"8 Random Facts About Me" Meme

Ann Bares of Compensation Force has tagged me to join in the 8 Random Facts About Me meme, so here goes.

First, the Rules:

1) Post these rules before you give your facts

2) List 8 random facts about yourself

3) At the end of your post, choose (tag) 8 people and list their names, linking to them

4) Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they've been tagged

Now, the facts:

1.    By the time I was 18, I had gone to 9 different schools in five different states--which explains why I've l  lived in Pennsylvania for the past 25 years.

2.    Like Ann, I'm a voracious reader. I've been known to complete a 300 page book in an evening. The     downside of this is that I always need to be getting new books. Although I use the library, I'm also    addicted to used bookstores, Amazon and Borders. My husband is beginning to get concerned about the number of books in our home, including those in large piles next to our bed.

3.  I went to college in the heart of Amish Country--Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. Our mascot was the "Diplomat," which, as you can imagine, struck fear into the hearts of athletic rivals.  During my junior year, they filmed Witness on campus and several months later had a party in town to celebrate the movie's opening night. I was supposed to waitress the event, but let my roommate go instead so she could meet Alexander Godunov. If Harrison Ford had been there, I don't think I'd have been that nice.

4.  My Myers-Briggs Type is either INFP or INTP, depending on my mood. According to this site, via Stephen Downes,   this means I am either the Idealist (the natural prey of the ISTJ) or the Egghead. I've been called both, so that just confirms for me my ongoing indecision about my type.

5.  My husband is Black and I am White. Often when we go to stores or restaurants, people will try to wait on us separately, assuming that we aren't together. Being in an interracial marriage has made me very sensitive to white privilege and even more aware of racism.

6.    Although I haven't produced anything beyond art journal pages in close to a year, I'm an artist in my spare time. I have no formal training of any sort and regard it primarily as a creative and emotional outlet. It's something that I miss, but can't seem to get back into right now.

7.  I suffer from chronic depression, for which I take medication. I've tried a few times to go off of it, but that hasn't ended well, so I'm now on the meds indefinitely. When I was diagnosed and started taking the medication, I made the decision to be open about my condition because I personally don't think it's something to be ashamed of. I've been surprised, though, how many people will tell me privately that they suffer from depression, too, but are ashamed to let anyone know. That's really sad to me, because depression is an isolating disease anyway, made far worse when you feel you have to hide it.

8.  To end on a brighter note--I just finished watching all three seasons of Arrested Development at the suggestion of my 19 year-old daughter.  The show is HILARIOUS--incredibly smart humor--and I'm really annoyed that it's off the air now. Of course, I didn't watch it when it was on the air, so I'm one of the people I can blame for its demise.

Now to tag my 8 people, an eclectic group most definitely:

Soha El-Borno of Wild Apricot

Rosetta Thurman of Perspectives from the Pipeline

Cammy Bean of Learning Visions

Hildy Gottlieb of Creating the Future

Angela White of A Nice Cup of Lizard

Bronwyn Mauldin of Workforce Developments

Harold Jarche

Laura Whitehead of Laura's Notebook

Comments

[Christy Tucker]

I admire your courage in being open about your depression. I wish our culture wouldn't make it so that decision requires courage, but I know people don't treat mental health issues like physical health conditions. I think every person who can be open and honest about it helps change the culture a bit to become more accepting. Kudos to you!

[Michele Martin]

I am also Michele Martin! I was just Googling my own name and I stumbled across your blog here. I also live with depression, love Arrested Development, and love to read. I'm currently working on my master's degree in library and information science, so anything web 2.0-related is of interest. I am bookmarking your page and will visit often!