Five Things (Possibly Interesting, Possibly Not) About Me

Though I didn't get tagged on this one, thanks a lot Kona, I thought I would contribute my two cents worth:

1. I hate telephones. Actually, hate isn't a strong enough word for me, so much do I loathe the machines. People find it strange, but if it isn't my Mom or Dad calling, I very seldom answer the phone. If the person calling really has a reason for calling me, they'll leave a message and eventually I'll get around to listening to it. If I"m motivated enough, I might even call them back. Now don't take this as a sign that I don't want to talk to you or even that I don't like you, it's just that I've never enjoyed talking on a telephone, not now and not ever.

2. I like my bed pushed up against a wall and when I'm in it, I like to be on the inside, as close to said wall as possible. It's perhaps the one thing in the world that I dislike about hotels. If I could move my hotel bed to a wall, I'd live there forever. I'm not sure when this happened, but a bed without boundaries just freaks me out. It's not that I'm scared of falling out, I can't remember ever doing that, it's just that being closed in like that, a wall on one side and dogs on the other, is very comforting to me.

3. I'm 38 years old, about to hit 39 in less than two months, and I still suck my thumb from time to time. Go ahead, make fun of me all you want, but if it's lasted this long I'll probably do it till the day I die. It's weird, I can go weeks without doing it, right now I can't remember the last time I did it, but then one day the urge will hit and not even knowing what is happening, I'll find myself sitting on the sofa, thumb in mouth. It also has to be the thumb on my right hand.

Growing up, I had a blanket that we called "Cootie" and I couldn't go anywhere without it. I would hold it in my hand and bring it up to my face as I sucked my thumb. When I started school, Mom had to cut off a piece and pin it to my shirt, otherwise I wouldn't go. By the time I was 7 or so, "Cootie" was a sad image of it's former self. Too many trips to the washing machine had taken it's toll but it didn't matter to me, my "Cootie" could not be taken away. So attatched to "Cootie" was I, that Mom said I used to sit in front of the washer and dryer and wait for it to get cleaned. Alas, one year when visiting my Grandma in Dayton, "Cootie" got stuck in a escalator and was never seen nor heard from again. I cried for days on end but eventually got over it. No so with the thumb sucking.

4. I have no fear of dying. There was a time in my life when the mere thought of dying would send me into such a panic, that I became convinced that I would never be able to simply enjoy life and not worry about what happens next. As I've gotten older, I worry less and less about it, and it's all kind of reassuring. I guess a lot of it has to do with the fact that as we get older, we tend to get a bit more tired and personally, if I'm this tired and worn down at 38, what's it going to be like at 78? Nope, the only way to live is by the following motto: The past has already happened, the future isn't written yet and so why not enjoy the precious present. Afterall, this second in time is the only one you'll ever have, so make the most of it.

5. I refuse to use a PC. All teachers in Jefferson County were given brand new HP tablet laptops for use in the classroom. Mine sits unused in a computer bag, looking sad as my 4 year old Apple iBook laptop goes in and out of said bag. At the start of this school year, I was able to scrounge up five Apple eMacs for use in my classroom, so much better are they than the brand new HP desktops they want us to use. Yes, I'm a computer snob, I admit it. But the thing is, I never have any kind of problems with my Macs, and to this day, I have no idea what people are talking about when they mention a "virus" or "frozen computer" or "reboot" or any other arcane words that must mean something to some people.