10 Things

My sisters have both posted a list of 10 things that people might not know about them.  I thought I'd do the same thing here:

1.  I have an extreme dislike of loose hairs.  I constantly check my own hair for ones coming loose.  I'm very aware of any on my clothes and they are promptly removed.  Three places really, really bother me to have loose hairs:  my pillow, my skin (arms, neck, down my shirt, etc.) and in my mouth.  Gross.  As you can imagine, giving my family haircuts is not on my list of favorite things to do.

2.  I have a very sensitive gag reflex.  It probably started when I was younger and had to do with gagging on a banana string in the car on the way to California.  Just thinking about that made my throat constrict a bit.  I'm very careful about banana strings in particular, but things such as green bean strings and yam fibers have nearly been the end of meals.  I've had to leave the room when a friend was coughing because I would have thrown up otherwise.

3.  I am mildly allergic to water.  I get hives from the chest up when I swim (like that ever happens) or shower.  It's called Aquagenic Urticaria.  Drinking water doesn't bother me.  Good thing.  Sweating sometimes does.  I just take an allergy pill with my vitamins every night to deal with it.  It's more annoying than anything.

4.  I took German classes for 5 years during middle school and high school.  I can still understand quite a bit, but can't speak it much.  My son is taking a German class in school this year.  Helping him review words has brought a little bit of it back, but I certainly could not carry on a conversation.

5.  I have struggled with social anxiety for a long time.  I've gotten better at dealing with it, but it still affects me at times.  Eating in public is probably the worst part of it.  I avoid it as much as I can.  Even if mentally I don't feel anxious about being in a social situation, my stomach will still get upset or I'll get a headache.  Silly body.

6.  I really enjoy watching law enforcement reality shows (not dramas), like COPS, Manhunters, Border Wars, The First 48, etc.  It's extremely satisfying to see bad guys get what for.

7.  I am a very fast reader.  I've always been one to read A LOT, but in 11th grade, my English teacher, who taught a speed reading class at BYU, tested out his program on our class to see if younger students could do it.  I was consistently about 500 words per minute faster than the next fastest in the class.  I don't know if that made me a faster reader or not, but I do read pretty fast still today.

8.  I like to have a craft project going at all times.  Lately it's been crocheting, but it's been cross-stitching and other handicrafts at times.  I don't sit still with nothing to do very well.

9.  I am a food sneaker and hider.  My earliest memories of doing that start in middle school.  I would ask for my allowance in quarters because "quarters were cool," when really they just worked better in the vending machines.  I still have to fight the urge to get food, mostly sugary foods, and hide it for only myself to have.  It's silly, really.

10.  I do not like calling people on the phone that I know.  Making appointments or calling people that I know it's their job to answer the phone is no problem.  It's the thought of interrupting people at their homes to set up visiting teaching or ask them a question causes me great stress and much pacing around the house.  I'd rather go over to their house and talk to them in person (which is interrupting them even more, if you think about it).  I'm not sure why this is such an issue for me.

There you go.  10 things you might not have known about me.  Some of these I don't talk about much.