"8 Random Things" Challenge!

Well, then challenge has been thrown down.

One of my favoritest bloggers in the whole entire world, Kristy of "She Just Walks Around With It", posted an entry recently with "8 Random Things" about herself. She then said she had to tag 8 other people to do the same on their blogs.

Well, yours truly here never knows when to keep her mouth shut . . . so of course I left a comment on her blog and said I would be willing to do it if she decided to tag me.

Well, she did.

And so here I am - - racking my brain for 8 random things that most people don't already know about me, that will be funny, or unusual, or include livestock in some way (LONG story - - see Kristy's entry here)(You need to go read it.)(Go on - - go now!)(I'll wait right here . . . ). It's really kinda stressful, because she is such a great writer, and her posts are always so darned entertaining . . . I have big shoes to fill here . . .

But here goes:

Random Thing #1: I am absolutely terrified of moths.

Yes, believe it or not, if there is a moth anywhere near me, I am totally paralyzed with fear. I think it began when I was a little kid. I would be in bed, the room totally dark, and would be able to hear them flying around the room - - you know how you can hear them hitting the ceiling? I would be so scared! One night, when I was about 5 years old, I was so scared I had my head completely covered up with the blankets. Dad came into the room and turned on the light so he could find the moth and get rid of it. I got curious and peeked out from under the covers . . . and there was that damn moth, standing right there on the blankets, about an inch from my eyes. He looked HUGE!! I screamed bloody murder, scaring the heck out of my Dad, and covered my head back up. Dad got rid of the moth, and I was finally able to calm down and get to sleep.

Hey - - with some kids it's monsters in the closet (or under the bed) . . . moths are my monsters.

Stop laughing!

Random Thing #2: I was Miss Soybean Queen Runner-up when I was 18

Yeah, that's right - -Soybean Queen RUNNER-UP. Not exactly something I put on my resume!

Seemed like a good thing to do at the time . . . *sigh*

Random Thing #3: I share a birthday with Mae West

No, NOT the YEAR - - the DAY! (I can hear you smartasses out there!)

I always liked Mae West. She was beautiful, sexy, and entertaining. She was also very much ahead of her time. I like knowing that we share the same birthday.

Random Thing #4 (Okay, Kristy, here's the 'livestock' one!**): I used to help clean out a cow barn

Yup, I did. When I was married to Hubby #1, we lived on a farm in the middle of NOWHERE. I was mostly a stay-at-home mom for a couple of years, and had a big garden in the back yard. Ex-hubby was a tenant farmer, and we would shovel out the cow barn and put the manure on the garden to help the veggies grow.

All I could remember thinking was, "If my former party friends could see me now, they would never believe this." Hell, I couldn't believe I was doing it! I am SO glad that is in the PAST, and it's going to stay there!

Random Thing #5: I dated a man who lived in Brighton, England

He lived in Brighton, but came to the US a lot on business. We kept up a running correspondence for over 2 years, and saw each other whenever he could get to my part of the country. He came into my life shortly after my divorce in the early 80's, and nobody did more for my poor shattered ego and self-esteem than he did. I will always love him for that. We got out of touch about a year before I met Dear Hubby. Wonder whatever happened to him . . . he was a sweet man, and I hope he's happy.

Random Thing #6: I have been backstage with Ted Nugent. TWICE.

Oh yeah, backstage with the "Motor City Madman" himself! Dear Hubby, who is an avid deer hunter, was a member of "Ted Nugent World Bowhunters Association" for many years. One of the perks of membership was the chance to get backstage passes at concerts. Well, Christmas 1992, he got us passes at the Damn Yankees concert in Danville, Illinois. Then in August 1993, for my 40th birthday, he got me backstage for the Damn Yankees concert at the State Fair in Springfield, Illinois:Yeah, I'm happy (as if you couldn't tell!)

Random Thing #7: Don McLean (American Pie) came to my defense at Decatur Celebration

Yes, THE Don McLean of "American Pie" fame. I used to work Hospitality for Decatur Celebration (what? You never heard of it? It's only the largest street fair in the country!) One of my duties was driving a hospitality van and shuttling entertainers to and from the stage areas.

One year Don McLean was there, and I was driving him around. It was Saturday night, and the festival grounds were packed. I was trying to get this big 15-passenger van turned around (mind you, I used to drive a small car at that time, so this van felt like an 18-wheeler to me!). There was this guy standing right in front of the van, holding a full beer cup and quite a few empty ones, and he refused to move for me. I said excuse me several times, and asked him to please move, but he refused to budge; in fact, he turned around, faced the van, and basically dared me to hit him.

WELLLLL - - Don McLean was sitting in the seat behind me, and he got totally disgusted with the guy. Next thing I knew, Don leaned over me, stuck his head out the window, and said, "Hey! You heard the lady! MOVE YOUR ASS!!!"

Man, that guy booked out of there fast after that. I thanked him for his help, and he said, "I didn't like the way he was treating you. You didn't deserve that!" Don and I laughed about it for quite a while after that.

THEN - - while we were stuck in traffic, he got out his acoustic guitar, and started playing and singing to me! He played and sang all the way back to his hotel, where I dropped him off.

I heard later that Don had been a real jerk to quite a few people working in the green room area, but he was really sweet and kind to me. I'll always remember that.

Random Thing #8: I was pulled through Lambert Airport in St. Louis by a 'mad' Hispanic man

Yeah. Really. Here's the scoop:

I had never flown before, but was getting ready to go on my first flight ever out to New York City to visit family. I was sitting in the airport in Decatur, Illinois, waiting on my flight. The travel agency had booked my connecting flight in St. Louis about an hour and 10 minutes after my Decatur flight. Since it only took 25 minutes to fly from Decatur to St. Louis, that would be no problem, right?

Right?

My flight from Decatur to St. Louis was 30 minutes late in leaving.

THAT was a problem.

One of the passengers on my flight from Decatur was David, a short, stocky Hispanic man I used to work with in Springfield when I was with the Dept. of Education. While we were waiting on our flight, I told David I had never flown before, and was pretty nervous. Well, David took it upon himself to look after me. I appreciated his concern, and he really helped me throught the flight in that little 2-engine 'puddle-jumper' plane we were in.

When we landed at Lambert Airport, I had 15 minutes to make it to my connecting flight.

Lambert Airport is pretty big. I had never been to Lambert before. (Since I never flew, there was no reason to. I didn't exactly hang around airports trying to pick up pilots.)(Or skycaps)(Shut up!)

ANYWAY - - David took it as a personal challenge that I would NOT miss my flight. The next thing I knew, he grabbed ahold of my wrist, said "Come on!", and I am being literally dragged at top speed throught the terminal, my wheeled carry-on suitcase flying behind me. I'm not sure the wheels ever touched the floor.

Suddenly, David stopped, with me running into him, and the suitcase running into me. We stopped just long enough for him to check the board, see that my flight had not left yet, and then we were off again.

I can imagine the picture we made flying through that terminal!

We were still quite a ways from my gate, when David started yelling, "DON'T LET THE PLANE LEAVE! SHE HAS TO BE ON THAT PLANE!!!!!"

Well, EVERYBODY was looking at us then!

David kept yelling, "Hold that plane! HOLD THAT PLANE!" all the way up to the gate. He then gave me a hug, told me everything would be okay, and handed me off to the care of the 'gate-keepers'.

I was the last person to board that plane, and I swear everyone was laughing about David's persistence that the plane not leave without me safely tucked on board.

And you know? He was right - - everything was fine. And every time I think of the picture we must have made, him racing madly through the airport with this woman and suitcase flying along frantically behind me, I have to smile.

Well, there are my 8 Random Things. Not as entertaining as some, but I hope you got a smile or a chuckle out of some of them!

** This was the only livestock one I could think of directly related to ME. The only other one I could think of happened before I was born, or even thought of. Mom came out from New York City to visit Dad's family in Central Illinois, and they took her to a relative's dairy farm. A cow peed on her and made her cry. And she married my Dad in spite of it - - it must have been love!