Double tag, + delay
I got hit with the 7 things meme last week and the week before, but I let it sit before responding (I have another, several months delayed meme, that I might get to this week). My taggers were Homeslice, then Frizzle.
- I’ve only eaten goose once in my life. Mid-December, 1991. After an 18 hour train journey from Bratislava, in the dead of the winter, I arrived in Lvov and was greeted with roast goose and potatoes cooked in greasy goose fat. Amazing.
- I only became a regular driver as an adult, just a few years ago. I am quite pleased that I can drive, but I do not enjoy it in the least. If I have a passenger, I usually offer them the keys.
- Famous people? I was introduced to Grant Hill’s dad when he was a college running back and I was 3. Had you asked me then, I would have said Calvin Hill was my favorite football player. But pick me up so I can say hi to him? I burst into terrified tears when I came eye level with this huge man. I went to school one year with one of Bill Cosby’s kids. I don’t think we said more than a couple of words all year (open classroom, so we were in the same room, but not really any of the same groups). I saw Kim Carnes on the street when Bette Davis Eyes was at #1. “Are you Kim Carnes?” “yes” and I just kept walking. I knew a quite notable physicist, and a mathematician, but I doubt readers would recognize the names.
- I am a (rather strident) atheist. I avoid discussions, since it is so easy to offend. And I do my best not to enter houses of worship, even if they are no longer in operation.
- I like pets. I enjoy the company of cats and dogs. My sister’s dog recognizes me (and treats me as the α-male when her husband is out). But I have never had a pet of my own, except for goldfish that lasted for a week or so when I was a tot.
- I didn’t eat pizza until I was 20. I still don’t eat most food that contains cheese.
- My news memories go back to age 4 and the 1968 primaries, my parents working for different candidates, and sitting on the floor of the den, in silence, as my father watched the news of Bobby Kennedy’s assassination. I think I remember the Apollo moon orbit from later that year, but that is blurry. Viet Nam came later to my consciousness, probably 69 or 70, when I recall not knowing what “casualty” meant and being impressed by highways important enough only to need one digit (as opposed to our local I-91 and I-95). After that, I recall events more easily.
Here are the rules:
– Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
– Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
– Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
– Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
OK, now I need to tag some untagged bloggers? This is tough, since the meme is two weeks old (pretty much stale). Here’s my try: Teaching (smarter) – also known as Rocking the System, Syntactic Gymnastics, HRoman of the Roman Empire, Hal from Hal’s House of Pancakes, Jose (how’d he dodge this so far?) of, of course, Jose Vilson, Andrée from meeyauw, e of e’s ponderings, and Darmok of Ancora Imparo (I miss his comments).
JD2718 
regarding #4 . . . I was intrigued by your comment about not entering a house of worship, even if it no longer serves that function. I’m curious why?!
I am a believer but I do try not to be the typical jerk that most people like myself can be around atheists. I just really am curious about the experience of it and what it’s like . . . so I genuinely want to know . . .
Interesting. I don’t have much of a problem entering a house of worship (yes, another atheist), though I can understand where the feeling might come from.
Thanks for tagging. I wouldn’t say I avoided it but that it just hadn’t landed on my lap. Now that it has, awesome. I’ll try to do you proud! :-p
p.s. – I’m lovin’ the facts about you. Gives you some new dimension.
wait, does that mean you skipped the aya sofia?
I had a traveling companion my first time to Istanbul, arriving to slush on December 26, 1991, after having passed a day and a half on a needlessly exciting journey across the Black Sea on a stripped research vessel. (note that the entire previous day was spent at sea on a boat where neither passengers nor crew really cared at all)
So, yes, in Istanbul, facing all sorts of hurt feelings, I relented, and consented to enter Hagia Sofia. I vaguely remember how high the walls went, and the signs of conversion from church to mosque. ISTR we glommed onto some English speaking group, and listened to their guide… When she went to Sultanahmet Camii, I let her go by herself.
This is a great trip for stories, but most of the best are not suitable for this blog… I can say though, the traveling companion, the one who I made completely miss Christmas? And who in return made me enter a church? never my traveling companion again.
Laterain, I do not think I can answer without being provocative, which is not my goal here. It’s easy to be strident, it comes naturally to me.
Perhaps you know someone who’s negative experience with a political (or other social) group leads them to avoid entering any places associated with that group? Same idea.
hmmmmm
and thank you
I have a lot more weird stuff left in me. And I’m in the mood. And it won’t be my cat’s meme this time. Or any cat or dog.
I forgot to tell you. You’re tagged.
It just occurred to me that I don’t even know how to do this. But here is my attempt:
[…]I was catching up with JD’s blog and was very surprised to find my name at the bottom of this post.[…]