16 Things

"Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 16 people to be tagged, including the person who tagged you."

Well, this will be quite an interesting list. . .that is, if I can even think of 16 things to put on it. Here it goes:

1. I'm super anal about little, dumb things, like my shoelaces. They have to be laced the same way on both shoes. And if the laces are those flat ones, they have to be completely flat (not twisted) all the way up my shoes. In fact, I will, from time to time, straighten them out of they become twisted from use. Sad, I know.

2. I thoroughly enjoy manual labor (YARDwork, that is). I love the feeling of using my muscles to get something accomplished, and I love being able to see exactly what I've done at the end of the day and feel good about what I've accomplished. Don't ask me why this doesn't spill over nearly as much to housework.

3. I have to have things done in order to enjoy whatever comes next. I know, that statement doesn't really make sense by itself, so let me explain. If I'm making myself a sandwich, before I can eat it I have to have everything I used to make it put away before I can really enjoy it without feeling rushed through it. Or, if we've gone shopping and grabbed dinner on the way home, before I can eat it and enjoy it I have to have everything brought in from out of the car and put away where it goes. Hmm. . .come to think of it, this mostly manifests itself when I'm trying to eat.

4. I am I woman, and I don't like kids. I LOVE my own more than I ever thought I could, but in general I'm not a big "kid person". I prefer to be with them when they can hold a semi-intelligent conversation with me without repeating something 10 times (in a row, lol) or getting distracted by a random story about nothing. However, if I do have to watch them or something, I prefer them in small groups because together, they're quite entertaining!

5. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to swim. It is one of my favorite things to do EVER. If I could swim all year round I would be one of the happiest people in the world. However, I MUCH prefer natural bodies of water for swimming in than a regular swimming pool. Most favorite to least favorite being a river, the ocean, a lake, THEN a pool.

6. I generally hate talking on the phone. Caller ID is one of the best/worst inventions ever. I will avoid it if I think it's not important, someone I don't want to talk to, or I think they will leave a message/I already know why they're calling. I prefer text message or messaging on the computer, though even that I can only do for so long before I really feel like I should be doing something else.

7. I have an obsessive goal to graduate college (I know, it doesn't seem like it). It is always somewhere in the back of my mind that I am not done with my schooling and I will never be happy until I have a degree in my hand. Even if it takes me until I'm 50 I WILL graduate college. I can't really relax and be completely happy in my life knowing that something is still undone. I don't mean to say that I'm unhappy with my life, I simply mean that I can't be completely comfortable being just a stay-at-home mom until I have a degree knowing that if I ever had to go to work to support my family/self, I could and make decent money. It is my only constant "nag" in life and I hate it!

8. I'm scared of snakes. . .seriously. I'm not so scared of them that I won't stand close to them or get anywhere near them, but ask me to hold one, no thank you! I have a deep, perhaps irrational fear, that I will get bit if I hold one. To me they are ticking time bombs, and I don't want to be the one holding the bomb when it goes off!

9. I like classical (baroque/classical/romantic/contemporary) music a lot less than you'd think a "musician" should/would. I don't really enjoy listening to classical music as background music. I'm either listening to it and analyzing it, taking it all in or I'm not interested. Rarely does a classical piece of music catch my ear and make me want to listen. I enjoy playing it all MUCH more than I enjoy listening to recordings of it. And of that, I mostly enjoy the Romantic genre, and put up with the rest (especially classical, gag), which leads me to. . .

10. Beethoven, yuck. I'm SO not a Beethoven fan, and apparently this puts me in a very small minority. My piano teacher once told me if you asked piano players who their 3 most influential/favorite composers were, 9 out of 10 would list Beethoven as one. Well, I guess I'm that 1 out of 10 that wouldn't list him. I don't enjoy Moonlight Sonata (at least that movement of the Sonata, the second one's pretty cool actually) or Fur Elise.

11. I have a deep desire to do a marathon someday, possibly even a triathlon. I know, this makes me crazy, right? I guess so, but I LOVE to challenge my limits physically (even though I know it doesn't look like it). I have a hard time getting motivated for straight, boring exercise, but once I'm going there's no stopping me. I WILL do a marathon someday, just so that I can say that I did. I may do one and decide it was the dumbest thing I ever did, but I will finish it to say that I did it.

12. I have a deep random fear of cancer. Don't ask my why; I don't know. And more specifically, I have a fear of contracting breast cancer. As far as I know, there is no history of this in my family anywhere. There is mild skin cancer that my grandpa is constantly having removed, but that's it, however I fear the disease for reasons unknown.

13. (This is getting really tough, but I did 12 pretty easily) I don't like driving at night. Because of my contacts, some bad experiences, and a couple other things, I avoid driving at night whenever I can. If it's a very well known route for me, or very well lit I don't have as much trouble, but basically I avoid driving at night and Paul usually drives after sundown.

14. I really enjoy singing. . .which I'm sure is not news to people. However, what would possibly be news to people is that I don't like to solo as much as I like to sing in a really good group. I would much rather sing in a great small ensemble than sing alone. I LOVE to make good harmonies and could listen to a good a Capella group (especially a barbershop style) all day. I love to make GOOD music and generally think that a group makes better music than a solo, at least more fun to listen to most of the time, which is probably why I gravitated toward the piano instead of staying solely with an instrument like the trumpet.

15. (Almost there, two to go!) I very much enjoy baking. I find it relaxing and fun to create something warm and yummy. Plus, everyone else loves the warm and gooey things you've made, and I love sharing it with other people. Plus, I just love to eat and definitely have a sweet tooth. . .which is why I DON'T bake as often as I THINK about baking.

16. I hate politics. I know we're encouraged to vote and be a part of the democratic process and all that jazz, but in general if I can avoid it I do. It all makes me rather angry, or annoyed or depressed, so I don't deal with it. And I hate debating politics even more especially since many of my positions are based on my religious beliefs, and those are basically impossible to explain to non-Christians, or people who don't really believe in religion as a way of life rather than just a feel good Sunday activity. Okay, so this is a lame one, but I was getting desperate!

Anyway, there they are. Maybe I surprised someone, but probably not. I'm not that interesting! lol.

P.S. If you read it, consider yourself tagged!