25 random things about me

this is a facebook meme that’s currently going around. since i can’t leave well enough alone, i modified it to be “24 true random things about me, and one lie”.

i’m a contrarian. so sue me.

anyway, i’m reposting it here, because i’m lazy and because it was fun to write:

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

Jamie’s Modified Rule: There are 24 true random things about me, and one false one. Can you spot the lie?

1. My first home was in a holler in Kentucky. It was at the top of the holler, which is a good thing when no one has indoor plumbing. Our house was one of the few that had plumbing, though only the toilet was inside. The bathtub, due to space considerations, was on the front porch.

2. My first pet was a dachshund that I named President Nixon.

3. My grandmother was a habitue of Chicago speakeasies, where she gained her lifelong habit of drinking only shots of whiskey. With few women in the speakeasies, many men would buy you mixed drinks that were heavy on the alcohol, and she wanted to carefully control her intake.

4. I French-kissed Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

5. Thinking I was bisexual, I married a woman who later came out as a lesbian. After our divorce she remained one of my best friends. No harm, no foul.

6. My partner Kirk and I were married in the home of Hedwig, the Jane Street Theater, by a Unitarian minister, with the reception hosted by Mistress Formika of Wigstock fame.

7. As a child, I was knocked unconscious when my sixth grade girlfriend hit me over the head with a Pepsi bottle. I had two-timed her.

8. Until my recent break in employment and return to school, I had been continuously employed since age eight.

9. My high school nickname was “Flash”. For various reasons.

10. I have eaten: chitlins, cracklins, rattlesnake, squirrel, andouillette sausage (see: chitlins), tripe, kidneys, liver, octopus, eel, sea anemone, possum, and lots of Peter Luger steak. I have not yet eaten sweetbreads. I was also a vegetarian for ten years, and a vegan for five or so of those.

11. I once picked watermelons, for one day, for very little pay.

12. I got braces on my teeth as a high school graduation present.

13. When younger, I could put both of my feet behind my head and walk on my hands.

14. I advised a high school journalism staff that produced one of the nation’s first desktop-published yearbooks, and the editor of that yearbook got a job after high school making twice what I did as a teacher. I also advised the nation’s first CD-ROM yearbook.

15. I have Morton’s Toe.

16. As a child, I was knocked unconscious when I attempted to take a door off the hinges while standing on a chair. The door’s spring closer, contrary to what I thought, did have some spring remaining.

17. I have owned the domain name “queerspace.com” since 1998.

18. I have been in each of the 48 states of the continental U.S.

19. I shook hands with Bill Clinton.

20. My first car was a 1965 Rambler American 4-door sedan. I paid $200 for it, put nearly 75,000 more miles on it, and sold it for $275.

21. Until I moved to Reading, PA, each time I moved was to successively larger cities.

22. As a child, I was knocked unconscious when diving headfirst into the television. I thought Romper Room was a place I could get to that way.

23. I peed in the bathroom at CBGB’s.

24. I once had a burger and a beer with Anthony Bourdain.

25. I have a lovely one bedroom coop apartment in New York for sale.

back to [community] college

i’ve spent the last month getting absolutely nowhere in my job search.

that’s not really true. i put out a limited number of resumes for carefully targeted positions, followed up on nearly every one strenuously, got some valuable feedback that i incorporated into my search, and generally made some limited progress.

still, no interviews.

to be honest, there was a lot remaining that i hadn’t done. i hadn’t contacted the list of recruiters i got from my outplacement guy. and i hadn’t gone to any of the temp-to-perm/employment agency type places. so i decided it was time to fish or cut bait. i took a step back from my desperation to be employed and took stock.

i want to get back to having a more meaningful career. when i taught high school, at the end of the day i could say that my efforts meant something to someone. my previous employer was great to work for, for more than nine years, and i’m eternally thankful that my job elimination was accompanied by a decent severance package and some support in restarting my career. but at the end of the day my successful efforts there meant that someone started or renewed their magazine subscription.

i want that feeling of personal career satisfaction back.

i had been focusing on getting an administrative position in the medical field — i’d always wanted to end up there, a growing career area i thought i’d enjoy. so i investigated going back to school, at reading area community college, or racc. made an appointment with a counselor, and decided that i would either find a program that fit me, or i would redouble my efforts to obtain gainful employment.

am i glad i went. the wonderful counselor quickly assessed my personality, situation, and resources, and recommended their medical office assistant program. it’s a combination of front office skills, and more basic technical skills (drawing blood, giving shots, EKGs, and the like). as the counselor explained, “it’s the guy who calls your name, takes you back, weighs you, and tells you to put the gown on backwards and tie it in the back.” seriously, it’s more than that, but you get the idea.

i’ve made some friends in the medical field here, and i’m told that the training translates well to a variety of positions. the last six weeks of the six month program is an internship, and the placement for the program is 90%+. i ran the numbers, and found that if we hold tight, i can pay for the program and keep us afloat until i graduate in august, using my remaining severance pay + unemployment. it can also be a springboard to other medical careers, if i want to go back to school at night or whatever.

i’m not going to get rich doing it, but i’ll make enough money to live and from what i can tell from my research + talking to people, i’ll be doing something i enjoy.

it’s time to hit the reset button.