Do You Really Want to Know?

I've been tagged. Yes, it's true. Alex believes that people might be interested to learn six "weird" things about me. (Either that or she just needed people to tag because apparently I have to tag six more people myself.) At any rate, I don't know how weird any of this will be, but here goes . . .

1. I have this (sometimes overwhelming) fear that I will die in a car accident on the highway. It usually creeps up on me when I'm driving, no less, on the highway and my heart begins to pound and I merge over into the slow lane and I won't let my car go one mile over the speed limit and my eyes dart all over the place looking for potential trouble ... Anyway, you get the idea. It doesn't happen all the time - there are plenty of times when I cruise along without a care in the world (especially early in the morning when there aren't too many people on the road) - but it happens enough. Enough said.
2. I can't stand looking at people's feet on television. OK, this one is definitely "weird" because, generally, I'm not bothered by other people's feet say at the beach or in the summer when everyone is wearing sandals - but there's just something about seeing feet on TV. I have to leave the room whenever the Elmo's World segment on feet comes on; I have to change the channel when the commercial about the foot fungus comes on, the one for the prescription medication and the yellow foot fungus guy with eyes and teeth and they pull up the toenail so he can crawl in .... OK. I know there must be others who find that particular ad unsettling, but overall, no feet on TV for me.
3. I'm a scab picker and a lip biter. I simply can't stand to have anything but smoothness when it comes to my skin. I will bite and bite at my lip until it bleeds (and my eyes may even tear up) just to have a fresh new, SMOOTH, layer of skin to work with. (It's also a nervous habit and I always bite my lip, ravenously, when I'm worried or anxious. My husband yells at me when I do it.) We may be heading toward to much information, so I'll take a step back on the next one.
4. I can dislocate my left shoulder at will. I used to do it all the time - kind of like a party trick - and actually had to go to physical therapy to try and fix it. It got better, but I can still do it. Hurts more now though. Must be because I'm getting old.
5. And finally, this is totally weird ... totally out of character for me ... You're all going to be so surprised ... shocked maybe ... If the Democrats put up a chimpanzee for President in 2008 I will vote for him/her rather than vote for another Republican. (Besides of those in the running right now, the chimp is the only one who hasn't sold his soul to the highest campaign contributor.)

That's enough of that. I'm tired. I need to go to bed. So I tag Gretchen (of course!), Shani, Em, Christina, Cristina and . . . Damn. I don't even have six people to tag. Definitely time for bed.

Day Seventeen: Awwww, Shucks! It's the Holidays!

I was tagged by Gretchen and usually I don't do these things, but I don't really have anything else exciting to write about today, so here goes:

A - Available or single: Aren't those the same thing? I'm married

B - Best friend: Steven, Kelly Leigh, Shannon, Cheryl, Danielle (One for each of my many personalities ;)

C - Cake or pie: Yellow cake with chocolate frosting

D - Drink of choice: water (Strawberry Daquiri on special occassions)

E - Essential item you use everyday: toilet paper

F - Favorite color: blue

G - Gummy bears or worms: I don't like eating squishy things (I have a whole neurosis surrounding food and texture)

H - Hometown: Zanesville, OH

I - Indulgence: going to bookstores and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

J - January or February: January- it's my sister's birthday and we're closing on the house!!!

K - Kids & names: Liam and Owen

L - Life is incomplete without? My THREE boys, my mom, my sisters & my closest friends

M - Marriage date: October

N - Number of siblings: 2

O - Oranges or apples: Orange juice

P - Phobias or fears: spiders and getting into a car accident on the highway

Q - Fave quote: This is a tough one. I'm a quote junky. This week I guess it would have to be: "I feel the greatest gift we can give to anybody is the gift of our honest self." -- Fred Rogers

R - Reasons to smile: What's not to smile about? (Besides the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan, Dubyah's entire presidency, poverty, starvation, the AIDS epidemic, homelessness . . .)

S - Season: Autumn

T - Tag 3 or 4 people: Shani, Cristina & Christina - No pressure, ladies ;)

U - Unknown fact about me: I have a slight purse obsession

V- Vegetable you don't like: a shorter list would be those that I do - green beans, cooked carrots and ... that's about it!

W - Worst habit: procrastinating

X - Xrays: shoulder

Y - Your fave food: Whatever my husband cooks for me

Z- Zodiac sign: Sagitarius


So after completing this little diddy, I've decided that today I am most grateful for Cheryl (aka Cherlito, Gretchen Wallaby, Franklin . . . ). I am grateful for her love, friendship, humor, inspiration, support, our (almost) weekly phone conversations, her willingness to take a chance (with me), but most of all - I'm grateful for her LOVE.

Yes, it's worth mentioning twice. Her LOVE is so powerful it warms the Earth (but not in a bad way like global warming), it brought her beautiful daughter into the world and it makes me feel young and carefree just like when we were in high school; we were insepararable then (along with Myrtle may she RIP) and even with several states between us, I'm glad we've found our way back again.

OK. No more mushy stuff.

P.S. I'm also grateful that I got to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" AGAIN tonight with my boys. Just when I thought that movie couldn't get any better, it did.

P.P.S. Thank you to Shani, as well, who sent me the most beautiful virtual flowers today. In fact, I posted them here on the blog and apparently they change weekly. Thank you, my friend!