Lemming: Honesty is the best policy

[triadruid]

Now that I've done this and gotten answers from most of the people who've posted it, it's probably time I turn the tables.

"The problem with LJ is that we all think we are so close, and really, we know nothing little about each other. I'm going to rectify it. I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me. Something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about.

Then post this in your LJ and find out what people don't know about you."

I think I may have done this one before. It'll be interesting to see if the same questions come up.

Comments

[druidevo.livejournal.com]

Do we have any friends in common from Boston, i.e. do you know a Steve Garretson or Michelle Bassent (sp?).

Did you go to public or private school?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

My circle of friends from Bahstan is pretty small; my ex-girlfriend who is a transplant from New York, her roommate who I believe is a local, and a few friends of theirs involved in the SCA, etc. Neither of those names rings a bell, unsurprisingly.

Both, technically. I went to about twelve different public schools between K and 12 (father was in college, stepmother was a teacher, then father was in the Army) in Iowa, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. I spent the first half of 9th grade at St. Xavier's Parochial school in Junction City, Hell KS due to reported 'behavior' problems at my prior school. Then we moved to San Antonio and I re-entered public school without further problem. ;)

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

They say that nobody ever says on their deathbed "I wish I'd spent more time at the office". Do you think that you might be the exception to that rule? :-P

And also, why did you choose not to become a teacher?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

In answer to your first question, I present without further commentary, this strip from Calvin & Hobbes:

Question the second

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

As for not being a teacher, it had to do partly with my university's decision to revamp their Bach. of Ed. program into a five year "professional experience" program that had you completing your four-year degree, plus a fifth year involving graduate-level courses and an outside internship. The idea was to give you additional experience and salary bargaining power. The fear was that it would take you longer, raise the cost of hiring you (thus making you less desirable as a novice teacher, not more), and rack up greater loans. In addition, the program went into effect the year or so before I joined it and was not optional, so they were still working the bugs out.

I started out my second year of college bombing my Engineering courses through my lack of self-discipline (look, shiny teh Intarweb!). So I switched out to the College of Education and started the Math Education (secondary level) program. I found out *after* failing one of the courses and dropping another (Linear Algebra and Foundations of Analysis, though I forget which was failed and which was dropped) that not only was college math a lot harder than even my advanced high school mathematics courses, but they were requiring about 2/3 of the Mathematics degree courses for the Math Education degree. And practically no one was surviving it, according to my advisor after I switched out. My scholarship couldn't take the risk on my GPA, so I bailed out and looked for a Math Education concentration in the Elementary Education program (which would have allowed me to teach Junior High math courses, instead of Senior High).

Unfortunately, the combination of brain-rot from what I considered to be dumbed-down courses and just-plain-dumb bimbettes in the program, and strife/drama with my new roommate (yes, you guessed who!) pushed me into my nervous breakdown during my 3rd-and-a-half year. It got so bad that *she* was doing *my* homework, when I was supposed to be the higher-functioning one. So I took a deep breath, evaluated my options and goals, and tried Sociology/Criminology. My first professor was a former FBI agent who lit me up like a Yule log, and the rest, as they say...is history. I finished the degree requirements (having long since wiped out all of my core requirements except the suddenly added extra semester of foreign language) in three semesters.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

What is your favorite book?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I really don't have one. I've got some favorite genres (as you can tell by looking at my reading list), mainly hard sci-fi and coherent fantasy fiction, but I also occasionally delve into biographies and of course Druidry takes me down some linguistic/historical paths.

I just finished the Dark Tower series by Stephen King; that was enjoyable from start to finish. As far as sheer financial/reading time outlay, my biggest investment has been the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Favorite Sci-Fi is Asimov's Future History books (robots, Empire, and Foundation series). Favorite unfinished series is the Dune books by Frank Herbert. Favorite erotic fiction currently is the Meredith Gentry books by Laurel K. Hamilton (faery smut!). Favorite 'classic' is likely to be something by Dickens.

How's that for a non-answer?

[chronarchy.livejournal.com]

Sixteen men on a dead man's chest. What did for the rest?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Hopefully a stronger man. Sixteen of them standing on the poor bastard? Jeeez...

[chainwoman.livejournal.com]

If you could have an extra appendage, what would it be and where would you put it?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

An extra appendage? Probably another arm...walking with three legs just seems more trouble than it's worth, but there are a *lot* of things one could do with more thumbs...

Although I viewed your question as 'extra, in addition to the appendages you have', I've been reminded by my other thirds that it could be something I don't have. In that case, much along the same lines, a prehensile tail would be equally useful and get bonus Style Points™.

[chainwoman.livejournal.com]

LoL A tail would be pretty damn cool.