I don’t go into too much detail about myself on the blog, but Clair from Finding Clairity tagged me in “11 Things” about a month back — she wrote 11 random things about herself, then asked some other bloggers to do the same.

I haven’t gotten around to doing this until now.

So if you’re a little curious about little CW, here are 11 things about me!

1. I am the only person in my family with red hair. Neither of my parents nor any of my four siblings have red hair. In fact, we can’t seem to find where it came from. There’s no red-headed person in our genealogy as far as anyone can remember. My siblings used to joke that I was switched at birth as a child, and I did believe them for a time. (i.e. I used to think someday my life would be much like the made-for-TV-movie The Face on the Milk Carton — terrifying thought for me, really.) But I’m not — just a stubborn recessive gene passed down for generations and generations!

2. I’m terribly afraid of my food processor. I know that thing is built with safety in mind so you can’t chop off your hand, but every time I turn it on, I’m afraid the thing will somehow break, the destructively sharp blade will come flying out, my thumb get lopped off, and I’ll be dead on the kitchen floor from blood loss.

3. I don’t like to be the front runner in a big conversation. i.e. Thanksgiving dinner. I prefer to sit and listen to what other people are saying. The same thing goes for a big group of people I’m not terribly close with. I’ve always felt more comfortable in the background, especially (what a surprise), the kitchen.

4. I don’t listen to a lot of music. I love music. I love singing. But I’m not terribly in-tune with the latest singers and songs. I don’t listen to music at work, in the car it’s usually NPR (and the occasional country….don’t hate…), and on the T I prefer reading.

5. Speaking of music, I always wanted to learn how to play the piano, but never did.

6. I bite my nails. I always have. I probably always will.

7. I’m allergic to a lot of raw fruits (and it makes me terribly sad/frustrated). Here’s the list (of the ones I’m aware of, though I’m sure there are more): Most severe: Apples, peaches, pears, kiwis, and pineapples. Less severe: strawberries and bananas. With the former, the allergy is pretty strong — I get a nasty itchy throat for about 10-15 minutes after eating them. And it’s worse if I eat them straight. The latter fruits yield just a mild irritation. However, despite this allergy, I still eat all of these fruits. Their deliciousness is often worth the pain. Also, I don’t know WHY this allergy develops. Never had a problem with these fruits as a kid!

8. I am in love with cats, but I’m allergic to them, too.  I also love dogs (not allergic to them). But if allergies weren’t involved, I would choose a cat because they are so low maintenance.

9. I break and spill a lot of things in the kitchen. (Things just tend to go flying.) Unfortunately, not breaking things doesn’t appear to be a learned skill for me as the years go by. I’ve shattered glass lids for frying pans, favorite mixing bowls, wine glasses, shot glasses, regular glasses, plates, etc. I’ve also dropped entire meals on the floor as well as soup. Once I actually got pretty paranoid that there was shattered glass in my chicken and, not unlike the food processor fear, someone would find me dead hours later on the kitchen floor.

10. I used to be into acting and singing in college. (No one at work or in the Boston blogging community believes me when I tell them this!) I was actually the president of my college’s improv club, and when it was in its prime, it was the highlight of my college career. I met my best friends in that club. It was the perfect time in my life to get involved in sketch comedy, because at ages 18-21, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself — so what better plan than to gallivant around on a stage saying and doing funny (stupid) things?

11. I’m getting married in July. I’m ecstatic. I’m marrying my high school sweetheart. We’re getting married outside, in a courtyard, in the evening, surrounded by our family and friends. I’m going to be smiling, laughing, and crying the entire day. It’s going to feel surreal. It’s going to be wonderful.

So there you have it

It’s nice to vary things up once in a while, isn’t it?