Mental & Emotional Health

First, Boy on a Stick & Slither made me laugh today. It’s so very true. The more you think, quite often the more it hurts!

Second, Ive had a specific request that people want to know more about me. I think I shall begin using this blog both as a news outlet for and as a sounding board for those who read. This means if you have something to say, say it! Please!! In return for you checking me out (woo hoo!) and letting me know you’re checking me out (even just shout “woo hoo!”) I’ll continue to tell you more about me.

We shall start with 101 Things About Me
(to be separated into multiple posts because I plan on making many of these words linked and that takes a bit of effort!)

The first six of these must be weird as I have “stolen” the idea from ArtiPantz and figure that everyone likes to know something weird about someone else! : )

1. There are very few vegetables that I don’t like. Normal people can list the vegetables that they like on two hands … I can list the vegetables that I don’t like on two hands. Because I’m always willing to try a food once, I don’t count vegetables that I haven’t as ones that I don’t like. (Never tried brussel sprouts, but I may like them!)
* I don’t like artichokes (so much effort for so little vegetable matter & it’s only a “spoon” for mayo or butter).
* I don’t like radishes (the bitter taste just makes me want to gag).
* I don’t like eggplants (the texture grosses me out).
* I don’t like mushrooms (texture, again).
* I don’t like avacados (I am a texture freak).
* I don’t like lentils (I don’t know why, I just dont!).
* I don’t like black-eyed peas (bad memories associated with them).

2. I can count the amount of fruit I like on two hands. I am not a fruit-gal, give me vegetables any day over fruits.
** I like pears.
** I like clementines.
** I like most berries (not including blue- or strawberries).
** I like Fuji (only) apples.
** I like peaches.
** I like pomegranate.
** I love tomatoes (I eat them like apples).

3. I detest putting laundry away. I don’t mind sorting it, washing it, drying it, or folding it, but I detest putting it away. If I could, I would live straight from the dryer. (I currently have a load in the dryer that just started. Within an hour I will have to get over this pain and put away my clothes. Whee. Fun.)

4. I hate crying becuase I do it all the time. I cry when babies are born, I always cry during Grey’s Anatomy, I cry when I’m at weddings, I cry when I think about my divorce, I cry when I’m sad, I cry when I’m angry. Emotionally I am a highly-sensitive woman and it drives me crazy sometimes!

5. I am proud to tell people that I was a Girl Scout until I was a Senior in High School. The Girl Scouts made me the leader that I am today and I learned my camping, survival, swimming, canoeing, baking, and lots of living skills from the Girl Scout troops that I was involved with throughout life. While I never earned the highest (Gold) award, I treasure my Silver award and it is always on display in my room.

6. My two best friends from 8th grade are now a gay man and a lesbian woman. This strikes me as strange because I grew up in a town of 20,000 rednecks. CH was the first guy I ever kissed and the first guy I ever loved. I still love the man and he has, even without knowing it, encouraged me to go into public health within HIV & AIDS education. MO and I are still incredibly close, and talk about essentially everything. She is moving to my town very soon and I am THRILLED to have her “home” and close to me again. (My three best friends from 9th grade all had the same name and all have at least two children now.)

7. I would have preferred to have my middle name as my first name.

8. Growing up I had a hard time celebrating my birthday because it was on a holiday weekend and there was never anyone in town when I was able to have a party. Now that I’m an adult I still deal with the same thing, but it’s a different bit of frustration. Maybe eventually I’ll get over the lack of birthday partying I get to do!

9. I have a huge collection of Internet bookmarks. I read at least two dozen blogs a day and am good about commenting on about three of them. This is something that I have been trying to get better about (especially now that I have this blog). I love to read and blog-reading is like reading entertaining & interesting non-fiction all day long!

10. I don’t like The Office. I watched the entire first season of the show and couldn’t get into it. I laughed exactly twice in it and don’t plan on ever trying to watch it (or Seasons 2 or 3) again. I have quite a few friends who think I’m insane for not liking it … but they will just have to get over it because I can’t do The Office!