Something Lighthearted

      Enough with the profound stuff. Time for something fun. And hopefully something to spark a conversation or two to turn acquaintances into friends. 

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30 Little-Known Facts About Myself/Things That Are Somewhat Unusual About Me

1. A lot of people love the smell of fresh-cut grass, but it makes me gag and even dry heave.

2. I've wanted a pet lizard since I was six. But we got our dog when I was ten, and I don't think she'd be too welcoming to a reptile.

3. Most people are right-eye or left-eye dominant, but I'm eye ambidextrous. Yet I can't wink with my right eye.

4. I loved, loved, loved the color yellow as a toddler.

5. Harebrained ideas from my past include participating in marching band, playing water polo, and being a cheerleader.

6. I don't like mustard or mayonnaise on my sandwiches. I've eaten enough dry turkey sandwiches in my lifetime for two people.

7. I named both my sister (Samantha) and our dog (Pippi).

8. I was very proud of my 10:38 mile time in eighth grade.

9. In middle school my favorite subjects were English and science. My favorite part of  math was word problems. I haven't met too many like minded people with those...

10. I won a holiday card contest for the children of Long Beach Transit employees in elementary school. The $50 Toys R Us giftcard was the best part.

11. I didn't like NFTY at first, but now I miss it a lot.

12. I'm not a cat person. All dogs, all the time.

13. I've never broken a bone, despite being extremely klutzy. Burn and tripping scars to prove it. I like to say that the closest I've come to breaking a bone was when kindergarten Molly was jumping on the couch while wearing a charm bracelet and sliced her palm upon it. The resulting cloth bandage looked a little like a cast.

14. I have a 250-strong collection of unsharpened pencils, all with different patterns. I started this collection when I was five. I even displayed some at the local library.

15. I got my first pair of glasses a month after I turned eight. I tried contacts once at the eye doctor, and I could take them out but not put them in.

16. In preschool I wanted to be an artist. The only problem is that my drawing skills are exceedingly limited. I'd like to think that I do have a good eye for color.

17. My favorite words are alas, salutations, and indeed.

18. I would eat ice cream for every meal if I had super-human metabolism.

19. In elementary school, I was the last violinist standing (As in the only one who came back for the second year, fourth grade). I switched to cello at the end of ninth grade, and have never looked back. I love my cello buddies.

20. I am the sentimentalist of the family. But I promise I'm not a hoarder. I just have pack rat tendencies.

21. My guilty pleasures are game shows (Jeopardy! in particular), Pop Tarts , and Forensic Files. I try not to indulge all three on the same day...

22. My one moment of athletic glory in middle school was being goalie in team handball, in which I stopped many goals and got bruises from the red rubber ball. Of course the paradoxically overweight PE teacher accused me of not participating when in reality I was the only person willing to be goalie. I got my first B in that class. My only other athletic glory has come from ice skating. I'm less of a klutz on ice skates than on two feet, oddly enough.

23. The best year of my life in memory, strangely enough, was the year I was 12. Those were the days...

24. As far as I know, my family is 100% Eastern European, on both sides. Three of my great-grandparents were born in Russia and one was born in Lithuania.

25. I've never been to Universal Studios, but I am a Harry Potter aficionado, and really want to visit! I am a Ravenclaw with a sprinkle of Hufflepuff.

26. I've never seen anyone grip a pencil/pen (or a fork) the way I do. My sister also has an unusual grip, but it's not the same as mine. I prefer wooden pencils over mechanical because mechanical break on me too much.

27. The first movie I saw in theaters was Monsters, Inc. I've been a Pixar fan ever since. My family even went to "Pixar in Concert" at the Hollywood Bowl.

28. I would never name my own kid Molly, but I suppose I've grown into it. It's used for dogs more than humans, and people can poke fun it. Unless they love it. I don't like being called Mol. M is okay. I like being called Mariana in Spanish class. (Molly does not translate well into Spanish.)

29. I love the diversity of Long Beach.

30. I am a gigantic contradiction. I'm quiet but talkative, sunny but with depressive tendencies...
And not ashamed to admit it.

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      So, there ya have it, 30+ factoids about me. Reader: make my day and let me know if any of these surprised you. Even better: share a few of your own.

Love, Molly