Here's one way to introduce myself to the OS community, I guess!

1.  I was such an avid reader as a child that to ground me, my parents would withhold my library card.  I'm still a book nut and can recall cancelling dates to stay home with a much anticipated new book!

3. I was kicked out of Brownies for trying to set fire to the community centre's drapes - go figure.

4.  My husband is fascinated with my ability to quote "Jabberwocky".

5.  Our second child's delivery was originally intended to be a home-birth, but his head malpresented and after 4 hours of pushing (and getting nowhere), the midwives had us all bundle off to the hospital where a caesarean finally brought him into the world.  At 10lbs, 5 oz, I was just glad that part of the adventure was over with.

6.  My younger brother died unexpectedly the day after my wedding; he was only 24 and it remains the most horrible day of my life. A wedding and a funeral in a 6 day span - truly horrendous.

7. I suffered from PPD after the birth of both kids, and still struggle with the emotional aftermath & scarring.

8.  I ditched school one day with some friends back in grade 13 and we were extras in a Mister T television episode.  I remember very little about the experience beyond eating donuts all day and playing Euchre.

9. The one and only time I ever tried E, I ended up having sex on the steps of the SkyDome at 3am.  I completely understood why people would do that drug, and promised myself never ever to do it again for fear that once I started I'd never stop.

10.  My desert island picks: "The Bone People" by Keri Hulme (book), Jeff Buckley's "Grace" (album), "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" (movie).

11. My husband proposed to me while we were parked in a minivan, with our 2 month old daughter sleeping in the back.   One week after we had begun dating, I told my mom that this was the man I'd marry.  Just took 4.5 years to get around to it.

12. When we had our mothers meet for Thanksgiving Dinner during our first year of dating, they fell into each others arms crying and laughing.  Turns out they had been friends attending adult ed. classes together a dozen years back, and had tried to set us up as teenagers. Never would they have guessed we would find each other and they'd end up related!

13.  I got my 2nd tattoo done in the front window of HMV's Toronto flagship store.  It was Spring Break 1995, and they had some wacky promotion going on and all the staff volunteered to be tattoo'd and pierced.  Turns out my mother walked by on her lunch break while mine was being worked on -- hi mom!

14.  I was convinced I was a witch from about 7-12 years of age.

15.  I went to Catholic schools for most of my "lower" education, and was the only person in my class who chose to NOT be confirmed.  Our priest simply could not adequately answer my questions about women's roles vis-a-vis the Church so I said "screw it".  My parents took it EXCEEDINGLY personally.

16.  The 2nd time I met my husband, he asked if I had a dress & makeup he could borrow.  Long story :)

17.  Our first Halloween together, we cross-dressed for our costumes and went to a folk-dancing event that his mother invited us too.  Turns out NO ONE else was dressed up and some poor man actually asked him to dance, thinking he was a "lady".   What can I say?  He was rockin' it!

18.  Four Halloween's later, we got married.   Not in drag.

19.  I have a super power that freaks my kids out.  I have super-smell.

20. My idea of a romantic getaway is heading off to Niagara-On-The-Lake and staying at a nice B&B for a weekend, touring the wineries.  Glad we did that often before the kids came!

21.  I'm 39 and I don't know how to drive.  I've always just taken the subway wherever I needed to go (and now I'm scared to learn).

22. During my daughter's delivery, the OB used a vacuum extractor to help "pull her out".  Her head came out looking like a banana, and I had this immediate piercing fear that this would be how she'd always look.  Luckily, no.

23.  After that same delivery, it seemed as though the resident was stitching me up forever.  I remember finally looking down at him between my legs, him looking up and saying "it's alright ma'am, your anus is intact".  I hadn't realized that was in question.

24.  Both hubby and I are self-employed, and I worry constantly that we won't be able to weather what the Canadian economy will bring.  I'm squirreling away something fierce.

25. If I had my way, I'd probably never ever leave my house.

Me in a nutshell!

Caroline