I can't share all the really good stuff

I got tagged a long time ago....before New Years, before Christmas, probably before the end of the cross season. For the life of me I can't remember who tagged me. And I've avoided posting this because I kinda feel like my life is an open book and everyone knows everything about me anyways. Or, at least everything that I would confess on the internet. But what the heck, here's some tagalicious blog fodder for your Thursday viewing pleasure -- completely random and nothing too scandalous. If you want the good dirt, you'll have to buy me a beer.

Things you probably don't know about me (and probably don't care about either):

1. My typing teacher cut my nails during typing class one day. Yes, this was back in the day when you took typing class on a typewriter and learned how to use carbon paper -- no computers in the schools yet. She'd probably be arrested for that today. She also black-balled me from National Honor Society my junior year (even though I graduated 9th in my class of 400). Even though I was a musician and played piano and all the woodwinds, I had super-long nails. I painted them everynight to match the clothes I planned to wear the next day. When I broke one, I would super-glue it back on until it finally fell off.

2. I was in a beauty pageant my senior year in high school. And apparently I was so beautiful that I made it to the state finals. But we were very poor and I didn't have the funds to buy the dresses and costumes and get the hair, makeup, or boob jobs that the other girls did. The pageant was supposedly a scholarship program and beauty didn't matter, but all the girls were very beautiful anyways. My talent was singing and dancing -- I Feel Pretty from West Side Story (gag). I was also awarded the scholastic achievement award. I think I won $150 which seemed like a lot of money at the time. Ironically, I was nominated to participate in the pageant by my typing teacher (see above).

3. I was the only girl in my neighborhood. I grew up under the influence of all the boys and somehow lived to talk about it. Our neighborhood was pretty rough & tumble and we drank and smoked pot and experimented with sex at a very young age. I don't know how my parents (who were super-strict with me) didn't figure it out. Well, eventually they did. To this day, I still relate better to men than to women. I never really had any female friends growing up nor did I have many close female friends during my adult years. My best friends have always been men. Ironic that my company is focused on women, isn't it?

4. I learned to swim when I was only 8 months old. No fancy diaper-dip classes for me. My father simply dropped me in the lake and let me sink or swim. I didn't sink and spent the next 17 years of my life water-logged every summer. But I'm not a very good swimmer and I don't like swimming in lakes because I can't see what's on the bottom. However, I can bait a hook and clean a fish!

5. I've been engaged three times but never married. I think being engaged is cool and romantic, albeit a public display of an intimate relationship. I've got commitment issues and I'm terrible at making decisions. Or maybe I just don't believe in the institution of marriage. I'd rather wake up every morning and make the conscious decision to proclaim my love for my partner than have a piece of paper that reminds me I should be in love. And, no, I didn't keep any of the rings even though I thought about it.

So, is anyone still playing this game? I hereby tag Jackie, Sarah, Funke, Mo, and Andy.