Fun Fact

When I was in college, I always hated participating in ice breaker exercises where you had to rattle off tidbits about yourself - your name, where you are from, your major, blah, blah, blah....

But the most dreaded of all tidbits was being forced to think of a "fun fact" on the fly. I don't know if I just liked being that mysterious, or if I just wasn't that particularly interesting, but I could never come up with anything good while others spat out these random talking points without any trouble. It really felt like everyone else in the room had been collecting information throughout the course of their lives and I never got the memo that such items should have been stored in my memory bank for later use.

Every time it got around to me, I would panic and say something slightly morbid like, "I fell through a vent in the floor as a child, while running towards the candy counter in a store - I never got the candy," or "I cut my finger off in a door in the mall one time and had it sewn back on - I was 5 and didn't cry, but now I have an E.T. finger," or "I am a bit obsessive compulsive and can only function through daily tasks in multiples of 5." All of which, it must be said, are true; however, are they really FUN?!

No. Fun facts are never really fun, but rather a measure of how funny or vain or self aware one truly is. People ran the gamut in terms of what they chose to disclose - classically trained pianist, my dad owns so and so company, I was named after [insert irrelevant person here], I peed my pants til I was 10, I went to high school with [insert famous, but not really famous, celebrity's third cousin here]. You get the idea....

I became more comfortable as more of these social experiments occurred, but everyone should know that this "fun fact" you are releasing into the universe is NEVER just that - it is a tell tale sign of so many other things:

1. Sense of humor.
2. Overall Personality.
3. First impression.
4. Self Awareness.
5. Knowing Your Audience.

{See - multiple of 5!}

No one ever tells you this, but those menial ice breaker exercises prepare you for the real world more than a text book ever will. Well, unless you are a mathematician or something - in which case I am very sorry and, also, you probably do need that text book...

While I hated this practice, and my 18 year old self always will, I can now appreciate that self awareness is probably the most important, coming of age, lesson that can ever be learned. The other things fall into place, but that stupid little exercise taught me to be comfortable in my own skin in more ways than I ever could have known.

My name is Ali, I am from the Cincinnati area and currently work as a VP of Entertainment & Music in Chicago. Fun fact:

I secretly wish my life were a musical, a la Glee.

I have a very real goal of visiting every continent - including Antarctica.

I am terrified of babies.

I love going to the dentist (cavity free since '83!).

I had a mullet for the first 5 years of my life.

I'm an active supporter of Oceana, yet I've never lived near the ocean.

I have collected rocks since I was a child.

I would choose to go to the moon for 10 minutes rather than Europe for 1 year, if given the option.

I am a die hard Cincinnati Bengals fan, but I love Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

I believe that red wine is necessary for survival.

Now, if I could only master my top three choices of people - dead or living - that I would have dinner with....