I'm It

Today is one of those rare days that it rains all day. What's even more shocking is that yesterday was the same way! I can spend a lazy morning at the computer and not feel guilty that I'm not outside enjoying the sunshine.

I was so kindly tagged by Lost in Space at No Regrets.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you

2. Post the rules to your blog

3. Write 6 random things about myself

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them

5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Here are my 6 random things:

1. I can order a beer in Wolof, an African language that is only spoken in West African country of Senegal. Never mind that the majority of Senegalese are Muslim and therefore, purportedly do not drink. There are enough bad Muslims around and Catholics to find a beer even in the village of 1500 people I lived in. I'll have another beer is, "Bugge naa beneen biere". Yes that last word is French, but I guess Wolof never had beer until the French came along. They did, however, have palm wine, which is made from the watery sap of palm trees. Let's just say it's an acquired taste and won't be putting any Argentinian wineries out of business anytime soon. Oh yeah, and where's the bathroom in Wolof is, "ana wanag wi?"

2. Wow, six things? This is going to be hard!

3. When I moved to the current state I live in, I vowed I would never 1) mountain bike and 2) rock climb. Now I do both. I had had a bad experience mountain biking earlier, but that was before the days of shocks on mountain bikes. I've since gone on a 100 mile mountain biking trip in the Canyonlands of Utah. The landscape there looks like something out of Star Wars, except that it's real. It's really hard to believe.

The first time I went rock climbing, I was terrified. I also wanted to do it again immediately. It has that kind of pull. I'm pretty timid by the standard of hard core rock climbers that live in my town. The first "big wall" I climbed was in Caymen Brac, one of the two smaller Caymen Islands. Magic and I were the only climbers on the island at the time. I rappelled down a 150 foot sea cliff. Magic belayed me from the top. It was just me, the sea turtles, and the crabs at the bottom of the cliff, with waves lapping just below me. The climb was within my ability, but I was scared shitless. It's really hard to climb when you are focused on dying. Yes, I eventually want to do it again now that I have a lot more outdoor climbing experience. Those big walls still scare me though.

4. When I make a traditional Christmas dinner, it takes two days to make and it does not include a large slab of meat, like turkey, ham or rack of lamb. I make homemade lasagna to die for, like my Grandma from Italy did. First, you make about a thousand itty bitty meatballs that are the size of a marble. I'm not kidding about this. The pasta is all homemade, and there are many layers in the lasagna, kind of like phyllo dough, only thicker. My Grandma also used to put slices of hard boiled egg between her layers of pasta. It sounds weird, and the eggs get kinda rubbery for leftovers, so I've left that part of it out. Too bad I can no longer eat gluten. I haven't made this lasagna in a couple of years now that I have completely given up gluten. I finally figured out that it affects my moods. Dairy doesn't seem to agree with me much these days either. There goes Italian tradition! Thank god for pesto and gluten free pasta from Tinkyada!

5. I've had a professional manicure and pedicure once in my life, and that was on my wedding day. I couldn't chose a color, so I just chose clear. I'm am such not a girly-girl. I do not get the whole getting-your-nails-done thing. For awhile, I felt deficient about this and started painting my toenails. I did it myself as it seemed like such a waste of money to pay someone else to do it. I'd rather spend my hard earned cash on a massage or a meditation retreat. Rock climbing and nail polish do not mix, so at least I have an excuse not to do it. Magic got me a day at a spa last Christmas that I still haven't cashed in on. It included a pedicure and manicure. My brain just goes tilt over this one. Who has the money to pay for pedicures and manicures when you are trying to pay off your IVF bills?

6. Elvis died on my birthday, which is today. I vaguely remember all the brouhaha when it happened as a kid. Happy anniversary of Elvis' death!

I tag:

1. Eurydice at Geeks from Rome.

2. Fumbling Towards Eggstacy.

3. Spicy Sister at Spicy Sister.

4. The Muser at Musings Musings Musings.

5. Meg at The Wrong Side of the Statistics.

6. Peesticks and Stones.