I was tagged by Nina at Natureremains for the 8 things about me meme. You are then supposed to write 8 things about yourself and then tag 8 other bloggers. Problem is, I don't know 8 other bloggers that read my blog!! The few that do have already been tagged so I will just tag the newest blogger, Cat59. Tag, you're it! Or, actually, you're next!
8 Things about Possumlady....
1. I moved out to DC from Minnesota in 1982 to work for my senator from Minnesota. Coming from a fairly conservative family, I thought of myself as a moderate to liberal Republican. Being my first ever time away from home, after I had worked on the Hill for a few months I realized that all the things that I felt strongly about were “gasp” democratic issues. So, then I thought I was a conservative to moderate Democrat. Now, I’m a bleeding heart liberal. Though, in my neighborhood, I think I still would be considered conservative!
2. Two friends, who do not know one another, at different times, have mentioned that if reincarnation exists, they would want to come back as one of my pets!
3. I like to sing. I was in a women’s choir (Triple Trio) in high school that won a number of awards. I also played Lady Thiang, the head wife in The King and I in high school where I had two solos (if you know the musical, one solo was Something Wonderful).
4. Keeping the theme of music, you have heard of someone with a photographic memory? I have always felt I had a “stereophonic” memory. I can hear a song once and it’s embedded in my brain forever. For example, a couple of years ago I was watching a program on TV. A commercial came on and the background music sounded so familiar. By the end of the commercial I knew it was from the movie Midnight Cowboy (and no, it wasn’t the popular Everybodies Talkin). I had seen the movie once in a high school religion class. I then checked Amazon.com and started playing the sample tracks of the soundtrack and found it! My mom said I was tapping out commercial tunes on our piano when I was 3 years old.
5. I had two lifetime dream vacations and I have taken them both! The first was a safari to eastern Africa in 1996 spending two weeks in Tanzania visiting the Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge (where the bones of Lucy were found), Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and of course the Serengeti. Then, I spent 4 days in Kenya, on the other side of the Serengeti--the Masai Mara. I remember fondly reading West with the Night in bed at night with an oil lamp in my tent listening to the soft rain and the not so soft pitter patter of monkeys on the tent roof. My second dream vacation was a trip to Churchill in northern Manitoba Canada in October of 2005 to see the annual polar bear migration to the Hudson Bay.
6. Speaking of dreams, I have celebrity dating dreams! Although I’m sad to say I haven’t had one in quite a while. I’ve “dated” William Holden, Mick Jagger, Mikail Barishnikov, Gregory Peck (he had a diamond in his front tooth!). Then, I’m embarrassed to say I also dream-dated former DC mayor Marion Barry and ex-Senator Jesse Helms!! (Any analysts out there?)
7. I’m double-jointed in my fingers, wrists and knees. I haven’t checked out my toes yet! (Okay, it looks like I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel here. I just need one more……
8. Oh, I’m a very passionate person. As two friends of mine say pretty regularly, you are just so PASSIONATE about so many different issues! I think my number one issue though is animal welfare. I feel so strongly that we humans need to treat other species humanely and with respect. I’ll close with a poem called The Animals Savior. The original was written by Jim Willis but I’ve added a bit for more meaning for myself.
“I watch all the emaciated strays in my neighborhood darting nervously between the houses in search of food, a safe place to sleep, or a kind word. I look at all the caged animals at the shelter…..all the cast-offs of human society. I see in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal, and I was overwhelmed with sadness. “God,” I said, “this is terrible! Why don’t you do something?” God was silent for a moment and then spoke softly, “But, I have done something…I created you.””
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6 comments:
Thanks for "revealing" your 8! I think it's interesting to notice how MANY have added a fact relating to musical ability. Who knew this other common thread amongst "the blog"?!
An aside--I came across a new-ish book that made me think of you. Maybe you'd find it interesting? "The Elephant's Secret Sense : the Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa", by Caitlin O'Connell (ISBN 0743284410). It's described as "science and soulfullness"
Oh what fun reading your 8 random facts.
So which senator from Minnesota?
Oh, if you have a stereophonic memory, do NOT listen to the Knut song (the baby polar bear in the Berlin zoo). It is as bad as "It's a Small World" for getting stuck in your head.
Hmmm--celebrity dream-dating. Now that's interesting. Can you put in a request?
I do have to wonder about Marion Barry and Jesse Helms!! Maybe some kind of unconscious residual guilt about leaving your conservative roots and finding that you are a raging liberal? Okay; now I have to think of 8 things. I've read yours and Kgmom's and they are mostly upbeat and inspiring. I think I'll have a hard time with that. I'm feeling so negative and critical lately. Hey, that's just who I am! It's so nice that you've taken your dream trips--even that you had dream trips in the first place! I liked the poem at the end. Too bad I don't believe in God. That will have to be one of my 8 facts.
Nina: Thanks for the heads up on The Elephants Secret Sense! It does sound like something I would love. I'll check it out when I return from PR.
kgmom: Embarrassed to say, Rudy Boschwitz! He was SO conservative. But, I have to say, he was a really nice guy. He insisted that his entire DC staff be from Minnesota and it was a great comfort to have a "Minnesota family" here in DC when I first moved. Also, I know this sounds like sexual harrassment now, or at the very least patronizing, but every time he would come back from a trip he would go around and greet his staff and give us women a peck on the cheek. For me, it really felt like a dad coming home from a trip and I didn't mind it at all. Oh, and no, I can't put in a request for my date dreams. I tried really thinking about someone before going to bed but it has yet to work for me!
Cat59: Marion Barry, I remember it was when he was busted with cocaine and it was all over the news, so I can sorta figure that one out. Jesse Helms on the other hand, I still have NO idea! Good luck with your 8! Take your time. It took me almost of week. I would write a little each day.
Well, that's all for now. I'm signing off to finish up here at work. I leave at noon today to go home and get ready for my trip to sunny and hot Puerto Rico. My plane leaves tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m.!! (wimper) Talk to you all when I get back.
Interesting facts about your life Possumlady! I love the memes everyone is posting on their blogs.
But when I got to the poem at the end, I smiled. We are kindred spirits.
We have 8 inside strays we've rescued that have adopted us. Spay, neuter, and now we release (and feed) is our motto. God bless you!
Possumlady! Marion Barry and Jesse Helms? "Celebrity Dates" Oh, you are too much :-)
I am glad to know you better. Not only are you a world traveler, but you are musically inclined. I'm in awe.
Your passion for animal welfare - I share that with you. In a big way.
Hugs to you
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