One of the things I adore about the Steemiverse is all these interconnections between amazing folk. So many friendships and people getting to know each other. It's what has worried me most about the HF20 - people are worried that commenting is going to cost them, and if it does, what happens to the social networking here? All the getting to know each other? I'd love to know if this affects you - I seem to be find and it hasn't affected my mana much, but then I've been here for a while and guess I've got enough juice to keep things going.

Anyway, one of the fun things on the blockchain is the little games people play and get involved in. I've been tagged in no less than 3 things this week and I'm going to try my best to get around to all of them! This one seemed the most fun though - @katrinaariel, that dragon riding yogi singing goddess, asked me to share 10 random things about myself and you can read her 10 cool things here. I couldn't resist - seemed like a fun idea for a post! She was herself tagged by fave witness @enginewitty. And I coincidentally scrolled through my feed today and met the initiator of this challenge - awesome @twodorks! And it's easy - all ya gotta do is:

This challenge doesn't have to do anything with Steemit. Each person who decides to do the challenge will have to say at least 10 facts about yourself! Pretty easy right?! After that you need to ask one question and you have to tag that person to play along! Don't forget to use the hashtag #tenrandomthings so we can find your post!

So here's me all excited in Morocco - this is pretty much me being excited about life, and when I looked back thinking about 10 random things, I ended up going through photo albums hunting for one in particular, but ended up with a few to pepper this post with and hopefully entertain you!

So, here it goes, in no particular order!

1. I suffer from pain synaesthesia

To be honest I'm not sure what the real diagnoses is but its as close as I can get to the electric shock sensation that runs up my legs when I see someone hurt. It is a pretty specific set of circumstances, usually when J. cuts himself and shows me (because he is evil) and I get these violent pains running down the backs of my thighs that make me go Ow! Ow! Ow!, stomp my legs up and down and want to punch J. in the face.

2. I love zombie fiction

Like really love it. They just can't produce enough zombie films for my liking. From Dawn of the Dead (the old AND the new version) to 28 Days later to Fear the Walking Dead to that comically genius Z Nation to Cargo, I just love it. In fact I gauge my entire life around what would happen in a zombie apocalypse. As in:

• Wow, this gorge is awesome - a great place to survive a zombie apocalypse!
• I already bought tinned tomatoes babe, now I have enough for the zombie apocalypse!
• Of course we need more chickens honey, the eggs will help sustain us in a zombie apocalypse!

I also love zombie literary fiction. Yes, there is such a thing. Colston Whitehead's Zone One, Arden Bell's GORGEOUS series 'The Reapers Are the Angels', and The Girl with All the Gifts. I think I just dream of the world starting over, you know? There's opportunity in an apocalypse as well as horror. And it's the creativity involved, the resourcefulness. Self reliance. Oh, and not having to pay bills.

Don't get me wrong - I'm also a reader of all kinds of things. I've had my head stuck in a book since I was born I reckon.

3. I Hitchiked 900 Kms in A Day for A Lover

Does anyone know this guy? I have lost touch with him and can't find him on the internet ANYWHERE.

Sometimes I wonder if I dreamt this affair. But damn it was fun - we were crazy together and crazy in love. One of those love fast and never see ya again kinda things. I was grape picking near Margaret River, W.A., and Stan was camped at the same caravan park as me. We picked grapes and made stupid jokes and went surfing and hung out under the stars and snuggled up in each others tents and generally thought the other was pretty awesome. He felt like someone I was *meant* to meet - like a soul mate. Anyway, he had to go back to the UK, and I went up north with my friend, and I missed him like crazy. I wanted to go back and see him but my mate wouldn't let me, so I woke up before dawn, left her a note saying 'take the car, see you in a few weeks' (we'd planned to go to Gnaraloo, a remote surf spot in North West Western Australia - this was pre internet days so this note would be the only communication we had until I rocked up at that desert camp a month later) and got out on the highway. I was picked up straight away and taken 700 km's in the back of a covered ute to Perth, then two more lifts to get to my lover in Gracetown. The thing is, everyone in WA you got a lift with always had a spliff to share, so by the time I got there, 900 km's road weary and 7pm at night, I was too stoned to go up and say 'Hi, I'm back', so lurked in the bushes listening to him and others talk around the fire until I was composed enough to say 'Hi, I'm back' - needless to say he was stoked, and we had a few more crazy weeks together before .. never seeing him again. Ever. And then I hitched back up north and somehow found my friend, who pretty much nearly killed me when I rocked up at camp, on this deserted beach in the middle of nowhere where she'd been waiting for me having no idea if i was ever going to show up. No mobile phones in those days. Only carrier pigeons.

4. I Moved To The Other Side Of The World To Be with A Man I Knew for A Week... and Married Him

So, I guess it's no suprise that when I met J., I was equally impulsive. We said 'I love you' on Day 2, at a friends in Dorset at a beautiful beach called Ringstead. By Day 3, we planned to get married and live in country England. I left him at the train station in Brighton, saying 'see you in 6 months' because I had to go back to Australia and pack up all my things. I got back in 4 months and we got married within the year. People thought we were crazy. 15 years later I still look at him and think - man, that was amazing - how did we KNOW that we were a perfect match, and would still be in total love with each other after all this time? It's a crazier story than than, and a convoluted one, but I don't want to bore you with my romantic mems.

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5. I Lived In A Truck

When I met J. he lived in a truck. This photo is me in the snow the day after we decided to get married. Then after a few years we bought a horse lorry and lived in that, and then moved to Australia and lived in a bus before we moved into our house. The bus is still in the garden. We now travel in a van. And a landrover called Buttercup. We've done up tons of caravans and vans and other moving things. Because zombie apocalpyse.

6. I Get Super Excited about Little Things

... and I just have to say 'I love [insert random thing]' because my joy can just overflow. Like:

• I love rhubarb! It's the best thing EVER!
• Aw, I love the way the sun comes through the front window!!!
• I love my new boots!!!
• How great is our bus! I love being in the bus.

When I was a kid I used to call that excited feeling a 'joy bubble'. Like things just well up inside you and make you go OOOOH!!! I'm glad that after all this time I still get that feeling. Makes life darn good sometimes. My Dad does it too, and then gets grumpy and depressed. Do I do that too? Yep. A rollercoaster I am. But getting better at equanimity.

7. I Still Dream About Being Bullied at High School

Fuck bullies and the evil black horses they rode in on. I have no tolerance for anyone bullying. I was emphatic about this to my son when he was growing up. Always be kind, I said. You have no idea how badly being nasty can affect someone. And if you see a bully, don't tolerate it. Stand up for yourself and the person being bullied. Because that shit hurts. A lot.

8. I Saw Jeff Buckley and Kurt Cobain Before The Died

Which made me think that maybe I was cursed, but then there wasn't a third death, so I guess I was lucky. Buckley was an angel. Me and me friend leaned against the stage and swooned. We didn't want to miss a note, so we peed under the stage. Those were the days - no barriers and bouncers to contend with. I love live music. Have seen so many bands I've lost count. Don't seem to do it as much these days though. I think the last band I saw live was my son's. Seems I've passed a love of music down to my boy. And that's an eclectic taste in music too - from deep Detroit 90's house to Mali blues to 80's punk to psych rock to Tuvalan throat singers to dub reggae. I can't remember the last time I listened to Jeff or Kurt.

9. I Hate Fake People

Not people who act fake, but those mannequin people they put in historical displays? Like when I'm forced to go into a historic copper mine or something and you walk around the corner and THERE'S A MANNEQUIN DRESSED UP AS A MINER. That's just darn creepy. Why would anyone do that? Just stop it. Ugh. Oh, and I hate old boots, you know the ones they dig up and put in a glass cabinet and label: 'Hobnail Boot, Circa 1880'? Second hand boots are one thing, really old leather boots are another. Maybe it's because the people who wore them are really, really, really dead.

@katrina-ariel also asked a BONUS QUESTION! Eeek! Hang on - does that mean eleven questions, or 9 plus the bonus? As I'm a bit of a rebel rule breaker (well, there's something else random about me) and I'm super tired, I'm going to make this one number 10.

10. What makes you feel the most free?

Three things I can think of make me feel free. Both surfing and yoga drop me into the zone, where I exist purely and freely in moment to moment experience - I don't need think about any of the things that bind me, like work or expectations or self criticism. I'm just freely me, pure me-ness. There's not much else that brings me such pure, ecstatic joy.

And the other one is the wide open road, whether it's travelling here or overseas. I could almost fool myself into thinking I have enough money to do this forever, just drive from place to place and hang on beautiful beaches or beside gorgeous mountains and just drink in the world, dirty feet and warm heart. I love being in a vehicle, all my possessions into that tiny little space. I don't need a big house full of stuff and possessions. I just need me, my honey J. and the road.

Here's me, circa a long time ago, in a '76 Toyota Corolla. No van in those days. I had a tiny mattress, a cooker and my backpack and towels for curtains.

I hope you enjoyed finding out a couple more things about me. To be honest, I've been a bit irreverent, but it's kinda wierd talking about myself in this way! But it's been fun!

I'm now meant to nominate some other Steemfolk, which is gonna be tough since @katrina-ariel already nommed (is that a word) some folk I'd love to know more about like @mrprofessor and @eaglespirit. So... here goes! I'm going to nominate Ini from @mountainjewel, @perceptualflaws, @metametheus, @thetreeoflife and @immarojas! Have fun! Oh, and the bonus question - hey, I love my bonus question, so you can have that one too: 'What makes you feel the most free!' (shameless big up promo here of @freedomtribe)

You don't need to be nominated to get involved with this challenge - it's a fun way to get to know each other. If you're a new Steemian, and want to do this, please tag me in your post and I'll come and give you some love!

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