eight incredibly random things about me

1. “Red juice" gives me a hangover. Or should I say, strawberry, cherry, raspberry, fruit punch, or any flavor consisting of a mix of these. That includes Kool-aid, Fruitopia, or any other beverage of a reddish consistency. Upon ingestion, I get really hyper and will laugh at anything. A few hours later, I crash and develop a headache. Crazy, right? But it’s true, I tell you!

2. My favorite author and I share the same birthday. Tayari Jones/November 30. I also share my birthday with my boyfriend’s oldest nephew and a god-sister.

3. I am the oldest daughter, the oldest granddaughter, and the oldest great-granddaughter on my mother’s father’s side and my mother’s mother’s side. It isn’t always being the oldest and having to go through things “first.” You gotta break the parents in. You become the role model. You get in trouble first. It’s so much pressure! Oldest kids can attest to this!

4. I have a long list of rational and irrational fears. They include (not necessarily in order) death, flying, squirrels, “broken” elevators, big ole’ hairy spiders, lightning, fire, drowning, birds, demons, high bridges, "what if" factors, crazy homeless people, black ice, Bloody Mary, my brakes giving out, the unknown, and the fact that the earth is warming up with me on it.

5. I was fired from my very first job. I worked at a Cinemark movie theater for a year, almost to the day. I moved from the concession stand to the box office after about six months and a 15 cent raise, which I thought was great at 16. (Ha!) Obviously, I wasn’t good because I kept getting written up for a short drawer. (I now know that I kept giving cash refunds to credit card customers. A Big No-No. But, it was something they didn’t teach me coming from the concession stand, where all I had to worry about was cup and popcorn refills.) One day, I went into the break room, and I had no hours on the schedule. (Me and about three other people, I might add.) They called me in and, sure enough, I was let go for too many write-ups. It was gay because I never did receive my one-year pin. I boo-hooed something terrible that day. A month later, I moved to Atlanta to go to Spelman. Bitches.

6. I prefer “older” music over all this new mess. In my 200+ cd collection, I have plenty of Luther, Teddy P, Donny Hathaway, Silk, Brownstone, Mariah (when “Carey” was still on the end), SWV, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, and Jodeci, just to name a few. I loooove 80's and 90’s music! I can't forget to mention Gloria Gaynor, Heatwave, The Average White Band, The Art of Noise...shoooot! I’d pop in a Zhane or Jade album in a second over some Beyonce and Keyshia Cole! I must add that I graduated from high school in 2002 and from college last May. People don’t realize how “young” I am. I guess I just have an older spirit!

7. My mother is 16 years, 4 months, and 9 days older than me. You do the math!

8. Lastly, I believe I’ve found my soulmate. My Johnny is exactly like me, yet so different from me. I hope he’s the one. Only God knows. We’re so happy with one another’s company, and we’re best friends. It’s been a consistent and drama-free two and a half years, so we’ll see. We'll see.