I write about quirky characters because that’s what I know. I’m a pretty quirky individual myself. Here are a few things you might not know about me.

I’ve designed my own shoes

I really, really like shoes–not high heels—flats. A friend made the mistake of telling me about a company that lets you design your own shoes. Sure enough, they had lots of heels and one template for flats. I immediately started tinkering and then ordered my “author” shoes. Here they are! Words are so pretty, aren’t they?

I’ve sent a ping pong ball into space.

JP Aerospace, a volunteer DIY space program was raising funds to send ping pong ball sized science projects by elementary school children up to the edge of space in 2012. As a lover of all things science and science fiction, I gave money to the cause. In thanks, they let me put a ping pong ball in with those of the children. I ran my own ping pong ball sized experiment and got the thrill of seeing the video that included my experiment coasting in space among the stars. Here’s a picture of my ping pong ball before it went up to space. Which leads to my next quirky fact…

I fold so many origami cranes that I use them as packing material when I mail boxes

It all started when my computer began running slow at work. I would have to reboot often and I found I could make two origami cranes in the time it took my computer to restart. Then I began folding cranes in meetings to keep my hands busy so my brain could stay engaged (think of it like doodling with folded paper). Now it’s a crutch. Whenever I’m stressed, I fold a bird. Whenever I’m worried, another crane appears. I have to say, my Christmas gifts to my family are enjoyed as much for the crane packing material as they are for the gifts.

One of my poems inspired an indie pop song by the band Correatown

As a thank you for supporting her album on Kickstarter, Angela Correa offered to write a song for me. She asked what I’d like to provide as inspiration and I gave her a love poem that I wrote for my husband. The song that resulted was beautiful and I gave it to him as an anniversary gift that year. If you’d like to hear Distillery by Correatown, you can do so by going here: http://aideemoi.tumblr.com/post/26007891265/you-know-several-years-ago-i-was-divorced-over-a

I have an extensive collection of silly socks

There’s really no excuse for the socks I own. They are all colors of the rainbow, some have animals on them, some have strange shapes, all are fun. It’s wonderful to wake up not sure you’re ready to face the day and then put on some goofy socks. It changes everything around.

Of course there are other quirky things about me that didn’t make it into this list–several of them are listed in my bio, in fact. I’m of the opinion that adventures are everywhere. You just have to recognize them. So may the quirk be with you and remember, have fun today. 🙂