Seven Things Meme

Various Mamas have tagged me, in a general sense, for the "Seven Random Things About Yourself" meme. Being an overthinker like Mary's friend Kathy, I'm a bit stuck on what constitutes a random fact and what constitutes a basic, essential, fact. At any rate:

1) I hated (read: was so bad at) volleyball so much in high school gym class that I counted down the last 20 times I had to play it senior year, and vowed never to play volleyball again. I kept that vow through the rest of high school, through college (despite the fact that I joined an eating club where a lot of volleyball was played), and finally broke it at a bar with a beach volleyball court when I was 33. And if you're hoping this will be a heartwarming story about how much I loved it or how much better I was than I remembered...sorry!

2) I love to read Chalet School books by Elinor Brent-Dyer. They are very British, light on the romance, heavy on the moralizing, brief, and extremely satisfying.

3) I had no middle name until I got married. My father felt that three Vs would be excessive, but any other middle initial would ruin the alliteration.

4) I was never very good at ballet, but I adore movies about ballet dancers. "The Turning Point" and "Center Stage" are particularly good.

5) I have a special devotion to St. Joan of Arc, although I didn't know it was called a special devotion until I became Catholic. The first time I ever saw a picture of her I wanted to know all about her, and have devoured whatever I could find ever since. About Joan of Arc, that is.

6) When I was 23 I lived across the street from an Armenian Orthodox church and two doors down from a brothel.

7) I love chocolate-orange-flavored anything.