Neater: 25

I recently re-read a “Note” I posted on Facebook on February 9, 2009. I had forgotten about it but enjoyed reading it so I am posting it again below with some accompanying photos.

The premise was to write a list of 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about myself with the goal of allowing others to find out more about myself and vice versa. I enjoyed reading others lists because I indeed, always discovered some interesting tid bit about a friend or family member I hadn’t previously known. So here is my list:

1. I wore glasses at eighteen months. My Uncle Allen said I looked like a little welder. He was correct.

2. My great-great Grandfather, Hilary McIsaac, built a ship in St. Peters Bay, PEI, that he called the Isabel. This ship was purchased by the British government and was the second of three ships sent by the British government in search of the Franklin Expedition. You’re not impressed? Neither was Ian Wilson.

3. My best childhood memory is that Mom took us to the beach everyday in the summer when we were growing up.

4. I have two brothers and am glad I never had a sister.

5. I have no memory of grade one [With the exception of the below photo].

6. The only memory I have of grade two is fighting over Lego blocks with Jamie Lewis.

7. My Dad was my school bus driver until grade eight.

8. In grade twelve I won the PEI Law Cup public speaking competition. My speech was about the PEI Land Use Commission. Looking back, I had no idea what I was talking about – but sounded like I did. I guess that was what counted.

9. I have walked up the Eiffel Tower, saw Berber dancing in Morocco and flown Aeroflot and Air China domestically and lived to tell the tale.

10. I’ve walked – and in places crawled – up the Great Wall of China.

11. I went to a snake temple in Malaysia to try and overcome my fear of snakes. It didn’t work.

12. I taught English in Tottori City, Japan for three years. I learned more than I ever taught.

13. I taught at a high academic high school – Tottori Higashi Koko. The day I was introduced to the school, I had to get up in front of 1200 students and 80 teachers and introduce myself – in Japanese. Another teacher had written the speech for me and I didn’t have a clue what I was saying. I didn’t care. I was too hot.

14. On a road trip in Japan’s southern most Island, we got lost in the countryside at night. I made Michele (driver and owner of the car) stop at a Koban (police station) to ask for directions. This resulted in the police insisting on giving us a police escort to the hostel where we were booked to stay at that night. The owners of the hostel were not impressed.

15. On another domestic trip we (Kelley and Leigh-Ann) visited the “wedded rocks” near Ise. Somehow, we managed to miss the last train leaving the station that evening. When the station master heard our tale of woe, he locked up the station and drove the three of us to our hostel. I felt perfectly safe.

16. Best birthdays: (1) 29th birthday with Kim and Amy at Tokyo Disneyland and (2) 30th - deep sea fishing with Sarah on PEI [And I would now add my 40th birthday celebrated in Ireland to this list].

17. I introduced Joe Clark at a PEI PC annual meeting. After my introduction I shook his hand, walked off the stage and out the door. I was tired, crampy, and didn’t feel like listening to him.

18. I’ve written two books – both are snoozers [I've now written three].

19. Another claim to fame: I’ve had a fiddle tune named after me - “Juanita’s jig” but unfortunately, cannot remember how to play it. This is no reflection on Timothy's teaching.

20. In Southern Africa, I came within 5ft of a Leopard in the wild (okay – the guide had a big gun), had monkeys steal my toothpaste, and came practically eyeball to eyeball with a seemingly tame rhino.

21. I love arranging flowers and Lillian’s garden in Greenwich is one of my favorite places in the world.

22. I consider myself lucky to have grown up on PEI.