Wednesday, September 26, 2007

7 things

Phew! This is text HEAVY. Sister Helen tagged me for this. I'm normally not comfortable being this self-centred, but seeing as someone's given me licence, I may as well exploit the hell out of it. Seven random things (presumably in connection with yourself):

1. I didn't eat chocolate for more than a year, really just to see how long I could do it (I do actually like the stuff). There were multiple reasons: test of will power, conversation starter, etc. In the end, after surviving more than a year, including one Easter, I succumbed to a Wagon Wheel from a university vending machine. That's right; it's always the one you least suspect. Bam! And for those of you who might ask if I enjoyed it, you obviously haven't eaten a Wagon Wheel with a guilty conscience. Or eaten a Wagon Wheel for that matter.

2. Funny stuff-up I read in a book. Giving an insight into Nasser's (Egyptian semi-dictator) personal life, it says:

...He enjoyed a happy family life with his wife Tahia and their five children, preferring to return home for lunch whenever possible. His tastes in food were simple. He devoured newpapers, but took little interest in highbrow literature or the arts.

Ha haaaaa! Ha hooo ho! He eats newpaper!

3. I played trumpet in an over-50s band for two years in my early teens. It wasn't the coolest thing to be doing at the time, and it's not like I put it on my CV when I applying for friends, but I have very fond memories of it. Most of the old people had been or still were amazing players, and they all wanted to hang with the young one.

4. I got kicked out of my friendship group in grade 10. (This was even after I quit the over 50s band.) I had somehow fallen in (I think because of my subservience) with the cool gang in grade 5, and had remained incumbent until grade 10. It was then I think they realised I was really a sheep dressed in wolves' clothing, and subsequently set about cutting off my food and water supplies (socially speaking). Of course I went on to get much better and more relevant friends, but it was crushing at the time.

5. Until about four years ago, I thought shooting stars were actually stars shooting across the sky. Yes. That's why I thought it was so amazing - a window to a time long since past.

6. In grade four Andrew Morris (black marketeer from Wondall primary) was trying to sell me a neck chain - about the coolest thing you could have at the time - for $1.50. Seeing it was quite thin, I voiced my concerns about its durability. So, in order to reassure me, he gave the chain a hard yank, which unfortunately snapped it in half. He paused then offered it to me for 50 cents. I accepted, feeling I had been given an amazingly lucky break. Brother Aaron put it together with a twist-tie, saving me a dollar. Later in the year I bought a real arrow from Andrew for $2 - another sound investment, only he couldn't furnish me with a bow.

7. I think I had some bad social anxiety in music school. I only realised towards the end, but I was a looney. I avoided people I knew whenever possible. If they were friendly and outgoing towards me I avoided them even more. I entered the building through back fire exits; travelled through a maze of corridors to avoid main thoroughfares; skipped as many lectures as I could; and ate lunch by myself each day in an artifical rainforest just off campus. I soon came to realise that it's not really what you know in the music business, but who you know. Hhhm.

Now I suppose I tag Kristy & Gerrod (who will have to split the seven between them).

10 comments:

Sweet Olive Press | Helen said...

They're all hilarious (well, except the losing your friends bit) but 6 and 7 made me laugh out loud alone in the house... like a crazy person.

Thanks very much.

I seriously should've tried to sell you stuff. Ah, missed opportunities...

Sweet Olive Press | Helen said...

Oh! Re point 1... I once went almost three months without eating meat, kind of by accident at first and then to see if I could.

Mum was annoyed with me.

And then how did I break the meat-drought? With a big plate of venison at a French restaurant in Islington, of course. Venison! French!! Way to make myself completely ill.

Still, doesn't top Kath's "vegetarian" story. Sing it, sister...

Anonymous said...

Yay ... I was a vegetarian for most of a day, until someone mentioned sausages. (anonymous sister here, if you were wondering)

I also was kicked out of my cool group, but in Grade 9. Obviously my lack of cool made itself apparent sooner, which I choose to regard as an achievement.

But there was no subtlety in my kicking-out - a group meeting was called, at which those gathered asked me to stop hanging round them.

They deserve to be doing what they now do for a living ... heh heh.

gerrod said...

Any chance I can get out of it by claiming prior incantatus, or some other Harry Potter spell? I've already done an 8 things meme only a month ago, and then there was the 5 things meme back in January. Ben has even just come up with the 5 "bleeding obvious" things about me list! I'm just not that interesting! ;-)

Sweet Olive Press | Helen said...

Oh that reminds me! I kicked out of *my* group (a very paltry group... there were only two other girls) at the end of.... Grade 9, I think, because I "thought I was too good for them".

As it happened, I was only saying no to their invitations because I assumed Dad wouldn't let me go, and it just wasn't worth the arguments. One of them didn't speak to me or look at me for TWO YEARS.

That takes a lot of thought and planning.

Now, Nathan got kicked out of his group in junior high for stealing one of his friends' girlfriends. That's a much cooler reason. Well, depending how you look at it...

Aaron Lewis said...

I didn't eat chocolate for over a year also. Jules and I did it independent without knowing the other was - but they were likely at about the same time. It was to see if I could do it, and as a grab for attention... "eat it aaron! oh, look everyone he won't eat chocolate! just have a bit...". Try it. It's sweeter than chocolate.

I can top all of you. I got kicked out of the UNcool group in grade 9. I can't remember what I did for friends after that... but left the school shortly after.

Sweet Olive Press | Helen said...

Iiiiii-ona UH.

Boy, I hate(d) that school.

Anonymous said...

Not to be cruel, but was I the only one who wasn't kicked out of their friendship group? (actually, Courtney was kicked out of ours in year 9. Tensions were high, when there was an argument one day between her and another girl. She was being irrational, so I called her a 'Dork Brain'. She stood up, left, and never came back).

Sweet Olive Press | Helen said...

Dork brain.

Rrrrreeeeooww.

Anonymous said...

Kids can be so cruel.