Meme

Soooo... one of my good friends is a master blogger. She’s very consistent and that inspires me to be consistent too. (Thanks Juls!) She posted a fun little quizy-thingie (that is my technical term), which she called a Meme. I hadn’t heard that terminology before, so I looked it up. Apparently, it means: A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. Well, isn’t this neat! Fun and educational.

I enjoyed reading hers so much, I thought I would do it as well. And, since I had to make my own template of questions, I copied a pasted a blank template at the bottom for you if you are so inclined. And I hope you are cuz these things are super cool for getting to know a person... (and also for wasting big blocks of time) :)

1. The First Day of School
Ugh... I had so many first days of school because my parents moved us around lots – 14 times before I was 11 years old. I never liked first days of school because it happened for me several times throughout the school year. It meant that kids would stare at me and whisper behind their hands that I was the New Girl. The only year that my first day rocked was in fifth grade. I loved fifth grade. That year the cool kids liked me and I was one of them from the very first. Hot!

2. The First Kiss
I was 13 or 14 and his name was Ben... big blue eyes... blond hair. He was a boy who appeared to be innocent and came from a family of the same rigorously religious background as mine. It was a wonderfully tender and pure kiss, absent of any of the fire I would come to experience a few short years later. It was full on the lips and lasted approximately twenty seconds. I know this because I counted. I wanted to be able to tell my friends how long our First Kiss had actually been. But, by the time I got to “Fifteen Mississippi...”and Ben’s arms tightened around me to pull me closer against him, I actually felt my brain go numb. The unrecognizable sensation building deep inside me surprised me. It felt animalistic. I wanted to growl or moan or scream or something.

3. First Date
My first “official” date was Harvest Ball with my Prince Charming. He and I double-dated with someone whom I have now forgotten and had a fancy five-course meal at our house then went to the dance, chauffeured/chaperoned by his parents since neither of us were old enough to drive – or, technically, single date according to our religion. I don’t have much of a recollection of this night because other memories have clouded over it. I imagine I thought it was dreamy and such, since he was the Man of my Dreams.

4. The First Car
Funny story… my own first car was a Nissan Sentra, manual transmission. I could not drive a manual transmission. My boyfriend test drove the car for me and declared it good to go. I spent the next week mortifying my family and humiliating myself while I peeled out and popped gears through intersections or killed the engine at highly inconvenient moments.

5. The First Time...
Ummmm... I imagine this means sex... sheesh... it was with the boyfriend who test drove my Nissan. After playing around at everything but for several years, I finally gave in one night on the floor of our family room. Not a pleasant memory and nothing unlike I dreamed my First Time would be – which, of course, I had always dreamed that my First Time would be on my wedding night and I would be wearing a flowing, white negligee. Yeah. Right.

6. The First Break-Up
That was with the boy who first kissed me, Ben. I enjoyed the kiss too much. It was bad to enjoy kissing at that age, according to my church. I knew then that I must have committed a grave sin and was surely going to hell! I must be punished. The best punishment? Send him away. That would punish me and get rid of the source of my temptation. So, I sent him away. Right into the arms of my best friend who had no qualms whatsoever about kissing him and flaunting the fact that he was the “best kisser” she had ever kissed, even though I knew he was her first

7. The First 'Real Job'
Back in the olden days, it was cool to work at McDonald’s. I was one of the cool kids then. For about a year and a half.

8. The First Time to Lose a Job
I have never lost a job by being fired. I have, however, overstayed my welcome at a job, made myself completely miserable in the process, been written up numerous times before I would finally drag my tail out of the place. That has happened twice. Neither time was very pleasant in the end, although I did love the job prior to realizing I hated it.

9. The First Time In Love
I thought I was “in love” all the time with any guy that would look at me. God... how pathetic, but true. The first real time, though, was with my boyfriend in my senior year of high school, who happened to also end up as my First Time. He is the one I have yet to get over. And, again, how pathetic, but true.

10. The First Drink
Was with the same First Time guy. Now that I think about it, I experienced lots of firsts with him... It was Kahlua and Cream out at Wendover – also my first time at Wendover . I crave them every now and then.

11. First Sign of a Back Bone
Fifth grade. A boy was picking on me and my friends. He wouldn’t leave us alone as we walked home from school – back then, it was still fun and safe to walk home from school. He kept bullying us and I decided to take matters in my own hands, or rather, foot. I kicked him hard as I could in the ass, but he dodged and my foot lodged between his butt and hit his balls. Not pretty! He was enraged and purple in the face, probably from the pain, and turned around and shoved me so hard that I fell over. My chin crashed into my hardbound math book, causing me to bite clear through my lip. There was actually a whole all the way through and, ironically enough, I had to go to the dentist later that day. I remember being brave about it the whole way home, feeling my lip get all big and puffy, until I rounded the bend to my house. Then, I spied my mother watching out the window, waiting for me and I burst into tears. I waited until that moment to give into the pain – also, I hoped, to play on my mother’s sympathy so I wouldn’t get in trouble for fighting, especially for starting the fight!

12. The First Ambition
To be a writer. I have stories I wrote in kindergarten that surprise me now with the intricate details and I would love to expand them into a book.

13. The First Realization of Mortality
Summer after fifth grade. One of the members of my “crew” got hit by a car in front of his house. He was with his brothers, one of which was his twin. The car swerved to miss the first two and hit Richard. He was thrown fifty feet, broke his neck and died at the scene. Standing at his graveside at such a tender age, I realized then that everyone dies. I felt scared.

Okay, all ya'all. It's your turn. TAG you're it!

1. The First Day of School
2. The First Kiss
3. First Date
4. The First Car
5. The First Time...
6. The First Break-Up
7. The First 'Real Job'
8. The First Time to Lose a Job
9. The First Time In Love
10. The First Drink
11. First Sign of a Back Bone
12. The First Ambition
13. The First Realization of Mortality