Bless Orienyenta‘s little heart, she’s tagged me with another meme. Since I’ve got my parents visiting from Scottsdale, my in-laws coming for Shabbos dinner and a little girl’s 3rd birthday to plan for New Year’s Eve (why yes, as a matter of fact, we did consider naming her “Tax Deduction”), this will be the last Yenta post of 2006. This year has exhausted me from new wiry gray hairs to my fabulously pedicured toenails, but not so much so that I would pass up a chance to engage in the narcissistic joy of answering questions about myself.

And so, finishing off the year with “6 Weird Things About Me”:

1. I swore all through my college years that I would never, ever live in California because it would be sliding into the Pacific any day. I even kept a map on my wall showing what America would look like once The Big One hit. Somehow I ended up living there for 12 years without having so much as a teacup broken by an earthquake.

2. I love, and I mean freakin’ love, anchovies.

3. I gave birth to both my children naturally. El Yenta Man still shakes his head at this. “Why didn’t you take the drugs? You love drugs!”

4. I have studied West African dance for years. My mother, who has always thought this hobby bizarre, calls me her “Jewish African Cowgirl.” I got up on stage and shook booty with Senegalese sensation Baaba Maal earlier this year in San Francisco — damn, that was amazing — and have taught classes as well as organized master classes. As much as I would love to live in Israel someday, I feel called towards the deep darkness of Africa. This photo is of one of my favorite teachers, Mabiba Baegne.

Wow, I’ve always kept that part of me separate from this blog, and seeing my African tendencies in this context is just…weird. But this is the point, nu? Moving on…

5. My son’s middle name really is “Lightning.” It was supposed to be “Barak” — Hebrew for “lightning” — but El Yenta Man filled out the birth certificate by himself. Maybe he took the drugs?

6. Even with a buyer’s real estate market and a down payment in the bank, I cannot find a house to suit me and my family here in Georgia. I stand that I’ve uprooted from my beloved NoCal niche and moved all the way across the country to my husband’s hometown, so I should actually like the first house I will ever own. This may not sound too crazy to you, but it makes me insane in my in-laws’ eyes.

What, you thought this was too tame? Like I’m gonna reveal the really weird sh*t…

And I think I’ll tag Amishav with this one next since I think it will help him to air his weirdnesses in his quest to find a Jewish wife … Shabbat Shalom and Happy Nu Year!