Sixteen going on seventeen

So I turned sixteen.

What.

It’s kind of weird, because sixteen was the age in books and movies where characters had boyfriends and cars and were Practically Grown Up™. They seemed SO OLD to Zane-a-long-time-ago.

I mean, that’s Liesl’s age. In The Sound of Music. (LEISL!!!)

AND I’M SIXTEEN NOW. (As of last Wednesday.) Help.

At least I can sing “I am sixteen going on seventeen!” EXTREMELY LOUDLY and really mean it! (Although I haven’t even been able to because I have either an awful cold or allergies  or something and can’t sing a note.)

So, in honor of my sixteenth birthday, I’ll be telling you sixteen random facts about myself. (Inspired in part by these two lovely people.)

Here we go. Hopefully at least a few of these will surprise you. 😉

1.

First person present tense used to drive me insane, but I’ve gotten where I don’t hate it quite so much. Don’t get me started on third person present, though.

 

2.

Apparently the question to ask a sixteen-year-old is, “When are you getting your driver’s license/learner’s permit?” Answer: I’m not planning on getting my learner’s license right now. Please, please, please, don’t ask any more. I’m only sixteen. I don’t need to drive. Geez.

 

 

3.

I really don’t like shopping, but I LOVE thrift stores. And bookstores. And stores where everything is marked down really cheap.

 

4.

I love children’s books and am childish in a lot of ways (I’m still a kid!!), but I also act a lot older than my age. (Apparently – that’s what people tell me.) Which is slightly weird but probably just another INFJ thing. (Speaking of Meyers-Briggs, I’m not obsessed! But here’s a link just in case you’re interested. Ahem.)

5.

I randomly break into dance and embarrass my little brother. Mainly in stores. It’s really funny. I also embarrass him in other ways.

6.

I grew up reading lots of British books, so I often accidentally use the British spelling of words, particularly saviour. And grey. And I love the spelling favourite, and colour, and a lot of others.

 

7.

One of my toes doesn’t work, but I have no memory of breaking it. I’m serious – like, I can’t bend it.

 

8.

I used to like heights, but now I can’t stand them. Mostly because of a traumatic fall from a tree that ended in a broken leg and emergency surgery and yeah, I don’t climb trees anymore. (On the note of broken bones, I’ve broken four. Possibly five if you count the toe.) However, I was proud of myself because I managed to go around the entire (TERRIFYING) first level of the SkyHike at Stone Mountain. (Never again. Never.) 

 

 

9.

When I make jokes, often I won’t laugh at myself (because the effect is greater that way) and other people (mainly in my youth group) are unsure of whether to laugh or not. I’m like, go on. Laugh. You know it was funny. (Also, I like parentheses.)

 

10.

I can’t stand notifications staying on my phone/kindle. I want them to GO AWAY. On the same note, if I have too many messages/letters/friend requests/emails, it makes me feel stressed and consequently I answer none of them.

 

 

 

11.

I’m slightly claustrophobic in weird, random ways. I hate crowds and people pushing on me and getting too close and jostling and ugh. But small spaces don’t really bother me unless there are people crammed into them, or they’re unbearably stuffy, or something.

12.

When people don’t use commas in books but just ramble on and on and never think of using commas even though it would improve the sentence it really annoys me.

 

13.

I really, really don’t like coke. Or coffee. Or tea. Or basically any other drink besides water.

 

14.

I have a hard time watching certain historical movies or shows because some of them are soooo historically inaccurate – I mean, I’m not an expert, but REALLY?? Do you even know what time period this is? My family probably gets annoyed with me :))

 

 

 

15.

 I LOVE penpals but I hardly have any. And I want to ask online friends* to be penpals but I can’t because 1: asking for your address = CREEPY, 2: giving someone my address = ALSO CREEPY, 3: asking you to be my penpal = AWKWARD. I just want to write pretty letters to nice people who will send me letters back! I love using washi tape and stamps and doodles and papers and it’s really fun, okay. Emma and I sometimes write each other letters even though we see each other like three times a week. Because we’re weird and need more pen pals.

*and real-life friends but it’s kind of awkward. like “Hiiii… would you… like, be interested in, um, writing me letters?? Because I kinda like pen pals and stuff.”

 

16.

Nonfiction is NOT my thing. If you have any recommendations for Really Good Nonfiction that isn’t impossibly boring, then please fire away!

 

And that’s it for the facts about me! Goodness, it feels AMAZING to post on time for once. How many of these facts did you know about me (if any)? What’s a random fact about you?

xx Zane