Seven Things

So, my friends Jess and Wes decided that it would be "fun" to tag me in one of those dumb internet schpiels that makes it way around the web.  I will refrain from following the rules and subjecting anyone else to doing this, but for now...seven fun-n-exciting facts about yours truly.


1.  Despite growing up in Texas, I have absolutely no trace of a Texas accent except, sometimes, when on the phone with either my dad or my grandmother.  Apart from that, though, I sound either Midwestern or Northeastern, depending on the day, my mood, how much sleep I've had, etc.


2.  I nerd out over Harry Potter these days, but...I didn't read a single book until 2009, and the only movie I'd seen prior to 2009 was Prisoner of Azkaban, mostly because going to see it at the theatre was an excuse to get out of the house with friends.  I was Mr. Anti-Hype, "I'm the cool-beyond-cool because I read Dostoevsky" type when I was in high school.  Serves me right.


3.  I always used to joke when I was growing up about how my Italian heritage meant I had cousins in the mob ("I'll get Vinnie over here to break your kneecaps with a tire iron if you piss me off!" kinda stuff).  Come to find out, my great-grandfather DID actually have mob ties.  And was from Chicago, to boot.


4.  I think everyone is entitled to three random, mildly embarrassing celebrity crushes.  These are three famous people who don't usually make the list of "normal" celebrity crushes that everybody and their uncle has.  Mine: Avril Lavigne (I may or may not have had a pet betta named "Avril" in my college dorm room...), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movies...don't judge.  She's of age, and also a redhead in the movies), and Evanna Lynch (no, I'm not a shameless HP nerd, not at all...and also, don't judge.  She's of age, Irish, and her public persona is one of the most down-to-earth of any famous young celebrity).


5.  For someone who is as klutzy as I am, I only have a few scars; all of them, except one, are on my hands.  One is from a pencil stabbing my thumb when I fell off a couch, another is from a woodcarving mishap with a chisel, and the rest are reminders of various kitchen mishaps.  The other one is on my right shin; it's a nice, round, discolored spot thanks to a horrific slip while getting on the #55 at Woodlawn/55th Street.


6.  There are very few foods I won't eat - I mean, hey, I'll even eat lutefisk.  I actually kinda like it.  The main one that never crosses my lips - rutabaga.  Anything that smells like a fart while it's cooking is NOT worth eating.


7.  Everyone has a few characteristic physical quirks.  I tend to make my ears pop a lot through jaw motions (thanks, malformed eustachian tubes for making me need to pop my ears so much!), wiggle my nose to adjust my glasses, and have been known to run my fingers through my hair with great frequency...