Aw jeez, I guess I'm it
Frequent commenter Sara tagged me with what seemed like a simple enough assignment: name five weird things about myself. She said she "really really wanted to know" what I think is weird.
Ahem. I'll try not to read too much into that.
But the trouble I'm having here is that I'm so boring. Seriously. I mean, what? I don't happen to think I'm the least bit weird. I more inclined to think everyone else is weird, and I'm not like them really much at all.
Oh, wait, I get it.
I am often considered eccentric, which I guess is sort of the same as weird. Oh cripes, do I have to look it up? I don't have free access to the OED online at home, and my OED is all mildewy & I can't look anything up in without gloves and a mask, neither of which I happen to have handy. But Webster's online says it has to do with supernatural-type phenomena, or witchcraft. Also: odd, or of strange or extraordinary character.
Well, I can read palms, but I wouldn't say I'm psychic or anything. I really just make shit up, more or less. And I can see auras, sometimes, but they're right there for chrissakes and anyone can see them I guess if they know where to look. It's hardly supernatural, at any rate, and I know nothing at all about witchcraft.
So I guess that's one thing.
And there's the part about not having a TV, or a microwave, or a car. But I'd certainly get those things if I wanted them. It's not that I disapprove of them or anything.
So that makes two things.
And I did study old Icelandic in college. That's kind of weird, I guess.
OK, three.
Having too many shoes isn't really all that weird; plenty of people have too many pairs of shoes. Can't count that. Likewise knitting. Lately it seems like everybody is knitting. So that doesn't count.
I have more than one accordion.
Busted. That's four.
Being unmarried, on purpose, at my age is considered kind of strange in certain circles, apparently, but I don't really travel in those circles, so I'm not too sure about that one.
Being bisexual is downright unpopular in certain circles. On the other hand, I've tried being a lesbian and I've tried being straight, and they both feel really weird to me. So do I count that or not?
Youall can help me out here, those of you who actually know me in person. Can you name one more weird thing about me? Or at least give me some perspective on what's considered weird? Go ahead, you probably won't hurt my feelings. I'll just delete your comment if you do.
I know my sister reads this blog from time to time, as does a certain high school chum, and Julie knows me, and of course Magpie has known me for years, and Fstorch, though I don't know if he reads this blog very often. Anyone else? Vergelimbo I only met once or twice, and I was on my best behavior. Anyone else? Please de-lurk and leave a commment.
16 comments:
I didn't think it was weird that you don't have a TV. But now I do think it's weird that you have NEVER had a TV.
I prefer the term eccentric as it applies to me as well. ;-)
And I think you're fine just the way you are, any one who doesn't can go fly a kite.
Our eccentricities are what make us who we are and without them we'd all be the same and that'd just be boring.
since i haven't seen you in awhile, i can't say for certain how weird you are currently. but i'm sure it's nowhere near as weird as when you used to let your cat wander around the house with her head stuck in a paper bag.
Thanks, I needed a good laugh. And no, I don't think any of those things are weird - except the Icelandic. That, and no TV. But the rest sure sounds normal to me.
Unless that makes me weird, too.
Hmmm sis, how could I possibly come up with 5 wierd things about you, why you are positively run of the mill.... Hmmm... (A cloud of dust flies from her ears as the thinking gears start to turn)
Oh Wait.. I know! It's a little bit odd that Dad used to be able to make you cry when he would call Elton John, John Elton. Yep, that is strange. I suppose since you were an adolescent girl, hormones could have been to blame, but still, not normal.
You have a copy of the bill of rights on your bulletin board at work, That, unfortunately is not normal.... BUT IT SHOULD BE. In fact, I have one too, you taught me that. I think it makes us superior beings in a way, but it is a touch unusual. Seeing as how neither one of us are cunstitutional lawyers.
You can always answer the geography questions on trivial pursuit, statistically, those are the ones most likely to be gotten wrong. That is a little different, and frankly a touch suspicious.
You do not own a car, yet you have a picture of your old one on your fridge. That is very strange.
And wierdest of all, you used to keep a photo of counselor Troi above your cats dishes, so they could watch her while they ate. That is almost perverse. But pretty cute.
since I am your annoying baby sister, I could go on for days... but I am practically a saint I am so nice, and I would not want to embarrass you.
I have pictures of all three of my old cars on my fridge. I made them all into fridge magnets. I like fridge magnets better than cars.
The John Elton thing, it was just dad's way of tormenting me; if I cried (and I don't remember crying on account of that), it was definitely hormonal. And how weird is that. Is that why you liked Duran Duran? Cause dad wouldn't be able to mess it by saying it backwards?
I gotta say though that your memory is suspect. The photo of Counselor Troi was not above the cat dishes; it was a postcard pic of two cats who looked sort of like my cats drinking out of a dish that looked like their water dish that was over their water dish. The photo of Deanna Troi was actually a picture of the birthday cake that someone decorated for my 25th birthday, and it was on the fridge. I think it's still on my fridge, next to the cars, now that you mention it. It was before I ever got a car, though. I'll have to scan the picture & post it.
I didn't get my first car until I was almost 30.
Doesn't everyone have a copy of the Bill of Rights by now? They've certainly stolen enough of my copies.
Magpie -- I will also scan & post photos of Anna with bags on her head. It really was funny. She loved doing that, for some reason.
Susie - glad to provide some comic relief!
You know, a lot of things I studied over the years have come in handy from time to time. As my sister the mailman attests above, I totally rule the geography questions in Trivial Pursuit. Astronomy? Of course. Philosophy, hell yeah. Even linguistics now and again. But Icelandic, not so much.
I asked you because I know you to be creative and sophisticated, an original thinker. And my hypothesis is that the more you've seen and lived and tried, the more you've traveled and thought and looked outside yourself, the harder it is to decide something is "weird."
You know, ask Molly Polly Perfectpants, living in her parents' suburban subdivided clone house, and she'll say, "Oh my GOD! I painted my toenails black yesterday! I'm just SO WEIRD."
Of course, I don't really know any members of the Perfectpants family anymore. This is somewhat of a relief given that I'm 43 years old now. I think if I still knew anyone like that, well, that would be weird.
Thanks for playing. I'm still making up my mind whether having more than one accordion is weird. I mean, do you know how to play? I think collecting them without knowing how to play them might be weird. Hard to concede even that, though.
I don't actually know how to play the accordion, except for a couple of xmas carols & such like. I keep meaning to learn to play, but I just never take the time.
They do accumulate though, like in that old joke about the accordion player touring the midwest & he stops in for dinner at some little bar in Wisconsin. Halfway through his cheesburger he recalls that he left his car unlocked with the accordion visible on the back seat. Panicked, he rushes out -- alas, too late. There are already two more in there with it.
But it was Magpie who gave me the first one.
Black toenail polish is weird? who knew?
I didn't want to look at Ron's or Sara's response before I posted mine. I'm laughing at both, and I think I like both of you even more than I already did.
Sara -- that's way cool about your eyeballs; I'm extremely impressed, but I'm totally not with you on #2 or #3 of your list (although Bohemia is OK). But #4 & #5, hell yeah! I don't like raw vegetables very much, but I'd way rather have grilled beets than most desserts.
And Ron: I can twiddle my thumbs in opposite directions, and I can wink in both eyes. I didn't know what a stapelia was until I just now looked it up, although I had heard of carrion flowers. It would be kind of weird to keep one in my windowless (shared) office. On the other hand, I'm right down the hall from the morgue.
I also think it's interesting that your handwriting is different for "Ron" and "Veronica." I changed my name a long time ago and found some documents recently that sort of chronicle an evolutionary change in my signature at least, if not my handwriting altogether.
And yay for getting the braces. If my teeth get any more crooked I will consider doing the same. That's not at all weird.
whatever possessed you to let everyone know that i gave you your first accordian? the last thing i need is *yet another* investigation by a UN human rights tribunal ...
Beets are definitely in my top 25. Grilled are awesome, but my favorite way to prepare them is to roast them like potatoes. This is my favorite because it's so easy, but you still get that incredible caramelization.
Sadly, my true love remains unimpressed by beets. Oh, well. More for me.
is your true love impressed by soup? if so, try this:
1. In the bottom of your soup pot, saute 1 large sweet onion in 1Tbsp butter + 1Tbsp olive oil until onion is soft and translucent.
2. wash and peel 3-4 fresh, large-ish beets (save the greens, you'll need them later). Cut the beets into small, thin pieces (thin in order to speed up cooking). Put them in the pan with the beets and add 2-3 quarts of water and/or vegetable stock, and bring to a boil & then simmer.
3. peel 2-3 large sweet potatoes and cut them into large-ish but still bite-sized cubes (they are less dense than the beets, so you want to slow down their cooking time so's they don't get mushy before the beets are entirely done. I add them to the simmering beets + onions when the beets are about 1/2 cooked.
4. meanwhile, prepare the beet greens as you would fresh spinach, which is to say: wash all the sand out of them, strip out the tough stem, and pile them up on top of each other. now roll the pile of leaves up, from the long side, as if it's a cigar. Then take your big sharp chef's knife and start slicing thin slices crosswise. You'll have a lovely pile of beautiful thin shreds of beet greens, and your cutting board and probably also your hands will be nice and pink if they aren't already from cutting the beets.
5. also meanwhile, get an organic orange and remove the zest with a zester or a very small sharp paring knife, and chop it up very fine - you'll need a Tbsp or so, you don't have to do it all. Also squeeze the juice out of half of the orange (no more than 1/4 cup of orange juice - less is OK) and set it aside.
6. eat the other half of the orange.
7. peel and grate some fresh ginger. about a Tbsp - more if you like ginger.
8. when the beets and sweet potatoes are cooked to your satisfaction, add the other stuff that you've just prepared. let it simmer a bit longer and add salt & pepper to taste. And a Tbsp or two of red wine or cider vinegar.
you can serve this hot or cold or at room temperature. It's especially pretty in white dishes with blue trim. Even more so with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, which you may or may not wish to decorate with some snipped chives or scallions or even fresh dill (which, if you have it, you can also add a bit of that at the end, with the beet greens - but don't bother if all you have is dried dill -- it's good, but doesn't add all that much to this dish).
I've never met anyone able to resist this soup. If your true love can resist this, then it's perhaps a lost cause.
You can use regular old potatoes instead of sweet potatoes, but take into account that they are more dense than sweet potatoes and adjust cooking time accordingly. They don't take quite as long as beets, but longer than sweet potatoes. They're not as good in this soup as sweet potatoes, which come out the most gorgeous color you've ever seen in your entire life.
I'm feeling inspired. I'm going to not only make some of this, I'm going to photograph it.
mmmm . . . I'm gonna make this too. Sounds exactly like my carrot & sweet potato soup . . . mmmm soup season!
- we might hafta start a new thread for Soup.
I just have to point out that you once wore latex gloves to work at a hospital, even though you were doing paperwork and never touched a patient.
But how weird is it that I also have a picture of one of your old cars on my fridge?
That is really weird that you have a picture of one of my old cars on your fridge. Must be Fiona.
I wore the gloves to prevent paper cuts and because it makes it easier to file things. I wore them when I was an office temp too.
And in that particular hospital charts, I didn't touch any patients, but I touched their charts. And the nurses touched the charts all the time.
I'm totally going to make that soup this winter. I don't think my true love will be enthralled; he is as unimpressed by sweet potatoes as he is by beets. (This is a guy, bear in mind, who is continually surprised that there is more than one species of squash or that other people can tell them apart.)
That's okay. As I said, more for me, just like there will be more -- in a month or so -- red kuri squash oven roasted and then spread on brown bread with a little butter just for me.
Hmmm...that might be good with soup.
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