growyourwings | What the heck... (Reply)

As I told Mrsr58, I'm bored PLUS I'm overworked (how does that work?). Observation: This was actually kinda fun. I don't usually like memes muchly.

A - Age: Old enough to know that it's more important to have fun than to appear respectable.

B - Bed size: King. One of those posturepedic beds - "It remembers me!" After decades of the never-ending too soft-too hard mattress debate that Bob and I have, we finally decided to go for a king bed with two memory form mattresses of different firmness. And while we were at it, we went full hog and got the kind that has remote controls (for each side) to raise and lower the head and feet AND vibrate. I always thought the whole vibrating mattress thing was just an LOL-joke and a stupid idea. NO. So NOT true. (And no I am NOT Dean.)

C - Chore you hate: Let me spell it for you. L A U N D R Y. Will forever be my nemesis. Seriously it was a lost cause back in my childhood when my mother finally had to give up after trying EVERYTHING to get me fold and put away laundry. I'm actually OK with washing and drying it. But it will sit, clean, in a laundry basket for me to pick and choose from. And yes this does mean that I will NOT buy anything that needs ironing.

D - Dog's name: Current dog is Cody. After many mutts over the years, he is hands down the best dog (pet) we have ever had. He's getting older. And has joint problems (who doesn't?) I will be very sad when he passes. Right now I think he will be our last dog however. (Famous last words.)

E - Essential start to your day item(s): SLOWLY….. Very slowly. I try to wake up at LEAST 1-2 hours before I have to go anywhere. It isn't because I can't get up and get out of house immediately. I can go from deep sleep to out the door, showered and clothed in 5-8 minutes flat. But I will likely leave my mind and my composure behind.

F - Favorite color: Tie between purple and green. Close second is tie between brown and yellow (although I cannot wear yellow.)

G - Gold or Silver: Silver. All the way. I have a bit of a passionate dislike of gold jewelry. Pewter is good. Copper is ok.

H - Height: 5' 3" I swear it used to be 5' 4" But whatever.

I - Instruments you play: Eons ago I played the clarinet in Jr High and High School. I took piano lessons in grade school for a year or two. Don't really remember any of it. I was more a play-by-ear person. I was decent at the clarinet. Played 2nd chair for years. But I sucked at reading rhythm from sheet music. I needed sheet music to know what notes to play. But could never interpret the rhythm. But I could mimic it very good. So I'd have Graham (the 1st chair next to me for almost 6 years) play the piece and I could copy it almost immediately after hearing him.

J - Job title: By day I am a program/project manager in information technology for a large health care delivery system. By night (well when I'm not at the day job anyway), I am a photographer. I've had actual gigs and everything and hope for more.

K - Kisses or hugs: Ahem. Neither? If I was forced to choose it would be hugs. But I am a kinda hands off individual. Even with my close family. It has nothing to do with anyone else. And everything to do with me. I am an intuitive empath. Basically being in close physical contact with people messes with my zen. So I have to prepare. Which after xx decades, I can now do in an instant (mostly). But doing so is draining in and of itself. Having said that however, I am working (a little) at trying to hug more (I don't ever expect or want to get to casual kissing stage). It still feels VERY awkward and weird to me. But I recognize it means a lot to a great portion of the population. So I (sometimes) work at it. You know that meme that goes around occasionally which goes something like, "Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy and …" The "transfers energy" part is what I have challenge with. I know this may seem like total and complete hogwash to many, but I truly can physically feel what others feel. It's disconcerting and has taken me years to recognize why I am such a chameleon seeming to change my physical wellbeing and other traits when I'm in contact with others without conscious shields. (Okay, over-share, moving on…)

L - Living arrangements: Same house for almost 25 years. With hubby and grown kids (both in college.)

M - Mood: Depends on the moment you ask me. Very changeable. Quicksilver. I *think* it tends more towards positive/optimism. But boredom is an ongoing challenge for me. As well as burnout because I can get so intensively involved with things. At this very instance? I'm a combination of tired, calm, melancholy yet optimistic - with the looming threat of boredom creeping around the edges.

N - Nicknames: Karen is a hard name for nicknames. When I was a kid that sometimes bummed me out. But that's long since in the past.

O - Overnight hospital stays other than birth: Nope, just births.

P - Pet Peeves: INTOLERANCE & INFLEXIBILITY. I have a HUGE problem with consistency. Which (in my mind only) I equate with stagnation. It's like against my DNA to do routine things. Or to do something the same way, routinely. I will find myself unconsciously rebelling, shutting down, or getting sick, if I have to repeat process or repeat myself. I do recognize that despite this macro opinion, I do have my own little foundational routines. And, almost conversely, I also hate lateness and not following through on commitments.

Q - Quote from a movie: I am more likely these days to come up with quotes from SPN. On of my favorites is "Demons I get. People are crazy." Very useful. Oh yeah! One of my all time favorites is from Willy Wonka, "A little nonsense, now and then, is relished by the wisest men."

R - Right or left handed: Basically right handed. But I am partially ambidextrous.

S - Siblings: Two brothers. I am the eldest child. Side note, all my close friends growing up were boys. I could never (and still don't to an extent) "get" girls. I remember once walking into a girls locker room in Jr. High just before a school dance and they were all curling their hair, doing makeup, etc. It was like alien-land to me. Why would you waste time and energy doing something like that? Here I am xx decades later, and to a certain extent I still feel the same way. My husband wanted me to go to a 100th anniversary celebration for his union last weekend and I angst'd and angst'd about that for days/hours because I just hated the very concept of purposefully dressing up and primping JUST BECAUSE...

T - Time you wake up: I can wake up whenever I tell myself to. Haven't needed an alarm clock in years. If I don't internally set a time, I almost always wake up between 4:15-4:30 am. Then, depending on the day, will sleep for another hour and then get up.

U - Underwear: Trying to understand the question…. Yes?

V - Vegetable you dislike: Eggplant. Hands down. Childhood trauma (boring, but too long story). Basically veggies and me don't get along much. Mostly due to growing up in the 60s/70s in the USA when if a vegetable was not cooked to DEATH you were not doing it right. These days the only veggies I like tend to be raw. If I'm in a very good restaurant I will likely eat their vegetables because I know the chef likely knows what he/she is doing.

W - Ways you run late: I don't run late. Ever. I'm always early. I joke that I will show up early to my own funeral. I've actually TRIED to be late. And failed.

X - X-rays you've had: Teeth. Shoulder, arms, and legs (for arthritis). (Why is this an interesting question? Only because no other choice for X, I assume?)

Y - Yummy food you make: *sigh* I'm actually a pretty decent cook. When I have leftover creative energy. Which is not for the last xx years. My creativity goes to work, photography, and drawing. If there's anything leftover or a mad mood hits me, I may wander into the kitchen. I do enjoy cooking when I do have the creative energy that I'm not wanting to expend elsewhere.

Z - Zoo favorite: Elephants I guess? Likely for the same reason fickleone said, because of the Portland Zoo and it's groundbreaking Elephant program. Honestly I'm not much for zoos. Maybe penguins, otters or other sea mammals as well. I like watching them frolic.