Seven Random Mrs. R Facts

Corinne over at My Haiku tagged me--thanks Corinne, now I don't have to come up with a blog topic. :) The rules: link your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Here goes:

1. I was once involved in a high speed car chase (no, not like VE's). It was back when I was a reporter. I was on an overnight ride along with a branch of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office, and at one point the officer who was stuck with me got a call about a high speed chase. So we went careening after the guy, sirens blaring, flying past the rest of the traffic, the whole deal. The CHP eventually took it over, but it defininitely provided some added excitement to a night otherwise filled with DUI busts.

2. I saw my high school french teacher almost get killed by frozen pee. No joke. He had been giving a lesson in front of the class, and then stepped a few feet away to get something off his desk. Almost immediately afterwards, a chunk of large blue ice came crashing through the roof of the classroom we were in, and the bulk of it landed where he had been standing not two seconds before (the rest of it shattered all over the rest of us). Blue ice, for those of you who don't know, is what happens when people pee on aiplanes into toilets that have a leak. The pee mixes with a chemical disinfectant (hence the blue color), leaks out to a place that is exposed to the outside, and then freezes because of the high altitude. If too much of it accumulates, someone on the ground below gets a nice surprise. So yes, someone else's frozen pee fell on me.

3. I have serious OCD issues. I am the type of person that likes to have things arranged perfectly. I even requested bookends for my new office because the fact that I would otherwise have to have a couple of books on the end of each shelf tilted to keep the rest of the books in an upright position drove. me. crazy.

4. I have hiked up (most of) a mountain. It was Mt. Roberts in Alaska. I was out of breath before we even got to the trail head. This should have told me something, but alas, there has always seemed to be a short circuit in my brain when it comes to the area of common sense. So I spent the entire day thinking I was having a heart attack. But by the grace of God I did not die in the Alaskan wilderness, and got to witness some of the most beautiful scenery and views I have ever seen. And I made it about 3/4 of the way up the mountain!

5. I have been within feet of a grizzly bear and survived. Another Alaska story. We had gone to an island in Alaska known for its bear viewing. They had two viewing areas: one was right on the beach, and the other was a tower that was about a mile hike into the woods. The forest ranger with the gun accompanied you to the viewing area on the beach, but for whatever reason, they did not go with you if you chose to hike to the tower. Again, this should have told me something, but I had already stepped in bear scat and had the bejeezus scared out of me by a grizzly before I figured it out. Fortunately, the bear was more scared of us than we were of it, so it ran off without making too much of a fuss.

6. I used to provide medical assistance at local marathons. Years ago, I was a first responder for the Red Cross. In some states, this medical training is sufficient to make you a paramedic, but in CA we were considered one step below a paramedic. Different organizations would request our services if they were hosting a marathon or bike ride, or other event where medical assistance might be needed. It was pretty cool.

7. This doesn't have a fancy title, I just think it's a funny story (well, I do now--I didn't at the time). We were fortunate at our wedding to find a beautiful banquet room at a local golf course for the reception. One wall was completely glass, which provided an astounding view of the mountains in the background. It was about 108 degrees the day we got married. Our cake was right by this window/wall. It melted.

And now I tag Kristy (because she needs to update her blog--I'm having withdrawals), Jody, Colleen, Alicia, Holly, Queen (I know, I know, you're busy...you can save this for one of those days when you know you really should update your blog but the creative juices are not flowing) and MadMad.