Tag! Now YOU'RE It!

There's a new kind of "tag" game going around. It's kind of a "blog-tag" in which bloggers are sharing five things about themselves that people wouldn't know from reading their blogs, and then tagging other bloggers to be "it." It's kind of a social virus! Better bloggers than I have already been tagged and posted their "five!" Check out Alice Yucht, Kathy Schrock, Jon Pedersen, Joyce Valenza, Will Richardson, Chris Lehman, David Warlick, Justin Ashworth, Chris Harris, Jenny Levine--well, almost anyone who blogs.

I was tagged by Karen Fasimpaur of K-12 Handhelds. I haven't had time to think of five interesting things about myself. I don't think there are five interesting things. Seems every other blogger's five are impressive and I can't think of anything impressive OR interesting! But it's a rainy Sunday afternoon and the big games aren't on until later today, so here goes:

1. I'm deathly allergic to fish. Not shellfish like most people, but regular old swimming fish. Instead of getting better over the years, it has gotten worse. When I was a kid, my family would have fish sticks once in a while. I used to tell my mom I didn't like them and they made my mouth hurt, but she said to eat it anyway. So I used to hide them under the rim of my plate, like no one would notice when they lifted up the plate? (Yes, I was having DUH! moments early in life!) When my dad went fishing, I'd break out in hives if I touched the fish. When I worked in my folks' little country grocery store, I bagged a package of frozen fish and broke out in hives, my face swelled up until I didn't recognize myself, and I had trouble breathing. The next customer who came in called my mom and she took me to the emergency room. Once I pet our dog who had eaten some buried fish parts in our neighbor's yard. Cats frequently eat food that contains fish so I have to be careful around them, too. My most recent episode was in a restaurant. I ordered chicken, but somehow it must have gotten near fish, because all the signs were there--itchy mouth, swelling lips, beginning of hives. I now carry Benadryl and an EpiPen and am very, very careful! By the way, I LOVE shrimp and they love me, too. It's the only seafood I eat.
2. I started teaching 2 years after graduating from high school. I taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade at a small rural school. Yhe kids were just a few years younger than I, and many were taller! andNo, I wasn't a whiz kid. In fact, it took me seven years to finish my undergraduate degree! I went to a 2-year teacher's college in Wisconsin. At the time, there was a shortage of teachers and you could do the teacher-ed part first in two years, get a job in a school, and then finish your degree at a university. Tuition AND books were $50 a semester at Racine-Kenosha County Teachers College, and schools and districts that hired you generally paid for the rest of your college credits so it was a good deal! Just so you know, lots of good teachers came out of those programs. My mom was one of them and so were most of MY teachers.
3. My first car was a 1956 Chevy that I bought from my great uncle for $50. (Remember, tuition was $50 too, so that was a lot of money!) After a short time, the car had transmission problems and would only go forward; no reverse. I had to get to school early to park where I could drive straight out. When I got a teaching job, I got a used '65 Mustang and later a brand new American Motors Javelin. I loved that car, but my favorite was a 1980 Datsun. I still have one of the wheel covers. My mom thought it was classy to have my initial on the wheelcover. She thought the D was for Donna and they had personalized it just for me. Makes me smile now to think she thought I was that special.
   
4. I watch "All My Children" everyday. Actually I usually tape it and watch it on weekends. I can go through all 5 hours in about 2 using the fast forward button! I started watching it about 30 years ago while avoiding work on my dissertation. At that time I watched 3 soaps every day--anything NOT to be writing. I stopped watching "General Hospital" and "One Life to Live" when I realized I'd never get the thing done, but still watched AMC as a lunch break and still use it to give me a few mindless moments. I've seen Erica get married all eight (or is it nine or more?) times. I lose count.
5. We used to celebrate Christmas twice every year. First on Christmas Day with my immediate family that lived in the area and once a couple of weeks later with my dad's family from Chicago. We called it "Chicago Christmas" and it was my favorite because you could get good things at after Christmas sales and make your gift-giving money go farther, and my gift money was usually the money I got for Christmas. I always loved my gifts from my Chicago Grandma, and I'll bet she bought them after Christmas, too. I still love bargains and Christmas. We got married Christmas Eve day in Wisconsin on the coldest day of the century. 50 below zero. Radio and television broadcasts were begging people to stay home on Christmas Eve. But it was the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen: poinsettias and Christmas trees decorated the church and we had Christmas cookies at the reception in the church basement.
   

So that's it! If you're a blogger and you're reading this and haven't been tagged yet, YOU'RE IT!