This particular little task has been floating around the blogosphere for a while but Shannon's post spurred me into doing one myself.

And given my ranting last post, I felt something lighter was appropriate.

1. I have a cousin in California who owns a wild horse sanctuary. We used to go there for summer vacations when I was young and it was always a fantastic time. It's in a very secluded and rustic area of Northern California, and you feel like you've walked a century back in time. Often at night, they'd have a bonfire and a couple of the neighbours would come up. There was one particular man who used to bring his guitar and sing a tune or two, and I knew he was good but he was just simply my cousin's neighbour. It was years later that I learned that man was Merle Haggard.

2. I have an obsessive need to be informed. If someone asks me something I don't know or understand, I will research it until I do. It comes from a bizarre little insecurity of feeling less than intelligent from a few of my teachers. As a child, I stuttered badly and often couldn't get my words out. So I got labelled. It made me very frustrated and if I couldn't speak, I learned I could write. One time in Grade 4, a teacher asked me about the country of Australia and I couldn't get the words out in front of the class. The following Monday morning, that teacher had a 5 page written essay on Australia even though she hadn't asked for it. It was then I started to learn the power of the written word. Since then, it became a love for trivia and knowledge in general.

3. I was suspended from school twice. Once in Grade 1 for 2 days for kicking a boy in the jewels. He'd called me a 'crybaby'. He didn't do it a second time. The other time was in Grade 7. I was being teased and became enraged. I slapped a boy twice my size as hard as I could. It was severe enough to leave a 5-fingered handprint on his face. I was called into the office and suspended for 3 days. However, much later, my mom told me the principal had been apologetic to her as he had been more proud of me for standing up for myself than angry. The 3-day rule was a zero tolerance policy. I never raised my hand to anyone again, but I learned that day that I did have a line and once crossed, I had a temper beyond anything measurable.

4. My biggest regret in life is missing the birth of my niece's son. I was with her through every moment of her pregnancy, and was to be at the birth. However, when she went into labour, I chose my job over my family. I had recently been off work for an illness and felt guilty about taking more time. I was laid off a month later anyhow, and it is one of my deepest regrets. I don't suspect I'll ever have another chance to be at the birth of another human being, but if I do, I will not let anything take precedence.

5. I have personally traced 4 lines of my family tree back to the 16th century. I started it when I was merely 10 years old. Not really understanding the significance, but with a strong need to know, I began quizzing my elder family members. I have hand drawn, child-like scrawled papers showing my tree, and writing out the oral history. It is my intention to write their stories properly one day. One day is getting a little closer all the time.

Ok, I'm not going to tag anyone directy, but I do hope you'll play. Tell me if you do.