10 Random Things About Me

It's the start of a new year, so I wanted to do a re-introduction of sorts, and what better way than sharing 10 random facts about myself? 

1. In high school, I wanted to change my name to Melanie.
I got tired of my name and felt it was too long (mind you, my middle name is only one letter shorter). So I tried to get everyone, including my teachers, to call me by my middle name. I gave it up when in biology class, my teacher called on me to give an answer and I got it wrong. He said, "You were smarter as Danielle." 

2. My favorite number is 12.
My birthday is 12/12 and I was my grandparents 12th grandchild. 

3. I learned how to ski and scuba dive because of an ex.
My first serious boyfriend in college was an avid skier and scuba diver, and I didn't know how to do either. After about two years of being together, he started inviting me on family vacations to places like Mont Tremblant and Bonaire. His mom paid for lessons for both so I could participate. Skiing went fine, but I didn't get my scuba certification because I freaked out in the lesson trying to clear my mask and gave up. 

4. I get obsessed with researching things easily.
I'm not sure exactly how to explain this well. I guess one example would be when I was searching for an ancestry kit for Christmas, and it took me nearly 6 hours trying going through the details of each service and product available to find the best one. Or getting lost on Pinterest trying to find recipes with ingredients I already have on hand or with minimal effort. I fall into the rabbit hole or get distracted and it can take hours for me to realize and dig myself out.

5. Also, I'm a planner. 
No, not the kind with washi tape and stickers (though I do use my paper planner daily) but things like travel or event plans. Give me a project where I can plan something and leave me to it. I'm really good at planning itineraries and paying attention to details and I love doing it! Related, I also love making lists (yes, even grocery lists). 

6. But I still don't know what I wanna be when I grow up.
I'll probably write about this in detail at some later point, but for now I'll just say that I still don't know. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an architect until I learned how much math was involved and I hated math. Then I wanted to be a school psychologist or counselor and got my Bachelor's degree in Psychology, but didn't feel like getting my Master's right afterwards and soon realized I couldn't get very far in that field without one. I currently work as a User Support Specialist in IT and while I don't like it anymore, I don't know what I'd rather be doing either. 

7. I'm a pack rat.
A hard thing to admit in this age of minimalism! I save paper items more than anything, like greeting cards, old notebooks and journals, but I've also kept old t shirts from organizations I was a part of, a favorite risque halter from my clubbing days and the first pair of jeans my butt busted through. (There was a time in college when I was gaining weight rapidly and ripped 3-4 pairs of jeans in a row right in the backside. I was thrilled because I've always been underweight and was finally gaining.)

8. I don't want to own a home.
*gasp!* Isn't that part of the American Dream? I'm not interested. First of all, if something breaks, I have to fix it (or find and pay someone to fix it). Secondly, taxes in my area are off the charts. And third, I don't like feeling "stuck" anywhere. 

9. I haven't had cable in 4-ish years.
I cut it shortly after moving into my apartment to save money. I didn't have it as a kid growing up and I already had Hulu and Netflix so it wasn't a big deal. Now there are only a few shows I watch that are on cable channels but I use friends' accounts (because sharing is caring!). 

10. This video from 2003 still makes me laugh every single time I watch it, and I still say "I am le tired."  (Though with #45, the possibility of this actually happening is a little too much...)

Do we have anything in common? 

What are some random facts about you?