Claim to Fame and 8 Facts

This story is about the tallest man in the world. He lives in the Ukraine and. . . (roll on the drum). . . Paul's nephews and niece once used his outhouse!

Ok, here's the backstory--Paul's brother John and his family live in Poland. They took a vacation to the Ukraine a few years ago and visited some of the poor families to whom CAM distributes food and seeds and things. This man and his mother were among them. While they were there, John and Laura's childen needed a bathroom and were graciously allowed to use the outhouse. Tada! History was made.

At the time, this man lived in obscurity and didn't seem to want any attention for his feat of reaching 8-5, and didn't even want his picture taken.

Something must have changed since then because he is obviously getting a lot more attention now and reaping some benefits, such as that oversized bike, and maybe some size-17 shoes too, no doubt, since he damaged his feet by walking to work in stocking feet in winter because he couldn't afford custom-made shoes. He really has had a hard life.

(Edit: Laura posted about this as well. Read it first-hand here. I mentioned size-17 shoes, but she says the shoes are 17 inches long and a size 27!)

Meanwhile, MamaOlive tagged me to list 8 things about myself that you may not know.

1. As you can see above, I am all into famous connections and get a strange thrill out of them, such as the fact that my sister used to go to the same doctor in L.A. that Bob Hope went to, and once she sat in the waiting room with Bob and his wife, who were very down-to-earth people, and the wife wore Minnesota-housewife tennis shoes.

Paul's Aunt Allene once hosted an exchange student from Cambodia whose dad had worked with Pol Pot.

And I had lunch with a guy who once shook hands with Osama bin Laden.

I am also into MennoConnections. That new girl that commented on Emily's xanga...I think she's the one that's the best friend of Amy's roommate's sister and her grandparents were up in Canada with us in 1989. (theoretical example)

2. I hate dirty light-switch plates. A lot of other dirt can completely pass me by, but not that. Like the time we moved into a filthy little trailer in Weagamow Lake, Ontario, and instead of washing windows or floors or bathrooms, I went around first thing and washed the light switch plates with an old toothbrush and laundry detergent, since we had just moved and that was all the soap I could find.

3. I am into romance, and matchmaking, and who-likes-who, and speculating, and giggling like a 6th grader about juicy gossip of this sort, and proposals, and engagements, and weddings, and talking with my daughter on the phone about who "Susie" likes, and who likes her, even going so far as both of us getting on Susie's xanga at the same time and scrolling through the pictures, because I am sure it's "Jared" and Amy is sure it's "Sam." As I said, I get very 6th grade about all this.

4. Along with that, and maybe a bit paradoxically, I have an amazing intuition about which marriages will work out and which won't, based on my gut feelings at the wedding. In fact, my record is pretty close to 100%, which really makes me feel sick inside when I go to a wedding and "know" what's coming.
Note: Do not ask me what I felt at your wedding. Please.

5. I love avocadoes. Not just in guacamole, but sliced in sandwiches, chopped into burritos, and plain with crackers.

6. I am very easily intimidated, persuaded, and embarrassed. It's embarrassing.

7. I am nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other.

8. I am cursed with an ability to understand all sides of an issue. Other people see things in black and white, right and wrong, heresy and truth, and they can't understand how or why anyone could possibly believe in abortion or Islam or Calvinism or the Democratic party or amillenialism. I have strong beliefs that I would live and die for, but I also understand why and how someone could believe otherwise, even if I don't agree with them, which has a way of landing me in trouble. (Paul has this malady even worse than I do.)

Ok, I am supposed to tag 8 people but I don't feel like naming names. If you read a chapter in one of my books today, you're tagged. How's that?

Quote of the Day:
"For some reason I feel like going up and sitting on the roof. . ."
--Jenny, with a very wicked grin, when she was supposed to be cleaning the kitchen with me and I had to keep lassoing her back from distractions. She was referring to one's reaction to a nagging woman, in Proverbs.