I was recently double-teamed with the “8 Random Facts Meme by my friend Bill “Schmokey” Schmoker over at his blog, Birdpics, AND by the Birdcouple Lisa and Warren. Here are the rules:

Eight Random Facts:

• Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
• At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
• Don?t forget to leave them a comment telling them they?re tagged, and to read your blog.

So here it goes…8 random facts about woodcreeper.

1.

I can’t smell. I lost my sense of smell almost 4 years ago. Not sure why, but probably a viral infection that came and went unnoticed. Apparently it’s not that uncommon, but it sure stinks. Actually, it doesn’t…which leads me to my next fact.

2.

My s— doesn’t stink. Seriously.

3.

I love to cook. Now, I know what you’re saying- how could someone who can’t smell STILL love to cook? It’s definitely a challenge- but I’ve still got my taste-bud senses: 

While basic dishes are fairly easy to make by relying on your taste buds, more complex recipes require tapping into the old memory for proportions, or having someone else on hand to taste. I’ve come to realize that if I balance the salt correctly, I can usually pull it off. Some things that I used to love, though, such as basil, balsamic vinegar, and cheese raviolis, have lost their taste entirely…that’s a bummer. For fool-proof recipes try my favorite chef/author Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Bible, or World Vegetarian cookbooks.

4.

I once sang in Carnegie Hall. It was an Easter program and we did Vivaldi’s Gloria. It was beautiful- and an amazing experience to sing in such a presigious venue. On that same trip I purchased my first fake ID on Broadway, in the far back corner of some headshop. I <heart> NYC.

5.

I was the president of the Ithaca College snowboard club during my Sophomore year of college. This is quite funny though, because I had come from Miami Florida and had no snowboarding experience. So you see, I learned at an early age that anyone can become president. This undoubtedly helped me get over the initial shock of 2000, and the aftershock of 2004

6.

I proposed to Inga in the shower.

Me: “would you marry me?”
Inga: “Yes, last night, when you were making all that noise outside at 3am”
Me: “I said ‘WILL YOU MARRY ME?’ “
Inga: “Oh! I thought you said ‘Were you mad at me?’ “
<<pause>>
Inga: “Yes!, and YES!”

7.

I saw Cloak & Dagger 11.5 times. My parents owned a hair salon (named “La Puma”) in The Falls shopping center, in Miami. The salon was 2 doors down from the movie theater, and the manager (Neville; I can’t believe I can still remember his name) used to let us in for free. One time I got there in the middle of the movie…and watched it through the next showing. I wonder how good (or more likely, bad) that movie would be today. Hmmm…sounds like a question for Netflix.

8.

I got my lifer Black-throated Blue warbler in Costa Rica. I hadn’t been a birdwatcher before going to work for Tropical Forestry Initiative, in Costa Rica. I had taken Field Ornithology at Ithaca College, but had only just begun to recognize common birds. My trip with Carl and Lynn Leopold was a birding extravaganza and included many wintering neotropical migrants that commonly appear in Miami during migration. After a return visit in 2001 (by which time I had been birding fairly regularly) I got another lifer; an adult male Mourning Warbler in the backyard of the cabina we were staying in. Many fond memories still replay in my head from the days and nights on that cabina porch.

 

Okay…for better or for worse, there you have it.

 

Now to tag the others:

My buddy Matty-O at FindingPhilly.com

Greg at Birding Brooklyn

Drew, at Nemesis Bird

Andipantz’s MySpace Blog

Josh and Kelly, the Biobums

Jennifer, at Today in NJ Birding History

Derek, birding his butt off in Maine

and Greg’s blog…which will hopefully get him to post something!