Once, you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things. At the end, you choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

So I’ve been tagged.  Apparently, by a number of people in a short amount of time.  Seemed easier to blog it, then retag, then read everyone elses randoms.  You may know these things already; if so, bully for you!

1.  I am unpleasant when I wake up; this lasts until I’ve got my first cup of coffee in my hand, probably extending until I’m about halfway through it.  Then I consider myself as having rejoined the human race.

2.  Both of my shoulders have been dislocated before.  As a result, I can now swivel my elbows around to face forward with my hands on my hips.  This makes it look like my arms are attached backwards.  It freaks out my husband.

3.  I have a strong sense of spirituality, though I am not religious.  I am still defining divinity and spirituality for myself, but make no mistake: I am a sensible heathen.

4.  I completely enjoy being a stay-at-home mother and wife, and all that it entails.  But I am more than just my roles.

5.  I love listening to Ani DiFranco on my mp3 player really loudly while I clean house.

6.  I have OCD.  It used to be really, really bad when it came to clutter and cleaning.  Like “Matchstick Men” kind of bad.  Being with John has semi-cured me of that, and I think we’ve found me a happy middle ground.

7.  I am so beyond eager to move back to Fairbanks.  I want to live somewhere that I can easily find like-minded people, people who parent intentionally, think liberally, seek and enjoy natural beautiful things/activities.  I’d prefer this to be among mountains.

8.  One of my favorite breakfasts is home-fried potatoes a la mama, scrambled eggs, toast, and extra crispy bacon.  And don’t forget the coffee.

9.  I’ve watched Blues Clues a million times.  I prefer Steve to Joe.  Joe is a wussy and I want to smack him.

10.  I taught myself to knit a while back, and one can now usually find a sock on the needles in my purse when I’m out.

11.  I miss writing and painting.  I used to do these things regularly, and had been working on a manuscript for publication.  Now I can’t seem to put together the time to devote to a piece, as I need a whole chunk of uninterrupted time to allow my medium to capture my emotion/state of mind.  I will one day soon get myself back to this place to be able to do so.

12.  Once lost, my trust and respect are seldom, if ever, regained.

13.  I have a tremendous bug phobia.  It often triggers panic attacks.

14.  I used to have a sound machine that had ocean waves on it.  I would listen to it as I fell asleep.  I miss it, though I don’t think my husband would like it much.

15.  I have two messages on my answering machine that my mother left me.  I listen to them probably every other day.  It hurts to be reminded that she’s gone, but it’s comforting to know that I can still hear her when I want to.

16.  I still cry myself to sleep some nights about losing her.  I usually tell myself that I should have stayed down there with her, by her side, once she went into the hospital.  That I should have spent more time with her, period.  I wonder if she knew how much I love her, look up to her, and miss her.  I wish she could watch JR grow up, or be here to see her granddaughter.  I worry about whether she was proud of me, or if I made her happy.

17.  I will one day go to Boston to catch a game at Fenway, seated out in front of first base.

18.  I took Russian in high school, and a semester of Spanish in college.  Now the two get mashed together in my head if I try to think or speak in one language or the other.

19.  When I read the newspaper, I am beyond meticulous about how I fold the pages.  I have to read it in a certain order.  I can’t stand it when people rustle the paper and fold/turn the pages all willy nilly.  I know this is irrational.  I am looking forward to getting the paper daily again once we move back to Fairbanks.

20.  My toes are almost always painted a deep burgundy.  I need to repaint them today.

21.  I freak out about dirt under fingernails, or jagged nails.  I always have a nail file in my purse, and I’m constantly running my nails under each other to make sure they’re clear of stuff.  This used to bother my mother to no end.

22.  I can’t stand hot and muggy climates.  You can always add layers, but there’s only so much you can take off.  I can’t stand feeling too hot.  I get cranky.  This is one reason why I’m content to live somewhere where it is frequently too cold to snow.

23.  I cut my own hair when I have emotional crises.

24.  I love checklists.  I prefer to create a template for them and print them as needed.  I have them for menu planning (weekly and monthly), grocery shopping (broken down by section of store), housecleaning chores, and daily to-dos.

25.  I am tone-deaf.  Your ears would surely bleed to hear me sing.  It embarrasses me, so I try to do so only when alone, with my son, or with my best friend M.

Tagging:  Jen I., Amanda B., Amanda L., Jenn S., Shannon R., Chris S., Jessica B., Cara W., Becca S., Ali F., Benah P., Kiza M., Ashlee S., Trinity C., Karo S., Doug B., Matt C., MD., Rebecca G., Kelley R., Anjyla K., Tina S., Desiree E., Jenn A., Aimee A-W.