Aaargh!! I've been tagged

OK, so I have been tagged by Nancy, whose babe M. was a roomie of Maya's in Ethiopia...Now I have to tell 10 things about myself.

Rules of play:
*Post 10 random things about yourself
*Choose 5 people to tag and a reason you chose each person (can be totally nonsensical)
*Leave them each a comment directing them to your blog so they know they are it (wait a minute...shouldn't everyone be reading my blog???? You mean they're not????)
*You can't tag the person who tagged you (you'll have to make new friends)
*As a courtesy to the person who tagged you, please let them know when you have posted so they can have the sheer delight and extra work load of reading your answers
Play!!

So here goes:

1) One of my first real, paid jobs in my life (other than teenage babysitting) was to dress up as a Planters Peanut and hand out free samples at various grocery stores. I learned a lot in that job. Mainly that if you are dressed up as a peanut, and people can't see your face, people will either a) make really screwed up sexual comments to you, or b) will think that people dressed up as peanuts should be like mimes and should not speak as they are handing out samples but should instead gesture with their hands. Bizarre!

2) When I applied to college as a high school senior, I only applied to one. I did not have a plan B in case I did not get in to my 'only choice' school, and even put a bumper sticker on my car before I was admitted.

3) I have spent almost exactly a third of my life in the Middle East.

4) I used to be a competitive swimmer, and I was actually pretty good.

5) I wore braces on my legs as a child for an orthopedic problem. I once raised a LOT of money in a school jogathon after going house to house asking for pledges wearing my braces, and people massively underestimated how much I could run. Serves them right!

6) I really want my daughter to speak Amharic so she can have access to her birth culture without needing a mediator. It is even more important to me because I have struggled so much with Arabic. I don't want her to struggle with a language that by all rights should be hers.

7) I always thought I would focus on being gender-neutral as a parent. But I am not as good at that as I thought I would be. My daughter is a pretty girly girl who loves dolls and her play kitchen, although she is very athletic and does play with legos so she is not ONLY girly. But I wonder if I have made her a girly girl, or if it is just part of her nature.

8) I despise the taste of coffee (although somehow Ethiopian buna is drinkable). I do concede that coffee smells very nice. I just hate the taste.

9) I like to read non-fiction books of almost any genre, but I am bored by fiction.

10) I met my husband in my first week of college at an orientation where we were seated next to each other because our last names are close in the alphabet. We didn't realize we lived in the same dorm just down the hall from each other until a bit later.

OK, who do I tag. I have no idea, and I apologize in advance.

1) Egypt4. Why? Because I know you. I always tag you. And I think you could have some interesting stuff out there to say.

2) Chris R. in Texas. Yes, I know you stop by my blog even though I am so lame about e-mail.... I am sure you have some interesting stuff to say.

3) Charlie Fekadu's mommy. Cuz your kiddo is so super cute (Hey, I don't need a really good reason to tag someone do I? And you might have been tagged already, but oh well.)

4) Josh and Avni. I think you should start a blog so we can keep in touch. And when you do, you're it! And Michelle too.

5) Anyone else lurking on my blog. Cuz I want to know who you are, and I'm too lazy to think of someone else to tag.