Behold the randomness

So, it appears I've been tagged by Karen. I usually miss out on these games, either because nobody tags me or because I somehow miss the post that designates me as "it". But when the Ovary comes a-taggin', ya gotta play. 

Therefore, I bring you six random/weird things about me, such as they are. 

1. I have deformed toenails on my pinkie toes. Instead of a normal, smooth toenail, I have little gnarled husks, which tend to grow into a lethally pointy formation, unless monitored and regularly pruned.  It's always been this way- it appears I inherited this charming physical feature from my mother; who in turn inherited it from her father.  I used to be slightly freaked out about wearing open-toed shoes, in case the sight of my shriveled toenails repulsed people.  But then I came across a really cute, covetable pair of sandals and decided the world would cope.  With nail polish, it's just about bearable. Only just.

2.  I really like ironing.  I find it soothing.  My mother used to do the family ironing in front of the TV, watching the soaps.  I remember how when I would be home from school with a bad cold, there was nothing more comforting than lying on the sofa, watching her iron, with the smell of freshly ironed shirts and the opening bars of All My Children in the background.

3.  I am related to a rather well-known film director.  Well, not like Spielberg-league famous, but in the sense of the big budget and the mainstream. Chances are you'll have seen one of his films.  I've tried to work out the exact term to define the extent of our consanguinity but the simplest way to sum it up is that his grandfather and my grandfather were first cousins.  Which makes us...uh, dunno. In any event, his parents were very kind to me when I lived in Los Angeles and invited me around to the set a couple of times to see things. Until I moved away, that is, and I don't think the old "our grandfathers were cousins" wheeze is going to get me invited to any premieres. 

4.  Prior to IVF, I had only been in the hospital twice in my life. The first time was when I was eight years old. I was swinging like a monkey between the sinks in the girls' bathroom in my elementary/primary school, treating the basins like paralell bars. Budding gymnast and all that.  Somehow or other another girl (whose name I do remember- how could I not after this?) thought it would be funny to grab my feet as I swung them up. And she did, and she stumbled backwards. My hands slipped right out from under me, off the sink; the next thing I remember was lying on my back on the tiled bathroom floor.  I may or may not have hit my head on the basin on the way down.

I was actually sent me back to math class, until it became apparent from my vomiting and passing out at my desk that I had, in fact, concussed myself.  My mother drove me to the hospital chanting, "Stay awake, stay awake" as I drifted off in the back seat.  The hospital kept me in overnight, and because I was such a good girl when they took blood, my mother let me get my ears pierced.  Hurrah!  A happy ending.

The second time in the hospital was the bee sting thing, but I've already told that story.

5.  Speaking of piercing, my belly button is.  Pierced, that is. I did it about ten years ago, and even though I never wear earrings any more, I still have a belly bar.

6. I am allergic to horses.

Comments

[Brooklyn Girl]

Believe it or not, I have the same toe nail thing. Only recently have I been brave enough to go for pedicures and whenever the pedicurists sees the shriveled husk, they are always horrified. Sandals still scare me.

[-Blue]

This is freaky as I also have the creepy little toenail thing! Perhaps we're related! SWEET!

Fortunately I have a freakier deformity that has stood me in good stead for weirding people out: bent little fingers. I listed it when I got tagged for this meme and I swear I'm gonna post a photo just to gross everyone out!

-Blue

[squarepeg]

Very funny about the ironing. My mom loves ironing - she refers to it as "advanced fingerpaint." Oh, and I'm allergic to horses too.

E

[Karen]

Squarepeg, "advanced fingerpaint"? I LOVE that.

Mare, are you REALLY allergic to horses? Or was that tongue in cheek? Because if you were--that would be totally crazy. Have you ever told us that before? Am I showing how naive I am?

Yippee, Mare played! Weirdo.

[JJ]

I feel so much less ashamed of my toenails now knowing I'm in such good company.

[Jill]

I'm with Karen. Are you really allergic to horses? It's just, you know, the name thing makes me wonder.

I am also wondering if you are related to my husband. But he doesn't wear polish to cover his strange toenails.

I only like to iron if I use lots of steam. I like the whoosh sound as the hot iron hits the water.

[thalia]

You're third cousins. But you knew that, right? And you're alone on the ironing as far as i'm concerned. That's what dry cleaners are for...

[Heidi]

I was taking a bite of banana bread as I read the whole pinky toe thing. Reading "gnarled husks" while chomping into something nutty gave my gag reflex quite a jolt. I forgive you.

I don't particulary like ironing but could tolerate it if I dragged board etc into the living room to watch TV as I went along.

But folding? That's a totally different story. I really get into that part of laundry. It's the whole sorting and ordering that I love. Finding that all socks have a perfect match is also strangely satisfying. I guess your're not that weird!

[Heidi]

As you can see, I don't "particulary" like editing either.

[B. Mare]

It's true! I really am allergic to horses. Oh, the irony, I know.

[B. Mare]

Oh, and I THOUGHT it was third cousins until I read that article and thought maybe I was all confused about what third cousins really are. But now I feel assured in my third cousinship with the famous film director.

I will now stop commenting on my own post!

[Liz]

I have the same small toenail affliction...inherited from my father. I call it the blob and have tried to file it a bit more flat. Nice to know there are more out there like this that just dear old dad and I.

[victoria]

Horses? HORSES? Who's allergic to horses? Are you allergic to any other ungulates?

[Jan]

Does this mean you're also allergic to donkeys? And what about cows etc? And why Mare? I'm intrigued!

By the way, you and the director are first cousins twice removed. The first, second etc thing refers to relatives in the same generation as you, becoming more distant as the numbers go up. You and your first cousins share grandparents, you and your second cousins are in the same generation but only share great-grandparents. So your second cousins are the children of your parent's first cousins, and your third cousins are the children of your grandparent's first cousins. The "removed" thing, refers to how many generations separate you. So your father's first cousin is your first cousin once removed and your grandfather's first cousin is your first cousin twice removed. Clear as mud, eh! You can check out an explanation at http://www.greenman.demon.co.uk/texts/cousins.htm. My ancestor's lived in the one place for quite a few generations - up till my mother left there - so all the cousins knew each other. My granny was drilled in all the relationships and taught me the rules. Think my relatives worried about in-breeding ;-)!

[bj]

I also have the same toe thing (Can you post a picture so we can all really be sure?) :-)

Unless you're an east Indian, too (and I don't think you are) I don't think we can be related, so I'm presuming the toe thing is pretty common. Do pedicurists really freak out about it?

bj

[spungen]

I found this while doing a Google search re deformed and "little toenail." Nice to know I am not alone. But, I was unable to find any medical information about it. I have the same condition on my pinky toes; it's like a round horn. I have always just covered it up with a big blob of polish. I am expecting a boy and my husband was teasing me about whether he would have "weird little monster toes." I was told I inherited this from my maternal grandfather. My brother escaped it somehow.

[Stephanie]

I have the pinky toenails too! And it drives me crazy that I can't even find a name for it. Luckily it never bothered me to have them. I just don't like that they are sensitive to trim and they crack painfully deep if I try to tear my toe off on a chair leg or something...

[charmain]

hi!
i don't feel so lonely now either with my tiny gnarled husk :)
thought i special until i read what you people wrote. think i have it from my dad.
he died long ago so i cannot say for sure.