One of my biggest blogging apprehensions is that people will think I use it as a platform of self-indulgence, that I only want to talk about myself. Despite evidence to the contrary—this whole darn blog— that’s really not my intent. I’m not that interesting.
That’s why I never do any of those blog “meme” things that make the rounds. In fact, I hate that word “meme” and had to look it up a couple months ago to find out what it was. Anyway, I avoid them and pretend they don’t exist—kind of like children.
But when the fantabulous Jess tagged with with this one, I simply couldn’t refuse (mostly because I don’t have many friends and I’m desperate for her to like me.)
I’m kidding…kind of.
Anyway, I’m not sure what it’s all about, but the bottom line is that I’m supposed to tell you 10 random things about myself. So even though I’ve been a crank pot all week and haven’t felt like writing, I’ve decided to be self-indulgent and overshare uninteresting things.
You can blame Jess.
Me #1: I listen to sports talk radio 99 percent of the time. While I like music enough, it’s pretty much all sports all the time.
Me #2: I like plastic silverware. I don’t know where this came from, but even when I’m home, I prefer to use plastic silverware as opposed to the real thing (but yes, I use the real stuff most of the time.) I know it’s not “green,” but I do wash it and reuse it. In fact, it’s because I use it at work and bring it home to wash that I end up using it at home.
Me #3: Staying with the utensil theme, I also like to eat out of bowls and drink with a straw. I consider both of them to be preventative measures, as I am prone to spilling. While I don’t take bowls with me wherever I go, I do have a little baggie of coffee stir straws in my purse and a bag of my tea—my other three-times-a-day obsession—for those emergency situations.
Me #4: Even though I’m a vegetarian , I still like the smell of grilled BBQ chicken, bacon and a turkey in the oven at my mom’s house. Sometimes it grosses me out, but sometimes it just smells like home.
Me #5: I love goats.
Especially baby goats.
Me #6: While my obsessions aren’t really a secret, I have a special thing for brushing my teeth and cleaning my ears every day with a Q-tip. Also, I like to smell nice, so I have a wide variety of perfumes and smelly lotions that I use on a daily basis, even if I’m just hanging out with myself. Sometimes I’ll even spray it on before bed.
I’m fancy.
Me #7: I still don’t know what I want to be doing five years from now. My ideal situation would have me working in an organic grocery store/bakery/coffeehouse/yoga studio in a community of like-minded, animal-loving Zen people, but I haven’t found that yet.
Me #8: A lot of what I think when I start to write something in my head is done in poetic form. It’s rhythmic and actually quite annoying, as it’s like getting a song stuck in your head and not being able to remember the words (because you’ve yet to write them.) I rarely write them down, but once in awhile I’ll make a post out of them and share with the class.
Me #9: You’ll think I’m nuts, but I’ve had more than my share of dream premonitions. No, I can’t predict lottery numbers, but I’ve had dozens of dreams about many “big” things that have later come to fruition in one way or another. More often than not I’ll dream of someone I haven’t seen in forever and they’ll contact me or something the next day. It’s weird, but my mom does it, too.
Me #10: If I had the discipline and patience, I could write one kick-ass memoir. No one really knows how I’ve got to where I am—wherever that is—and I think it would be an insanely entertaining and poignant read. However, I have no discipline or patience, so you get this blog.
Bonus Me: I obviously can’t just list something without feeling the need to explain myself.
But look! Another baby goat—in a feed dish!
While I could bestow this blog award on a whole bunch of people who are much cooler than me, I won’t put the pressure on anyone else. (But if you do it on your blog, let me know so I can stalk you.)
What I will do is put the pressure on you to comment with one thing about you.
And…go!
Abby Has Issues 
I LOVE GOATS TOO! we have a couple acres and I have always wanted to get a goat. or two.
I also love Q- Tips. but hate straws, and it is for the most insane reason – wrinkles. 😉
Yeah. We kind of have a goat obsession, and I drive by this farm every day on my way to work. They have four babies–sooo cute! As for straws, I use them for an insane reason as well (after spill prevention)–my teeth. They say my tea won’t stain them if I use straws 😉
I’ve been thinking lately about how “self-indulgent” blogging can be…even if we don’t like to talk about ourselves. That said, you definitely don’t come across as one of those “meme” people. I enjoyed learning these little bits about you!
I enjoy eating out of bowls too. I think of the manpower and resources it saves me in having to wash less clothing/placemats. I’m a messy eater!
Yeah, but I’ve decided not to overthink it. Blogging is blogging. It’s not like we go around in real time talking about ourselves (at least I assume you don’t.) It’s an outlet to share a bit more about ourselves to a willing audience. If people were bored and didn’t want to read it, they would click away, which is less soul crushing than someone walking away from us 😉 Let’s consider our blogs our little piece of “us,” and not self-indulgent at all. In fact, it’s a bit self-nurturing!
Amen!
I love this! I feel like I know you even better! I dream of things that are going to happen as well. And it’s weird because you want to tell everyone, but you don’t because you may be wrong. Here’s my thing: I loooooooove whiskey! Like really love. I could put that shit on cornflakes! Maybe when I’m old and frail, I’ll just start drinking it all the time. “Okay kids, we have to get to Nana’s before 10:00 a.m. cause if we don’t, she’ll be half in the bag!” Ah, to dream…
I don’t remember a lot of my dreams, so unless something sparks it, I don’t usually talk about them very much. They’re pretty boring. What isn’t boring is that you love whiskey and are going to be the most kick-ass grandma ever and you would put that shit on cornflakes. I want to hang out (but not eat your cooking. Sorry.)
I don’t really consider myself an animal person, but that goatie is cute! And I share the love of bowls. It’s like a little trough. Okay. Something about myself: I poop at least once a day.
Holy crap, I love you. First, “trough” is awesome. Second, you brought up “regularity,” as talking about it could have been another one of my things. All I will say is that if I don’t have my tea and my routine in the morning, I’m thrown for the whole day. It’s taken my body a long time to forgive me for what I did to it before, so the fact I have a “regular” routine now makes me ridiculously happy to a socially unacceptable level.
You and my husband could be bff’s on the sports issue. I’ve gotten used to having a constant stream of sports talk/ESPN/actual games/Madden on in the background whenever he’s home. It’s all become white noise to me, although I find it amusing that every now and then I pick up completely random sports trivia while half-listening which I can then pull out in conversation to make myself feel informed. 😀
As for myself: I suffer from wicked deja vu at least a couple times a month. Most of the time I’m fairly sure I dreamed whatever I’m going through years and years ago. But it’s never anything fun–just a completely random conversation with a stranger or picking up a cucumber in the grocery store. So maybe *I’m* dreaming about things that will one day happen, too, but they’re horrifically mundane if I am.
Yes to your whole deju vu thing! Mine is never anything fun at all either. For instance, I had a dream about the place I work right now years ago, but didn’t realize it until I was there and then remembered the dream and the people, only because of a certain thing in my dream. OK. Now I really sound nuts, so I’ll just tell you to call me any time you need a random sports fact. I’m your girl.
Abby, I love eating out of bowls too! I got dishes for Christmas last year, and I rarely use the plates. I frequently run out of bowls and face the following dilemma: do the dishes so I can use a bowl, use a plate, or pretend that an oversized coffee mug is just a really tall bowl?
I do use plates for sandwiches, so I have that going for me. And for the record, if it’s a big enough mug, it totally qualifies as a bowl.
A. I don’t think I could love you any more than I do, so a friend in me you have, thought you may not be fully aware of what you’ve signed up for.
B. Baby goats are f*cking awesome.
C. Let’s move closer to each other and open a yoga studio/coffee shop/art gallery where we listen to relaxing music and drink green tea and wheat grass all day, and by night bottles of wine and gossip. Great, I’ll start looking at tickets. Brandon can be our security guard.
you know so much about me and my weirdness
When I listen to an album, i listen to every song in order. Even if the record sucks or there are filler songs, I give it a full listen. Then, I pick out the one or two or three best songs and break them down, pros and cons.
Also, as you, know, I write everything in pencil, in notebooks, before I post it. This includes most blog comments, especially to your blog. I feel a lot of pressure commenting here. You’re smart, well written, and sarcastic, I don;t want to total faceplant when I leave something.
good post, Abs
I for some reason have a gift for landing rockstar parking. It happens, I am certain, more than usual. No idea why. No matter how crowded the lot, 8 out of 10 times I am just in the right place at the right time.
PS- I would love to read your memoir.
I love all animals and if I had won the lotto I would buy a farm and have tons of animals but mostly goats and Horses. Oh and tons of cats. I love your writing.
Be careful with those Q-tips, Abby. I’ve seen it happen to my baby brother, who did the same thing each and every day, which lead to his ears producing more ear wax than ever, so he started to clean his ears twice a day…. well, you see where this is going. As for awards, I personally think you’re the best vegetarian blogger ever 😉
Yay! Another sports radio fan! I like it because it’s really just a bunch of guys sitting around gossiping about other guys (the players). People don’t realize all the drama in sports. It’s like a huge soap opera. I live in Boston and the Red Sox stuff is crack right now!
I also hate the word, “meme” (and only recently looked up its meaning). What’s with the meme bandwagon anyways?
#10 – ditto.
Blogging is a little self-indulgent, but who cares? People need to find outlets they enjoy, no one has to read it (believe me!).
And I think there are many people who enjoy talking about themselves in real time. At least I seem to know quite a few of these people! One of them I know was complaining about a family member’s blog and how self-centered it was. My incredulous response was, “Have you read any personal blogs before?”
I can’t use Q-tips anymore, they made my wax problem uncontrollable–like impacted (ow). Every so often I use that acid stuff which I’m a bit embarrassed to admit is kind of enjoyable. The itching sensation it causes is satisfying. Maybe just because the bubbling makes me feel like it’s working.
Exactly. I never claim to be a news source, unless you want to know what’s going on with the small woodland creatures that torture my yard or an update on my Swiffer situation. You’re not the first person to mention this Q-tip aversion, which makes me think I should start obsessing about it. My grandma used to use sharp objects like a paper clip or a toothpick so it didn’t pack things in. She’s pretty much deaf now though…
I’m an eating out of bowls kinda guy, and for the same reason. The thing about me is I’m known for my love of sausages. I’ve never done one of these lists but I always love reading them. Does that make me nosey ?. I’m not answering that
Sausages can be eaten out of a bowl, so that’s completely acceptable. Plus, I’ve recently become obsessed with your blog, so I think you should do one of these lists. I’m nosy.
I too think I could write a pretty good memoir. But I definitely do not have the patience for writing something over 2,000 words long. Sad, really.
My roommate eats mostly off of paper plates. She prefers it, too. I cannot do this mostly because the plate is too flimsy and food will fly everywhere. Sad face…
I can’t do paper plates either, partly because it’s like eating on a Kleenex, but also because it feels really wasteful to me. You can’t reuse paper plates (unless you’re my grandma) so I don’t dig it. Plus, you know, I can be trusted with something lacking edges.
Bowls all the way. Also, I strangely “save up” q-tipping my ears because I find it oddly satisfying. Like, I get really excited when I realize I haven’t cleaned them for a few days. Too weird?
My thing: I listen to Disney music. Like, a lot… I always feel sorta silly when I’m out in public on my iPod listening to “a whole new world”
I haven’t seen a Disney movie in years, but still know all the words to every freaking song.
Little baby goats! That’s before they get bigger, stronger and eat everything you hold dear.
I have one specific bowl that I use several times a day and I have to buy a new one every year because I scrape up the bottom with metal spoons.
10 more reasons to just adore you. I dream big stuff too…or we will hear a song, hear about someone /something we never had before and all of a sudden we are inundated with them it’s a little creepy but it happens all the time. I love drinking out a straw, love paper plates…..but it’s because I am LAZY!!!!!! I loved your list!
I love your reasons. And I adore your blog. And I notice you really opening up recently. Dorky, right? But true. I’m glad you found Twitter and embraced your inner twit. 😉 I think a lot of people are finding your fabulousness.
And the award isn’t just about you — if you really like a new blogger, it is a compliment to plug them because people who like you will sometimes click over to see who you like, so think about breaking the rules and don’t necessarily nominate 15 blogs, but maybe pick 5 or 3. It might mean some traffic for some new folks. That’s called spreading the joy around. Linky-love. Cross-pollenating, etc.
But don’t pick me. Lord, I’ve been given that award and I’ve run out of interesting things to say about myself. 😉
I go through phases of snarky and slightly more open, depending on the mood 😉 And I in no way think of this as an “award” or anything about me, so I hope it didn’t come across that way! I love to share the love and cross-pollenate when I can, but I really didn’t want to put pressure on anyone or leave anyone out. Truth be told, I’m nosy. I would love for everyone to do the list 🙂
I have so many issues I have turned to calling them “quirks” to make them sound cuter. I am currently trying to break myself of the habit of not being able to go to bed with dishes in the sink. I’ve been able to do it twice since I bought my house a year ago. But both times I had dreams of a horribly filthy house the night of leaving them in there.
I am the exact opposite with the utensils. I absolutely can not use plastic ones. I have a fork, knife, and spoon at work for lunch. I really don’t know why. I only like plastic sporks. Yep, that’s right, I can use a plastic utensil but only if it is a spork. 🙂
Well, you ARE Melanie the Spork Lover, so it’s only natural. And I am SO with you on the dishes in the sink thing, even though it’s usually only a couple bowls, as I’m hyper about washing my dish after my meal. Anyway, I think it would be a good test for me/OCD to make myself leave them overnight. I’ll blame you when I wake up at 3am to wash them…;)
I liked your list! I learned so much about you that I didn’t know. I think that since you wash your plastic utensils, you’re green enough. One random thing about me? Hmmm… My dad and I play Scrabble just about every time we’re together? I see him a 4-5 times a month. We’re addicted. I’m vicious. It can get ugly.
I also use plastic utensils (despite having a nice set of metal ones) and drink out of straws, LOL. I lost a tooth by biting down on a fork as a kid, and have had a major aversion to metal utensils ever since, although I use them without a fuss when I’m away from home.
I think all goats are pretty cute, but a baby goat is one of the cutest things EVER…
I scatter partially read books around me, picking up the one that seems most interesting at any time. Including ebooks (well, ok, those are in one place, not scattered around…)
I scan the ceiling in a desperate search to locate, and lock on to, any stray ninja spiders that may deviantly be plotting a swan dive into my plate/bowl/cup before I eat/drink. It’s something I’ve done for a LONG time. It’s generally something I can hide but sometimes the need grips me extra intensely and what is normally a quick once over becomes a whiplash inducing neck swivel that alerts anyone in my vacinity that I may or may not be having a seizure. Boyfriend just caught me last week…..two years into cohabitation. I hide crazy well…….go me!