Tell us something about yourself that's true, but nobody will believe. I'll go first:

[Redstone]

I was VERY shy until I was about my mid-twenties.

Truth.

Redstone

[JackBeck]

1. I actually share that one with you, Redstone.

Bartending and finding my political voice changed that for me.

[Redstone]

5. I got over it by starting to play country music for a living. In Texas.

Shy doesn't work when you have that job in that place.

Redstone

[Left Is Write]

6. Did your band have a fiddle?

'Cause if you're gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band. ;)

:hi:

[Redstone]

7. Now and again. But not all the time.

Redstone

[SPKrazy]

2. I Was Extremely Shy As A Child

probably phobic

I have worked my entire adult life to get over that

I am better. I can fake it in certain situations better than others.

Other times I just want to fade into the woodwork.

:hi:

[WindRavenX]

3. I used to be shy and believe I had to downplay my intelligence to be thought of as desireable

Wow, was I dumb.

[Left Is Write]

4. I was impossibly dorky in junior high school and mercilessly bullied...

Though I guess that's not too difficult to believe.

Here's another: I may look like a cream puff, but I could kick serious ass if need be.

[SPKrazy]

169. I Was Too!

hated jr high

[idgiehkt]

8. in real life I am very soft-spoken

people tell me to speak up all the time. It gets on my nerves, because I can hear myself just fine.

[SPKrazy]

74. What?

kidding

I've had to learn to project my voice because I work with the elderly who are often hard of hearing.

Sometimes now I find myself talking loudly and very carefully so as to be very clear speaking and people are looking at me like, does he think we are deaf?

:pals:

[idgiehkt]

92. wow

I guess with the elderly that would matter. When I get pissed I scare people, particularly men, for some reason I can't figure out... like mechanics and people like that, I tend to make them really nervous and fidgety. It's very strange. But most of the other times, I don't talk loud enough and don't maintain eye contact enough.

[SPKrazy]

97. Sometimes People Need

to be scared!

especially if you got that gut feeling or knowledge that they are going to rip you off, or hurt you.

I could take you to the mechanic with me! They wouldn't try to rip me off.

I've learned enough about cars to know when someone is trying to rip me off, but there was a time that I didn't know enough and in retrospect, I got screwn!

:pals:

[AlCzervik]

9. i beat the shit out of my drunk step father one night after he hit my mother

i was 12 and had it with years of his abuse, i almost stabbed but i was afraid i'd end up in prison and he totally wasn't worth doing time over. A couple of weeks after me, mom and my sister moved out i called the police on him, he pulled an insurance scam, he claimed out house was broken into and a bunch of his tools were stolen--they were not, he stashed them at his friends house. Anyhow, he got picked up, charged with insurance fraud and received a suspended sentence. I'm pretty sure to this day he has no idea who ratted him out.

[Redstone]

39. Good for you. That took guts for a 12-year-old. And you're tougher than I am;

I was 13 before I hit my old man back.

Redstone

[AlCzervik]

43. the kind of weird thing now looking back is that is the only time in my entire

life i ever hit or hurt someone physically, i wonder in some way that episode cemented my views about violence.

[Redstone]

45. I think it may very well have. Even though your violence prevented further violence

from your stepfather, I can indeed see how it would affect you that way.

I've had episodes of extreme violence in my life, some so bad you'd cringe at hearing them, but I've never hit either of my kids, not once. I simply will NOT do that.

Redstone

[crim son]

77. Wow.

I'm sorry you were put in that position, and proud of you for being so strong.

[Radio_Lady]

Didn't Bill Clinton protect his mother against his stepfather's abuse?

I seem to remember that story, but not sure.

[XemaSab]

167. Fuckin' A

Good for you.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. I used to be deathly afraid of flying.

[Radio_Lady]

110. Me, too. Heights, too. I've conquered most of it with relaxation therapy.

I still hate self-service elevators and would rather walk up flights than get in one.

I've been stuck in elevators twice. The first time I was cool as a cucumber, and got rescued by the Boston firefighters.

The second time I was with my husband in an elevator in Mexico on New Year's Eve, along with some very happy and drunk guys who were marvelous. However, I was extremely panicked... no need to know more.

I think the most horrible death must have come to the people in the World Trade Center who were stuck in elevators while the buildings burned and finally collapsed. To me, that would be the worst death in the world. Oh, and jumping out of the windows would be a close second.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

114. I took a rather drastic approach to my fear of flying:

I got a pilot's license, worked as a flight instructor, took aerobatics. It totally worked. I was scared to death during my first solo flight and after that was never at all afraid of flying -- in fact I totally love it. But I still don't like heights, like standing at the edge of a cliff and looking down. That creeps me out.

[Radio_Lady]

117. Wow. What a story!

That was amazing! I've only been in a small plane once, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and it was OK.

[ThomCat]

11. I didn't start learning to read until I was 6.

I couldn't read well until I was 12. And I stuttered horribly for years. The idea of me being able to communicate effectively didn't seem realisitic when I was a kid.

[Radio_Lady]

119. Oh, ThomCat, how sad for you. I'm sure you overcame it.

I'd be interested in hearing your full story. I'm assuming you conquered stuttering somehow and you caught up with reading.

I once interviewed singer Mel Tillis who stuttered -- except when he was singing! He had a beautiful voice and quite a nice career.

Read about him at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Tillis

I have a grandson who is six, and in kindergarten (born on December 1, 2000). He isn't in any hurry to read. His mother and older sister are reading for him, and he's not showing much interest.

He's great with tiny Legos -- building all kinds of stuff.

[ThomCat]

127. I did overcome it.

And it did involve singing. Sort of. It's a bit of a long story for another time. :)

I now read constantly, and I read academic journals and publications for fun. I rarely ever watch tv because I'm a reader. So turn-arounds happen.

I knew about Mel Tillis. I think everyone who stutters has admired him. Thank you for that link.

[EFerrari]

173. Both my sons had 'trouble' learning to read and both are musicians

now.

Turns out they needed to learn in a different way. Both are voracious readers now.

Gosh, we knew so little about how kids learn. I hope they forgive me for being so dense!

[ThomCat]

174. That's one of my big gripes with our education system.

It often assumes that kids learn in only one or two ways, and punishes those who don't.

[EFerrari]

176. So true. And when in the 90s, I figured it out, the family

had to fight tooth and claw to get mandated alternate methods for my kids.

It was just wrong and that was in BERKELEY!

[BrotherBuzz]

12. I used to walk on telephone cables from pole to pole

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

13. I voted Republican in 1980 (DON'T KILL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I was under the sway of an evil political science teacher! I didn't know any better! I promise I'll never do it again!!!

[maveric]

66. I voted for Roger Hedgecock. 1982.

For Mayor of San Diego.
I was young and ignorant of how much of a scumbag he really was.

[Connonym]

86. Me too but I was only 18 and really, really dumb

[Jimbo S]

150. SHAME!!

[RetroLounge]

14. I was useless around women until my mid 20's

Shy, dorky, inept, unsure, scared, and mostly not in a relationship.

RL

[ThomCat]

35. You were a hottie and probably didn't even know it.

:)

[fudge stripe cookays]

83. I would have been all over you had I known!

It's those shy, dorky, inept, unsure, scared and mostly not in a relationship ones you gotta watch out for! They're tigers! :P

[Guava Jelly]

15. I was homophobic when I was younger.

I didn't know any gay people growing up (any outed ones).
I have 5 sisters and 0 brothers and I wasn't very athletic
So in my head I think I was worried that people thought I was gay (I wasn't).
But as soon as I befriended my first outed gay couple
I realized how natural their love for each other was.
And how they were discriminated against (I lived in Kansas).
I realized that being gay wasn't the problem
it was the ignorance of society that was the problem.

For my ignorance in my youth i apologize

[idgiehkt]

24. so was I

I was an ignorant fundie.

I fell in love with my best friend at college, that's how I learned 'tolerance' or whatever. I never acted on it, though, until I got a crush on a girl at work who was gay, so I got my hopes up, but then I backed into her with my car when I was drunk and she didn't want to be my friend any more. I did everything as back-asswards as possible, lol.

[Guava Jelly]

55. Oh Idg. I am sorry.. fyi that is sorta funny :o)

:hug:

[idgiehkt]

59. I could write a book

"How NOT to attract women", lol

:rofl:

[Guava Jelly]

62. You should! you could make a mint.

Hell I'd buy it.
Shit i could contribute to it :7

[Redstone]

25. Hey, as long as you turned it around and joined the ranks of the Righteous,

it's fine.

Redstone

[PrimeRibGuy]

16. I was born in Germany

My rents were in the military

[Redstone]

27. Why would nobody believe that? I'll bet quite a few people here were born in Germany.

Lots of US military there.

Redstone

[reyd reid reed]

17. I'm painfully shy...

and it usually takes me months, if not years, before I'll open up to people. I'm hesitant, although I will push myself to speak up if I have to.

And I'm so afraid of heights that climbing on a chair to change a light bulb is a terrifying experience. I'll do it...but I hate it. There's a light at the top of the stairs in the upstairs hallway. That light's been known to stay out for a week while I work up the nerve to get up there and change it.

[Redstone]

58. I'll change your lightbulb anytime. And the fact that you'll enjoy hearing me say that

says that we've both done well in getting over shyness, yes?

Redstone

[SPKrazy]

75. I Wouldn't Have Pegged You As Shy

but on the other hand, you are very sweet, and funny, and caring.

I think shy people tend to be more sensitive and therefore that carries over into their relationships with others too. (even online I suppose)

:hug:

hey sweetie reidie!

[Dinger]

18. I Aspired To Be A Concert Pianist At One Time

My nerves were my downfall. I still like to play Beethoven, Schubert & Chopin.

[Redstone]

32. I had a guitar / banjo player like that in my band once. In practice sessions, he would

make the fretboard SMOKE, but as soon as he got in front of a crowd, he fell apart.

Some people just CANNOT overcome stage fright. That doesn't mean there's something wrong with you.

It just is as it is.

Redstone

[crim son]

79. I have that problem and it killed any chance of my

becoming a musician. Oh well.

[Sanity Claws]

19. I like to dance the tango, Argentine style

[La Lioness Priyanka]

20. i was shy as a child and a bit of a tomboy.

according to my grandmother i was nicknamed MAYNO because MAY means girls and i wasnt much of one....

[Redstone]

33. You? A tomboy? Now, THAT's what I was looking for...something that people who

know you would find surprising.

Redstone

[La Lioness Priyanka]

38. i used to make furniture with the carpenters in my home

i really liked making desks

i also used to climb trees

and swim in a snake infested pond

and these are not things i did once or twice...i used to do them constantly for years

i really really wanted to be a boy.

[Redstone]

41. I, for one, am glad you didn't get your wish to be a boy. I wouldn't have as much fun

looking at your pictures if you had.

Redstone

[La Lioness Priyanka]

42. thanks. i still would have preferred to be a boy but atleast i now know the reasons why

i just cant stand restrictions and women have dozens thrust on them

[Redstone]

46. Yes. You make a good point.

Redstone

[Haole Girl]

21. My shoe size is 2 1/2 (yes, childrens shoes)

It's sad, but true. :cry:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

23. Must... resist... joke.

:hi:

[crim son]

91. We are well aware of that aspect of you, SA.

What can you tell us that we wouldn't have guessed? :hi:

[Haole Girl]

98. I've heard them all!

;-)

[SPKrazy]

73. Awwwww,

there there KC2

I bet they are cute feet!

:hug:

[Haole Girl]

99. They are...

..thank you very much! :hug:

[Sequoia]

146. Then, how tall are you?

2.5 wow!!

[Whoa_Nelly]

22. I was a Young Republican campaigining for Nixon in '68

WTF did I know? Was just 14 at the time, and going along with what my best friend was doing.

Saw Tricky Dick as he got off the plane in OKC. I think I mostly went along with my friend to "campaign" with her because Ray Stevens was there playing before Nixon arrived, and we got to be on a special stand up front to see him.

[greatauntoftriplets]

26. My late uncle was chairman of a major corporation.

I won't name it, but you have all heard of it. People always thought I should be rich and stuck-up as a result (he started from nothing and worked his way up), but I never was.

To this day, I have difficulty telling anyone about it, because it has so little to do with my life.

He did offer to pay for college for my sister and I. My parents refused and paid for it themselves.

[crim son]

28. I grew up in Canada with my nose always in a book.

When I moved to the States I was regularly criticized for using "too many big words". After college, at work, my coworker asked if I spoke the way I do "for effect." IOW, I am a freak. My online persona is as colloquial as I ever get.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

36. Don't worry! So'm I.

I throw around phrases like "whatever passages you deem superfluous, you may remove" all the time. Also, I say "to whom?" "for whom" etc. in normal conversation.

:D

[crim son]

44. I suspected as much!

A couple of literate misfits, we two :pals:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

49. Yes indeedy.

I'm such a nerd. :rofl:

[SPKrazy]

70. Spoke That Way For Effect

in my job I've had to learn to speak local colloquialisms because otherwise the people I serve (most of whom have about an 8th grade education) wouldn't understand me.

I think you would be interesting to talk to, but I also find you interesting to interact with online.

:pals:

[idgiehkt]

101. lol

that is so funny. :hug: People are so strange. I worked my ass off to try and get rid of my southern accent but when I moved down to SC I had to re-learn my roots because I got accused of 'talking fancy'.

:rofl:

[Deja Q]

29. I'm painfully shy and afraid to speak up.

It will also cost me my job if I can't turn around... (amazing what's required in a tech job... being myself has never hurt me before like this...)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

30. In public IRL, especially around near- or total strangers, I'm quiet and unassuming.

Really. :P

[SPKrazy]

72. It Takes Me A While To "warm up"

but then once I get going, people wonder what in the world happened?:hi:

[bridgit]

31. i'm so 'light' i don't even have to shave my legs...

:shrug:

[SPKrazy]

71. Wow, My Kind Of Woman!

how ya doin' Bridgit!:pals:

[bridgit]

78. Ha! am i low maintenance or what...

:rofl: don't answer that :hi: :pals:

[SPKrazy]

90. You Sound Just Right!

:hi: :loveya:

[Writer]

34. I almost died when I was a baby.

[bridgit]

omg, me too, i was 2 months premie...

and almost didn't make it :hug: --------->you :hi:

[Writer]

50. I had a floppy epiglottis... I couldn't breath when I was placed on my stomach...

I kept flipping myself on my back over and over again until finally my mom figured something was wrong. :hug: to you too!

[YankeyMCC]

37. I was part of the god squad in OTS

OTS - Officer Training School

We were the people who took on the additional duty of cleaning the base chapel.

(This was the period in which I honestly tried to believe)

[Redstone]

40. Well, there's no shame in trying. Or in being religious (as long as you're not

obnoxious about it).

Redstone

[LynzM]

47. I was a cheerleader for two years in h.s.

And not so hot in the self-confidence department, though I can fake it pretty well :)

[Redstone]

52. A cheerleader? That IS a surprise. Bet you looked good in the little skirt, though.

And I am not, absolutely NOT, going to mention pom-poms here. No, sir, not me.

Redstone

[LynzM]

159. Of course. You'd never do that.

:rofl:

We had the lamest chearleading costumes... skirts to the knees, one piece, long sleeve... remind me sometime if you come visit and I'll dig out a pic for you :)

[Jimbo S]

151. Pictures??

I'll second that, no pom-pom jokes.

[LynzM]

158. LOL

Nope, none digital, sorry! :)

[LeftyMom]

48. I'm much less serious in person.

I didn't realize I present myself as a more serious person on DU than I am in person until Oedi said something. I guess people expect me to be pissed off and a bit of a fanatic, which isn't really who I am at all, but apparently I don't seem as goofy here as I am in real life.

[graywarrior]

51. I have a sordid past.

:evilgrin:

[Redstone]

53. Who doesn't?

Redstone

[graywarrior]

56. Yabut, weren't you under the impression that I was a saint?

:rofl:

[Redstone]

60. I was, but I forgot.

Redstone

[hfojvt]

122. I don't

I was a straight A student in HS and still have never been drunk nor laid.

Of course, some people might think it sordid that I have been an atheist and a socialist. I would still be a socialist, except I have become pragmatic in my old age, and so am merely a progressive, at least on economic issues.

[Crap_in_a_Hat]

54. I'm an ex-conservative

Back before I was old enough to actually think for myself, I was heavily-influenced by my Clinton-hating friends (who, being fourth graders, were without doubt heavily influenced by their parents).

[Redstone]

61. Welcome to DU. Good to see you've seen the light.

Redstone

[graywarrior]

63. Hey, welcome to DU.

You do know we're not normal here, right? Except for Redstone.

[Redstone]

67. If only more people would take the time to warn the newcomers about that

Redstone character, it'd be a much more peaceful place around here.

Good public service on your part.

Hey, when are heading back North?

Redstone

[graywarrior]

96. Hopefully by May. I just got a job as an editor's assistant who told me

today she hopes I stay forever. Sheesh.

[NNadir]

88. I once got evaluated to see if I was brain dead and a possible organ donor.

Of course I have had occassion to make "brain dead" jokes since then.

As it was, I was in a coma for several days. It was possibly the most physically painful time in my life, but I recovered.

[SeattleGirl]

57. I was also very shy, until my mid-20's

Most people who know me now don't believe it.

[Aristus]

64. I once had a girl ask me: "Could you please make out with me so this other

guy will leave me alone?"

True story. B-)

It was in my "Rocky Horror" days. A bunch of us were headed out to party after a particularly good show. We were in an overcrowded car with a lovely girl I just happened to have a crush on sitting on my lap. Sitting next to us was a creepy guy nobody liked. He kept his hand on her leg possessively the whole time we were riding. When we stopped for gas, this guy got out to go to the bathroom, and the girl asked me the fabled question.

To make a long story short, we made out like bandits for the rest of the evening. After that, we never saw the creepy guy again; but the girl and I had a nice sweet, but short, relationship. (I ETS'ed from the Army and returned home.)

I still think of that time with affection. :-)

[Redstone]

68. Moments like that make a fond remembrance, don't they?

Redstone

[Capn Sunshine]

80. Same thing happened to me (sort of)

Back in the 60's ( Cue moan from gen y brats) we used to park our car and smoke pot prior to attending a school function or the movies in the nice upscale burbs we haunted then. Every so often, the cops would roll up on us, and we'd pretend to be making out , which they found acceptable and would just cruise on by.( It was Southern Ca.)

Together with three other couples, I was with my best friend's girl ( we were on the way to meet him) and she totally jumped my bones. Which was confusing. But Reeeeeeally nice.

Six months later, she was naked on the hay in my barn, which is another story for another day.

[Montauk6]

65. I believed that Reagan was a godsend because of the plummetting gas prices in the 80s

I believed that liberals (yes, friends, that would've been all of you) were a bunch of--let me see if I remember the rote litany...

A bunch of pablum-puking, socialist, communist, altruistic-collectivist, statist, Big Brother/Big Government, left-wing, anti-American poverty pimps out to destroy America.

I thought Ayn Rand was The Answer.

I thought the "so-called" (it was always important that you include "so-called") Civil Rights leaders were selling Black America down the drain, and that conservatism ("do foh self") was the answer.

I believed that laissez-faire, free-enterprise capitalism was the magic bullet for all of the economic woes in this country. (Of course, it was easy for me to say living off my parents, LOL!)

Part of the reason I almost flunked out of college was because I was able to justify my academic laziness by deluding myself into thinking that the commie-lib professors were out to indoctrinate me with New Age, One World, Marxism.

Yep, I WAS that silly and obtuse. Ahhh... youth...

[Redstone]

69. And I bet $10 that you wore a yellow tie back then.

Redstone

[Montauk6]

82. Nah... I was one of those of those casual freepers though I did...

go through a preppy Buckley-meets-Fussell phase near the end of my madness (button-down collars, Brooks Brothers tie, tweed blazer, Sperry Topsiders, etc.).

FWIW, I still prefer button-down collars and baroque music played on original instruments. ;-)

[Redstone]

84. Hey, I NEVER leave the house without wearing a dress shirt, so button-down

collars are not a sign of rightwingerness to me at all.

Redstone

[Rabrrrrrr]

76. I got yellow carded for kicking an Argentinian guy in the nuts when I played for Germany

No, not really. That's just something I said in another thread once.

As you all surely know, I'm totally incompetent when it comes to sports, except golf, at which I am barely competent (but as I like to say, I get twice as many strokes for my dollar as any one else), or volleyball, which seems to be the one sport that I am almost good enough to play at the junior high level.

[yellowdogmi]

81. This one time at band camp...

actually it was a band trip to DC. I got caught with an ounce of weed at the white house. Being young and stupid I had it all rolled up in a metal case and did not think about the metal detectors. Luckily the SS guy took pity on me and let me flee with out getting in trouble. One of the dumbest things I have ever done.

[WindRavenX]

85. how much was weed back then?

A full oz? Damn :wow:

[momophile]

87. I used to listen to Heavy Metal when I was a teen

Like Metallica, AC/DC, Iron Maiden.

Now it very quickly gives me a big headache. Can't stand it.

[Kali]

89. I am scared shitless of caterpillars.

Spiders? no prob. Snakes - aww so cool can I hold it? Scorpions, Centipedes - had many for pets. But a fat twitching tubercled lumpy disgusting caterpillar? *scream* GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY *runs and locks self in bathroom*

[Generic Brad]

93. My birthmark fell off last year

One day my back itched, I scratched, what felt like a scab fell off. To my complete surprise, a birthmark I have had my entire life was gone. I no longer have a birthmark or any sign of ever having one.

Believe it or not.

[InternalDialogue]

94. I didn't have to take part in kindergarten or first grade.

When my mom dropped me off for my first day of school, I crawled under a desk and sat by myself and read books. The teacher told my mom that as long as I was already reading, they wouldn't bug me about it. I read books by myself for two years before I started doing actual class work.

[Radio_Lady]

100. Wow! Are you an only child -- or shy? What a story! How did the other kids treat you?

I skipped the second half of first grade and the first half of second grade; essentially skipped a whole grade in elementary school. I was always a year younger than other kids, and I was an only child with two working parents. It was NOT a good decision. I think it has hampered me all my life. I was socially immature and had behavior problems, although I always had excellent grades.

My son, born on December 10, had to do two years of kindergarten. He wasn't the greatest student in the world, but managed to get out of high school having PASSED, then went into the restaurant business.

He was the biggest and oldest kid in his classes in high school.

[InternalDialogue]

143. No, I'm third child of four.

I think it mostly was just that, like now, I'm very introverted. I could be social, but my default position was quiet and alone. When the teacher couldn't entice me to join the group but realized that I was reading already, I think she figured her job was already done with me.

Now, skipping a whole grade is a different story. Did you feel awkward all the way through school? It seems like something you must have thought about the whole time. And you were so alone at home, it sounds like.

You must have developed your own pretty solid defense mechanisms in that world -- do you feel that you're a strong and protective person now?

[Radio_Lady]

185. I didn't feel awkward -- I'm pretty extroverted, at least on the surface.

I like to talk -- maybe that's my defense mechanism. I wasn't in the most popular group in high school. But I was in an honor society, had the lead in the senior class play, and was on the debating team. I consider myself to be pretty bright, but socially, I am uncomfortable elbow-to-elbow with people. Add to that my inexperience with cooking and detesting company in my house. I have to really force myself to invite even one couple over for dinner. I haven't had a party (except for my daughter & husband & grandkids) for more than six people in this house for the eight years we've lived here. I hate to entertain in person, but love to entertain on the radio! I come alive when there's a microphone around. Go figure!

Only child loneliness is with me even today. My playmates were my dogs (Bambi and Dolly), occasional cats (Cleopatra and others) and my bike. Also, one very sweet white lady who did housekeeping and ironing for my mother. I called her "Aunt" Bessie, and she taught me to play the piano. Well, maybe "play" isn't the right word. I wasn't suited for this instrument, but feel I might have done better playing the clarinet or some other woodwind.

There was also a parade of black ladies who did more ironing and cleaning. Many of them liked the old radio soap operas, and at least one was a baseball fan. So, we listened to the radio together, the cleaning women and me.

[InternalDialogue]

188. It seems like everyone comes into their own at a different time.

It sounds like you found your time and your place. And the things that might look or seem sad at one point in life become a source of comfort and sentiment later on.

There are sure to be people who feel out of place or unsuited for their lot in life until they're 80. But if they sense then that they're at the right spot and the right time, God bless 'em.

In a perfect world, we'd all feel loved and comfortable from the get go. In the world we've got, it's not that simple.

[AngryAmish]

108. Montessori school?

[InternalDialogue]

152. No, just public school.

But looking back, and having talked to my parents about those days, I think it was part of the early-'70s education environment to sort of "do things differently." It was a newly built school in a growing area, and we had year-round scheduling instead of traditional summer vacation. My first-grade teacher didn't use chairs -- we just sat on the floor in front of tables whose legs had been pulled off.

[RebelOne]

126. I skipped 2nd grade because I read at a 5th grade level. n/t

[Radio_Lady]

95. I dated Larry King when I was in my late teens, and again in my 30's...

but didn't marry him. (Of course, he didn't ask, either!) It's a conversation stopper at any parties I go to. My husband usually begs me not to bring it up because he's heard it a million times.

Footnote. I did take over Larry's 11 PM to 5 AM radio show in Miami when he was arrested a few days before Christmas in 1971. I worked that shift for several months until I got hired by WEEI Boston after an all-day interview on April 28, 1972.

That led to my own gig and it launched me into daytime talk radio as one of the first women to do a full-time, daily show!

PS. Sally Jessie Raphael was working at a West Palm Beach radio station around the same time I was in Florida. I was her guest for one show on some salacious subject. Wonder what she's doing in retirement.

[Ava]

102. uhhh

nothing.. i got nothing :P

[Radio_Lady]

105. You're young, Ava. Keep living -- you'll get something going!

:sarcasm:

[Ava]

106. lol

:rofl:

[GirlinContempt]

103. I am personable and well liked.

[ghostsofgiants]

162. Yeah, and I'm a complete ladies man.

:P

[GirlinContempt]

163. Shut up Sar Castro

[TK421]

104. Yeah...me too

:blush:

[spacelady]

107. I lost my belly- button. I was scratching a chigger bite in my navel &

it suddenly just sunk/sucked into an extreme inny. I was 9 & we were camping.

[deadmessengers]

149. I never learned to drive a stick-shift. n/t

[texas1928]

109. I am shy, I take a bit to warm up to people.

On the web you can hide behind a profile.

[Gormy Cuss]

111. I have a brain.

No, really. It's true.

[spacelady]

112. Do you have a belly button? What is it's status - inny or outy? n/t

[Gormy Cuss]

115. You first.

Inny or outy?
:D

[spacelady]

116. See post #107. I have had both, but never an outy again, I fear.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

113. I wear size 12 shoes.

I can hang upside down from trees with them. ;)

[Omphaloskepsis]

118. I wrote a program in COmmon Business-Oriented Language (COBOL)

to organize my baseball card collection before I ever spoke a single word. I had a medical condition that confused the doctors for a large chunk of my life.

[6000eliot]

120. People don't believe I'm gay at first.

I think it's because I'm masculine acting and a slob.

[hfojvt]

121. When I went to grad school from 1988 until 1990

I made $5900 for the first year and $6100 for the 2nd. After I graduated I made $8100 a year at my part-time teaching job. When I started grad school I had $3500 in savings. When my part-time job ended, I had $12,000.

[lizziegrace]

123. How were you able to do that?

:shrug:

[hfojvt]

148. that, of course, is the mystery

and I wonder myself. I start trying to figure out expenses and what-not and it seems like it is just not possible. Yet I know that it happened. One problem is that I do not have exact figures on income. I know what my job paid me in the last year - $8100, but since I already had $7 or 8 thousand in savings, I also had $400 - $500 in interest income. In my 2nd year of grad school I had a roommate, so that reduced my expenses, and in the third year I moved to a small town and rented a room for $160 a month, all utilities included. Just like now, I had no car, and I didn't have a phone either, except at my office.

[ikojo]

124. Those who know me well don't believe it but I am still shy

If I feel comfortable in a group then I am not shy but if I feel the least bit uncomfortable then I will stick to myself and not say much. I have forced myself into social situations only because I know it's good for me psychologically or so we are told.

[MissHoneychurch]

125. I don't have many friends in RL

I am not someone who makes friends very easily.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

171. But you have us,

:hug:

[1gobluedem]

128. I got kicked out of Girl Scouts

And I am terrified of birds. The two aren't related, though. }(

[Mad_Dem_X]

129. I wanted to be a gymnast when I was younger

It was after the 1976 Olympics, and I was obsessed with Nadia Comaneci. I took classes, but I lacked the strength and coordination necessary, so I had to give it up. Reality sucks. :(

[buddhamama]

130. i wanted to be a gymnast too,

i began studying gymnastics at the age of four and had potential (what my instructor told my Mom); all that changed however, when i was hit by a car at the age of nine.

i taught young kids for a while- the basic stuff- but my dream had been dashed.

[plcdude]

138. I see Nadia

all the time here in Oklahoma.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

131. I grew up in the suburbs but didn't get a driver's license

until I was 29 and took a job in a small town.

[LanternWaste]

132. I haveI have a middle name so unique...

I have a middle name so unique I can confidently state that no one has ever heard name before, regardless of context.

[AllegroRondo]

133. My picture once appeared in Playboy

I knew the centerfold, and accompanied her on one of the outdoor (non nude) photo shoots. I was in the background of one photo.

My mom bought 5 copies.

[EFerrari]

134. I get hyper competitive when I play games -- any game.

I once scared all ten friends who were playing Taboo with me, even the guys on MY team. No one will go bowling with me and Scrabble may have caused my last divorce.

[azmouse]

135. I attended a fundamentalist church when I was a teenager

Looking back, I'm ashamed that I fell for their hate-based ministry.
And I'm very thankful to now have a faith in God that is based in love.

[plcdude]

136. I lived with

cannibals for six years

[TimeChaser]

137. My 10th great grandfather is Capt John Smith

of Pocahontas fame

[BarenakedLady]

139. I got kicked out of secretarial school

for cheating (both helping another and getting helped). :blush:

[plcdude]

141. could you come in my office

for some dictation?

[BarenakedLady]

142. hahaha

:spray:

[elfrangel]

140. I have a really hard time standing up for myself.

I'm getting better, but it is something I still struggle with. School is helping me with that issue.


I was in a select gymnastics group when I was a child (did very well, IMHO), but you wouldn't believe it to see me now. Ha!


My mother and I made up stories for bedtime when I was younger as well. My dad still says he wishes he had recorded them.."I could have made a fortune." :) From what I understand, the stories were very livid, detailed and a perfect fit for children.

[NoSheep]

144. I hate butter - but to look at me, you'd never know!

[Sequoia]

145. I didn't see the ocean until I was 19.

[hunter]

147. I was invisible.

By the time I graduated from high school I'd learned how to disappear because I was tired of getting bullied and beat up.

If I was digging through a dumpster people thought I was a homeless guy looking for food. If I was moving office furniture or equipment or emtying trash cans people thought I was just some guy the temp agency had brought in off the street.

I can't do that anymore, and I don't want to. And I surely don't worry about bullies.

[evlbstrd]

153. I was a teevee clown.

On a children's show in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

[LynneSin]

154. I was seriously thinking about backing out of the first DU gathering we had in Philly

Even my co-planner Ramsey was aware of it. I figured I would probably end up spending the day hanging out with a bunch of freaks & nutjobs.

Boy I was wrong!

[NewWaveChick1981]

155. So was I, Redstone.

:) :hug: :hi:

Mine: The idea of becoming a doctor was appealing to me until I went to college. I ended up in student financial aid instead. :P

[Burma Jones]

156. I was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church

We had one elder slot reserved for a high schooler, and I was elected. I was well on my way to the Clergy, all I can say is thank Odin I backslid.......

[trackfan]

157. A celebrity on Leno told a joke that he had gotten 3rd hand from me,

and which I had gotten from DU. All this happened within about a day and a half, earlier this year. I don't remember the joke, or the celebrity. I told the joke to my sister, who told it to one of her hair-and-makeup-person friends, who told the celebrity, who used it on his appearance on the Tonight Show.

[L A Woman]

160. I was a speeding ticket away from being a spy....

in the 1980's...it's true. One little speeding ticket changed my life forever...aaaahhh.

[Redstone]

168. You were going to work for the State Department? (Yes, I know, that's what you're

supposed to say when anyone asks.)

Oops. I probably shouldn't have told everyone that.

Redstone

[Lyric]

161. Okay, crazy but true...

My son's paternal grandmother is a semi-celebrity. There are two movies that have been made either directly about parts of her life, or in which her life was portrayed as a part of the movie as a whole. Susan Sarandon plays her in one of them. However, she's never shown any interest in contacting her grandson, so my son and I have never met her.

I've also had more unbelievable drama and tragedy in my 27 years than most people are willing to believe. We could make an entire episode of Oprah, and never have to talk about the same issue twice.

[spacelady]

164. Bud light used a real American Hero idea of mine for a commercial.

[Pale Blue Dot]

165. I'm Agent Mike.

Crap. :yoiks:

[Zookeeper]

166. I once kicked a man down the aisle of a bus...

in S.F., and out the back door, after he tried to sit in my lap. All 5'7", 110 lbs (at the time) of me.

I should add that I had seen the guy exposing himself on a street corner about an hour before this event.

[SPKrazy]

170. Good For You!

wouldn't want to mess with all 5'7" 110 lbs at the time or anytime!

:pals: :yourock:

[Zookeeper]

183. LOL!

:pals: 'Back atcha.

[u4ic]

172. I am gifted with the evil eye

I have actually stopped people in their tracks with it...

[SPKrazy]

175. Cool!

pic?

[u4ic]

177. Are you kidding?

Imagine what it would do to the camera! :o

[SPKrazy]

178. Nahhh, It'll Be Fine

trust me

have someone take some pics after your surgery to show your evil eye and post them on DU while you are asleep

then you'll wake up and find you've had very popular threads today!

:rofl:

[u4ic]

179. Here's another special hug...

:spank:

[SPKrazy]

180. That's Very Special

I do like that, don't- stop- don't- stop don't stop:evilgrin:

[Blue-Jay]

181. I once shot a man just for snoring.

Oh wait....That was John Wesley Hardin...

[Beausoir]

182. 25 years ago...I thought Dick Cheney was a bit of hot.

Really.

It was his sneer. Back then, I had no idea how much of a filthy evil pig he was.

Christ. What we learn with age.

My husband still throws it up in my face every so often.

I am ashamed and sickened by it.

I was also a huge Sam Nunn fan.

[Bakunin]

184. I moved to Wyoming because I like the weather

No. I'm serious.

[bertha katzenengel]

186. I attended Los Angeles Baptist College, and was engaged to be

married to a man I knew there, a fellow student.

[BlueIris]

187. I am actually quite pretty.

Well, okay, the truth is that most people look at me and think, "Pretty...but not that pretty." But I'm really not the physically repulsive shut-in most folks who look at how much time I spend online might at first assume.