I took an extended break. Then my SCOBY died. The end.

11. I also made my own ginger beer. That was actually a lot easier than kombucha and turned out really well. I fermented those in plastic 2-liter soda bottles, which made it a lot easier to gauge the pressure. Most importantly, it made some really delicious mules. :)

12. Over the years, I’ve learned just about every form of dance known to man. I was classically trained in tap, jazz, and ballet, and in high school I was in cheerleading, dance team, and colorguard. When I went to college, I joined the Penn State International Dance Ensemble (performing cultural dances from all over the world) and competitive ballroom dancing. I also frequented the local salsa club downtown and went to swing dancing nights with my friends. You name it, I’ve probably tried it.

13. One random skill I have is doing impersonations. I’m pretty sure the main reason I landed my role as the Cowardly Lion in my high school’s production of The Wizard of Oz is because I did the voice really well.

Did you know any of these things? What surprised you? Let me know in the comments!