25 Things About Me

I spotted this game on one of my interweb haunts tonight, and considered doing it. But since no one on forums really reads anything but their own posts if they're longer than a paragraph, I decided if I was going to do it, I should make a blog post.

So, here it is: 25 Random Things About Me...

1. I have been described as "very Canadian," but I have no idea what that means.
2. Recently, I've been inordinately fascinated by Victorian postmortem photography.
3. My least favourite thing about teaching, aside from the marking, is anything relating to disciplinary stuff. This was the main reason I went for university teaching instead of high school. Yes, you would think that there would be less of that at the uni level, wouldn't you?
4. I prefer the version of Spiderman who shoots webs out of his wrists, somewhat spider-like. I find the whole canisters of web stuff, though more "canonical," slightly lame.
5. I don't always eat BBQ chips, but when I do, I prefer Lays form, because they taste sweet.
6. I'm finding writing 25 random things much more difficult than I anticipated.
7. I used to hate pink as a child, but now I find it cheerful and pretty, and I like to punch my usually sedate and/or black wardrobe with touches of hot pink.
8. I once had a stranger toss a toonie into my cup of coffee thinking I was a panhandler while I was merely waiting for a bus. I used that toonie to replace the ruined cup of coffee.
9. I am a vegetarian, and a bit of a green freak.
10. I am a proud non-driver, and I walk or use public transit devotedly.
11. I insert my favourite foods into all my books, so if you were to read them all you'd be able to track my culinary tastes to a fair extent.
12. I have a great fondness for pink peppermints.
13. I wouldn't say I'm a coffee addict. More like a coffee devotee.
14. I admit I am very reluctant to travel, and I do as little of it as humanly possible. A number of people have expressed dismay over this: "How can someone not like to travel?" they ask in horror. I'm not sure about other non-travelers, but I can assure you at least one exists, and she's me.
15. I write all of my story outlines and a lot of my first drafts (or portions of them) long hand in coil or hardback notebooks, which enables me to write on buses, outside, and in waiting rooms.
16. I do most of my writing at night or very early in the morning, which means I have learned how to type very quietly.
17. I have a strong hatred of noise. Loud sounds physically hurt me, and droning sounds make me kind of crazy. I contend that no sound should be made unless it's nicer than the silence it breaks, and very few sounds qualify.
18. Perhaps due to #17, I find television irritating beyond belief, use the radio sparingly, and am becoming less and less inclined to use the telephone. Yet, I still love music - weird, huh?
19. When I'm stressed, I colour in colouring books or I do puzzles. (Good thing I have a four year old to make these things seem legit!) I eat ice when I'm tense, unwell, or frustrated.
20. I have a strong interest in politics, but a great dislike of discussing it. Same goes for religion, unless it's a historical, philosophical or anthropological discussion.
21. I am a movie fiend. I own thousands, and recall a lot of detail from every one I've seen. I can never identify my favourite film, since it changes constantly, but if you're ever so inclined you can see my Top 100 List. (I like lists.)
22. I love water - being near water, in water, around water. Being landlocked makes me claustrophobic. (Oh yeah, and I'm also a claustrophobic.)
23. One of my favourite books of all time is Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and it sits on or near my desk most of the time. I find the "will to meaning" to be more significant to me than the "will to power" or "will to pleasure" theories of motivation. I think most of the world's problems could be solved it more people had (1) a sense of purpose, and (2) resources and some hope that they can achieve this purpose.
24. I have a general policy about stating my opinion only once. Beyond that, and you run the risk of argument, and argument is not really worth it. No one's mind is usually changed, but bad blood can arise.
25. I love plants - flowers, veggies, trees, and so on. If I could, I would spend my life growing things. I worked the family food plot as a kid, and I now have potted plants for my son to help tend. While I love the convenience of apartment living, and am adapting to urban life, I regret not having a real garden, and would like to rectify that some day.

There! 25 very random things, in the order in which they popped into my head. What are some random things about you? Stop on by the comments and tell us - got five, ten, twenty-five things?

If you'd rather do it on your own blog instead of in the comments, go ahead and then post a link (or link to me) so I can read them!