Yes, it's true...

...I play 'Stare Chicken'. I can't help it. It often begins with accidental eye contact with a stranger. And all of the sudden, I can't blink and I can't look away...first. Midway I realize how creepy I must appear and try and force a smile....all while maintaining eye contact, of course.


...I have this weird thing about strawberries and the undersides of ferns. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE strawberries. Ferns are OK. I just can't stare at them too long or I get the willys, heeby geebies, or whatever you call that feeling when your stomach churns and you shiver. Also, it should be noted, I'm not afraid of these things. It's not like you'll freak me out by waving a fern in front of me. It's more a texture thing and maybe a little psychological. I did have an allergic reaction when I was a kid and freaked out when all these hives appeared. 


...When my mom and I went to Japan I was twelve. Having already been given a great head start with a lovely biracial complexion, I sped things up by spending every waking minute soaking up the Las Vegas sun swimming and playing. That summer, when my mom and I arrived in Tokyo, many of her friends, who hadn't met my dad, asked if he was black. (My dad is Lebanese and looks like Ted Kennedy.) I couldn't understand why until I came across this photo this Christmas. I'm with my brother. 

Man, I miss those knee socks!

...Speaking of hues, once, when my Lebanese cousin was in the first grade, her class took a standardized test. The teacher asked all the students to ask their parents for some information. The teacher explained they needed their names, date of birth, address, and their race, like black, white... My cousin went home and asked her older sister, who was probably in high school at the time, for the information while she was washing dishes. What's our address? What's my birthdate? When it came to asking about race, she asked...."What are we? White? Black?" Thinking nothing of it, she looked down at her arm and replied, "We're more of an olive." Oh, how I wish I could see the teacher's face when my cousin filled in the blank: What is your race? Olive.


There you go, four random stories to end your Thursday.