07 July 2007

I've been tagged by...

... none other than my writing mentor and CodePink activist Gayle Brandeis. Time to share 8 random facts about myself. Here are the rules:

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

And here are eight things people know - or don't know - about me:

1. I was a huge fan of the show Ally McBeal. My online nicknames have been variations of that name. This was apt because when the show was running, I used to be almost as skinny as Calista Flockhart (I've since ballooned). I even wore Ally's trademark miniskirt suits, and a pink J. Crew example has become infamous at certain political groups.

2. Ever since a trip to New York City at age 15, I've been bitten by the travel bug, having visited 33 states, three Canadian provinces, and ten other countries. I'm also a frequent flier mileage junkie, with 125,000+ miles on United Airlines, despite flying only once or twice a year. My favorite destinations are London and Vancouver, and my weirdest was the Korean DMZ.

3. In 2001, I was a Mary Kay beauty consultant. How I survived, as a transgender woman, in a very conservative religious setting of fellow saleswomen, I still don't know. And no, I was nowhere near driving a pink Cadillac.

4. I've been a Republican, a Democrat, AND an independent - in that order. My Democratic phase was very exciting, as I was able to meet with both Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

5. Speaking of Al Gore, he has met me both as Rachel and as my former identity. Mariah Carey is another celebrity who can claim to have done the same.

6. I've been known to be able to read by age 2. At least that's what my folks claim. I was a notorious bookworm in childhood, but much less so in high school, when reading English literature as an ESL student proved to be too much (and discouraging).

7. I taught myself how to drive a stick shift, by renting a car in England. Being in a foreign setting, on the wrong side of the road, added to the challenge. But I lived to tell about it - and visit Stonehenge.

8. I was a competitive chess player in high school. My official rating never went above 1,000, however (in other words, thorough novice).

I am tagging the following people. Get ready to share your secrets!

Rossiann's Retreat
Nancy Ann Ceballos
DiAnne Grieser
Karen Bradley
Ellen Beth Gill
Christy Cole
Damian McNicholl
Freeway Blogger