20 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Anyone who's on Facebook may already have seen this sort of thing flying around. The idea is similar to the old fashioned "chain mail" - you write it, "tag" your friends in it, and then they write their own version of it and tag you back. I thought I would add it in here for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because I had some time on my hands while Hubby was watching the repeats of "Red Dwarf" that he missed from over the Easter break.


1. I love buying books, but rarely read them. I don't care whether they're novels or reference books; if I like it, I'll buy it. At last count I had around 30 I hadn't read; and that's not counting the numerous books I've lent to friends and not had back, and those I've given to charity after realising I'm never going to be desperate enough to read them.

2. I'm left-handed and proud. But I'm not one of those Lefties that writes with their hand curled round above the line they're writing. That just looks awkward. I love being a Lefty though, because it makes me different. It does, however, mean that I'm prone to smudge my work if I'm using anything other than a biro. I have left-handed scissors and a left-handed ruler - the numbers go from right to left. Other cons of being a Lefty include using a tin opener (rather awkward), sitting next to a Righty in a tightly-packed restaurant, and if I was being assessed based on my body language, I would be accused of lying, since Lefties apparently look to the other side when trying to recall information from your history (e.g. what you had for breakfast), but Righties will look to this direction when trying to fabricate a lie. Let's hope that I'm never in that situation! And finally, the icing on the cake; Nostradamus claimed that those who were left-handed would be afflicted. Perhaps that explains a few things...

3. I can only lose weight when I have motivation to do so. When I am motivated; I'm like a trooper. I lost 30lbs on WeightWatchers when I was 21, but watched my weight creep back up until this year, when I went back on the diet to lose the weight again for my wedding, and I've lost 15lbs in three months. I'm telling you; don't get in the way of a bride to be; she will knock your socks off!

4. I'm a closet fan of cheesy pop. I say closet fan because I refuse to talk about music in social situations, I'm embarrassed of my CD collection and iPod playlist, and I don't let on when I have no idea who Lady Gaga is. But don't get me wrong; I like it this way. I like what I like, and I'm not going to change for anyone. But honestly, some of Britney's songs are amazing.

5. I put way too much pressure on myself. My dad's dad was pretty harsh when my dad was a kid; he would always demand to know why my dad didn't get 100% on all tests, and my dad was expected to deliver. My dad didn't bring me up like this, but there was a certain expectation to succeed. It was hard for me to accept that I wasn't career-driven. I've only just started to be okay with the idea that I'm going to be married young, and that we intend to start a family young. When I was growing up we were always told to get our career sorted before anything else, but sometimes life doesn't figure out like that.

6. I love writing novels; I can spend hours and hours engrossed in my work. But I don't let anyone read them; I don't even talk about it to other people. ask any of my friends, and they won't know anything about it. When I finish one, I hit the delete key, and it's gone. Just like that. Forever.

7. I think Johnny Depp is absolutely gorgeous. He's the one celebrity I would put on my "list". Of course, I don't really have a list, but if I did, it would just be Johnny. He's lovely, especially as Captain Jack...

8. I'm a strong believer in not regretting a single thing in life. I've been through bad times, like everyone else, but those bad times have lead to good times. The one that stands out most for me is when I got depressed, dropped out of college, moved home and became totally cut off from everyone. I suppose I had to spend about six months getting back into the swing of things, and then I met Hubby. If I hadn't gone through that time in my life, I wouldn't have moved house, and I wouldn't have met him. I wouldn't be getting married this summer, and I wouldn't be as happy as I am right now. So the next time I think my life is crap; I just have to remind myself what good can come at the end of it all. It keeps me going.


9. I taught myself to type whilst on study leave for my GCSEs. For those not native to the UK, GCSEs are the final exams taken in Secondary School (High School). I decided I couldn't be bothered to revise, and I spent my days on chat rooms. The more interesting your chat partner is, the faster you try to reply; and in turn you become a faster typist! I may have missed out on one of my GCSEs from doing this, but I have a great typing speed on my CV!

10. My favourite drink in the world is Coca Cola. I don't smoke or drink (much), and I've never taken any drugs, other than those available over the counter. Coke for me is like a cigarette. The familiarity calms me, and the sugar relaxes me. When I've had a hard day, or a shock to the system, I'll crack open a can of Coke and sit back. It's the best feeling.


11. When I was in first school I wanted to be a stewardess for British Airways. I actually drew a picture of myself in 30 years time, and I was dressed as a trolley dolly with a runway in the background. After that we had to draw a picture of ourselves in 60 years, and I was a grandmother with loads of grandchildren - that one's still possible! When I was in Secondary School, I wanted to be a vet. Until I realised it was harder to become than a doctor. I think that was the day I let my dream crumble!

12. I love eating pickled onions. Perhaps that's my English side coming through. I can literally polish of a whole jar of them in a day.

13. I hate cooking. I mean, I'll do it if I have to, but I really don't like doing it. My friends say it's good that I'm marrying a chef, but in the 7 years we've been together, I think he's made me four meals - and one of them was pasta in tomato soup.

14. I can wiggle my eyeballs back and forth really quick; except you have to get really close to me to be able to see it... so I only mention it to people I know VERY well!

15. I have chronic migraines, and I've had them since I was 14. They had to get to the point where they were daily and lasting up to 9 days for a doctor to take me seriously. Now I'm on a lovely drug called Sumatriptan, which sorts me out within an hour of an attack. Gotta love those pills...

16. I only realised my hair was naturally curly at the age of 22. In all fairness I had the most amazing blonde wavy hair when I was young, but then adolescence came, along with the Frizz Fairy, and made it unsightly. I wore it in a ponytail from the age of 12 to 22, when I discovered a mousse strong enough to keep it in check. But I can't really afford the mousse on my salary, so I can only use it about 6 times a month, but it also gives me the "wet look", which isn't really ideal for the wedding. I'm interested to see what the stylist can suggest...

17. I'm absolutely obsessed with photography. I even worked as a freelance wedding photographer for a time, but have now reigned it back to being just a hobby, because I find that when I HAVE to do something; I no longer enjoy it.

18. I'm also obsessed with genealogy. To the layman, that's tracing your family tree. I'm the youngest person I know of that is doing this to any serious extent. I'm currently back to 1708 on my paternal line, but back to the 1400s on non-direct lines.

19. I was in the top group for spelling when I was at school, but I still have issues with the word "premises" and "accommodation"

20. I "suffer" from Night Terrors. I put suffer in quote marks because I am classed as a "sufferer", but I think they're actually quite interesting. They only seem to be about bugs crawling all around me. I wake up screaming, and I've once even smacked Hubby in the face after dreaming he had a tarantula on him. I think they come out more when I'm stressed, and there can be weeks when I wake up screaming on 4 different nights. The only real trouble is that every time I have one of these fdreams; I develop a little more of my phobia of creepy crawlies. It's getting to the point that I see a spider and I break out in a cold sweat!