I’ve seen these around and, quite frankly, I’m a little at a loss for blog words these days and this looked like a great way to make the next ten Mondays a bit easier. I might be crazy, but I thought an attempt at structure (once a week… ha!) might be a good thing.

The old – “100 Things” list – only I’m going to bust it up into ten at a time for the next ten Mondays. Go me.

Ten of My Odd Quirks

(don’t get me wrong, there are way more than 10)

1.) Dust… the smell of dust. Yes, I can smell dust. It freaks me out. Specifically, outside dust. I won’t sit on dusty outdoor furniture. If I lean against our deck railing and the top is dusty I wash my hands and arms all the way up to my elbows. And, if Mike happens to travel out on to the deck barefooted – his ass isn’t allowed in my bed until he washes his feet.

2.) Dirty bare feet. I might wander around barefooted outside from time to time but I always wash my feet or shower shortly thereafter. I actually keep two sets of house shoes, one for upstairs (going out on the deck) and one for downstairs (going out front or out back).

3.) I am allergic to cats and yet, they are my favorite people. Mostly they make my eyes itch but only if I touch my eyes after petting them. Which is why, I always wash my hands after loving on my animals or make sure that I don’t bring my hands anywhere close to my eyes.

4.) I’m fairly introverted. Which is odd, because if I am forced to be in a social situation – you probably wouldn’t know it. But, for the most part, if I don’t feel included, welcome, or comfortable then I don’t take part. Not that I expect people to kiss my rear or bend over backwards. But, for example, if I am at a party, say, and people are having a conversation, I won’t join in unless I’m addressed. I’m not a “talk first” or “join in” kind of gal.

5.) Music is my solace. I am a “music for every mood/season” kind of person. Music can lift my mood better than any prescription, chocolate, or booze. I find that people are quick to jump and insult other people’s choices in music and this is something that seriously offends me when it is turned in my direction. It’s a lot like criticizing someone’s favorite color.

6.) I’m very interested in politics but I absolutely HATE to discuss, debate or argue about politics.

7.) I’m moody. I’m finding that this is a strange quirk. But, I am. I admit it. Sometimes I love to talk and chat and other times I would prefer to spend a week on another planet – alone.

8.) I hate the phone. HATE. HATE. Like, “If hate were people… I’d be China!” kind of hate. (OMG, but I do LOVE LOVE that saying!) I do everything I can to avoid talking on it and there are probably only a handful of people I actually talk to. Once again, you wouldn’t sense my hatred of the device if you actually talked to me.

9.) I match my Bath and Bodyworks wallflowers and hand soaps to the season. Spring calls for light florals and possibly berry or more fruit-oriented scents in the kitchen. Autumn calls for lots of cinnamon, apple, pumpkin, even coffee scents. Winter is Christmas scents or more cinnamon and Summer is lemons, florals, clean light scents (to make up for the triple digit heat outside) or fun scents like Mango Spearmint.

10.) I cannot watch brutality in movies (ie. Pulp Fiction, Sleepers, Shawshank Redemption, American Me, Braveheart, etc.) or movies really centered around death and loss (P.S. I Love You, Beaches, Steel Magnolias, Terms of Endearment, Love Story, etc.) – it literally affects my mood dramatically and negatively. I’m not one of those people who leaves the theater crying and saying, “Oh my God, that was SO good.” Yes, I’m aware all of those movies are good, but, that doesn’t mean I have to subject myself to my own emotional hot buttons.