the truth is out --

[fox]

-- and i'm off to class.

[drum roll]

1. In junior high, I was asked to leave the chess club after throwing the white queen across the room.

True. I chucked the thing in a moment of silliness, but the advisor (the eighth-grade science teacher) apparently thought I'd gone too far, and wasn't amused, and sent me back to my homeroom.

2. I once lied about my age in order to be allowed to work on a construction site.

True. When I was in third grade, they built a new playground at my school, and kids and their families were encouraged to volunteer to help out. Some parents were put to work bolting things or even sawing lumber, I remember, but obviously kids couldn't run power tools -- but we had all this gravel to load into wheelbarrows to put on the ground where nowadays they'd have wood shavings or that spongy non-concrete stuff or whatever. You weren't supposed to be allowed even to shovel gravel into a wheelbarrow if you were under ten, but I was eight and did it anyway. There was even a picture of me in the paper, and the kids in my class were all "She wasn't supposed to be doing that!" Heh.

3. I've studied at least as many languages as I have fingers.

True. I have, at one point or another, taken classes or lessons in French, Spanish, German, Latin, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Norwegian, Japanese, Italian, and American Sign Language. By my count, that's ten, which (though devilvern wins the prize for funniest tie-in to the subject line) is how many fingers I have. Plus Old English and modern English, so I even have some wiggle room.

4. I've had seven speeding tickets in four states, but never been responsible for an accident.

True. I've had two speeding tickets each in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and one in Texas. I've been in one car accident where I was the driver and two where I wasn't (and also the pothole thing wholenother mentioned, but I wasn't counting that), and none of these have been my fault (ethically or legally).

5. I've never been cheated on by a boyfriend, but I've been cheated with, and when I realized I was the other woman I was angrier than I think I've ever been in my life.

False. As far as I know, I've never been the instrument of anyone's infidelity. (And I've never cheated, although I didn't include that in the lie statement.) I have, however, been cheated on, and I hated it; but I think there have been other times that I was angrier, and even other times that I was more deeply hurt -- which just goes to show that he wasn't the one for me, I suppose.