Good morning and Happy Sunday to you Dear Readers!

Sadly, this week hasn’t had any interesting search terms used to find my site.  Oh well, that just means that I can move on to the things you really want to know.  Random Facts about Moi!

Random Facts 107 – 113

Random Fact #107 – My first trip on a plane was to Orlando, FL, for a Horticulture convention when I was 15 years old.

I remember this flight well; we were on a smallish plane filled with businessmen en route to Detroit for our connection to Orlando.  I was scared and giddy with excitement.  I’m not really afraid to fly… I’m afraid of crashing.  Up is good.  Flaming ball of death in a can… not so much.  The flight from Green Bay to Detroit is very short and I dealt well with it.  I saw my first “real, live” Mobsters in Detroit’s airport on my way to pick up some breakfast at Cinnabon.  Word to the wise… when you see Mobsters, don’t say out loud to your companion within EARSHOT of said Mobsters, “WOW!  They look like they came straight out of a movie… I think those guys are ACTUALLY Mobsters!  Um… they’re looking at us and not in a friendly way…. we need to get back to our gate.  NOW!”

The flight from Detroit to Orlando wasn’t bad in quality of flying.  Mom was with as chaperone, and we played cards to pass the time.  I fell asleep, and unfortunately I was the “cream in the middle” for that airline seating arrangement cookie.  Mom on one side and one very LARGE man who has spillage issues (as in… he spilled over into “my space”) on the other.  When I woke up, said large man was reading the paper with arms outstretched and my face was in his sweaty armpit.  Eww.

The flights back to Green Bay, as the story goes in the telling around the family dining table, were not so great and Mom was just happy that we had good flights on the way TO Florida, because if we’d had the bad flights first, she was certain she’d not be able to get us back on a plane.  I survived (obviously), but I still employ the white-knuckled-grip-of-fear on any flight with turbulence.  At least I haven’t awoke with my face in any more armpits.

Random Fact #108 – My first international trip (outside the Caribbean) was to Croatia in 2011.

I’ve covered my trip to Croatia and the links can be found under the Travelin’ Shoes page.  I don’t count any cities I’ve had layovers in as truly staying somewhere.  My Mom argued that my first international trip was when we drove through Ontario, Canada, with a stop for lunch in London.  I argued that we never STAYED in Canada, therefore it didn’t count.

Random Fact #109 – I’ve dipped my toes in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

I have, and I was on the look out for sharks both times.  Visions of being dragged away by a  large Great White filled my head, but I wasn’t in the Pacific long enough for a shark to snag me as a snack.  I ran into the Pacific near San Jose, California and it was COLD!  SO COLD!  I turned purple and blue immediately, gritted my teeth and stood for about a minute – which was all I could take before blowing out a breath and running back up onto the beach.

The Atlantic I waded into in Daytona Beach, Florida…. in blue jeans…. in October.  It wasn’t so bad… until the salt water started to dry on my jeans, which in turn started to tighten up and my skin started to itch and burn.  Lesson learned:  Do not wear jeans into salted bodies of water.

Random Fact #110 – I’ve swum in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Adriatic Sea.

All warm and lovely… okay, the Gulf has some very cold upwelling in some spots, but overall, warm and lovely waters… though the Deepwater well explosion may have mucked up the “lovely” part for a long time.

Random Fact #111 – I have no desire to have children.

Welcome to controversy!  This fact sparked some discussion on my FB page amongst friends and family.  First, don’t mistake this for not liking children.  I like well-behaved, well-mannered children who know they don’t run the joint.  I love my nieces and nephews as if they were my own.  I honestly thought that I would have kids, but life happened, circumstances came about, opportunities knocked and kids didn’t happen.  I thought I would have them because “it’s what people do”.  Don’t mistake that for a desire to have them… nope, it was a matter of “people get married, have kids, raise a family, retire, the end.  It’s what people do.”  So, when I thought I would have them, it was with the feeling of resignation… not “yippee!  I really want this!”

So, I don’t have them.  I have a lot of friends that have kids and a fair amount that don’t.  I’ve had conversations with friends who have kids who have told me that they love their kids, but find they resent that they no longer have time for themselves or to do what they want to do anymore (this has come up with complete strangers as well).  Of course, they can’t imagine life without kids anymore, but one even said that if they could go back in time – they wouldn’t have kids.  With that, I knew I was on the right track for myself.  DH and I discuss the issue at least once a year, and it’s always the same, we’re good without them.  Now, both in our mid-30’s, we’ve gotten set in our ways.  We both enjoy time spent with the kids, but are happy to have peace-and-quiet afterwards.

I’ve read articles that women were “programmed” with the need to run toward an infant or child who is crying.  I would rather run the OPPOSITE way.  Crying babies are like nails on a chalkboard to me.  Now, if I were in a location where it would be completely out of the ordinary to hear an infant or child crying, like hiking a trail – yes, of course I would go find out what was going on.  I’m not heartless.  Public places though, unless it’s a single infant or child without an adult around who appears to belong with them, I will leave the crying to someone else to deal with.

People, usually perfect strangers, seem to have this strange desire to ask about status of children.  Do I have them? Why not? Don’t I want them?  And my answers tend to have the effect of sending them recoiling back a step or two in horror, complete with eyes bugged and jaw slacked in shock.  Usually it’s the men who react so strongly and animatedly.  Women are usually just as horrified and if they have a child with them, they clutch them tightly to their breast or side and half-turn away as if I’m a monster.  It’s amusing in a social experiment kind of way.  Watch out!  I might eat your children!

If you love having kids – fantastic!  Keep having them if you can afford them.

Random Fact #112 – I crochet.

Mom taught me how to crochet a while ago and I “peck” at it.  I’m actually pretty good and make a lot of hats and scarves etc.  I rarely wear sweaters so I haven’t felt the need to make one, but I do make afghans.

Random Fact #113 – I started playing trombone in the 5th grade.

I still have it.  A circa 1940’s Bundy trombone, dented, rusted, banged up and still sounds great.  I don’t play it nearly what I used to, but I do take it out on occasion.  It’d be nice if there were a city band around here for us old farts who aren’t in school to play in… but I haven’t found one yet.