Seven Random Things

Madam Owl tagged me to play along with this meme, so I guess I will. Here are seven random things about me.

1. I recently discovered that I am actually 5'8" and not the 5'7" my drivers license claims. I'd suspected this for a while but hadn't confirmed it until a recent visit to the doctor. I'm pleased about it.

2. People have tried to nickname me on multiple occasions, but nicknames don't stick. I don't like being called by my last name, I don't like shortened versions of my first name, and no one's come up with a really good silly nickname or set of nicknames for me. One friend thinks I'm un-nicknameable. I tend to agree.

3. I cut my own hair. Well, I've been letting it grow out for the last several months, so I haven't cut it much, but when it needs cutting, I do it. Because my hair's wavy and curly, the casual observer can't tell if I cut it unevenly anyway.

4. I always always always wear heels on the first day of teaching a new class. I like to dress up a bit at the beginning of the semester to reinforce my status as a professional, but I also like to have a little bit of extra leverage, which an additional three inches in height really can give me. That puts me at nearly 6 feet tall, taller than pretty much any female student I have and taller than many of the male students as well. It may not be fair, but it really does make a difference in the way they initially perceive me.

5. I was in the elevator at school the other day and one of the English professors, who I hadn't seen in quite a while, got on the elevator, too. She didn't immediately recognize me because my hair was different than it had been the last time we'd spoken. She recognized me quickly and commented on the fact that my hair was different. "It's longer," she said, "And black." I nodded. Then she asked me, "How did that happen?" I hesitated, unsure whether my natural first response was rude, but then, when I couldn't come up with another possible response, just said it: "Time and hair dye." Fortunately, she didn't find that to be snarky or flippant and she didn't seem to catch the quiet judgment in my eyes at her question. She didn't think it was funny, either. She just complimented my hair and got off the elevator. I wonder sometimes at how many silly things people say in regular conversation. I know I'm not immune, but I don't talk much with people I don't know well, and when I do I tend to think before I speak (sometimes overthinking so that I miss my opportunity to join in a conversation), so asking someone how their hair got longer and blacker isn't something I'm likely to do.

6. I enjoy writing a great deal. I mostly just have a hard time deciding what to write about that I think anyone else will care about.

7. Seven is one of my two favorite numbers. Four is the other. They've been my favorite numbers since I was seven and my brother was four.

Here are the rules, should you like to play:
* Link to the person who tagged you
* Post the rules on your blog
* Write 7 random things about yourself
* Tag 7 people at the end of your post and link to them
* Let each person know they've been tagged

I am not going to tag people, just because I've seen this meme going around in a few of the blogs I follow and I'm not sure who hasn't been tagged yet. If you see this and haven't been tagged yet, consider this an invitation. The internet wants to know more about you!