13 things

Just some random stories/facts that I've been compiling for a while, waiting for the moment when I would be scraping for something interesting to write about... (And I totally didn't plan for it to be 13 things... it just worked out that way.)

1. When I worked at the Disney Store, we had to answer the phone using a particular "script" which changed almost daily. (For example, "Thank you for calling the Disney Store at Somewhereville Mall, where all of our plush is buy one, get one free. This is Sara. How may I help you?" Yes, it was ridiculously long.) I prided myself (and amazed my co-workers) on not only being able to fly through the script with ease and speed, but also being able to memorize it.

2. When I was a manager at the Disney Store, I was often on the closing shift, and the store manager would always call an hour or so before closing to see how things were going. And she always called on our third line (which is an unpublished number, so the only people that use it are employees... er, "cast members"). So one night, when I saw the phone light up with her call, I picked it up, and casually said, "Thank you for calling the Looney Tunes store, where right now all of our Bugs Bunny merchandise is on sale. This is Sara. How may I help you?" After a moment of stunned silence, she said, "What if it hadn't been me?" I just laughed and said, "Who else calls this line at this time of night?" I'm pretty sure she thought it was funny.

3. (Last Disney Store story, I promise.) I also impressed my co-workers there when I started singing along with a Donald Duck snowglobe that played Donald Duck's theme song. Yes, I watched a lot of classic Disney cartoons growing up. (Raise your hands--how many of you didn't know DD had a theme song? Because none of my co-workers did.)

OK, since I know someone will ask...

Who’s got the sweetest disposition?
One guess, guess who?
Who’d never, ever start an argument?
Who never shows a bit of temperament?
Who's never wrong but always right?
Who'd never dream of starting a fight?
Who gets stuck with all the bad luck?
No one but Donald Duck!

4. I've had my license since I was 16 (so... yikes, almost half my life!), and still suck at backing up and parallel parking. (Probably because I avoid either one as much as possible.)

5. I was born December 13, 1976, which was exactly 3 years after my parents had their first date.

6. I have never broken a bone or sprained anything. And my first overnight stay in a hospital was when I gave birth to Ariana.

7. My earliest memory (that I can recall clearly) is visiting my brother in the hospital. I had to look at him through a window (he was in ICU, I believe), and I asked my grandmother why he had all those "beepers" on him (referring to the monitors). I was 3 years old.

8. I am very hard of hearing in my right ear, due to many, many childhood ear infections which resulted in the ear drum rupturing, creating lots of scar tissue. Apparently, the scar tissue is so impressive that my ENT doctor once called in every resident and intern in the department (I think it was about 6 people) to come look at it. I'm not as peeved about being their guinea pig as I am about knowing there's no possible way I can see what they saw. I'm really curious.

9. I have to have my toenails painted at all times--even in winter, when they're covered all the time. Otherwise, it drives me nuts. Before I went to the hospital to deliver Ari, I made sure my toenails were freshly painted. (Hey, a girl's got to have her priorities, right?)

10. If I were rich and had loads of money to blow on sheer entertainment, I would want to go see nearly every Broadway show I possibly could. (And I'd see them in NYC too, because, hey, I'm rich!)

11. I have never been dumped by a guy. I had my silly little teenage heart "broken" many times by unrequited crushes, but as far as "official" boyfriends (and trust me, there really weren't that many), I've always been the one who broke up with the guy (sometimes just in an effort to dump him before he could dump me).

12. I hate wearing belts. I always feel like they just add extra bulk to my biggest problem area--my tummy and hips. However, I kind of wish I liked belts, because I own some really cute ones.

13. I always feel that when I wear skinny high heels, I burn more calories in my normal everyday walking around, because it takes a lot more effort for me to keep my balance in shoes like that, compared to flat shoes or chunky-heeled shoes. You really won't be able to convince me otherwise. (I mean, there's got to be some truth to that, right?)