Tag -- I'm It!

For those of my friends who read my blog but aren't really part of the blogging universe, I should explain something.  There are all kinds of elements to the blogging world that I was totally unprepared for when I started. 

One of these things is kind of like a game.  People make up rules, ask questions, and then tag each other.  If you get tagged you are supposed to answer the questions, follow the rules, and tag other people.  It's kind of like a chain letter.

I tried to play along once, early on.  It felt forced and silly.  It just didn't feel like me.

And, yet, here I am again.  I have refused to play many times since.  So why am I going to play now?

I really like Lisa, the lady who tagged me.  I thought it might be fun to post some random information about myself.  And I have no intention of following the rules.

Since answering questions is easier than coming up with my own random stuff tonight I'm going to answer the questions (although they aren't all really questions) she was asked as well as the ones she asked me.

Last book you read?  Toxic Parents by Susan Forward

Favortie song right now? Never Alone by Lady Antebellum (for the song itself and because a friend gave it to me)

Favorite place to shop?  I hate shopping.  I do like hardware stores and office supply stores, but I don't plan my days around going there like it's some kind of special event.

Best purchase ever?  Therapy!  (No, I'm not kidding.)

Most embarrassing moment, please?  I've blocked most of these from memory.  I once tripped running up the stairs in the high school hall while carrying two 32-ounce drinks.  That was pretty embarrassing.

First kiss story?  I was about seven; neighbor boy was six.  I ran home to tell my mom, who was on the phone, and was waved off with a "That's nice, dear."

Grossest food you've ever eaten?  Rocky Mountain Oysters.  (It's what's left over after they castrate bulls -- there are no actual oysters involved.)

What is your next vacation?  No idea.  I'm not big on vacations.

Favorite blog that you follow?  My daughter's, Singing Devil.

Celebrity you'd most like to punch in the face?  I'm not really a face puncher.  I'm more of a rock thrower.  I'd like to throw rocks at lots of people.

Something you LOVE that you're embarrassed about?  Goldfish crackers.  I'm not really embarrassed that I love them but about how many of them I eat.

On average, how many texts do you send/receive a day?  I'd guess 20-30.  I mostly text with my kids.

Are you a back/side/belly or fetal position sleeper?  Side sleeper.  (Interesting fact:  I do not move in my sleep.  I go to sleep in one position and wake up in the exact same position.  That means I wake up about every 2-3 hours because my body hurts so bad and I need to roll over.)

Your true feelings on Facebook?  I love the fact that I've reconnected with so many people from high school and my further past.  I hate the time suck.  And I hate how emotional it makes people if I don't pay enough attention to them or like their status updates.

If you had a whole day to spend by yourself, what would you do?  I have most of most days to myself.  I spend a lot of time on the computer.  Sometimes I read.  Mostly I sleep.

Favorite smell?  Fresh mown grass; wet hay and/or alfalfa fields; the street right after a summer rainstorm; babies fresh from a bath; my husband's and my son's deodorant; campfire; Pine Sol; Downy; baby powder; lilacs; violets; watermelon -- there are so many!

The pet peeves you never talk about?  Bad human smells.  Gas I can ignore -- it goes away.  Body odor and bad breath?  Not good.  (Did I mention I have a very strong sense of smell?)

What does your closet look like?  My closet is one area I haven't gotten to yet in my big purge.  It's filled with boxes and baskets full of things for me to sort, mostly papers.  I might have some clothes in it.  I'm not sure because I haven't opened it in a while.

Makeup staple you can't live without?  I don't wear makeup, but I couldn't live without Carmex!

Do you really floss and brush twice or three times a day?  I brush before I leave the house or spend time with others; I don't want to be the one with bad breath.  If I am in a time when I don't get out of bed for a couple of days, I probably don't brush my teeth either.  I floss when I have food stuck between my teeth, which is more often since I got my wisdom teeth out a couple of years ago.

Favorite name for a girl?  Favorite girl name that I didn't use:  Zoey.

If you're a blogger and want to play, go ahead.  It's kind of fun.  But I'm not going to tag you.  I am the party pooper who kills all chain letters.

Pet Peeves

We all have them.  Those things that really irritate us no matter who does them. 

One of my biggest pet peeves is poor etiquette at concerts and plays.  Seriously, I want to throw rocks at those in the audience.  Sometimes I get so worked up about it that I can't even enjoy the production.  I've tried to get over it, but I just can't seem to let it go.

But this post isn't about my pet peeves.  Or your pet peeves.  It's about the term and idea of pet peeves.

When I look it up in the online etymology dictionary it brings up the connection to peevish.  Peevish is an adjective that describes a person showing irritation or annoyance.  That certainly fits.  That's definitely how I feel when my husband does any one of the hundreds of things he does that annoy me.

What about pet?  Aren't pets those cute little things we bring into our lives that add joy and comfort?  Things we choose?

Sometimes.

Sometimes they are those things that your child talked you into on a day when you just didn't have the fight left to deal with it.  Or the thing you agreed to keep thinking it would keel over dead before long.  Or that thing that was so cute when it was small and just makes a huge mess and takes a lot of work now that it's big.

One more thing to take care of.  One more thing to clean up after.  One more thing to worry about.

And I guess we do feed our pet peeves.  We do care for them and carry them around with us, nurturing them as if they were a pet.

Just something to think about.

Now, I'm off to try to overcome some of my pet peeves.  I'm starting to become the crazy cat lady with more pets than I can keep track of.  No wonder my life stinks.