Twenty-one Things About Me

This was a meme going around FetLife that I'm cross-posting b/c I know not everyone is on Fet.

1.    I generally don’t cry at movies, but the one movie that usually makes me cry is the end of E.T.  The last movie that made me tear-up was Warhorse.  Fucking Steven Spielberg!
2.    I think I have a mild form of prosopagnosia (AKA face blindness); I often have great trouble recognizing faces, even of those I’ve known for years.  I know people more by voice and body, clothes, and context, but if you just show me a photo of someone’s face…
3.    I ride a motorcycle: a 2004 Yamaha FZ6.
4.    For about a year and a half I went to a Zen Center once a week for meditation and dharma talks.  I really liked it.
5.    I drink lots of milk.  In the summer I can go through a gallon in just 2 or 3 days.  I also eat lots of cookies.  One of my best friends says I'm on the Santa Clause diet.
6.     I like art-house films (like Richard Linklater's "Before..." trilogy) and classic movies (like The Big Sleep) and generally can’t stand most “popcorn” Hollywood contrived-blockbuster flicks (like Transformers).  But I'm not a film snob; I also love James Bond and Indiana Jones...  And I'm not a Star Wars prequel hater; I like the original trilogy more, but didn't hate the prequels.
7.    When I was a kid they thought I might be dyslexic or have some other undiagnosed reading disorder: my comprehension has always been very good but I read slow and my spelling was very, very bad (i.e. in high school I still occasionally misspelled my own name).  Now I thank the gods for spell check.
8.    I am slow to anger, and I’m no good at holding grudges.  I shrug things off easily.  Ma'am and I have been together for 9 years, and she's only seen me get really mad like two or three times.
9.    I read a lot, but mostly non-fic.  I usually only do 1 or 2 novels a year.
10.    My dad died when I was nine.  I never really got over it.
11.    When I was a kid, my favorite superhero was Spider-man.  As a teenager, my favorite was Wolverine.  In college, my favorite comic was The Sandman.  I haven’t bought many new comics since about 2000, but I have a huge collection I enjoy re-reading.
12.    I have three undergraduate majors; one is in philosophy and one is in fine art.  After I finished my Masters Degree in 2000, the plan was to work for about 5 years, then go back for a PhD and find a job in academia… instead I bought a treehouse and got married.  So far, I’m good w/ this.  :)
13.  I'm secretly part Thri-kreen.
14.    I love Shakespeare.  (But also just live theatre in general.)
15.    I’ve been a huge fan of the late mythologist Joseph Campbell since I was like 17.  I love how he can blend spirituality w/ art, psychology, and great storytelling.  I was one of the original members of the Joseph Campbell Foundation back when it first started in 1995 or so.  That was the first thing I really used the internet for: their online newsletter and listserv. 
16.    I grew up in Fairyland.  Literally.  Fairyland, GA.  My house was on Oberon Trail.  I am a creature of the Fey.
17.    I am an introvert.  I’m not at all shy; there is a difference.  I just find people taxing, and need lots of alone-time to recharge after socializing.
18.    I have been elected to the CAPEX board four times, but only served a 12-month term once.  Twice, I was elected to a 6 month term, and once I resigned after three months b/c the board was paralyzed by a few assholes who were making sure nobody was having any fun.  (I really had hoped to smooth things over and get things on-track, but after a couple of months I saw that this wasn’t going to happen.)
19.    My earliest memory is being 3 years old and lying on the roof of our car at a drive-in movie watching Star Wars.
20.    My brother and I are total opposites.  He is type-A, neurotic, extremely socially conscious (i.e. always nervous about what others think of him), homophobic, very right-wing, likes to thump his Bible (but I doubt he has any really deep spiritual beliefs, thoughts, or questions), loves computers and is obsessed w/ the latest social networking technology, obsesses on college football, loves Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, racist (he thinks it’s funny to swap “nigger” jokes w/ his redneck friends), and believes man-made climate change is all a left-wing conspiracy.  Total opposites.
21.    My chief value is friendship – and always has been.  I don’t want popularity, but I need a small circle of true, loyal friends.  My peak moments in my life have been w/ my friends.  I am excessively loyal to them.  I have a circle of friends going back to Jr. High School – we’ve hung together for 25 years – but my best friend is my Owner.