Fulfillment of tagginess

I've been tagged by my my derby wife to post 7 interesting things about me.
Uh...here goes.

1. I used to be an extremely religious, bible-thumping evangelical. In college I went to Campus Crusade for Christ rallies on Friday nights instead of partying, went to bible study on Tuesdays, witness to people trying to enjoy their Spring Break in Daytona Beach, FL. Yes, my friends, I was that annoying person that would hand you a survey asking if you felt you'd go to heaven or not (of course, the survey presupposes you actually BELIEVE in heaven...). I was a prude, 4.0, honors kid. My first time drunk EVER was in grad school. Straight edge to the point of being narrow-minded and completely blind to reality. My how times have changed.

2. As my blog address notes, I used to be a roller girl. I skated for almost two years in a league here in Tucson. Couldn't even stand on skates the first time I showed up to a Thursday night skate night at Skate Country. Derby was the only thing that I've stuck with that wasn't easy for me right off the bat. Band, theatre, school, it all came easy to be in first chair or get an A in my honors classes. I quit any and everything that wasn't easy...soccer, diving, pretty much anything athletic. That's what made derby so great for me. I stuck with it and while I was never the best skater, I had a blast.

3. I'm a burlesque performer. There, I said it. I hula hoop and do a strip tease at the same time. Many people have problems with it, saying it is degrading, but it is actually very empowering. I've had body issues my whole life (eating disorder for 11 years people!) and to get up there for the first time was amazing and it was so cool to know that everyone in the audience paid money to come see me hoop on stage. So if you have a negative view of burlesque, you need to re-evaluate and consider that maybe you wish you could do it too.

4. I'm adopted. My brother is too. My "step-dad" adopted us when we hit the "adult" age. So he's my dad. And as a result I have two older sisters and an older brother...all 15+ years older than myself.

5. I'm an artist, though much out of practice. One of my most prized past times growing up was drawing. I used to draw all the time...my favorite was to take photographs of historic buildings and sketch them, and see how exact I could get on paper. I'd spend months drawing one building, a theater in London, an apartment complex, in New York City. I miss it. Once I hit college, I never had time, so I'm really rusty at it. My goal in the new year is to draw more.

6. I have a morbid curiosity with death and destruction. I might have blogged about this before, or maybe it was myspace, but I have this strange curiosity about crime scenes, accident scenes, and mass tragedies. Once I googled photographs of what people looked like AFTER they jumped from the World Trade Center on 9/11. I also searched for victims of the tsunami in SE Asia and Hurricane Katrina. Famous celebrities and their autopsy photos. I've seen all the Al-Qaeda beheading videos and executions. I know all the morbid web sites for that kind of thing. Why? I don't know. I feel that I'm sheltered living in this country and there is no reason I should be. I need to be able to handle reality. Real life isn't rated PG-13.

7. I sing. I was in one of the best choirs in high school. The only person I've ever sung by myself in front of was my choir director during my auditions. I only belt it out in the car or when home alone...not even in front of B. He's heard me sing a bit in the shower, or to music, but never in my full on, classical choir mode. I'm too embarrassed and too shy to sing in front of people. My secret dream is to perform on stage with my brother.

I tag D when he goes back to blogging.