The exercise:
Hurray I got into my hotmail account. Which is good because that's where my list response to Kim is.
So today's exercise is to tell me a few things about yourself - however many things that ends up being.
Mine:
1. My full first name is Marc-Andre – I used to despise it and would never have dreamed of the day I’d share it willingly.
2. I have two older sisters – one in Boston, one in Squamish (it’s near Whistler).
3. My mother is originally from Jamaica – I’ve visited once but I was too young to appreciate it and I desperately want to go back.
4. My father’s family is French-Canadian, going back many generations – his first language is French but you’d never guess it.
5. My girlfriend of nearly four years, Katherine, teaches high school French.
6. I can’t speak French.
7. After graduating from university I spent six months backpacking through Europe.
8. After I returned from Europe and saved up some money, I went backpacking all over New Zealand for six months.
9. I don’t regret the financial sacrifice and lack of career progression resulting from #7 and #8. Not one bit.
10. I have gone skydiving in New Zealand twice – first at the cheapest place available, then again at one of the most beautiful spots in the world.
11. I hitch-hiked around the south of Ireland and met many wonderful people that way. The Irish are lovely and I dream of going back there.
12. My favourite feature is my eyes – this was true even when my self-esteem was at its lowest. And it got pretty low.
13. I’m beyond ready to move out of the city – it’s too noisy and crowded here.
14. The enjoyment and satisfaction I have derived from growing our vegetables the last few years has been a surprise for me.
15. I’ve been told I have a very calming influence on those around me.
16. I was once told by an Englishman who I met in a hostel in New Zealand that I had the driest humour of any non-Englishman he’d ever met. I was very pleased by this.
17. I once spent part of a night sleeping on my feet inside a photo booth at a train station in Germany because it was the only heated area in the whole place. I still don’t know why it was, but I’ll always be grateful.
18. I once spent the night in an ATM enclosure in Switzerland because it was heated. I don’t recall falling asleep though.
19. I got drunk for the very first time in my life in Cork, Ireland, at the age of 23. Let’s just say I made up for lost time. And yes, Guinness was involved.
20. I spent a week in Amsterdam and never smoked pot. In fact, I’ve never smoked anything.
21. Speaking of which – I think that smoking cigarettes is a disgusting habit. Please don’t do it within five miles of me. Thank you.
22. I was born on Vancouver Island, which is not in Vancouver. It’s that big honking island just off the coast of the Lower Mainland.
23. I used to think I wasn’t a very interesting person. I no longer feel that way.
24. My favourite meal growing up was my mom’s BBQ chicken.
25. My current favourite meal is my girlfriend’s carrot soup (sorry mom).
26. I don’t know how to swim; in fact I’ve almost drowned twice. My dad saved me both times - he’s a handy guy to have around.
27. When I was little I wanted to grow up to play second base for the Toronto Blue Jays.
28. Now I just want to be a writer.
29. Over the course of my life I have been mistaken for Spanish, Mexican, French, Italian, Iranian, and Mauri.
30. Canada is the only country I want to live in.
8 comments:
Heya Marc-Andre,
that's a pretty cool list, I doubt I'll even come close to 30 items. As it goes though, I've always thought have a double-barrelled name is pretty cool (and you can go by either name, so you can have two groups of friends who think you're called completely different things!)
OK, let's try this then:
1. I'm from Liverpool, England, which tends to surprise everybody when they meet me because I have an almost neutral accent.
2. I'm a mathematician by nature as well as training, and it shows.
3. I speak French, German, Italian and a little Russian. Next to mathematics, language is probably my favourite thing.
4. Icelandic is on my list to learn, and I'm picking Spanish up slowly because it's a romance language and I keep visiting Barcelona.
5. If I were going to live somewhere else, it would probably be Barcelona.
6. At University, people used to introduce me as "This is Greg, if he smiles at you, run."
7. I should explain that I suppose: I was best known for coming up with elaborate plans to achieve something that required a sacrificial victim.
I may post some more later as I kind of have to go now.
wonderful list Marc! People always ask me if I'm Spanish or Philipino or Mexican or middle eastern. Sounds like you've had some great adventures while travelling!
Thanks for playing along. You sound like a very interesting person to me:)
This one caught me today, but I didn't want to put it all in a comment, so I did a post on my own page!
http://writing-wrambler.blogspot.com/2009/04/some-things-about-me.html
Thanks for the inspiration!
~g2
Greg - #6 is awesome and is only made better by #7.
Kim - glad you liked it. Thanks for the poke to do it. And yes, many adventures were had while on the road. That sort of thing tends to happen naturally when you're away from home.
g2 - on my way to check yours out right now :)
:) I loved your list, Marc, but I would not have wanted to spend any night in a photo or ATM booth!
Here's mine in response:
http://conversationandtea.blogspot.com/2009/04/about-me-post.html
I was young and more able to deal with that sort of complete nonsense.
Now? I'm not sure I could handle staying in a hostel dorm anymore :)
I have a first name and a middle name. They are not hyphenated.
I have never had my race confused, but, I guess, I have one of those faces that people think they've seen somewhere but can't remember where. In other words, I guess I'm commonly ugly.
I am not photogenic. However, people say I look prettier in person, more animated.
I've never flown. I'd like to travel, someday.
I have never seen the ocean.
I've never drank, nor smoked.
I listen to Christian Rock.
I love to teach.
I'm still in love with the man I married. I'm still married to him.
My favorite animal is the dolphin, and one day I want to swim with one. Maybe when I accomplish my traveling goal, I'll see an ocean, and swim with a dolphin to boot.
I have an overactive imagination, even as an adult. Old habits die hard, but you know what? This is one habit I'll take to the grave.
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