To Tag or Not to Tag

I am notoriously bad at responding to tags (Sorry Kristin). I rarely forward on chain mail either. However, JoEllen tagged me and since she provided me with her chocolate cream puff recipe and helped me win the love of my husband, I figured I would give the tagging a shot.

The idea here is to list 6 or 7 random facts about yourself, so here goes...

1. I have lived almost my entire life in big fresh seafood markets (Maryland, England, Boston) and I hate seafood. Every now and then I'll try to be brave and try something, but I have to choke it down as I've learned once you turn 18 it's no longer socially acceptable to spit out nasty food. I can't stand the texture of shrimp, lobster, clams, etc. They're too chewy and I don't like it. And the smell...

2. I have some OCD tendencies. I try not to inflict them on others (namely Kent) but they're there. If I start to clean something, I can't leave any spot uncleaned, which may explain some of my procrastination towards cleaning. I already know it's going to be more of a chore than it should be. The same with washing dishes, pots especially. I tend to scrub them three times as long as is necessary. Oh, and I can't stand things to be crooked. Even if something is meant to be at an angle, it has to be evenly at an angle. Think that doesn't make sense? It does to me.

3. I am an accent sponge. I had a legitimate British accent from the age of 3 until around 6, when I started attending American school. I now have a slight midwest accent despite never living anywhere in that region (my college roommate was from Chicago). Occasionally words slip out with a Boston accent. And underneath it all I have a "Maryland" accent, but that alone is pretty faint.

4. My favorite animal is the hippo. I fell in love with them after watching Disney's Fantasia. I loved the hippo ballerinas dancing around in their tutus. I have a decent number of hippos, including a wooden hippo bank from Poland (not from Kent) that has a tail that moves when you drop coins in. Cute, I know. And none of my hippos are named Blab.

5. I have read every Jane Austen novel at least once and seen a movie version of each. My favorite is the A&E version of Pride & Prejudice. Colin Firth plays an excellent Mr. Darcy. I still haven't convinced Kent to watch it with me, but we're getting there. I love that Jane Austen novels end just the way you want them to. I liked "Becoming Jane," but everytime I watch it I'm hoping it ends differently, more like a Jane Austen novel.

6. My favorite souvenir to bring home is artwork. I prefer original artwork over prints, whether the artist is famous or not. Thanks in large part to gifts I currently own art from Italy, Budapest, Prague, Frankfurt, and Annapolis. And I have a few Kent Hansen original photos hanging around the house.

7. I have visited 28 out of the 50 states. The total jumps to 32 if we're counting states I have only driven through. Airports would add a few more, but I don't really count those. An airport is not an appropriate representation of a state, in my humble opinion anyway.

So there you have it. A few fun facts about me. I'll tag Melissa, Kristie (to encourage another post), Susan (you can respond in an email), and Caranine.

And look at that, 2 posts within a month of each other. Bravo to me.