Happy Birthday to Me… 36 Things for Age 36

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Today is my birthday!  I’ve been doing these “Random Facts” posts for the last two years so I pretty much had no choice but to continue the tradition today.  However, coming up with random facts about yourself is pretty hard, and what’s even harder is not duplicating facts from previous posts. 

Soooo, I’ll try my best today to think of some new facts that you may not know.  Here goes!

1/ I grew up in a house with two brothers and I was the sporty one.

2/ I joined cross country at school in sixth grade ONLY because I found out that they were going to take a trip to Disney World for a race, and I actually ended up being a really great runner!  The joke was on me!

3/ I loved running so much that I continued to run cross country in seventh and eighth grade even though we didn’t take anymore trips to Disney. 

4/ I ended up placing second in my age group at our final meet my eighth grade year which meant that I qualified to go to regionals.  The regional race was an awful one – it was raining and freezing and I literally felt like I was going to die by the end of the race.  (One of my friends and fellow running mates was even treated in the ambulance for mild hypothermia.)  Even though it was so awful I ended up placing again and qualifying to go to nationals, but after that traumatic race I threw in the towel.  I didn’t go to nationals (it was really far away anyway) and I never ran again for competition. 

5/ Now I can’t run to save my life. 

6/ I can walk all day long on a steep incline LIKE A BOSS, though.

7/ I also played softball for three years – sixth, seventh, and eighth grade.  I was pitcher, catcher on occasion, and left field.  And I was really good.

8/ And now I can’t throw a ball to save my life either.  Just ask Brian.  We played softball together about eight years ago and after watching me play he does not believe that I was actually ever good at it.  TELL HIM, DADDY!

9/ In addition to cross country and softball, I was also a cheerleader for four years – fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade.  I was co-captain my eighth grade year.  We cheered for the school’s basketball team and since I was the tiniest I was always the fly.  Back then I enjoyed being the top of the pyramids, but you couldn’t pay me to do something like that now!

10/ I was so burned out on doing #AllTheSports during junior high that by the time I got to high school I gave up sports altogether… well, unless you count the disaster that was tennis my sophomore year.  #TryingSomethingNewDoesntAlwaysPanOut 

11/ I hate standard paper clips.  HATE them.  They are completely worthless.  I only use the jumbo ones and I throw the little ones straight in the trash.  I also hate the non-skid paper clips because they feel like they are wrecking my paper.  So if you ever have to give me a paper clip, please make sure that it is a Jumbo Smooth paper clip.  #FirstWorldProbs and #YesImWeird

12/ And while we’re discussing office supplies, do NOT give me any kind of notebook paper that has faint lines.  I like dark lines… preferably blue ones.    

13/ I have been using the same pens since college – Pilot Precise Rolling Ball, V7, Fine, Blue Ink.  I refuse to write with any other pen unless I’m color coding one particular section of my planner.  If that’s the case, then I only use Pilot G2 Retractable Premium Gel Ink Roller Ball Pens. 

14/ And while we’re discussing pens, they must be FINE point.  Do not give me Ultra Fine.  I like my lines bold and thick!

15/ My feet are always cold.  Always.  Even during the winter when I wear my fuzzy socks and my favorite slippers, my feet at least remain cool.  I’ve grown so accustomed to this that I absolutely cannot stand when my feet get hot.  Therefore, I never wear tennis shoes or socks during the summer.  My biggest issue this past week at Disney World was having to wear “comfortable shoes.”  Yes, they kept my feet comfortable from aching, but goodness gracious was it miserable having hot feet all week!

16/ At Disney this past week I totally kicked my tennis shoes off multiple times under the table at the restaurants while we were eating so my feet could cool down.  And don’t worry, my feet didn’t smell bad.  ;o)

17/ My nickname has been Lindsay-Lou since I was tiny.  My mom started it and now pretty much everyone I know calls me that at some point or another.  And no, my middle name is not Louise.  Or Lou.  Or anything else that starts with Lou.

18/ Lindsay was actually my given middle name and my given first name was Sarah.  My parents named me Sarah Lindsay but they like “Lindsay” better than “Sarah” so they called me by my middle name.  Sounds complicated?  #ITWAS  Professors would call roll on the first day of class in college and they would say, “Sarah?”  And I’d be looking around waiting for someone named Sarah to raise their hand.  After a few seconds when nobody raised their hand, I would realize, “OH, that’s me.”  And then I would tell the professors to make a note that I go by my middle name, “Lindsay,” and they would say, “Okay!” but really they didn’t care and they would continue to call me “Sarah” for the rest of eternity.  We went round and round and it happened every semester.  It was a vicious cycle.

19/ I dropped “Sarah” when I got married since I never used it, made Lindsay my legal first name, and kept my maiden name as my middle name.  And thanks to the terrorist attacks, 9/11, and the Patriot Act of 2001 it pretty much took an act of congress to get it changed.  I had to hire a lawyer, go to court, run the announcement in the newspaper, and wait 82 years to make sure nobody had any warrants/grievances against me… I probably would have had to sacrifice my first-born had we had one back then.    

20/ I grind my teeth in my sleep so I have been wearing a bite guard for the last 12 years.

21/ The bite guard is made of Kevlar (the stuff they make bullet-proof vests out of) and I still bite through it every few months and they have to fill it in.  My dentist said he’s never seen anything like it.

22/ I don’t like to make a lot of noise.  I always turn the handle before closing doors because I don’t like when the doors “click” shut (even when I’m the only one home) and I leave the shower door slightly ajar every morning when I get out because I’m afraid the click when it closes will wake Brian.  #OverlyConsiderate  Our doors on our house that lead outside the house DO have to click to shut completely, though, so I have come to terms with that. 

23/ I can’t eat chicken outside.  I’m already really weird about chicken in the first place, but for some reason eating it outside just makes it even grosser. 

24/ I also can’t take a bite of something inside and then walk outside while I’m chewing it.  The change in the atmosphere makes the food taste weird when I get outside.  As long as I start by eating outside, though, I’m good.  #UnlessItsChicken

25/ I’ve been using the same alarm clock since I was ten years old.  I got it for Christmas in 1992 and I don’t like change so I will continue to use it until it stops working.  And y'all, I found it on Amazon.  Yes, it is clunky and yes, it is ugly.  I know I can just use my phone alarm, but I absolutely have to have a clock next to me in while I sleep so I can see what time it is if I wake in the middle of the night.  #AndNoIDontWantToBurnMyRetinasByJustLookingAtMyPhone

26/ Brian and I were on TRL (Total Request Live) once.  Some of you young whippersnappers who might be reading are probably thinking, “Tha heck is TRL?”  Well, it was a live show that MTV used to do every single day where they counted down the most requested music videos of the day.  Yes, back then there were music videos on television.  And yes, people used to like to watch them.  Carson Daly hosted along with Nick Lachey’s wife Vanessa (Minnillo) Lachey when we went.  Anyhoo, we were in New York City back in 2005 and one of the things on my bucket list was to be on TRL, so we stood outside in Times Square below MTV Studios, and we totally made one of the shots!  And yes, I had someone record it on our VCR back home, and yes, I still have it.  (For you whippersnappers a VCR is something that you used to be able to record TV shows on by putting in a blank tape.)  (For you whippersnappers, a tape is an old device in which one used to record.)  And yes, I have since transferred the tape to a DVD and also to a digital copy on my computer.  #HighTech  ;o)

27/ I hate wind.  HATE IT.  It makes my hair look awful and it makes my hair get all in my face.  There’s nothing worse than getting a big mouthful of hair when you’re trying to dine al fresco.  Not to mention I do NOT look good with the “wind-blown” look.  I’d never make it as a supermodel. 

28/ I love chocolate and I love donuts, but I hate chocolate donuts. 

29/ When I was a senior in high school I was nominated for the city-wide Journalism award in 2000.  I told y’all I love to write!

30/ I only drink milk when I’m eating something sweet and it must have ice cubes in it.  Don’t give me any half-chilled milk.  It better be ice cold or you better take it back.  And I only want a few sips.  I have to be able to get through it before that ice waters it down!

31/ Two of the band members from Dave Matthews Band (Boyd who plays the violin, and Stefan who plays the bass) follow me on Twitter.

32/ The official American Idol Twitter account also follows me on Twitter.  #ImBasicallyFamous

33/ I was the first one of my friends to start driving and my first car was a grandma-looking Oldsmobile.  I used to drive three or four of my girlfriends home every single day in high school and we would ride around town in the Olds with the ceiling half-falling down in the back seat blasting Master P.  #MakeEmSayUhh

34/ I refuse to drink beer in a can, but I will ONLY drink soft drinks from a can.  Bottles are for beer and cans are for soft drinks!  Never the other way around!

35/ If you bring up an old memory, chances are, the first thing I’ll remember is what I was wearing at the time.  For some reason my brain is programmed to remember what I wear.  It’s so weird.  I guess that’s what made my How I Wore Something Different Every Single Day for an Entire Year so easy to keep track of.

36/ I have fat ankles.  You literally cannot see my ankle bones.

I hope y’all had as much fun reading this post as I had writing it.  I swear, I crack myself up sometimes. 

And if you missed my previous birthday posts of random facts, you can see them below!  All of the facts in each one are different… or at least I think they are.  #MommaTried

Happy birthday to me! 

35 Things for Age 35

34 Things for Age 34

*Linking up with Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday.