. . . And The Facts . . .
#1: I have a low tolerance for foolishness. It’s almost nonexistent. I can love you to death and completely shut you out if you indulge in it for an extended period of time.
#2: I have seasonal resolutions and for the last 12 seasons I’ve been working on not laughing at people. I think I’m doing much better this season. It may finally be my breakthrough. Moving on.
#3: I let a boy touch my boobies in the third grade and I thought I was pregnant for an entire year. Apparently, pregnancy is possible by an over-the-clothing tap when you’re 8. I was afraid to tell my mother her 8-year-old daughter was pregnant so I prayed to God to deplete my untimely condition . . . and what do you know . . . I have no kids!
#4: I’m beyond silly and very easily amused; however, only close friends and family are frequently privy to this part of me. Most people think I’m mean and generally unapproachable. Why? I have no idea. I’m chock full of sunshine.
#5: I don’t have a quick temper and most things pretty much roll off my shoulders; but, I do have a tendency to let things build, thus resulting in a random outburst of malevolent emotion. Say hello to me two years from now and watch me completely flip my lid. It’s a problem – I’m working on it.
#6: I think Anderson Cooper is positively divine and absolutely refuse to believe he is not available to my gender. REFUSE!
#7: Don’t ever try semantics with me in an ill-conceived, inane attempt to belittle me. You will lose and it will hurt. I don’t unleash my tongue unless absolutely necessary and am not easily provoked; but, if you take me there, I’ll go and will not apologize for your resulting indignation. After all, I did warn you.
#8: When I was a freshman in high school, EVERYONE knew my brother even though he went to a different school! Needless to say, most of my friends were seniors, which was absolutely wonderful when I was a freshman; however, when they graduated, I had no remaining friends and certainly none in my grade, so I had to start from scratch. I’m very shy, believe it or not, and terribly introverted. So as you can imagine, this was a great ordeal for me.
#9: I am an empathetic crier. I’m very sensitive to other people’s emotions. I really don’t want to see you hurt and definitely not crying. 
#10: I fall. Often. But never in heels. Everytime I’ve injured myself, I’m either in flats or barefoot and am usually standing completely still. The ground is clearly uneven throughout the entire Midwestern region.
#11: I was bullied in middle school by a group of girls and two guys. I thought about it for the first time in a long time about 6 months ago and was immediately brought to tears. I’m 27 for goodness sake! Let it go, Erica. Let it go.
#12: Trees seriously disturb me. I do not like them in abundance and will tense up when I can’t see through them.
#13: On average, I’d rather read a book, have a conversation or take a walk than go to a club. As I’ve gotten older, my slight affinity for the traditional nightlife has lost its appeal.
#14: How I look on Saturday afternoon is no indication of how I’ll look on Sunday morning. Don’t judge me. Saturdays are my lazy days and I definitely look the part on those days.
#15: I was attacked by a mini-horse at Easton Mall a couple of years ago. It was completely unprovoked and if I ever see that mini-horse again it’s so on!
#16: My family is wonderful. Really. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They’re the stuff dreams are made of.
#17: My brother cried during The Prince of Egypt. I’m just saying.
#18: I think James Brown was a terrible vocalist. I appreciate the doors he opened for African-American singers, entertainers, musicians and artists, but was never overly impressed with his abilities. The nerve of me! I know. I know. I’ve heard it many times before.
#19: I love a man who can change from basketball shorts and a tank, to jeans and a button-up, to a tailored suit and look effortlessly fly and comfortable in all three.
#20: I love my little cousins, Sam, Madison and Gabriella as if they were my own children. I never thought I could love a child so much whom wasn’t my own. I completely turn to mush around all of them!
#21: My 21st birthday was probably the most . . . different! Flying down Ohio University’s Courtyard hill at 80 miles per hour and old-fashioned friendly fun was a great way to spend a birthday
#22: I wake up in the “middle of the night” at 3:12 a.m. EVERY morning and whenever I have an urge to know the time it’s always 11:11, whether night or day.
#23: I am only funny when I’m not trying to be. I just can’t make a joke, but apparently my seriousness is highly amusing. According to my brother I’m a certified dork. I happen to think I’m cool. Probably not too cool to say “cool,” huh?
#24: I don’t think democracy works well for every nation. Sometimes, it’s questionable in our own. In theory, it’s fabulous; but in practice it, at times, is certainly lacking. With that said, I would never want to live in a non-democratic nation. How’s that for oxymoronic?
#25: I informed my brother at age 19 that I was to become a rapper. Don’t ask me why; I was bored. I was immediately informed that not only am I too lame to be a rapper, but I have absolutely no street credibility and zero ability to execute a cipher. Another dream bites the dust.
