In a post last week, Nancy challenged fellow cancer bloggers to write 15 random things about themselves. I think this is such a great way to help demonstrate how cancer bloggers are not just about the disease – we are people too – but also it provides a great way for us to connect on a more personal level. It allows us to see what other things we might have in common. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the random things about Nancy, Elissa, Beth, Marie, Rebecca

1. My closest online friend is someone I have never (not yet at least) met in person – but I’ll get a chance to meet her when we both attend a conference in Manchester UK in September. She was the first friend I told about my diagnosis. She has been one of my best confidants throughout this experience.

2. I’m a bit of an exercise junkie, but you would never know it to look at me 🙁 … I don’t look like someone who is fit … but I do love to ride long distances …

3. I’m an extrovert but I love working from home. I love the social aspects of being in an office, but I hate the constraints of 9-to-5 and the noise/disruption means I find it difficult to do any meaningful work.

4. I sucked at English in school. It was by far my worst subject. I find this particularly amusing as I have since worked professionally as a technical writer (and I’m pretty good at it!).

5. I actively blog on three different blogs – here, my academic blog (http://rjh.goingeast.ca) and my travel blog (http://goingeast.ca).

6. I’ve travelled around the world twice – first as a business trip back in the days when Nortel made money. In my first career, as a project manager at Nortel I delivered a sales training in Maidenhead UK, Beijing China, then Sydney Australia. That was back in the day when high tech companies paid for business class seats on airplanes! I spent my weeks teaching and my weekends on planes. I was exhausted when I got home after three weeks. My second trip around the world involved no airplanes, and much of it was done on a recumbent bicycle – it was also were I started blogging more seriously – http://goingeast.ca/blog

7. I have crossed the three major oceans (Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific) as a passenger on a container ship. I’d love to do this again one day (assuming my health allows for it). It was a great way to cross the ocean and rest up before hitting the open road again.

8. I started my undergrad as a physics major. I somehow ended up starting university without knowing what an engineer was! In my world, and engineer was the person who ran the engine room on a ship (more like a mechanic for boats). I had no idea that engineering as a career was the practical leg of physics.

9. I have a completely irrational fear of accidentally jumping off of bridges. Not falling off, jumping off. Like something will happen in the sudden moment as I cross a bridge that will cause me to jump off when I didn’t mean to.

10. I grew up in a small town that doesn’t exist anymore – see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemano – it was perhaps one the prettiest places on earth.

11. I love being out in nature – I’m not sure if I could live in nature unless it had a high speed internet connection – but being out in nature and especially places with big trees, recharges me.

12. I identify as a Unitarian Universalist. I was quite active in the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa for about 10 years. We haven’t really been able to find a spiritual home here in California, but I still identify as a UU, even if I don’t actively go to a UU church.

13. I love to cook and entertain. One of the things I miss the most about being in this small apartment in California is that I cannot have people over for dinner (we don’t have the space to host more than one person). I used to love hosting dinner parties – cooking for many people. We used to do a Turkish Breakfast fundraiser, where I’d make a whole bunch of different treats from my travels to the Middle East. Wish I could do that again.

14. I love being a traveller rather than a tourist. I’m not fussy on all those touristy type things. I’m so glad that when I go to the UK in September, I’m going to be staying in a couple of people’s homes – not just hotels. Seeing how people live really helps to better appreciate the culture they live in.

15. I never thought I’d ever go on a 10 mile hike, never mind walk 32.5 miles in two days! I’m so looking forward to being able to do more long walks (once my shin splints heal). This opens up the door to so many more places where I could hike!

16. (one more) … I love taking selfies. I’ve even contemplated getting a selfie stick. I, apparently, even enjoyed taking selfies when I was a child! Check this one out:

This has been a fun post … I encourage any of my readers to jump and join the 15 random things about yourself challenge!