I’ve Been Tagged
oodness it has been so long since I’ve been tagged for a meme, I don’t even remember how it goes! But thanks to my friend, Deathstar, for her tag, you’re it. Let me see if I can jog my little memory engrams.
1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Working like a natural dog as a teendoc attempting to save the world, and, if my memory is correct, dating Big Head Fred, a man with a head so huge, it could, in fact, blot out the sun. I also was into cycling and often had humorous adventures like the time I blew a tire 5 miles away from home at sunset and had no wallet, no phone and was out in the middle of nowhere. So I had to wheel the bike halfway until the tire got stuck and then I had to carry the bike for the next 2 miles in the dark on the side of the road wearing bike shoes until I got home. (I think Big Head Fred was out of the picture by then.)
2. What 5 things are on your to-do list for today?
Oh this is exciting! Label Zizi’s new sippy cups for daycare. Finish (start) my presentation that I have to give Tuesday in San Diego. Transplant the carrots and broccoli from the peat starter cups to the garden patch. Wash and twist my locs. Change the linen on the bed.
Yeah, I know that you are all so overwhelmed with the wild life that I lead.
3. List some snacks you enjoy.
This is a pretty random meme. Hmm. Snacks. Do pomegranate martinis count as snacks? I guess not. OK. Salt and pepper Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn, white chocolate, wasabi almonds, vanilla sandwich cookies, peanut butter M&Ms, Necco Wafers and those conversation hearts you see around Valentine’s Day.
4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
After paying off my debts and buying a bigger house, I would establish a foundation like Bill and Melinda Gates to combat poverty and need in this country. And because I believe in education, it would also have a component that would provide scholarships for private schools.
5. List the places you have lived.
Washington, DC, Bronx, NY, Los Angeles, CA, New Haven, CT, Silver Spring, MD, Greenbelt, MD, Mount Laurel, NJ, Pennsylvania
6. List the jobs you have had.
File clerk, clerk typist, receptionist, data entry clerk, research assistant, freelance writer, resident physician, attending physician, medical director, go-go dancer (OK, just kidding with that last one)
Not a very interesting list, is it? It’s just that I knew early on that I never wanted to do anything that directly involved people and food and/or money. No service jobs. Put me in a nice air conditioned office. The pay was better and there was a lot less drama.
One summer I decided to work at the phone company. I went and took the test. Everyone was like, “Oh that was so hard!” and I was like, puleeze! When I had my interview to go over the test results, the guy was like, “you passed.” And I’m like, “Yes.” He somehow seemed like he wanted me to act like I did a year before when I got my Yale acceptance letter. I told him that I wanted to be an operator, but he made me…a file clerk. And after a few days of getting dirty and dusty with filing, I decided to dress down a bit. I wore a Yale t-shirt and jeans. As I walked in, one woman laughed at me, “You didn’t graduate from there?!” she guffawed pointing at my shirt.
I looked at her completely deadpanned, “No, I just finished my freshman year, but I will graduate in 3 years.”
The look on her face was priceless. It was like, Oh shit! How do I get out of this one? “Well I didn’t mean….I wasn’t trying to say…I mean…Well do you think you can get me a t-shirt when you go back?”
“Sure thing,” I promised.
The nice thing about my summer jobs are that they kept me really focused about finishing school and going on to med school.
So now I’m supposed to tag 3 other people. How about Millie from Out, Damned Egg, Sylvie from Chronicles of Mommyhood and Julie from Tales from the Stirrups. You guys are up!
And Happy Fathers’ Day to the dads out there!
I love the T-shirt story! It’s amazing how people just jump to conclusion, eh?