Seven Tidbits About Mere!

Kendra tagged me with this exercise and I regret that I have been somewhat delayed in my response. Here goes:

Seven Interesting Things About Me (my childhood?)

1. When I was in junior high, I had the outlandish idea to dye my hair with red food coloring. Yes, the same type of food coloring that you find in those tiny dropper tubes and stick around in your pantry for what seems like eons. Somewhere, perhaps in a TEEN magazine, I read about temporarily dying one's hair with Kool-Aid and had, on previous occasions, successfully tinted my hair blue-greenish by immersing my short, dirty-blond head into the bathroom sink. Anyway, the day had come when I decided to boldly dye my bond hair red and then proudly sport my alterna-grunge-rock 'do at school.

The night before, I carefully applied a mixture of red Kool-Aid/red food coloring. When my hair finally achieved the desired "atomic fire ball" countenance, I went to bed and awaited the next day when surely, I would wow my peers with my undeniable coolness, as well as supreme ballsy-ness.

Donning my best "grunge wear" (flannel shirt, boots, jeans) I proudly and boldly boarded the bus to school ignoring the stares of the other passengers. When I arrived at school, I felt a little like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever--you know, when he's walking down the street, looking impossibly cool.

But then it was time for gym class. Being that it was September, and the weather was still warm-hot, we played soccer outside for gym. I ran around, chasing the infernal checkered sphere. I became sweaty, but didn't think anything about it. Class ended, and we dahsed inside to change out of our gym uniforms.

That's when I saw it: large red spots, like crimson teardrops, on my white gym t-shirt. Shit! My hair was sweating out the food coloring! I panicked, try to cool myself off. It was time for lunch so I had no choice but to get out of my uniform and back into my grunge clothes. Despite my efforts, my red-tinted sweat continued to rain upon my shoulders. A classmate noticed. "Hey, you're sweating red!" Other students begin to ridicule me, both to my face, and behind my back. I begin wailing, my salty tears mixing with the dyed ones.

Upon recommendation from a friend, I go the school nurse and she lets me rinse out my hair in her sink. The red dye was EVERYWHERE, all over her sink, all over my clothes. She makes me visit the school counselor, who attempted to console me, but was basically ineffective. I end up missing lunch, so I grab a Little Debbie Cake and hurry off to my science class, wet hair (but dye-free).


Ok, that was a long story. The rest will be shorter...


2. When I was in elementary school, I was convinced that I one, day, would be the first female president.

3. On a similar note, I was obsessed with Hillary Clinton in fifth grade. I had all these Hilary Clinton buttons that I would wear on my sweater vests or book bag. A Clinton/Gore bumper sticker graced the cover of my school binder. Other kids made fun of me...

4. My favorite Halloween costume as a kid? Annie Oakley. She was a western sharpshooter that made a name for herself traveling with Buffalo Bill Cody in Wild West Shows. My mother made me a faux leather skirt and vest and I sported a plastic rifle.

5. I remember knowing all the words to UT's fight song, "The Eyes of Texas," by age five.

6. Going to library, for my family, was a natural as breathing, a regular part of the rhythm of our lives. I knew how to work the library databases even as young kid, and adults would often ask me how to use the library search engine.

7. Before "I discerned a call to ministry," I wanted to be an environmental engineer. The summer between 8th and 9th grade, I earned a spot to attend a summer camp at Texas A&M, sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers. The week ended up teaching me that I never wanted to attend A&M (too cultish!) and that I never, ever, wanted to be an engineer.


Now I tag: Ryan, Monica, Carrie