Secret Society of List Addicts

Completely Ridiculous Reasons I'll Bawl Like a Baby

I'm not a crier. Period. I've actually had friends look shocked when I've cried, and have even had one friend go so far as to ask, "Um, can I hug you?" But there are a few reasons that I will immediately cry...no BAWL...like a baby. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Any animal related tragedy--My mom often tells the story of one Saturday morning when I was about ten and I came rushing downstairs SOBBING. After her initial incorrect guess that one of my brothers had popped me one (not an unusual occurrence, really), she finally dragged out that I had just completed my first viewing of Where the Red Fern Grows. To this day, I can't watch 3/4 of the shows on Animal Planet.

2. Any unexpected kindness or goodness in a person (real or fictional)--Usually if I'm watching a movie and a questionable character suddenly reveals pure motives (anyone catch Glee last night?) I'm DONE. Oh, and don't even get me started on if someone whom I don't really care for or know gives me a hug when I'm angry or upset. DONE.

3. Unsolicited kindness--A few years ago, I was going through an extremely difficult time in my life. Without prodding, one of my friends looked at me for a moment and then out of nowhere said, "You're a good person, you know that?" Sheesh! I'm getting all teary even thinking about it. (BTW, if you're thinking something nice about someone, SAY IT. You never know how much your words can mean to someone in that moment.)

4. Any time one of my friends is broken and hurting--I'm usually the "strong" (read: "practical", "levelheaded", or "bitchy") one in my friendships, but I can't handle it when one of my favorite people bawls in front of me.

5. Getting so angry I could break something--Every once in awhile, I'll get so mad, the tears flow like a river. And then I get more mad because I'm crying. Gah!

What gets your waterworks going?

Weird Things Strangers Say To Me

Despite the fact that I'm nearly pathologically pleasant, I am very much one of those people who tries not to engage in conversation with strangers. I'm the girl on the bus, listening to her podcasts and avoiding eye contact with you. I'm the girl in the check out line, burying her head in the latest Lucky. This neurosis is based largely on the fact that when I do interact with strangers, I usually hear one of the following things:

1. "Is that your natural hair color?"
Yes, it is. But wouldn't you be a bit embarrased if I told you it wasn't? And you best not be asking me if the carpet matches the drapes!

2. "Can I have some change for the bus?"
I work in a dicey neighborhood, and the door to our building is literally four feet from the bus stop. Drunk dude, I am not giving you 80 cents. I didn't give you 80 cents yesterday, my answer remains the same today.

3. "What's your ethnic background?"
I'm always a bit mystified by this as I'm pretty sure I look exactly like every other Scandinavian Minnesotan ever. Maybe it's the reddish hair? Or my compulsive scarf wearing? Or the fact that my ambient expression is that of a sulky Russian?

4. "Girl, you got booooty!"
Awesome. And here I'd forgotten. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

5. "Smile!"
Again, ambient expression of a sulky Russian. Also? Strangers telling me to smile, shocking enough, makes me grouchy.

What strange things do strangers say to you?

Posted by Sarah Von

5 Lists I Need to Write This Week

Photo Credit

Lists are currently helping me run my life more than ever, as my new phone (Palm Pre) has a list making programme themed to look like a Moleskine and it's totally brilliant! As such, here are five lists I'm going to require this week:

Expenses for the next couple of months - November and December are a pretty pricey time of year, and I need to make sure I set enough cash aside for the important things!
Things to pack - I'm going to be away for a couple of nights from Friday, and I always forget something important if I don't have a checklist.
A revised Xmas-buying list - So I can check off who I've already bought presents for and ensure that I don't leave anyone out.
Lunch supplies - I've been taking my own food from home instead of buying lunch at work and it's saved me a lot of money, but I'm running low on supplies now!
Blog posts to write - I'm trying to schedule a few and get ahead of myself for once!

What lists are you writing this week?

Things I Hated as a Kid that I Love Now

Posted by The Naked Redhead

photo

I think it's funny how passionate kids can be about their likes and dislikes. If you had told me at five that one day I would grow up to love dresses, I might have punched you in the nose. Here's a few things I would have bet my Binky I'd never grow to love:

1. Tights--Ugh, as a kid, I hated how TIGHT tights were, or when I'd hit a growth spurt, and the crotch of the tights would stretch like a spring board at about mid thigh and make me feel like I needed to walk funny. I hated that they were hot and made my feet sweaty. Now, however, I'm kind of the "tights girl" at work. Love 'em.

2. Vegetables--Being a child born to parents who often would say things like, "If you don't eat it for dinner, you'll eat it for breakfast," you might understand my childhood aversion to vegetables. Seriously, cold Brussels Sprouts at 7 am before school will scar a kid for life. Now that I'm a little older and wiser, I've grown to love my greens...and love the healthy payoff. I still do not, however, eat Brussels Sprouts.

3. Nap Time--"But I'm not tiiirrreeed!" I'd say every day, secretly suspecting that my mother only wanted us to sleep so she could have some peace and quiet. BUT, do I even need to explain this hate-to-love transition? Mmmmm...naps.

4. Having My Hair Washed--Look, I have a LOT of hair. So, for a kid who often ran in the woods like a heathen, having my mane washed and brushed out was a pain...literally. Since I've become an adult, though, I may or may not have developed a fantasy that involves having my hair washed by one man and another man doing...well, get your own fantasy.

5. Antique Shopping--I used to hate--HATE--when my mom would drag me into antique stores with her. It was SO BORING. Though I don't go out of my way to visit antique shops now, there is something thrilling about walking into a place full of "one man's junk" and finding a treasure.

What did you hate as a kid that you love now?

My Current Food Obsessions

Photo

As long as I can remember I've always had passing obsessions with different types of food. Usually I end up eating my favourite food of the moment so frequently (and sometimes in such vast quantities) that I get sick of it, and vow never to eat it again. But these foods are all currently in the obsession stage:

Pistachio nuts - I always manage to eat them all in one sitting, no matter how many I buy!
Baby spinach & feta dip - tastes best with water crackers & a glass of white wine
Cheese fondue - I just bought a fondue set the other day, which in hind sight may have been a bit dangerous...
Onion dip - made with reduced cream and onion soup mix of course (it's a New Zealand thing)
Peas in the pod - every summer I eat my weight in fresh peas from the garden, but by the next summer my craving always returns

What are your favourite foods at the minute?

Posted by Bridey

Secret Society of List Addicts