Meme of random narcissism

[chanaleh]

Here's a meme that was going around again recently.

Five random idiosyncratic things about me you probably don't know:

1. I have to have at least two kinds of shampoo and three kinds of conditioner in my shower at all times. (Not always the same two or three kinds, although I certainly go through phases. But I have to have an active rotation.)
   
2. I have never lived in a house with cable television.
   
3. I have a thing for radiant heat. Saunas, hot tubs, sunbathing. (This is apparently one of the traits I inherit from my dad. Unless I was a salamander in some previous life.)
   
4. Breakfast just does not taste as good unless eaten in pajamas. Bathrobe is an acceptable second-best. But the only reason to put on the day's actual clothes before breakfast is pressure of time, and I hate that. (I make an exception for breakfast or brunch out.)
   
5. I am drawn to objects that use text as a decorative motif. E.g.: My cookie jar is green glass with the words for "cookie" in a dozen languages embossed on it. My old coworker Sadi said this was because I was a typographer at heart. I believe it.

Five more facts about me which I consider obvious but are apparently not universally known:

1. I converted to Judaism at the age of 23. (Really, it amazes me that more people do not know this. But I 'pass' extremely well.)
   
2. I grew up in northwest Indiana, about an hour outside of Chicago.
   
3. I have only one sibling (my brother Rick, two years younger than me) and four cousins (two on each side, all girls).
   
4. I graduated high school at 16 and college at 20.
   
5. Every job I have had since graduating college has had to do with books (retail or publishing).

... And now, I'm off to meet Tiger Boy at Burdick's. :-)

Comments

[besamim.livejournal.com]

I have never lived in a house with cable television.

I'm not at all surprised. Between all your daily work, volunteer and social activities, there's no way you'd have time to watch much TV...unless that was your social activity for the day. When I read the itineraries you post here from time to time, I wonder when it is exactly that you sleep or eat.

[cos]

Huh. I knew all of the "obvious" ones but of the first set, I don't remember knowing #3 or #4.

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

I am drawn to objects that use text as a decorative motif.

The one piece of Real Art I own is an ink work called "Red Lit Room" by Claudia Goulette. (You can see it here if you go a couple of pages forward). It's all just text, writ fine and variously legible and illegible. I saw it hanging in Soprafina on Beacon St. in Somerville, walking home one day years ago, and I just stopped outside the gallery and ogled it. Then the next day I walked home again and ogled it. Then I made other people walk to the store with me and look in the window, and they all mostly nodded and said "mmm hmm." Anyway, I finally bought it, and it's hanging in the living room, and people look at it and say "umm... what is that picture supposed to be?" and all I can explain is "It's words. Look closer. It's all words." They mostly give me funny looks, but I think you might ogle it too. :)

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

That does sound cool. But I think you are a typographer at heart also. :-)

[drwex]

I knew you'd converted and remember being surprised when I found out - it's not just that you "pass" well; it's that converts are so rare it's statistically silly to assume any random Jew you meet is a convert.

Of course, I've never heard the _reasons_ why you converted, nor do I think I ever knew what you were raised as...

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

http://world.std.com/~muffin/conversion/ :-)

And I see your point about the statistics (despite the abnormally high occurrence in my personal sample set; at our first-night seder, for instance, someone pointed it out and we counted four or five out of 14). But there are some people who kinda set off one's radar -- their looks, mannerisms, whatever. I'm not one of those. (Although the very intuitive, like ablock, put it together once they pick up a few other key pieces of background information.) Even when I was at Brandeis, going to Hillel, well before I converted: "Your name is Erica Schultz and you're NOT Jewish??" I expected that being 5'10" and fair-haired would give me away, but it really does not.

[drwex]

Isn't everyone from the midwest 5'10" and fair-haired? *grin*

Thanks for the link to your story page. Very interesting!

[nightstalker.livejournal.com]

1-3 on the first list apply to me too.

And add me to the list of people who didn't know you were a Ger.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Well, how would you, really? :-)

[nightstalker.livejournal.com]

Jewdar?