33 Things I’ve Never Told You (part 2)

This is the second in the series 33 Things I’ve Never Told You. If you missed the first instalment, be sure to read it first in order to understand the context of this post.

33 Things I’ve never told you (part two)

12. I drink way too much coffee. I currently drink about 4-5 cups a day. But that’s mostly a lie because the first two ‘cups’ are really big mugs which are are least 2 cups each, so that brings the tally up to 6 or 7 a day. I usually have ground coffee in a French press first thing in the morning and then drink espresso through the day. Twice in the past I have quit drinking coffee and was surprised at how much more energy I had when I don’t drink it. But I’m addicted. It’s plain and simple. And I like the taste.

13. I’m really grumpy in the morning. When I wake up, I need a good hour of silence, coffee and morning news to become a human being. I have had to train my partner to just not engage me in conversation first thing in the morning. My idea of hell is having to be sociable in the morning – like at conferences where you all have to have breakfast together. I have to get up and have an hour of coffee and quiet before I can face those people. I have been known to travel with an espresso pot if I am staying with other people to be sure I can make coffee the way I like it. Strong and Silent.

14. I have dual British and Canadian citizenship. I was born in Canada and lived there until I was 31. My grandparents on my mother’s side were all born in the UK, so I could claim UK ancestry. This allowed me to get a visa. After 5 years I got Indefinite Leave to Remain and soon after that I got my British citizenship. It felt like coming home. I think Canada is great, but I feel much more at home in Britain.

15. I was once a roller-skating telephone call. Back in the early 90’s I got a job in an industrial (a theatre piece commissioned by a company to advertise new products or services) for a large telecom company. They were introducing automated telephone services, where you could set up electronic systems to stream phone calls. At one point the Wizard of Telephony (an actor on stilts and a cloak) was surrounded by incoming phone calls (actor/dancers in blue lycra bodysuits with yellow telephone dials around our necks and yellow helium balloons on our head). We would rollerskate around the Wizard and when he popped our balloon, that was putting us ‘on hold’ and we would then freeze on the spot. My friend Laura was dressed as the yellow pages and sang “They Call  Me Mellow Yellow.” Those were the days….

16. I’m really bad at remembering names. I will remember your face until the day I die. I will remember all sorts of completely random facts that you tell me. And I will forget your name five minutes from now. Sorry.

17. I can’t get enough of TV shows about lawyers. The Good Wife is a current favourite. I also like Scandal (though technically is she a lawyer?). My mom always wanted me to be a lawyer and even to this day she’ll piss me off by saying ‘I don’t know why you didn’t become a lawyer. You would have been such a good lawyer.” Maybe I should play a lawyer on TV. Actually that would be my dream role. If you’re a casting director, did you hear that?

18. I’m 42 and I like getting older. Yes, everything is starting to sag, but what I love about getting older is I don’t give a fuck. When I was younger I cared deeply about everything. I scrutinized every aspect of my life, my career, my relationships and my body. Now I go ‘huh’ and shrug my shoulders. Maybe I’ve learned the Gallic shrug. Or maybe with age comes perspective that none of that shit really matters?

19. My favourite place to be is by the water. I’m a Cancer, a water sign, and I grew up in the Prairies surrounded by grass and forest. When I lived in Vancouver, I did love being by the Ocean. Now that I’m in London I orientate myself always as close to the river Thames as possible. We live by the river, I travel as often as possible on the River (the Thames Clipper which is amazing) and often choose places to go based on their proximity to the river. My favourite place to holiday is in the South of France where I can gaze out at the Mediterranean for hours.

20. I worked on a cruise ship. I spent 7 months as Production Singer on a cruise ship. I hated the shows, which were glitzy and really tacky, but I loved being at sea. The rocking of the ship, the sound of the birds, the sunrises, & the sunsets were all amazing. I could sit all day and stare out at the sea. It was really hard on my relationship to be at sea, but if I was single I would be lost to the lifestyle. People travel the world, get paid well, and live on the ocean. What’s not to like?

21. I’ve known my partner since I was 16. We didn’t get together until 15 years later. But I always knew.

Look out for part three, the final 11 of the 33 Things I’ve Never Told You.