My friend Jen at J’s Thoughts and Musings tagged me with this Chinese Freeze Tag. I’m supposed to tell 10 interesting facts about myself. This can be something shocking or anything that may become a surprise to people! How the heck can I surprise anyone with anything about myself? I spill my guts on these pages. And, I have no clue what might interest anyone. But, I’ll give it a go, and y’all can read it or ignore me.

1) When I was little, I was playing Barbie dolls with my little sister, and instead of a Ken and Barbie Land house (like the rich girl’s around the block had) we were using a collapsible camping cot. With the headrest lifted, it was a ski slope. My Ken got mad at her Barbie, because Barbie was being such a blonde. He started jumping up and down on the ski slope and the headrest collapsed into the cot, pinching off the tip of my wedding ring finger. The doctors went to great lengths to re-attach it, so I wouldn’t be embarrassed on my wedding day (s). They even put it back on right! Do you see why I have no use for Barbie?

2) I believe in ghosts. I’ve seen “spirits,” I’ve heard them, and I’m going on a ghost hunt in about five hours at Ye Kendall Inn in Boerne, TX. I’ve just been listening to the stories told by the staff, and I’m going to be walking the halls alone after midnight. I’m not going to be a very alert storyteller tomorrow.

3) Once I got a table for 20 people at Spaghetti Warehouse in OKC at the last minute, just by being a little bit (ahem) assertive. My friends then lovingly proclaimed me “Bitch Goddess,” and gave me a button to prove it. A month later, at our state storytelling festival, I was the one in charge of laminating the name tags. I gave myself one that said “Bitch Goddess,” so everybody wanted a “bitch” tag. Each person got a different name, “Queen Bitch,” “Celestial Bitch”…you get the picture. They were running around giggling, flipping up their real name badges to reveal their alternate persona. A couple of women from Arkansas were standing there at the edge of our crowd, obviously longing for a tag. Finally, one of them got the courage to ask, “Shelly, how do we get to join the club?” I told ‘em, “Honey, if you are nice enough to ask, you don’t belong!” But, I made them tags, anyway.

4) The one thing I simply can’t stand is intolerance. It is something up with which I shall not put.

5) I stop traffic to rescue turtles from the highway. I did that today, in fact, on Hwy 281, and the turtle had the gall to hiss at me. I guess he was just frightened. That trucker that passed me while I was moving him nearly lost control of his vehicle because he was laughing so hard. I have only one thing to say to you, Mister, if you happen to be reading this. But, I can’t write it on a public blog. As for that turtle, I hope he found whatever it was that he thought was interesting enough to risk his life to obtain.

6) A favorite treat of mine is eating Fritos dipped in applesauce. I got the habit in elementary school on “Hamburger Day.” Each week, when the lunchroom ladies slapped our burgers on the divided trays, they gave us a scoop of applesauce and a handful of Fritos. The Fritos always spilled in the applesauce…and it’s good. Try it.

7) The last “slumber party” I ever allowed myself to attend was with six women in a hotel room at a storytelling festival. The women would not shut up! I was tired, so I plopped on the bed and fell asleep despite the noise. I awoke to the flash of a camera in my face! The first words I uttered were an obscenity that would embarrass a sailor—-and the women had a tape recorder going! Evidently I was snoring with my mouth hanging wide, and those wenches thought it was funny. I didn’t even know I snored! But, now I sometimes wake myself with my snoring. It sounds like a freight train chugging through the room. I don’t know who is in possession of the picture and the audiotape, but I expect that one day I will get a ransom note.

8) I put my “Daemon” at the bottom of my page. You can get one of your own at the site for The Golden Compass, just click on mine and it will take you there. Mine is a lion named “Rasthmus,” and I got it because he fit my personality profile(derived by me answering a few questions). It said I was “modest, outgoing, humble, assertive and competitive.” Ahem.

9) I don’t kill spiders, because that is unlucky for a “spinster,” or “woman who spins.” I don’t want to risk ruining the yarn I make. Once one of those tiny jumping spiders got on my spinning wheel, and I just kept on spinning. I thought that eventually he would wise up and jump down, but I guess he thought it was like a ride at Six Flags. Oops. I will kill a brown recluse, though I feel guilty about it. Those things scare me, and I smash ‘em flatter than a flitter.

10) I put on my Texas twang when I want to do so, but I don’t always talk like that. In fact, I write my posts with proper grammar and spelling, and then go back and Texan it up. I’m pathetic.

Sorry folks, that’s the best I can do. Now that I’ve realized how boring my life really is, I’m going to go eat chocolate to cheer myself up. I’ll tell you about a ghost hunt later.
I’m supposed to tag ten people! Here are some folks I think are interesting: Jessica The Rock Chick, Susie J, Comedy Plus, Alissa at I Wish, Wylie Kinson, Yellow Rose, Jamie at Duward Discussion, Leanne at Artist by Nature, Marcia at Tumbled Words, and Rosemarie at Voice on Miscellaneous Matters. Wylie, I was going to tag Thomma Lyn, but I left her for you…tagging ten people at a time, we may get everybody on the blogosphere before we are done!

Technorati Tags: Chinese Freeze Tag