I was tagged by No Nonsense Girl to reveal 7 Random and/or Weird Facts about Me meme.
Like there’s only seven…. 
1. I learned to read when I was 2 1/2 years old. I was under a significant amount of stress and surrounded by books. Sitting on my caretaker’s lap, I started to read.
2. I read by symbol. Because I learned to read on my own, I read by symbol not letter. Each word is a unique symbol but not a sound. If I have to read out loud, I must translate in my head then speak.
3. While we’re on the topic of reading, because I read by symbol, I can read words that are upside down, sideways. In other words, if it’s a word, I can read it. You cannot imagine how useful this is at museums, concerts or reading anything on someone’s desk. You’d be surprised what you can learn by reading words that are upside down.
4. I rarely went to class in High School. I realized my first semester in high school that they compared the note signatures to the forms. My father didn’t care if he signed the form or not. I signed his signature on every form from then on. I also signed copious number of slips for myself (and my little sister btw). I went to class to take the tests. I did the homework. But I mean really: free pass, boring class and beach or mountains minutes away. What would you do?
5. Dead people talk to me. I don’t really know how to explain it. I thought that everyone could do it. Spirits are just like people. They have stories to tell and mischief to get up to. They talk to anyone who can hear them – just like people. For me, it’s fairly random. If a spirit’s there, they talk to me. I usually try to help them move on. In my experience, spirits hang around for 3 reasons: 1) they were so confused by dying that they missed the usual pattern. This happens in murders or sudden deaths. 2) They are frightened of what happens next. Or 3) They have something to say. Usually they want someone to know what happened to them. There was a spirit in our house who wanted me to know that she fell down the stairs and lay there (mostly unconscious but alone) for 3 days before she died. After she told me, then showed me how it happened, she moved on.
6. I like some really lame pop music. Right now, I’m quite fond of Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad album, particularly Rehab and Good Girl Gone Bad. Ne Yo’s When You’re Mad makes me laugh out loud every time I hear it. Ciara’s Get Up is on my workout play list. I’m not sure why this music is lamer than Seether, Breaking Benjamin, Trapt, or any of the other bands I listen to. It just is. I like it anyway.
7. I light a yellow candle when I’m working. I love candles. In the last six months, I have taken to lighting a yellow candle near my computer. I just lit an orange and lemongrass candle. I am warmed by the yellow flame. Weird, but true.
Now the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they?ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
I tag:
Heart in San Francisco
The CEO
FuriousBall
La Cubana Gringa
Janet at Fond of Snape
Josie at C’est La Vie
Kelly at Cheaper than a Happy Meal
wow, very interesting about reading. I was 3 years old when I started to read, like you, under stress, surrounded by books. It was an easy thing…
I’m glad you did the meme. How interesting!!!!
Have a great day!!!!
Your number 5? That’s one of my weird things too. I did a post about it not too long ago. And I can see them.
You learned to read when you wre 2-1/2…? Holy Toledo…!
By the way, as I type this, I am having my second morning coffee, with some wonderful mint-flavored honey in it. Yum.
I’m sorry to read that you had so much stress at such a young age. I rarely went to class in high school, too…it bored me utterly.
I have a friend who dead people talk to…it freaks her out. We were staying at a hotel in CT, next to an old cemetary and she say 3 guys dressed in old time military uniforms standing near the door to the bathroom. They wanted to talk to her, but she sensed something not so nice about them and so was scared. She finally had to say something to me about it, so that I’d go turn on the bathroom light so she could go LOL!
Thanks for tagging me, I needed some incentive today!
No Nonsense Girl – Thanks for tagging me. It’s good to work on something more structured. yay for reading! Do you read by symbol?
Josie – I don’t like to see them – it kind of freaks me out. But I can see the orbs – which is enough. I tell them I won’t talk to them if they take form – so they don’t. Yea! Honey!
Janet – I think that would freak me out. I find ghosts are just like people. Usually they want to talk about themselves then go away. I feel bad for your friend. She needs to learn psychic protection.
No but I can read upside down or sideways. If it’s a word, I’ll read it. I also learned a second language when I was a little kid (around 3) and It’s like it’s my first language. I dunno, it’s hard to explain…
What ya mean by symbols? can you explain more???
You’ve made me wonder if we don’t all read by symbol. I taught myself to read at about the same age by making an association between the written words and what was being read to me, then recognizing the same words in other books.
It was torturous later in grade school having to sit quietly while other kids struggled to sound out Dick and Jane. I became a juvenile delinquent out of boredom.
I didn’t go to class much in high school either. It seemed like a waste of time when I could pass the tests by reading the material myself. I think that much of school functions as baby sitter.
I would very much like to know more about your communications with dead people. I often feel the presence of such spirits but they don’t talk to me, nor am I able to see them except as occasional flashes of ectoplasm, if that’s what it is.
More like 7 fascinating things! If you haven’t already, I’d love to hear more about spirits speaking to you. Gives me the chills, but I can’t get enough of that stuff.
the reading by symbol is interesting and i think i am similar. i will post something tomorrow for my answers.
I can’t get over that #5.
I sway from not believing in ghosts and stuff to believing in them….
You just hear them but can’t see them?
No Nonsense Girl – It’s hard to explain but words don’t have parts to them, they are wholes. This “word” could easily be a * or a & as far as I’m concerned. Does that make sense?
Heart in SF – Maybe that’s what draws us all together, our little clique. We read by symbol. (shrugging). I should probably do a post on dead people…. They aren’t much different from living people.
Jill – I don’t really know what to say about dead people. I’ve talked to them since I was little so… What do you want to know?
FuriousBall – Hey cool! I’ll look forward to your answers! It does not surprise me that we are similar!
Slick – I completely understand. I am very skeptical myself – really! It just keeps happening. I can see apparitions but it freaks me out. (I can handle the orbs that they are usually in.) I tell them that if they form apparition, I won’t talk to them. They seem desperate to speak so they don’t. There was one in our bedroom – woman dressed in a yellow dress circa 1910 with a hat, blond curled hair – pointing at D. She had this wicked look on her face. Both me and Rosie woke to her. I was pissed and pushed her on without talking to her. Fucking bitch. Trying to fuck with D. Don’t ask how I did that because I’m not really sure. I got pissed, a spot – like a bright light – opened and she was sucked into it. Weird, huh?
I love candles too but my toddler keeps on blowing it thinking it’s for a birthday!
Well, an interesting list and talking to dead people, well, that is weird ….and creepy. I have a problem with spirits. I suspect that they are up to no good and mischief.
You are one interesting woman, you ghost whisperer you! I find that very cool….wish I could see em!
Peace
Grace – How cute! I never thought of such a thing. Maybe when the kids are a little older?
Squirrelly – I guess it depends on what you think about people. Spirits are disembodied people. In my experience, spirits are like people – good, bad, mostly indifferent and lost.
The “dead people talk to me” kind of overshadows the rest, doesn’t it?
Spicy just like hot sauce.
That’s you all over Miss C!
Yeah, I know that song, lol…
Jay – I guess so. It’s so normal for me that I don’t think anything about it.
Samantha_K – That song makes me laugh when I’m at the gym – yes, spicy just like hot sauce!
This is my first visit to your site. Not too many posts back I wrote I wanted to grow a whole field os sunflowers someday… n there it is on your header!
Brave of you to mention spirit communication. Me too, but don’t write about it much.
instead of lighting the candle, can I just burn my place of work down?
that would make me feel so much better. hehe
as always, you’re a fascinating woman, claudia. that’s all i can add to this convo.
[...] OK, first things first, Open Grove Claudia tagged me with the 7 Random Things Meme… [...]
SnaggleTooth – I love sunflowers and have filled large areas with them. They are so good for bees too!
Kelly – Now, now! What would you do with your pink tool belt if you burned the house down???
She – Hmmm – fascinating good? or fascinating like a bug in a jar?
You are definitely a spectacular woman, Claudia. And I find it FASCINATING that spirits talk to you. Really.
I’ll work on this over the holidays…but may I ask why my name has been changed to “La Cucina Gringa”?
Oh for fuck’s sake…. sorry. really sorry…. I guess I’m not going to be your giant Cuban friend now….
Damn it, I need to hang out with you…
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN COLORADO?? HUH??? YOU, YOU, YOU…
You are just so selfish.
Kevin – I’m not even going to ask why you live in Santa Barbara! Love you man!
I’ll take a shot at this on the weekend. I’m pretty wierd, you know. I also started reading at age 2 1/2, but then I’d expect that from the people that you hang out with.
[...] a recent post, I mentioned that dead people talk to me.? A lot of people asked me about my experiences with dead [...]
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