Oh my goodness, I’ve now been tagged not once but 4 times! Thanks, Carla, Vicki, Ronda, and Jan. I guess this means I really ought to do this one…

So what 7 random things can I tell you that I haven’t already blogged about? Back in December I did a weird things meme, so I guess I have to make sure I don’t duplicate any of those…and in January I did another one…..

Here goes nothing:

1. I got to meet John Glenn when the submarine U.S.S. Columbus was commissioned. My Dad was the Captain. My sister and I were walking around together at the time, and my Dad introduced me as Debra, and didn’t even introduce Debra at all.

2. It took me 3 (or 4?) tries to get my driver’s license when I was a teenager. I kept failing the driving part: I was unable to back our Astrovan into a parking space. At some point I had to retake the written exam, and I think there might have been one trip at which I was just plain turned away because the law had changed about the amount of drug/alchohol awareness training you were supposed to have gotten in Driver’s Ed.

3. I accidentally let my driver’s license expire when I was an adult. Not just a month or two: a year or more. In Iowa you have to retake both the written AND driving test if your license is that out of date. Thankfully I was not required to try to back our Venture (a minivan…) into a parking space.

As an aside: I’m not really sure why it took me so long to discover that it was expired. I suspect it has to do with a few things:

a. I don’t visit bars, or otherwise order alcoholic drinks, meaning I never got carded.

b. The only time I write checks is at home, to pay bills, and so I never had to show my license at the grocery store when paying by check.

c. This was before 9/11, and when I flew, they weren’t scrutinizing photo IDs quite as closely.

Yesterday, my DH asked me if I’d checked the expiration date on my current license: in Iowa it expires on your birthday. I’m good until 2010. I can only hope I remember to look every year on my birthday….

4. Other than attempting to do it for my driver’s test, I’ve never backed into a parking space. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to parallel park.

5. When I was a senior in high school, I was a candidate for Miss Ledyard Fair. Mom made my dress, and a vest that I wore. We were escorted by cadets from the Coast Guard Academy. I didn’t even make it to the final round. My one and only brush with pageants, and I survived relatively unscathed.

6. I made it to the Connecticut All-State Music Festival for 3 years as a vocalist.

7. I would not make a very good poker player. As my friend Lynn puts it, some people can say a word or two with their expression, but my face usually says a paragraph.

Phew. Made it to 7, but barely. Nearly everyone I know has already done this, or already been tagged, so if you haven’t and want to, consider yourself tagged….

TTFN-

Suzanne

p.s. Despite all of the above evidence to the contrary, I really am a pretty good driver, just don’t ask me to back into a parking space……