I was tagged!

I have been away from my computer and regular blog reading for so long that I didn't even notice I had been tagged by both Montchan and Tari! Sorry, ladies. I need to get back on the bandwagon.

Here are the rules, copied from Tari:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

So, here goes...
1) I hate mushrooms. I can handle almost any kind of mushroom commonly found in Japan (shiitake, enoki, eringi, etc.), but the brown mushrooms used in the US a lot I just cannot get down. There's something about the texture that makes me gag. After years of hating them, I have also developed the uncanny ability to sniff them out no matter how finely they are chopped or how well they are disguised.

2) Housecleaning is not my strong point, but I love, love, love doing laundry. Love it!! I love folding and putting away freshly clean clothes. This has become especially true since I bought a clothes dryer, a machine which changed my life. Clothes dryers are not as common in Japan as they are in the US, and trying to hang dry my clothes in my tiny apartment on yet another rainy Tokyo day four years ago made me snap. I went to a used appliance store and bought one for 10,000 yen, and I have been a happy camper ever since. Not so good for the environment, but it did wonders for my sanity.

3) I am not great about keeping in touch, though I doubt that most of you reading this find that to be any surprise. :-) I really want to be better about this.

4) I have the same middle name as my mother. I imagine if I have a daughter someday I will give her the same middle name, too.

5) I have a rather large birthmark on my left calf that I share with my mother, and her mother had it, too. All three of us have it in the same exact spot and it is the same shape and size. None of my mother's male siblings have this. Very bizarre.

5) My father is an identical twin. I have never found that to be that interesting simply because I grew up with it, but everyone else seems to find it interesting so I'll add it in. :-)

6) I gained about 18 pounds during the two years I spent at my last job (which I left in March). I don't consider myself to necessarily be fat, but I became very concerned about my health. I joined a gym in April (unfortunately my new job has been so busy that I'm lucky if I get there once a week) and I am trying to slowly change my eating habits little by little so I make healthy choices but still enjoy all the delights that food has to offer. Oh, and the "eat breakfast every day" experiment I was trying has stuck...I still eat it every day!

7) I go to bed much too late for my own good. This has become a vicious circle. I feel cheated of free time because I have to work late, and I wind up staying up too late and sickly justify it by saying that I am "unwinding." But then I am sleep deprived and cranky, and it becomes difficult to deal with stress at work in the most efficient way possible. As a result, I wind up staying at work later. Gotta nip this in the bud.

8) I used to babysit for a family with the last name "deButts."

I don't think I have eight people reading this blog, so it will be difficult for me to tag eight people... But, here's the best I can do (and please play along only if you choose to):

Ali - I miss you, Ali!
Mayuko - Tell us about what's going on Bangkok!
Gina - Thanks for always checking in on my blog!
Kuri - Not long before the baby comes!
...and, whoever else wants to respond!

Off to bed. Good night!