25 Things You Don't Know About Me

First it was a Facebook thing, now it's an Us Weekly staple, I figure it's high time I make a run at it. Here's 25 things you don't know about me:

1. Each night, I take a bath in water that is so hot, if Elmer Fudd were here he'd start chopping up vegetables and trying to make a stew out of me.
2. Four Mutts and a Baby: I have a recurring dream where I "inherit" an orphaned dog, who I always name "Pam".
3. As a child, I shared a last name with a country music singer who was well-known in the 1970's and 1980's. I was frequently asked if we were related, and would tell people we were cousins. It wasn't until I was around 25 that I learned we are not in fact related. 
4. I was born in south Louisiana. Cajun Country, land of the black-haired black-eyed people. My claim to fame has always been that I was the only redhead born in Lafayette General Hospital in 1981. A couple years ago, I learned that wasn't actually true either.
5. I may have a smidge of body dysmorphic disorder: when I look in the mirror, I see a girl who is at least 20 pounds lighter than I actually am. When I see photos of myself, I am always shocked and horrified.
6. "I Love My Calendar Girl": In sixth grade, my English teacher assigned us to enter an essay contest. I was one of thirteen winners in the state of Alabama. The contest was held by a geriatric society, and the winners were featured in their annual calendar. My Nannie and I represented the month of April for the 1995 calendar. My first and only award for my writing.
7. To this day, I harbor a grudge against the late George Carlin, because he was once rude to my father in an elevator (circa 1978). ("Do you really expect me to put my suitcase down to shake your hand?") The jerk.
8. While a junior at Auburn, I adopted Laney from the Sheltie Rescue of Georgia. Knowing my parents wouldn't approve, I waited days to tell them. It was the first and only time I can remember my dad being mad at me. When I finally shared the news, I lied and said Steve gave her to me as a "surprise". My mom was angry at Steve and barely spoke to him for months, until Steve made me confess the truth.
9. I had difficulty naming Laney, because I wanted to choose a name that Steve, my roommate Kelsey, and I all liked. I finally settled on the name "Laney" when I blurted it out while holding a stack of DVDs in my lap. On top of the stack? My Big Fat Greek Wedding, starring Nia Vardalos and Lainie Kazan. I just changed to a simpler spelling.
10. I suffer from chronic back pain, stemming from a 1998 cheerleading accident.
11. The aforementioned accident took place during a football game, when a play ran out of bounds, and several players from both teams tackled me.
12. Film footage from that game (including my tackle) was viewed by both teams, as well as every team that was scheduled to play my team and the opposing team for the rest of the season. I later learned that everybody watched my tackle over and over again...in slow motion. Apparently my short and sassy ponytail whipping wildly in the air was must-see-tv.
13. The only physical traits Robinson and I share are my chin and my crooked big toes.
14. I am Steve's 2nd wife. 
15. My very first childhood pets were a scottie dog mix named Bo and a toy poodle named BJ. They were gone before Jarred was born, and to this day my parents insist "They really did go live on a farm!"
16. BJ the poodle was adopted from one of mom's customers at the department store where she was a buyer: a drag queen who wanted to give BJ away because she kept getting into his/her makeup. Mom said his house looked like Liberace's palace.
17. Speaking of drag queens, there was a period in 2008 where I attended many drag shows in support of a friend who is a well-respected female impersonator. At the time, Leona Lewis' hit song "Bleeding Love" was a favorite of the performers. To this day, whenever I hear the song, all I see is transvestites in fishnet dresses.
18. I do not own any pink clothes. Except for a well-worn pair of size Large Victoria's Secret sweatpants.
19. My all-time favorite eyeshadow is "Prop" by Lancome. I've been wearing it since 2001. It was discontinued in 2005, at which time the friendly ladies at my local Lancome counter kindly gave me all of their unused professional-use shadows. I'm down to the last one, and I'm gonna have a major case of the sads when it's gone.
20. My first concert was James Taylor with my dad. I got bored and made him take me home before James sang "Fire and Rain". We listened to it in the parking lot.
21. I always use an orange toothbrush.
22. I'm no longer active on Myspace, but I will never delete my account, because I have a good friend who passed away, and our back-and-forth messages on Myspace along with a few snapshots are all I have left of her.
23. I'm accident prone: In seventh grade, I lost my balance and jammed my middle finger during a tornado drill. The finger became so swollen, I had to call my dad to check me out of school and drive me to the fire station to have my ring cut off my finger. This was the second time I had jammed said finger. It's still bigger than my other middle finger.
24. The only actors I've ever met were Cammie King and Butterfly McQueen, the actresses who played Bonnie Blue Butler and Prissy in Gone with the Wind.
25. I'm pretty superstitious, so I'm afraid I'm jinxing myself by telling you that I've never broken a bone.