A Bunch of Things About Me

1. I'm a native Californian
2. 3rd generation, at that...
3. I took a "career" test in high school and my two best career choices were "forest ranger" & "free-lance shepherd"
4. I rigged the test (I knew I was a musician, so taking the test was a waste of time, but we had no choice...)
5. My councilor was not amused, neither were my parents, I thought it was hilarious
6. I had a subscription to Mad magazine in 7th-8th grade
7. I took tap and hula dance lessons 4th or 5th grade, and ballroom in 8th...
8. I have never enjoyed dancing...
9. I learned to read before I started Kindergarten, I was 3 at the time...
10. I remember my 2nd birthday and have a few "glimpses" before that...[but where are my keys...?]
11. I watched the 3 Stooges as a kid, but slapstick gives me a headache...[we had 3 channels...]
12. I have never sent or received a text message
13. I don't get what all these people have to talk and text about all the time...
14. I taught 7th & 8th grade for 21 years [17 years band & orchestra, 4 years English]
15. During that time, I confuscated 2573+ notes, most of which were, "does he/she like me ?"
16. I escaped before cell phones and texting proliferated
17. I was athleticly inclined in a world before Title 9
18. I played softball [my favorite] in grammar school, I didn't care for basketball[girls rules...] or volleyball
19. My sport choices in high school were swimming and tennis, that's all they had for girls
20. I was "discovered " as a budding tennis star, but was injured during the summer and could not play again
21. In college for PE, I took "team sports" and had to endure volleyball and basketball [girls rules,yuck ! ] again...
22. I was required in 9th grade, along with ALL other 9th grade girls, to take "Home Ec"
23. I had had 4 years of "Foods" in 4H...
24. I HATE sewing, my Mom was really good at it....
25. I disliked playing the piano, my Mom was really good at it AND she was my teacher
26. I started playing the trumpet because there were no more trombones available at my school...[not to mention no French Horn or strings at all...]
27. I've ALWAYS sung...even if only to my cats...
28. I was a soprano[solos in 1st & 2nd grade] until 4th grade when my voice "changed"
29. I was always an alto because I could read music, but I did not have a good voice for solos anymore
30. As I got older, I was always in Band[or Orchestra, if there was one to be in...]
31. I always took choir as soon as I had an elective open in high school and college
32. I was in lots of "Honor" bands and orchestras, but never choirs
33. I knew I wanted to go to UOP after my 1st year of Pacific Music Camp[1961,summer after 7th grade]
34. My career goal was "music teacher", since all my musical role models were music teachers....
35. I attended college on a "full, 4 year" music scholarship
36. I left grad school with a "college loan" debt of $8500.00 [a lot back then...1972]
37. My first years tuition at UOP was $1400.00, only Stanford and USC cost more on the West Coast...
38. I only had to pay back half my student loan debt because the school I taught at was "low-economic,disadvantaged"
39. I enjoyed working with 7th & 8th graders, especially the music kids, (them, I miss...the last year or so, not much)
40. I tend to live in my head [it can happens when you are retired and live alone [cats don't count...]
41. I am not obsessed with cats, I just live with a bunch of them [who are not obsessed with me either, believe me...]
42. We had a dog [shepherd mix] who came as a half-grown pup when I was in 4th grade or so we called "Finkie" or "Dorey"
43. Her given name was "Doris the Finkosaurus" [we had been watching "The Flintstones"]
44. I don't suffer fools gladly or otherwise...
45. I am an "autumn" color-wise
46. Not too big a stretch... I mostly like earth-tones, but bright colors can dazzle me, pastels...not my thing
47. I adore pomegranites, also Comice pears
48. I talk to myself, all the time...
49. I rarely disagree with myself, but it does happen...
50. I have been on the "cold" side of the Berlin Wall (1977)
51. I have been on 3 classical recordings that won Grammys (CSO Chorus)
52. I was in Whos Who in American Colleges and Universities, 1970
53. I was in Who's Who Among Americas Teachers,2006 [after I retired...]
54. As a jr. high band director, I counted about $250,000 in candy sale money, mostly $1's and change...
55. I am a cancer survivor, I just have 9 and 1/2 fingers...
56. Fall is my favorite season : leaves, wood smoke, angle of the sun, crisp air, coziness....
57. I don't mind winter here...but 20 below,snow and ice are OK only if you don't have to go out into it...I did...
58. I like the rebirth of Spring...the smell of earth and green growing things
59. Summer is fine[see Spring] as long as I don't have to be hot when I sleep, or try to sleep...
60. I prefer jeans and tees/sweatshirt/sweaters to anything froo froo, I am not a "girly" girl
61. I do not own a dress or skirt, nor have I for 20 years...
62. I have wide feet [EEEE] and wear only comfortable shoes...I've had cowboy boots I loved, but like heels,I just can't.....
63. I reread books I like many times...
64. I like series...books that keep an established group of characters going... like "Mitford"
65. I sat down when I finally had all 6 Star Wars movies and watched them in order, in one day...[a wish from 1977...]
66. I used to have all the org. Star Trek TV shows, home taped on Betamax...
67. I have a lot of Star Trek novels,including the "Phoenix" ones...if you're into Trek books, you know they are out of print...
68. If I have read/am going to read a book, I keep it... I generally collect the paperback versions...
69. I have a pretty complete collection of the Eleanor Roosevelt mysteries, as well as Nero Wolfe
70. I was born at the end of FDR's fourth and final term, just before Truman beat Dewey...
71. I have eaten a psuedo-Seder [KFC] with Jewish friends in Skokie ,IL...the food was donated by my Muslem boss...
72. I have eaten a traditional seder at a Catholic church...
73. I have preformed at a Renaissance feast,[Bancieri "Festino"], in costume singing and telling dirty jokes in Italian...
74. One of our numbers was the "Bestial Madrigal"...I sang "the cat"....
75. The director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus was there, my performance almost caused her to choke on her chicken leg.
76. She was a cat lover and recognized talent when she saw it...
77. I love wind chimes and "collect" them for their sound...
78. When the wind blows hard, it's difficult to sleep for all the racket in my back yard...
79. I like browsing in used book stores and antique shops...
80. I avoid flea markets...[I recognize my addiction....]
81. "Hello, my name is Catsinger and I am a pack rat..."
82. So was my Mom...
83. My Chinese horoscope sign is the "Rat", so was hers...
84. My "number" is 9...the number of completion...2007 is a "9" year
85. My Mom died on 01/17/2007...[add the digits...]
86. I have a younger brother who lives in WA,his daughter, my niece, is 13,she plays flute and tenor sax, has 2 cats and is in the 9th grade...
87. I can't fit my car in my garage...not that I really care...
88. I have 3 teaching credentials, a Masters degree[music], almost an MLS degree[librarian] and close to a Doctorate[music]
89. My favorite style of furniture is Mission/Craftsman
90. I also like Deco or Bauhaus..that 20's/30's look
91. Modern, Mid-century Modern, etc... not for me...I can appreciate the lines, but not for me...
92. I was a witch in a h.s. drama club production once... never really had the chance to "act" otherwise, always wanted to...
93. I have been told "..but who would play the trumpet if you (sang/ were onstage/ etc) ? [pick one...] a number of times...
94. When I worked at a BIG church, I did both, at the same time [or in very close progression...]
95. I have been told by more than one musical director, "I never really appreciated you..." when they/I left...[sigh]
96. I have stuck my foot "in my mouth" so often I have "pruney toes"...
97. I have a problem watching either "Dances with Wolves" or Braveheart" all the way through without changing the channel...
98. I have ,obviously, NEVER watched "Silence of the Lambs" or any movie with "Chainsaw" in the title...[nightmares...]
99. I never thought I could think-up this many bits of trivial "things about me..."