nerwengreen

Found this over on John Scalzi's Whatever. He originally got it from someone on LJ, so I guess I'm bringing it back. :)

1. Was noticed as a pre-teen for musical talent by a world-famous concert harpist. She normally gave lessons at $100/hr - but gave me them for free.

2. Was in the children’s choir for a production of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, which we performed for him on his 70th birthday. Got his autograph.

3. Stood in the eye of a hurricane. (Bonnie ‘98, Wilmington NC). She moved so slowly over us that we were in it for an hour.

4. Got stranded in the middle of a river at low tide, tugging an 8-foot boat through ankle-deep water. We were between the channel markers (there’s a picture somewhere to prove it but alas I don’t have a copy). Obviously they’d not been keeping up with the dredging…

5. Helped herd a flock of tern chicks down an island beach and into a corral so we could tag them with metal bands. Cutest baby birds evar! :)

6. Once spent a winter cleaning an outdoor fishtank every couple weeks. Involved plunging my arms up to the armpit in icy cold water.

7. During an offshore science cruise, ate fresh tuna sushi straight from the fish, immediately after it was caught, while it was being cleaned and its muscles were still twitching.

8. Pet-sat a tank of 20ish juvenile clownfish. Basically they brought it over and set it up on the floor of my living room for three days.

9. Swam with a barracuda. Without my glasses on I couldn’t see what it was, so I was following it around. Then I noticed that everyone else had fled to the other side of the boat…

10. Spent a day dressed up as Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants. Was loved by many small children. Baffled many grownups (”is that a cucumber?”). Was threatened to be used for target practice by DNR boat patrol.