10 Things You Didn't Know about Me

The "five things" meme has been making its way around Instagram Stories, & fellow Cleveland blogger Shibani of Bombay Taxi took it further with her recent blog post sharing 10 little-known facts about herself. I thought it might be fun to do the same, so I present you with these 10 randomly chosen facts that you may or may not already know, depending on how close we are.

1. I used to be an incredibly picky eater. 

While some people might still consider me to be one, I've come a really long way. I used to hate all vegetables & most meat; I wouldn't eat any foreign foods because I didn't trust their flavor profiles, the spices, etc. Thai was my gateway food, & now I love just about everything, though I still won't eat meat on bones, ketchup or mustard, or anything that I consider to have an unpleasant texture. I love foods I never imagined, though, like beef, Brussels sprouts, beets, balsamic... the list goes on.

2. I wanted to be a journalist when I grew up.

Inspired by the movie Newsies & my lifelong love of writing, my college acceptance essay was about how news coverage of 9/11 solified my journalism dreams. I majored in magazine journalism, & when I transferred to Kent State, I started writing for the school paper, an award-winning daily. I never imagined myself doing anything other than reporting - but after college, I never went into it professionally. Sometimes I'm still jealous of my classmates who did.

3. I've worked for the same nonprofit for 10+ years.

I secured a one-year fellowship out of college, working in D.C., & when the year was up, they hired me to do communications work. I've since changed jobs two more times but stayed within the same organization. It's pretty unusual these days to meet a 33-year-old who's worked for the same place for so long, but I love the work I do & the nonprofit I do it for, so I've seen no reason to move on.

4. I took dance lessons for nearly a decade.

I started at age 3 & took classes at a local studio until I was 12. I quit because, by that time, I had to wear a back brace, & I also just wasn't good enough to continue. There comes a time when your childhood hobbies only continue if you have true talent, & while I was a decent dancer, it didn't make sense for me to be in lessons with girls who were on the road to becoming pro ballerinas.

5. I was super involved in high school.

I was on Student Council for four years, I was the editor of the school paper, I sang in a cappella choir, I was in the show choir, & I performed in three  musicals. And yes, that was a competitive, Glee-style show choir that traveled the Midwest participating in huge competitions. It was so fun - but looking back on it, I recognize that, uh, we were no Glee. While a lot of people hated high school, I actually really enjoyed it. I even gave our commencement speech!

6. I used to be incredibly messy. 

I don't know when this changed, but over the past few years, I've become pretty neat; clutter makes me claustrophobic. Mike is very messy, so it's a difficult balance to strike, but basically, he cooks & I clean, which means I clean up after him quite a bit - but it's worth it for the peace of mind of a nice, neat apartment. I find it so soothing to be in a clean space.

7. I once got to ride in the Goodyear Blimp.

If you're from outside Northeast Ohio, maybe this sounds like an "OK, whatever" kind of thing. But if you're from this area, you know that this is so rare & amazing. When I was a kid, my dad's job was selling golf carts, not just to golf courses but to universities, airports, & anywhere else that used them to drive around large campuses - including the Goodyear plant. One of his clients gifted our whole family a blimp ride! All I remember is that it was really loud, so loud we couldn't really talk to one another - but that the view was awesome.

8. I don't really like dogs.

Don't get me wrong, I think dogs are adorable, & I regularly coo over Internet photos & real-life canines throughout my very dog-friendly neighborhood. I love my mom's two chihuahua mixes, Chyna & Jed (worst names ever, Mom), but I just... don't really care that much for interacting with dogs. They scare me a little, they're a ton of work., & I would just never want a dog of my own. I am very happy with my two kitties & will someday make the jump rights from cats to kids.

9. My first job was at an Italian bakery.

When I was 15, my friend Jenn got me a job at the bakery called Ninni's, well-known by the local Italian community for having the best local Italian desserts, including pignoli cookies, cassata cake, cannoli, & the like. I woke up every morning at 5am to stack cookies, press pizelles, stuff French horns & cream puffs, & just generally drool over everything we sold. The upside: I no longer really care for sweets because I pigged out too much during this gig.

10. I dream of someday becoming an author.

I guess this probably comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me and/or reads this blog. So why haven't I done it yet? Well... I have no good answer for that. I've always been more comfortable with short-form writing, like blog posts, & the idea of writing something longer, like a book, seems incredibly daunting. Still, I hope I'll make this happen someday - & I hope you'll read it when I do!

What about you? Share a fact or two in the comments!