Why I Am Who I Am (Part I)

IMG_5999

IMG_2062

97030006

One of my favourite things in the world is meeting new people. Nothing like sharing way too much information as a first impression.. something I excel in, but now it's scary knowing there's people roaming the Earth that know my deceased dog's middle name. There's so much to talk about when you first meet someone.. like WILL Brad and Angelina ever get back together? Or WHO is the best stand-up comedian of all time? Or WHAT is the best song on Harry's new album? I love getting to know new people; don't tell me your favourite colour or your favourite movie.. tell me the good stuff, like the stuff you wouldn't put on the Internet. I've decided every once in a while to post a few facts about me that no one really knows - whether it be one sentence like "I love potatoes" or if it's a full story with life experiences and embarrassing moments, you'll just have to wait to find out. Okay, here we go.

1. I'm accident-prone. 26 stitches, a few broken bones, and way too many bruises and scrapes later.. I'm still doing alright.

It all started when I was just a wee human bean.. maybe 1 years old. I got a little too eager to run, when I had just learned to walk and I stumbled right into the corner of a cement fireplace in my childhood home. A few stitches to the eyebrow and I went on my way. But oh no, the inevitable clumsiness in me thrived throughout my youth. The local hospital got to know me too well and at every visit, I was blessed with a carton of chocolate milk and a Crunchie bar to distract me from the goriness of why I was actually there.

6 stitches to the lip and some chipped front teeth when I was run over by a bike; 5 stitches to the head when I fell out of a tree; 8 stitches to the forehead when I ran into a pole at a hockey game; a broken wrist playing ultimate leap-frog (it's a contact sport I swear). But my personal favourite story happened was when I was four years old. My mom came home from work one day with donuts - a four year old's heroin. My brother and I were chilling in the living room when we heard the news and quickly jumped to our feet. Running side by side into the kitchen, my little legs couldn't catch up with my older brother. Next thing I know, he decided it was an "every man for himself" situation and the only thing on his mind were those donuts a few feet ahead of us. Since I was a short kid, my head lined up perfectly with the edge of the kitchen countertops.. you can guess what happened next. With a nice elbow to the face, the top of my head crashed into a corner and down I went. Blood, tears, hospital, stitches. I never got those donuts. Thanks, Alex.

2. I have a crush on Michael Scofield.

Don't know who that is? "You just gotta have a little faith, kid." Okay fine, I'll tell you.. he is the main character in Prison Break - only the best television show known to man. Five seasons of PURE GENIUS. Fellow Prison Break advocates will understand my references.

Anyway, due to my extremely low attention span, I refuse to watch any television show that has more than three seasons.. I just get bored. Prison Break has been the only show I've ever finished and continue to watch over and over and over again. The show revolves around Michael Scofield, the smartest human being ever (I know it's fake, just let me have this one).. but Michael purposely gets himself into prison, where his brother is innocently sitting on death row, as he plans their escape. I'm not saying one more word but trust me when I say you will never regret watching it. This show has made such an impact on my little brain that now, every public space that I'm in for more than a few hours, I look around and start planning my escape. I wish I was kidding. I was doing homework in a café the other day when I started analyzing the pipes on the ceiling. My friend sitting across from me asked what I was staring at. If I really told her my guilty pleasure is pretending I'm Michael Scofield in Prison Break, that would probably be the end of that friendship.

I recently found out the actor who played Scofield is now 45 years old and gay. It's fine though, I'll be fine.

3. I was a competitive gymnast. Hand springs, layouts, back flips, you name it.

From somersaults to one-handed bar routines.. I trained for a long time in gymnastics. I was one of those kids that tried everything growing up, literally everything. But I'm so glad my parents pushed me to do so. Although I wished was a child prodigy at playing the piano, I soon realized I'm tone-deaf so sports it is! I started gymnastics as soon as I could walk and I loved every minute of it. I was a ball of energy and going to gym everyday was probably my parent's lifesaver. From dancing to "Grease Lightning" and Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body" as my first gymnastic floor routines, I surprisingly got really good and started competing against other gymnasts from other cities. I won awards and competitions as an individual and with my team. Although, when my family and I moved away back in 2010, I decided that I had enough of training everyday in gymnastics and I wanted to pursue other things instead. In my new town, no one knows that I used to do gymnastics because other sports became apart of me.. it's kinda cool.. like I have a secret identity in my past life. Well I guess now the whole Internet knows, but it's okay.. just don't ask me to do any tricks because I can barely do a cartwheel anymore.

However much I loved gymnastics, I do blame the sport for stunting my growth. Also why did they let five year old girls dance around to Rock Your Body.. that's all I have to say for now.

These are just three things that describe why I am who I am - three small fibres of my being that is Ryley Remedios. Stay tuned for more nonsense posts like these!

- R

PS. The best song on Harry's album is "Ever Since New York"

WEBSITE: http://www.ryvision.ca

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ryvision/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ryleyremedios