Five Weird Things about Me

I had thought I escaped the blogisphere's latest crop of memes, but just when the coast seemed clear, it got me. Since the Meme has got to be obeyed, you lucky creatures will get a glimpse into the inner workings of the Battlepanda mind. Without further ado...

FIVE WEIRD THINGS ABOUT ME

1. My secret shame: I actually prefer that last cup of coffee in the coffee pot after it's been sitting on the hotplate for hours. I like the burnt taste, which I then counteract by adding lots of milk and no sugar.

2. My life's mission: I've made it a point to be as omnivorous as possible. In this, Eddie Lin is my soul brother. This has extended beyond trying as many weird foods as I can into actual training missions where I overcome my aversion to certain foods through repeated exposure. My proudest conquests: Durian and mayonnaise (no, not together). I used to have to scrape out mayo from pre-made sandwiches, now I eat even coleslaw and other southern "salads" with relish.

3. My dark, mysterious past: I used to take my dog to class at Amherst College. For the most part the professors didn't mind. Looking back, that was really weird, and "unprofessional". But at the time I didn't think anything of it.

4. My life's mission, II: To promulgate the Oung family circular hug as a standard greeting gesture. It's more personal than a handshake, but does not involve the full bodyslam of a hug. Plus, it's just more fun. My sister invented the circular hug in 1999, and it's been a popular greeting ever since...within the Oung family, that is.

To execute the circular hug, stand facing your hugee with about two feet of space between you. Both of you reach out with your arms as if to hug, but instead form a circle with the two pairs of arms with hands and forearms intertwined and overlapping. Pat each other's arms three times firmly and in sync. You're done.

5. My life's mission, III: To pick up more hobbies than is really humanly possible. I know how to do a lot of crafts and things very crappily, but I think this makes me happier and more entertained in the long run than picking one and becoming, say, the grandmaster of candlemaking or something. I knit, I sew, I bake, I cook, I draw, I crochet, I homebrew, I play the guitar...and that's just my current slate of hobbies. Eventually, I would like to add macrame, soapmaking, DIY carpentry, gardening and building non-ugly websites to that list.

Phew...that's five. And I even managed not to out myself as a TNG trekkie. Oh wait...

As I was infected, so I shall infect five others. I call Dadahead, Brock of Dark, Bilious Vapors, Lawrence of What is Liberalism, Brad Spangler, and the Armchair Capitalists, Issac and Henry to answer the "Five Weird Things about Me" meme.