I was tagged for this meme by Joemmama at Life Happens While Books are Waiting. Weird? Me? I had to think about it, even though I know there's plenty of weirdness about me (but I'm used to my personal weirdness level). I've added my husband's opinion to a few of these, just for grins. He's sitting here laughing at me.
7 Weird Things About Me:
1- I am a creature of habit living in a house of chaos. My husband thinks I'm obsessive-compulsive. Personally, I think OCD is a "condition" created by drug companies for the sake of selling lifestyle prescriptions, but that's just me. The gist of it is that I believe there is a place for everything and everything should be in its place. So, I put my keys in the same location every time I walk in the door and my phone in the same slot in my purse and I must read before bed every night or I will surely die, etc. So, when something of mine turns up missing, I go completely ballistic. I know where it should be! But, I live with an absent-minded professor type and my home is bizarrely chaotic, in spite of my efforts. C'est la vie.
2- I have a high musical aptitude and play 4 instruments. But, I've never bothered to become skilled at any of them (although I was a pretty good flute player, way back when). That's just weird. I've always figured it's crazy to let a talent languish. Husband's opinion: "That's not weird; it's just lazy."
3- I spent one summer (as a teenager) completely addicted to soap operas and have been disinterested in television, ever since - to the point that I often forget to tune in, even when I like a show (like House, M.D.). I watched 5 hours' worth of soaps, every day, that particular summer; but, by the time school resumed I'd come to the realization that I hated "cliffhanger" endings. I love movies, though, as it seems to me that they tell a complete story in a way that television does not.
4- I didn't want to go to Hawaii; I wanted to stay home and do housework. Honest. But, I don't consider that completely weird, as my husband trashed the place while I was in Oklahoma and, knowing I have limited time before I have to return to OK, I just wanted to make the house livable. Husband's opinion: "Yep, that's weird, all right."
5- When I bought placemats for our new table, I got an extra one for the cat. They're plastic and wipe clean easily. It makes sense; she's a really messy eater. Husband's opinion: "Now you're really getting into the weird stuff."
6- I am completely unable to put my own needs ahead of those of my husband or children, to the point that I'm perpetually miserable and feel like I've wasted 25 years of my life. However, I'm an optimist and constantly look for the bright side of everything. And, I keep telling myself things will improve. Weird. Husband's opinion: "That's just sad."
7- I can't stop buying books, even though we're all tripping over them. And, I think hamburger is disgusting. And, I think it makes no logical sense to believe in a story that sounds like every other myth created by cultures that go back to the dawn of time, yet I still believe in Christ and am absolutely, firmly convinced there's a higher power. And, I think it's perfectly reasonable to "quote" my poppets. And, I can't stand the ridiculous, shiny-white perfection of all those movie stars' teeth. And, and, and . . . I could, unfortunately, probably go on all day. Darn. I'm weird.
All together, now: Ooooh. Aaaaah. (And, an anticipated comment from Mom: "Oh, my gosh, you're going to blind yourself.")
This is a busy time of year, so I'm going to go for the lazy and kind option, again - if you're interested in doing the weird meme, you've officially been tagged. Go for it.
Bookfool, off to fight the clutter
I absolutely loved this post and I could write the longest comment in the world in response, lol. But suffice it to say that I don't think you're all that weird and it made me smile! And that is one of the most gorgeous photos I've ever seen! I want to go!!!
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteNote that your little avatar photo matches the color scheme of that sunset. You belong in Hawaii, babe. Unless you mean the cat photo and I'm pretty sure you don't want to go there. That's me in the green jacket, giving poor, dearly-departed Sunshine a kitty massage. It's so funny to watch them droop.
Shucks, I would have liked to see that long comment. :)
I liked your husband's comments. Agree with you about movie stars' teeth. If they're really really REALLY white in a movie, it irritates and distracts me from the story.
ReplyDeleteOh that sunset is beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI never knew you played musical instruments. I used to play the flute when I was in school band ages ago, then played the piano for many years. Nothing in quite a while though.
I do watch TV but only the shows I want to watch, then I turn it off. Drives me crazy when we visit the in-laws and the TV is on ALL. THE. TIME!
I'm totally with you on #5. Not weird at all!! We have a flat tray under the cats dishes but they still like to eat their crunchies over the floor getting crumbs everywhere.
BTW, did you take any of the poppets with you to Hawaii?
Very fun reading your list of oddities! So many things that made me smile. :)
Great list of weird things! And not that weird at all, especially #5. My dogs have their own placemats too. I can understand #4 - in a way - but not wanting to go to Hawaii?? If it were anywhere else, I'd probably stay home and clean too. But Hawaii???
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture of the sunset.
I don't think your weird things are so weird. Maybe that means our weirdnesses are similar? All I know is I go about my daily live as happy as a clam and every once in a while when I turn around my husband and/or friends are laughing because of something crazy/weird I've done.
ReplyDeleteIt's official... you ARE weird!! :)
ReplyDelete(And aren't we all???)
Wow, that is pretty much the best sunset picture I've ever seen I think!
Great post.
I hate cliffhangers too. Despise them. That's much of the reason why I avoid series books, unless the books can stand on their own at least somewhat.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way you kept your eyes open and looked directly into that sunset! I was nearly blinded just looking at that picture. Beautiful though.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is reasonable to quote your poppets. I let mine guest blog for me! They have a lot to say, darn it!
Bybee,
ReplyDeleteMy husband was pretty funny. Toward the end, he was shaking his head and saying, "Boy, you are really, really weird." LOL Yeah, but he already knew that, of course.
Aren't those teeth annoying? I had trouble following the plot (if there was one - it's questionable) in Transformers because the teeth were so unreal. Well, that and the fact that they had a beautiful woman in the foreground of every scream-and-run scene.
Nat,
Thank you! Yes, I played flute and piccolo (which have the same fingering, of course), piano and guitar. I haven't touched any of them in years. When Daniel comes to visit, he always moves everything off the piano bench (which is by the front door, so it becomes a bit of a mail-collecting ground) and plays, so at least it sometimes gets used. I used to write songs. I think I miss that the most.
When my mother was in the hospital, I got to where I'd turn on the TV for noise, like some people do. Usually, that drives me crazy but her house is so incredibly quiet that the lack of hums and street noises made me feel lonely. So, I suddenly understood why people use the TV as if it's a companion. But, then, I haven't touched our TV since I got home. It's noisy enough, here. Not a problem. LOL
Yes, I accidentally took my extra purple poppet (which I was holding for gift-giving purposes . . . oh, well), Simone and Violet. So, I felt obligated to name my new purple gal and pose her. Her name is Maholo (which basically means thank you or is said as a show of appreciation or respect) and I'm calling her Molly. They're in the sidebar, posing with a fresh orchid and a book.
Cats are definitely messy eaters! Glad you got some smiles. :)
Lynne,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see I'm not alone in having purchased a placemat for my fur friend. :)
Yeah, I went to Hawaii when I was 14 and it was a horrible experience. I got the worst sunburn of my life - probably a 2nd-degree burn (it blistered and my skin was like cracked leather). It was one of the most painful things I've ever been through and it happened on the first day. With such a horrible association, I honestly resisted going back to Hawaii a second time. But, I'm glad I went. And, the housework is still here. LOL It doesn't go away!
Nikki,
I like that thought, "Maybe our weirdnesses are similar". The fact that you just do your own thing and suddenly find everyone is laughing sounds waaaaay familiar. I get that a lot! :)
Suey,
Yeah, I think it's definitely official. And, of course, we all have our quirks.
Many thanks. They don't do ugly sunsets in Hawaii. In fact, I was kind of baffled when the fellow at the hotel said, "Sunset is at 5:40." I thought, "Why is he telling us this?" But, we drifted outside close to sunset and found out . . . oh. That's why. Every single sunset was startling and beautiful in its own way.
Heather,
Exactly! That distaste for cliffhangers translates to books, and I detest series books unless they can stand alone. It's nice to find that I'm not the only one. There are a lot of series addicts in the world.
I spent a summer as a teenager addicted to soap operas, too. While I continue to watch TV, the soap operas are firmly in my past. The best thing, though, is if I happen upon one while scanning through channels the same exact characters are still there doing the same exact things with the same exact cliff hangers as when I was a teenager...it's like I never missed a moment! Creepy!
ReplyDeleteKookie,
ReplyDeleteIt's dangerous to look at the sun, anyway, but even worse to look through a lens. I did my best not to even glimpse the sun, but I got an occasional glance and boy did that hurt. Most of the time I tried to cover the part of the lens where the sun was shining or turn the lens away to focus on palms and then shot blind, not looking at what I was shooting. So, there are a lot of misfires where I had the camera too high or too low.
You let your poppets guest blog? Oh, wow, I'll have to look for that post. I've discovered that each of my poppets seems to have a pretty distinctive voice, which I can only attribute to all those little bits of me that are looking for a way to get out. LOL
Megan,
Isn't that wild? When I took my mother to chemo, the TV in the treatment room was tuned to a soap opera and I said, "Whoa! That guy was in that same role 25 years ago!" You're right, not a thing has changed - same stories, same cliffhangers and the same actors. I assume Susan Lucci is still out there in her Erica role, but by the time I quit watching she'd been married 5 times and had who knows how many miscarriages and babies that became 5-year-olds overnight.
Ok, I think I have to go with your husband on how weird it is that you didn't want to go to Hawaii!! :)
ReplyDeleteAs far as books are concerned, that's not weird at all. ha,ha..
Love your pics!
Isn't it great that we can all be so weird in so many different ways and it's still cool. I'm like you - I like things to be in their place. And I get mad and frustrated when they aren't where they should be.
ReplyDeleteI have no musical ability, though. (big sad face) Choosing between Hawaii and house cleaning would be easy for me - Hawaii!
Best of Christmas wishes to you and your family.
Iliana,
ReplyDeleteYou'd have to see the mess in my house to understand! It's improving, though. Whew!
Oh, of course. It's completely normal to buy books, even when your toes are perpetually bruised from the book avalanches. Silly me. ;)
Booklogged,
It's so nice to know there are other people who get frustrated when things aren't where they belong!! My husband just doesn't get that. I call him Mr. Chaos and he doesn't mind because he knows it fits.
Talent's pretty useless if you don't use it, so I might as well not have any musical ability at all. Actually, I've been thinking I need to get back to playing the guitar. I often look at it wistfully. Hawaii was such a hard decision because my first experience was excruciating. But, I'm glad I went, of course. The traffic is awful, but the scenery makes up for it. :)
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
I took some music theory at one point but never wrote any of my own songs. Very cool! Oh and welcome Maholo! :)
ReplyDeleteNat,
ReplyDeleteI learned some music theory while playing the various instruments. But, it's been a long time and I'd love to get back to learning.
I actually took a songwriting course, many years ago. I'd been writing songs since I was about 10 years old, but through that course I found a guy with a small studio and recorded one of my songs (in Nashville). It was a great experience. I never tried to to sell the song, just kept it to enjoy. If you watch the movie "Music and Lyrics," the bit where Hugh Grant is laying down tracks for his demo is very realistic. I love that part; it brings back a great memory.
Nat,
ReplyDeleteForgot to say "thanks" for the welcome! Mahalo, aka Molly, waves and wishes you a week of toes in warm sand (with breezes).
I don't think all that's all that weird either. Well, maybe not watching TV, but that could be me. But totally normal about hating cliffhangers. Hate them.
ReplyDeleteCarrie,
ReplyDeleteWell, ya know . . . I'm really just used to going without TV. But, even when we had satellite service, I constantly forgot to tune in when "Friends" came on. We've just moved on to another "once-a-weeker" that I can't remember.
Cliffhangers suck. I like endings. Do not dangle a carrot in front of this donkey or it will kick the "off" button.
Thanks Mahalo, aka Molly! Sorry I spelled her name wrong the first time. I haven't seen 'Music and Lyrics' but will have to at some point. :)
ReplyDeleteNat,
ReplyDeleteI didn't even notice you misspelled "Mahalo". I think I've got it right, myself, but I'd have to look and probably ought to, before I post a photo of Molly. I'm still kinda tired.
"Music and Lyrics" is not a great movie, but I like romantic comedies and decided to just overlook the flaws (Drew Barrymore totally miscast, for example). You'll have to tell me what you think, when you get to it. :)
So, Laura (from reading reflections) just came over to my desk (we work together) to show me your matrimony post and ask if I knew what was next to your sandwich. Yes, Laura, that is a poppet. She said she had never seen one before so we did a general search on your blog because I know you used to take pictures of your little poppets quite frequently. SO, we found this post and I kid you not I was laughing so hard that I started crying...at work. That cat is entirely too funny and just reminds me why I love your blog so much. Thanks for the afternoon pick-me-up. :)
ReplyDeleteTrish,
ReplyDeleteYou and Laura work together?! How cool is that? I'd love to work with another book addict.
That's so funny that you went on a poppet post hunt! I love it! Glad I made you smile, although the crying bit . . . not sure that's so good, when you're working. :)
Ha ha--it was one of those wacky afternoons, but a great laugh is always good. :) Yes, Laura and I work together. I shared my blog with her in December and in March she decided to join the ranks with her own blog! We talk about books nonstop (which is really annoying to other people but I love it). Not many of my friends and family are big readers so its nice to have an outlet other than blogging (which of course is a great outlet but just isn't quite the same).
ReplyDeleteTrish,
ReplyDeleteIt would be so fun to have a reading buddy, nearby. If not for my blog and listservs, I think I'd get to talk books once in a blue moon. Or, whenever I went to the doctor. I get along great with doctors -- they all seem to be avid readers. LOL Same here -- not a lot of readers around me, although my youngest reads about twice as fast as I do. We tried keeping track and had trouble keeping up with him, but I think he reads about 200 books a year, these days.