The Five Things Thing

I was tagged by Micaela over at California to Korea to do this Five Things phenomenon/meme/list/resurrection of those old e-mail interviews that got passed around a decade ago, you know, that we sent to everyone, but secretly hoped our crush would read it and be struck with the inspiration that we were perfect for each other.

Well, here we go.  Five things you probably don't (want to) know about me.

1.  I'm missing a right eyelash.

I got the chicken pox when I was six years old.  It wasn't a bad case, but some how or other, I ended up with a pock right on the lip of my eyelid.  It must have killed the hair follicle.  To this day, no eyelash grows there.  If you look close, you can see the tiny circle-scar on my right eyelid.

2.  I'm a huge fan of Sailormoon.

Yeah, I drew that.  Suki was the penname I used for all things Sailor Moon (Sailormoon in the original Japanse).  Surprised ya, didn't I?

For a long time I was (and to some extent, still am) a part of the fangirl community that makes up her own original characters and additions to the plot, with fanfiction, personality charts, and theme music (okay, I never did that last one).

There was a time when I would have been really embarrassed about that, for several reasons.  One, it was a cartoon, and no one told me when I was first getting into it that Sailor Moon, and other anime of its genre, called shojo, is deliberately made for adolescent girls--not for children.  Two, as I came to encounter others in the Sailor Moon fan community--and other anime by extension--I experienced that the brand of fan called "otaku" were often socially awkward and . . . how do I say this without sounding judgmental?  That was The Only Thing they ever talked about.  It was their life.  As obsessed as I was, I had other interests as well (The Lord of the Rings, Tang Soo Do, Greek mythology, my Catholic faith).

To be fair, there are some lovely anime fans that have lives, husbands, children, professions.  It just wasn't until probably six or seven years later that I found them, so I was discreet about my interests lest I should be confused with some of the more extreme otaku.

Anyway, I put away my Prismacolor markers around the time I was pregnant and haven't picked them up since.  Even if I wanted to get back into drawing again, I don't have the funds to furnish new supplies any more.

3.  My name is not Christie.

Actually, it's Laura.  Laura Christine.

The plan was to call me Christie because my mother, Christina a.k.a. Tina, always wanted to be called Christie and never was.  My father, a naval officer at the time, was on duty halfway around the world when I was born.  When my mother saw me, she thought I looked more like a Laura, I guess.  So she named me Laura Christine, after my paternal and maternal grandmothers.

At least, that's the story they told me when I found out that Christie wasn't my real name in grade school!

4.  I want to name a daughter Elfred.

Wait, I can explain.  Elfred is the name of my husband's grandmother.  The same woman who taught at Oxford during World War II, who received her education there previously under the instruction of J.R.R. Tolkien (Aunt Clare has her papers with corrections in the Professor's handwriting).  Whose brother is the well known historian Paul Johnson.

According to Uncle Paul's memoir/autobiography (a cousin asked him for a signed copy for my son, and he generously obliged), their father was going through an Anglo-Saxon phase at the time.  Hence, Elfred, and his middle name, Bede.

According to the all-knowing BabyNames.com, Elfreda, the usual female version of Elfred, means "old strength."  I mean, is that not awesome?  Now if only I can get my husband on board.

5.  I ate a chicken heart.

I was staying with a friend of a friend whose family is from Kurdistan.  They went through elaborate pains to make a delicious meal for us, and I couldn't be rude.  I took a few bites of the heart--it tasted delicious!  Savory and harmoniously spiced.  But oh, I could feel the little valves!  No more chicken heart for me, I hope.  Once was enough.

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Now that you know all the things you probably didn't care to know, I have to tag five other bloggers to do the Five Things Thing now.  I tag Masha, Jenna, Cari, Colleen, and Susan.

And have a happy, holy Saint Patrick's Day.  Saint Patrick of Ireland, pray for us!