I have seen sunsets that looked computer-enhanced. I have (very briefly) joined a conga line

historical cat

1. What amazing, interesting, or obscure historical facts do you know? 

    good God. I took dozens of history classes and read hundreds of books, in and out of classes. I've spent so many hours in conversation with historians and laypeople with strong interest in the topic. The result is that I am stuffed to the gills with amazing, interesting, and obscure historical facts. I recently spent an hour talking with a friend about just such facts, and my opinions about them. 

    Where would you like me to start? 

2. When was the last time you joined a conga line and where? 

    a grade school friend was married a few years ago, at a then-new hotel in our hometown. It was a fairly small wedding but a huge reception, a wild party. I recall that they had a conga line only because there's a picture of me leading it.

3. What job has the coolest uniform? 

    NFL players, French maids, and cops

4. On a scale of one to ten, how good would you say your handwriting is? 

    four on a good day. It's a disjointed mishmash of printing and cursive, caps and lower case, and block. It is perhaps the worst when I try the hardest for legibility.

5. What job is the ideal first job for teenagers? 

    food service, or something equally messy, conflict-filled, and unfulfilling. It builds character.

6. What was the last thing you built from a flat pack or kit? 

    a rowing machine! It was complicated, and really intended to be a "partner build" because there was a lot of "hold up one end of this long bar while tightening a bolt at the other end with these two hex keys." Since my arms are not 6 feet long and featuring 2 hands per, I adapted the instructions with innovative use of household items to accomplish "the other end" stuff, such as yoga blocks for raising things off the floor. It was not easy, but I allocated a short span of time over each of a few days so that it wouldn't be overwhelming or frustrating. The ironic part is that just putting it together was a great workout. 

    I haven't adapted to being an all day every day rower, but I use it enough that it seems likely to help get me through the long winter of indoor workouts.

7. Would you give a hitchhiker a ride? 

    for sure, not. I've just seen too many episodes of CSI and Criminal Minds, and read too many books, to ever want to be at the mercy of someone I don't know, alone in my own car. Yuck.

 

[from 3000 Unique Questions about Me; the title quotation is by David Foster Wallace, from A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments ]