Amy, of WildBird on the Fly, has tagged me with the "Eight Random Facts" meme, in which I’m to blog about eight "random" facts about me, and then tag eight others. Now there is no way that these facts are random. In order to truly be random I’d have to write out all of the facts about me, good or bad, and then somehow choose eight in a random fashion, say drawing numbers or asking someone to call out eight numbers between one and three billion. So, to be honest, I’m going to write things that show me to be interesting, erudite, or at the very least normal (all indications otherwise). I mean I’m not going to write a random fact that I, oh I don’t know, occasionally scratch myself in public or something along those lines. So the challenge is to come up with facts about me that 1) are interesting, and 2) leave me looking moderately modest.
Hmm…
1) I was the first (and as far as I know the only) Civilian Member of the R.C.M.P’s Underwater Recovery Team. At the start of my career with the RCMP I was not a police officer but a Civilian Member in a couple of Operational Communications Centres (think dispatcher but really so much more.) I was also a SCUBA diver and took the opportunity to lobby for a position on the U.R.T. I was successful, was allowed to apply, passed the selection course and was accepted onto the team, the only non-police member of it. Unfortunately a couple of ruptured eardrums put an early end to my dive career.
2) I am, arguably, one of the world’s worst procrastinators. Even some tasks that I know are really important and that not completing will end up biting me in the end, I can skillfully avoid. I’ll finish this explanation later.
3) I wore a "watch cap" style toque all of the time for months in first year University. I thought it would make me stand out. It did but that was not necessarily a good thing. After awhile I realized that.
4) I’ve lived in four cities (Winnipeg, Montreal, Regina and Saskatoon), and six other communities (Roblin, Thompson, La Ronge, Rose Valley, Fort Providence and Arctic Bay). The places I’ve lived have ranged in size from 400 to over a million. The ten communities were found in five provinces or territories (Manitoba, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut). Except for where I grew up, Roblin, I’ve lived here in Arctic Bay longer than anywhere.
5) I used to believe in ghosts, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and flying saucers visiting Earth. I don’t anymore.
6) Is this eight yet? Damn. Okay…One of my camp councilors from church camp ended up joining the RCMP as a Special Constable. He was arrested and did time for breaking into warehouses near the airport where he worked. I was one of his guards when I worked in a gaol before joining the RCMP.
7) Every time I hear Warren Zevon’s "Excitable Boy" it reminds me of W.L. from Roblin, who stalked one of our usherettes/candy counter woman at the Roblin Theatre. One day the RCMP came to the theatre (where I worked) to tell us to lock the door until they arrested W.L. who had attacked his mother. I was also his guard when I worked at the gaol.
8) I own a banjo, a guitar, a tin flute, and a harmonica. I can play none of them. I always seem surprised to find out it takes work to learn to play an instrument.
Okay that is eight. And as far as tagging someone, I’m going to pass. If you want to, consider yourself tagged. If you want to and don’t have a blog, feel free to use my comments.
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Oh! I also am a huge procrastinator, a non-XFiles type, and a collector of instruments I can’t play. 🙂