Tagged!: The Random Bandwagon

Today, I got "tagged" by my friend and fellow blogger, Jen. Probably because when she got "tagged", I had to open my mouth ask what "tagging" was. According to Jen, "Getting 'tagged' in Blogger or Facebook simply means that one of your friends has 'tagged' you by letting you know in a comment or on their post, to do whatever it is we are currently doing." In this case, "we" are currently divulging 25 random things about ourselves. I had a hard time, because some of the best stuff I thought of was best left unsaid. (I didn't want to tarnish my reputation too badly). Here is my 25 random items about myself.

1. I have owned 11 vehicles in my 23 years of driving. Five of those have been Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth products of which I will never buy another. Two have been GM vehicles and two have been Fords. Both Fords were the same model of different years. My favorite of the 11 is my current car, a Honda Civic! I have never owned a brand new vehicle. I have always dreamed of owning a Beamer - even if it is BMW's economy model.

2. In my 39 years, I have lived in 13 different places, confined to three states and four cities.

3. I am an Eagle Scout.

4. I have never done drugs. My first drink was at 18, but I never really acquired a taste for alcohol. I tried smoking in high school because I wanted to fit in. I didn't, so it didn't last.

5. I spent five years working as a nursing assistant and Qualified Medication Aide in various nursing homes in Indiana. I left the profession when a resident passed away on my shift (congestive heart failure) because I felt I should have done more. To this day I don't know how career nurses last as long as they do.

6. On my maternal side, I am a direct descendent of the Barons of Wedderburn (outside Edinburgh, Scotland) and Alphin, Kenneth I, Malcolm I, and Malcolm II, Kings of Scotland.

7. I collect Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars, Department 56 Dickens Village, and Harbor Lights lighthouse miniatures.

8. I have left the United States three times, all to Canada. I do not have a burning desire to go abroad because there is still too much of America that I wish to see. I would enjoy seeing a few places in Europe, but I will not regret it if I don't.

9. When I was a kid, I once dreamt of becoming a cowboy and moving to Oklahoma because my favorite aunt and uncle lived there.

10. Lori and I were friends for 16 years before we got married. We met while in high school and kept in touch through letters. The German language and terrorists can be credited with bringing Lori and I together.

11. I once had to repossess an entire house of furniture on Christmas Eve. I quit my job two days later.

12. My dream job is to someday own my own gift store by the sea. I would call it "The Sandy Cellar". I also think it would be neat to own an art gallery.

13. My favorite music group/duo is Simon and Garfunkle. I also enjoy listening to John Lennon.

14. I am a big Nicholas Sparks fan. I own and have read all of his books. Some of the more recognizable titles, which have been made into movies, include "The Notebook" (Rachel McAdams, James Gardner, Gina Rowlins), "A Walk to Remember" (Mandy Moore, Shane West), "Message in a Bottle" (Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn, Paul Newman), and "Nights in Rodanthe" (Richard Gere, Diane Lane).

15. I have been fired from two jobs. Both times I was fired for telling my boss what he was or what he could do in words that cannot be repeated here.

16. I don't understand how people who care for others, such as Nurse's Aides, can make far less money than someone flipping burgers at McDonald's. These people literally have someone's life in their hands every single day, yet many of them still only make minimum wage.

17. I find it ironic that while I have never been a big wine drinker, I love visiting wineries. It must be something about the atmosphere, because I really can't figure it out beyond that.

18. After high school, I joined the Army to be a broadcast journalist and was scheduled to be stationed in Korea upon completion of my training. I enlisted with a guaranteed job and after failing my training twice, I was discharged because the Army could no longer uphold its guarantee of that job. A clerical error was discovered after my second failure that showed I was never qualified for the job.

19. I am the middle child of my father's two daughters and three sons. The girls are bookends to the boys. Only four of the five are alive today. My younger brother passed away when I was five.

20. In a single year, I traveled for the first time on a train, an airplane, and a bus in three separate trips.

21. I am "double-jointed" in both arms and both thumbs.

22. I have two wisdom teeth that are horizontal in my jaw beneath the gum. They will never come in and therefore I will only be half as wise as everyone else.

23. I was the chess club champion of my junior high school in the 8th grade. I placed ninth in the state regional tournament that year. I would have had the opportunity to go on to the state tournament, but one of my games was disqualified because of a teammate.

24. I have always been fascinated by the historical origins of names of places.

25. I wore tennis shoes (with my tux) to my prom, not because I couldn't afford dress shoes, but because I wanted to be comfortable and make a statement. I would've worn them to my graduation, but the coordinator threatened to quit and refused to let me walk if I did. In a separate high school fashion statement, I did not own a pair of jeans all through my high school career. I found them uncomfortable.