Thursday, July 19, 2012

Random Facts

I recently read a blog post in which the author talked about a couple of her pet peeves.  She concluded with the question, "What are your pet peeves?"

Each of her posts has, on average, over 100 comments.  I read through the 50 or so already published, and started typing mine.  My pet peeves were different than those expressed by the other commenters.  In fact, I think many of my pet peeves are fairly unique.  I started thinking about what my pet peeves must say about me.

I deleted my comment before I ever submitted it.  I decided that there are much better and more positive ways to express some of the unique qualities and idiosyncrasies that make me me

So, rather than tell you everything that annoys me, I thought I'd share some random facts about myself.  I think most of you know things like I'm addicted to coffee, love chocolate, and enjoy crafts of all sorts.  I'm so used to being me that it's hard to pick out what would be interesting to share, but here are some random facts about me.

  1. I'm terrified of spiders.  I don't know why.  I just can't stand them existing.  I can't kill them either.  They frighten and paralyze me.
  2. I love organization.  I think organized things are beautiful things.  Matching bins, printed labels, and color-coded systems make my heart skip a beat.  Despite my love of organization, I have no idea how to make my house organized.  I need a professional organizer to come in and show me how.
  3. I am a rule-follower.  I love clear boundaries and appreciate when everyone plays by the rules.  I have a difficult time figuring things out on my own because I'm so used to following instructions and going by what I've been told.  Most of my crafts are really just me following someone else's directions for a project.  I rarely come up with something all on my own.
  4. I really enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, and variety puzzle books.  I do not like Sudoku.
  5. I have no idea how to choose my own makeup.  Seriously, am I Buff Beige or Neutral Nude?  Do I match my cheeks or my neck?  And what about the fact that I have both acne and fine lines?  
  6. I don't like making phone calls to non-family/friends.  That means I dread calling the doctor, any customer service, or even just to order a pizza.
  7. I think DVR is an amazing invention.  Commercials are for chumps.
  8. I secretly really enjoy certain reality TV shows.  Others I find so annoying that I can't even stand to watch their commercials (you know, when I'm watching TV live like an animal).
  9. I don't like animal prints.
  10. My sense of direction is non-existent.  I would not be able to make it outside my city without a GPS or my phone.
  11. I can't whistle.
  12. After 6 months of exercising consistently, I still loathe it.
  13. My favorite colors as a child were pink and turquoise.  My wedding color was "Tiffany blue."  Over half of my house is some shade of aqua.  And I still love this color, no matter which name you call it.
  14. I've never been pulled over by a police officer.  I hope I didn't just jinx myself.
  15. I would much rather be cold than hot.
  16. I love modern interior design.  I also like some vintage stuff.  I really like nearly anything that's classified as "mid-century modern."
  17. Anything with strawberries on it makes me happy because my grandma collected strawberry stuff for her kitchen.  However, I don't love eating strawberries.
  18. I have an uncanny ability to kill any plant.  I try very hard.  I follow all directions for care (see #3 above).  But plants do not thrive in my care.  This might impede my dreams of someday growing my own produce and having a gorgeous rose bush garden when I'm retired.  I always joke that I only know how to keep children alive, so I can't have plants or pets.
  19. Freshly painted nails make me happy.  Sometimes when Jared is gone on a long trip, I buy myself a new shade of nail polish to cheer myself up.  The downside is that my life is hard on my hands and nails, and I can't stand having chipped nail polish.  
  20. I hoard things.  Food, fabric, craft supplies, empty boxes, office supplies...pretty much anything that I think I might be able to use at any point in the future.  {Jared's mansion in heaven is going to be HUGE...and free of clutter.}  This hoarding behavior is only perpetuated by the occasional times when we need something and I happen to have the perfect thing on hand.
  21. When I'm washing just one load of laundry, I almost always forget to switch it to the dryer.
  22. I am a night owl.  I hate giving in to sleep.  Sleep is what pulls me from my independent "me" time and thrusts me back into Mommy World, where I serve meals to picky eaters, clean other people's feces, and work tirelessly to keep my house looking mediocre.
What are your idiosyncrasies?

Jessica 

2 comments:

  1. Just a few off the top of my head:
    1.) I have to sleep covered up. No matter how hot I am, I have to have a cover.
    2.) It doesn't bother me to wear socks with holes in them. My big fat toe can be completely poked through and I'd still wear the sock. On that note, I don't have to have the toe and heel of the sock perfectly lined up on my foot when I'm wearing them.
    3.) I can often be found at grocery stores and retail stores organizing and straightening shelves. It's embarrassing.
    4.) I can't stand the sound of another person shaving. I have to turn my head and plug my ears during the men's shaving commercials.
    5.) I feel confined when pictures on the wall are perfectly distanced apart. I like to randomly "eye-ball" it when hanging pictures and art. My husband likes things perfectly centered top to bottom and side to sde. He does the wall hanging in our home. It's a problem for me.
    6.) I love swimming in lakes, but can't stand the smallest bit of dirt in a swimming pool. Can you say issues?
    7.) I can't set my alarm for straight up the hour or half hour. All wake up times must end in 2.
    8.) I don't collect anything, because when people learn that you collect things, you end up with a lot of it! Ask my friend who collected pandas and now has the creepiest guest bedroom with eyes staring at you from every dark corner of the room.
    9.) I rarely wash my jeans and pants (maybe a few times a year). They don't fade and shrink that way. I also don't wear new clothes until they've hung in my closet (with tags) for at least 2 weeks. Weirdo.
    10.) I've been known to hold onto the final book in a series for months before starting it. I think get too attatched to the book's characters and don't want the series to end, so I delay it as long as possible.
    Ok, I'm off to call my therapist now to seek help for my issues.

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  2. I thought about calling you both crazy and just posting my only unique trait is that: "I have to sleep on the west side of the bed because I grew up in California, and otherwise the ocean would be on the wrong side." ;) But I'll contribute more than that about some random facts:

    1)I've always found it nerdishly thrilling when the clock is at 12:34 am or pm. I used to just think I noticed it frequently because it is a cool time of day. But it seems to happen so often now that I think something weird is going on. It isn't uncommon for me to wake up in the middle of the night, glance at my clock, and see that it is exactly 12:34 am. Typically this happens a few times a month at least. All coincidence I know, but this seems to be have become a good forum for giving out glimpses of our crazy.

    2)I ate the exact same breakfast every work day for about 5 years straight. 2 frozen waffles with a little tub of syrup. I would eat it in the car on the 1/2 hour drive to work. After I finished that, I would shave for the next 10 minutes or so. Just so you can all feel better about driving between Pekin and Mossville on weekday mornings - I have since started eating a different breakfast that I (mostly)eat at home. And I don't shave in the car anymore.

    3)I really like computer, electronic, A/V nerd stuff. But for me the enjoyment is in the process and set-up; rarely do I do much with the finished product. For instance, after buying a projector several years back I spent countless hours getting cables, hooking up every vintage video game system I had, hooking up old DVRs, a new surround sound system, and all sorts of related things. Since that time, the only reason it has really gotten much use is because the kids can watch movies and Netflix on it.

    4)I am a salsa connoisseur. The best brand available in the store in my opinion is Chi-Chis. I do not like Pace, nor any picante style salsa. It has to be chunky to be worth buying in a jar. But if it is in endless bowls for free from a Mexican restaurant, I'm not too picky.

    5)I am a fruit dessert guy; I'll take strawberry shortcake over chocolate anything. But if you throw in some caramel or peanut butter in with the chocolate, I'll certainly give it a try.

    6)I use run-on sentences all the time just read some of my sentences above and you'll probably see where I've done this a few times it is a bad habit :). Otherwise, though, I consider myself to be pretty good at grammar and writing - at least good at it in my own mind.

    7)I don't necessarily believe that God has just one person intended everyone to be their mate because I think that would go against free will, but I do think that like most everything else in life he has a preferred path that is a part of his greater plan. And his plan without question included me and Jessica being together.

    8)I take great joy in making fun of how short Jessica's sister Kristi is. Kristi, if you're reading this consider it a reminder about how short you are.

    9)I don't believe in Bigfoot, the Lock Ness Monster, or other mystic creatures on earth. I do believe in aliens existing out there somewhere in some form. And whether I believe in them or not, I absolutely enjoy watching cheesy documentaries or reality TV associated to any of them.

    The list could go on but I'll stop there. I think the common theme here is all of us are crazy, it is just to what level are we able to hide it from society that distinguishes who's outside the hospitals and who's in them.

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