Tag, I'm it!

I am so not part of the cool club, so I'm tagging myself and posting 8 random facts about myself. Usually another blogger has to tag you, but I'm more of a lurker than a commenter, so here I am with my own memememe post. :)

1) Even though the wedding is over, my bride brain is still hanging around. My memory used to be razor sharp but began to decline during the final months of planning the wedding. I anticipated it improving after the wedding, but it hasn't. Case in point: I forgot my lunch at home on the kitchen counter this morning, even after I labelled it with my initials for the work fridge. Now I have no lunch and don't want to spend extra money to buy one. But I will, because a full tummy means a happy girl.

2) Despite the bad times, hurt, and disappointment I have experienced in my life, I am still very much an idealist. I still try to see the best in people. While not easily offended, I find myself becoming appalled at the way people treat and talk about others. More often than not I will say something about how I feel and then second guess the decision to do so. The second guessing comes from my not knowing if it's my place or my business to say something in defense of the wronged person. And then I realize that too many people are hands off and thus let fundamentally wrong things go too easily. This is how prejudice and injustice are allowed to exist in our world: by dismissing seemingly small things too easily.

3) I have a big food phobia. I don't like for certain types of food to touch each other. I don't like it when people mix up their food (certain types, like corn and mashed potatoes) in front of me. It literally makes me feel ill. I am also not an adventurous eater, although I have branched out so much in the last 6 years that I've lived in CA. I am likely to reject trying certain kinds of food based on the way it looks or its texture, because I often have physical reactions to it (feeling sick, etc). I am not exactly sure why I have this phobia, but I have some sound theories that (of course!) go back to my childhood days.

4) I am one of those people that will never be satisfied. And yet it truly doesn't take much to make me happy. If you give me some Post-it notes, a book recommendation, or some good conversation, it'll make my day. If you laugh at my jokes, I feel all warm and fuzzy. My dissatisfaction stems from the big things in life, like my job, career path, school, relationships, money, etc. I always tell myself that if I can accomplish certain things, I am going to be happy through and through. To be honest, I have accomplished many things in my life, and I'm still dissatisfied. Part of me always will be, and that seed of discontent is what drives me.

5) My husband is truly one of the best people that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He has the ability to be truly gentle, tender, kind, and accepting (in addition to many other things, of course). I think that he is probably overshadowed by my AW tendencies, but I know he doesn't mind and probably prefers it that way. He is very much a behind-the-scenes person. He doesn't make grand, showy gestures. Instead, he operates subtly and quietly. He is secure enough within himself to know that he's doing a good thing, and he doesn't need the whole world's approval. I admire him so much for that and just for being a wonderful person. I have never felt so honored as I did the day he accepted little ol' me as his wife. I love him so much, more than I ever thought I could love another person.

6) Lately I have wanted to buy three things: new clothes, new music, and an awesome camera. I cannot wait until we have more money so I can do these things. (Okay, so I still might not go for the camera, because that's a lot of money to throw down right now.)

7) I am not a big fan of making plans, because something always goes wrong. Lately the future has become clearer for me, and I feel ready to buckle down, finish my Master's, try to pay down debt and save money, and seriously think about getting the hell out of Southern CA. The thought that we could be out of here in less than 2 years is a huge motivator. I am so ready to settle down in a place that is more us.

8) I am a packrat. I develop attachments to material objects that have sentimental meaning for me. For example, I still have the shirt that I wore on my first date with Roy, even though it doesn't fit anymore. I still have all the letters that I've received in my lifetime (except for the ones from my junior high boyfriend - those got burned). I have all the journals that I've filled up through the years (and there are quite a few). There are some things that I don't want to get rid of, because they are a part of my personal history. Who knows, maybe our future children will cherish these items someday.

So, due to my small audience, I'm tagging a couple of people who meet certain criteria: 1) read/comment on my blog regularly (that I'm aware of), 2) have not participated in this recently, and 3) actually have a blog.

Melinda, Angelina, and whatever-your-real-name-is, you're it!