24 Things About Me

I wrote this as an unofficial Facebook assignment some months ago. Though it might be a good ice-breaker until this blog gets going a bit more...

1. I find road trips freeing.

2. I absolutely hate chewing/slurping sounds, drives me crazy! On the other hand, few things are better than the sound of a baby sucking on a bottle. Go figure.

3. I gave birth to twins weighing 7.2 and 7.6. I wear it like a badge of honor.

4. I have been planning my tattoo for years.

5. I attended 6 colleges and universities in two countries, two states, and 6 cities to complete a bachelor's degree in a field which I abandoned 8 years ago. Go to college kids!

6. I once worked in a donut shop with a crazy boss who eventually shot his x-wife.

7. When I was about 4 years old, I went knocking on all of the neighbors' doors, looking to see if they would give me a baby brother or sister. Mom was piiisssed.

8. I love warm cornbread with molasses and milk. I love homemade potato/corn chowder with curry. AND, I love pickle and peanut butter sandwiches.

9. I've never smoked a cigaret.

10. I like to end the night with a bowl of ice cream. Mint-n-chip mixed with Rocky Road (Slow Churned).

11. When I was 16, I went 130 mph on the back of a motorcycle.

12. I'm a low maintenance girl in a high maintenance body.

13. I have a love/hate relationship with change. I crave it and then struggle to adjust to it.

14. When I was 12, I watched all the Nightmare on Elm St movies and couldn't sleep for 2 years.

15. I once caught myself on fire while trying to light a candle.

16. I always wanted my big brother to like me.

17. I have a younger brother whom I've only recently become acquainted with.

18. I have experienced varying degrees of trauma and have learned that, though I may be soberly grateful for the loss, I never fully recover.

19. I sometimes fear I have Alzheimer's.

20. Talking on the phone agitates me for some reason. I love the quiet of email and FB. I tend to appreciate solitude - maybe too much

21. All that said, many of my favorite memories are with my girlfriends. Wish they lived closer to me now. I don't make new ones well.

22. Cats are my favorite but I have three dogs instead.

23. I regularly fight my OCD tendencies. I still color code my closet. It just feels good that way.

24. I always cry at movies, but I fight it, so I end up with a big, painful lump in my throat.

Lessons from a Siamese

When I was a child, my father had a cat named Entropy. It was my first living example of true mayhem. Entropy used to leap into the air, without notice, and perform great feats of acrobatics. In a quiet room, he would appear from out of nowhere, sweep all papers and books off of their flat surfaces, fling the aluminum blinds, shred the carpet, and then disappear, again, without notice.

I have always been one who likes a certain amount of order. My clothes hang in my closet coordinated by color and type. I like spaces free of clutter and soothing to the soul. And, I like plans. Study plans, furniture layout plans, plans for when I would marry, have babies, buy groceries...

Those who know me well, know the irony of my OCD nature in relation to the life I have lived.

Life is Entropy. At least my life has been up to this point. My constant challenge has been to create myself and find the beauty in the mess of it all. It is uncomfortable. It frustrates me almost daily. And, in the end, it provides the materials for the most incredible work of art.