Thursday, October 05, 2006

Siamese cat, Hollie-Three-Bell-Huntress, photo by Robert Demar
5 Weird Things About Me…

This is the first time I’ve been tagged (thank you Allie) to do a meme. While I’ll try to be honest, I just hope that my husband, Robert, doesn't make a comment on this topic. Now there might be a meme… 5 things my spouse/partner thinks are weird about me. Shhhhh!

1. Except for the very hottest summer nights, I wear flannel nightgowns. The weird thing is that I love to hang out all day in my nightie and not get dressed until I have to. In fact, although it’s already 10 am, I’m still wearing my faded old faithful at this moment. Yes, I’ve gotten caught… delivery people around here and our neighbors should be getting used to the spectacle by now. Long ago, I had a job that was 5 days on, 5 days off. On my off-days I made gold and silver jewelry in my home studio. One time, I was getting ready for a show, working hideous hours at my bench. You guessed it! For three whole days I made jewelry in my nightgown!

2. I’m date and time impaired. Neither sticks in my brain. Shortly after moving to the island, I agreed to teach a class for the quilt guild (spirit dolls). At 10 am on the day I was supposed to teach, I was in my studio (yes, of course, in my nightie & robe) messing with a current project, when two of the guild members arrived. I saw them coming up the trail, and thought, “Oh dear, here I am caught again in my you-know-what. Why don’t people call before they come?” Well, turns out they had been calling for an hour (class started at 9 am), but the phone in the studio wasn’t working. Happily, this goofy situation does have a good ending. The gals rushed back to my waiting students with class samples, handouts and instructions for getting started. After the speediest shower of my life and a few minutes to assemble materials, I was on my way. My gracious, forgiving students agreed to stay later and chalked up the two-hour delay to “island time.” A bevy of post-it notes, computer calendar, wall calendars, and reminders to my friends to remind me generally keeps me out of deep waters.

3. My throat/esophagus/tummy growls (long and loudly) at inappropriate times. The first time I remember this happening was during a silent prayer at church when I was a teen. Here are a few other times it’s happened: ~ drive-in movie, first date, the hero and heroine are about to kiss ~ senior prom, posing with my boyfriend for a professional photographer ~ during a job interview ~ while taking tests in school.

4. I absolutely detest it when at the bottom of a cute/funny/thoughtful thing received by email it says: send this to 10 people immediately. Even more irritating is when it says or your luck/fortune/friendships will be broken. I never do it. If I want to send it to someone who might enjoy it, I always remove the directive at the bottom before sending it. While this meme is fun and I actually enjoyed getting tagged, the part about tagging 5 others falls into this weird thing about me category. Therefore, I won’t be tagging anyone specifically. Of course, if you’re reading this and would like to put 5 wierd things about yourself on your blog, please do!

Siamese cat, Hollie-Three-Bell-Huntress, photo by Robert Demar
5. Our cat, Hollie-Three-Bell-Huntress, loves to roll in the dirt. She has her favorite spots, one near the trail to the studio, one by the little bridge on the trail from the garage to the house and one by the fire pit. Nothing like a good roll in the dirt!!! That’s cat weirdness. But how ‘bout this? One thing I love to do is nuzzle my face between her ears, where her fur is ever so soft. Predictable story here… She’s on her favorite haul-out place, the back of the living room rocker (picture above), and I give her the customary nuzzle not knowing she’s just had a roll. Yup, a mouth and snoot full of dirt is my reward... happened more than once.

Now that all of you "get dressed and take a long walk before breakfast" people have had your chance to feel virtuous, please consider yourself tagged ;>)

26 comments:

  1. Not feeling very virtuous as I do the same thing only I wear jammies. Short ones in summer, long ones in winter but either way I hate to get dressed in the morning, too!

    I'm pretty good with remembering dates and times but I use the calendar in my Works program. I can set it to notify me ahead of time.

    And I'm like you, I don't like those emails either. I figure if my "luck" depends on something like that then I'm in big trouble!

    Enjoyed all your answers to this one, and I don't think you're weird at all.

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  2. Anonymous2:19 PM

    I always work in my nightie...it horrifies my husband when I go out for the mail in it...and yes, I have been caught repeatedly...I think anyone who doesn't work in their nightie is weird!

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  3. Boy, how much alike many of us are. My old flannel nightie just gave out and I ordered two from LL Bean 2 days ago -- same style -- two colors so at least folks will know I change now and again -- jeans and flannel nighties (and sweatshirts, of course) are my favorites -- weddings and funerals drive me crazy -- a dress, you've got to be kidding! (I really do have a couple, but hat to wear nylons so therefore hate dresses/skirts)
    _____________________
    Terrible with dates and times -- just ask my hubby or children -- they all know to tell me again and again.
    _________________________
    I just cut the part that says forward to other off the email -- if I forward it at all.
    ____________________

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  4. Oops, forgot -- how could I do that?
    Hollie-Three-Bell-Huntress is gorgeous. I would nuzzel my face to her fur too -- dirt or no dirt. Have you ever read (for fun) Lillian Jackson Braun's CAT WHO... books? I've been catching up on the last few while tending Bailey. We had a Siamese named KoKo after the main cat in her books. LOL

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  5. I don't get dressed until I am ready to go to the gym, usually just before lunch, and then I wear junkie clothes. When I get home I take a shower and change into a clean t-shirt. :-) Comfort is critical to creativity.

    That must be why I felt stymied in all those suits and heels!

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  6. Anonymous4:20 PM

    xI like the cat pictures and it made me lonesome. Like most people, even though I am a 'morning person' and say if it doesn't get done by 2 p.m. it probably won't get done today, my husband considers me notiorious about not wanting to get dressed. I run around in in a mumu type thing that you can't see through and get all my work done and sweating done and then I get cleaned up and dressed for outside things. I guess people have 'caught' me and I don't care. It's where I live and that's that.

    The emails I send on if they have those luck depends upon you blah, blah stuff, I figure If I want to send them I will and If I don't I won't. It is a challenge to try to tell me that. I don't care aobut what someone else thinks about that either. Ah! Being older is grand.

    I have always nuzzled cats. When you live on the farm with 32 cats there was always one who wanted to nuzzle. I'm so used to dirt in my mouth--along with cat--that, can you guess, I just don't care!

    I'm pretty good about doing times and dates, but have been called when I was supposed to be somewhere and didn't make it. We met for coffee at an inbetween place. And I have had people call me up and ask me where I was. Weird, but on the few times I forget--I really forget.

    I think the really odd thing about me is that as I get older I just really hate to do house keeping. When I was younger I would die of embarressment if anyone saw my house out of order. Now, I'm too busy having fun to care about that either.

    I still dislike leaving my bed unmade in case I should have an accident while I'm gone. I don't care about my underwear, but I sure care if my bed is made as how would it look if someone came into the house to help me out by getting some night gowns or something and there was my bed unmade?! Oh, the horror! I really don't know where that one came from, but even I think it is pretty funny, but it is one of the first things I do after the bed has been empty for at least an hour--to air it out, you know. There are definite rules about bed making, afterall.

    This was a really fun one!

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  7. Oh too funny, tummy growls at the drive-in..poor Robin!!!

    Thanks for playing, it was fun, and I love your nightie.

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  8. I'm completely flabbergasted (special word for Janet)! I had no idea there were others with the same nightie weirdness. How delightful to think I'm "normal" after all.

    Mary T ~ Ever thought about starting your own blog? You'd write a great one!

    Beaden' Gram ~ You bet I've read the Cat Who... books. They're a fun read!

    Allison ~ Yes, the other weirdnesses are all in Mary T's "don't care if ah do" category, but involuntary growling has been quite an embarrassment at times, especially when I was younger. And the more I worried that it might happen, the more it did.

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  9. Anonymous6:54 PM

    I don't get dressed till noon most days. I wear big old pants with snowmen on them even in the summer. LOL

    Your number #4 I hate too!

    The stomach growl. Yeah I've had my trouble with that too. I was at a meeting at 9 in the morning with two millionaire and my stomach sounded a huge lion. I will never forget that as long as I live. It didn't help that the man that ask me to be at the meeting didn't let me live it down for a month.

    Love your cat.

    Be safe...

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  10. Anonymous7:14 PM

    I am so happy that I'm not the only one who is happiest in her jammies all day long!!!
    Now if only I could get away with wearing them in public...

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  11. Anonymous6:19 AM

    I'm the same way, too. But, I like to wear cute Victoria's Secret PJ's all day long. I do my best beadwork while wearing pajamas. LOL

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  12. Anonymous7:42 AM

    I like this weirdo-post.

    1) The nighty weirdness must be wide-spread. On my days off I tend to dance around in my nightgown for quite some time before I get tidied up, but I don't really enjoy it, I'm just reluctant to interrupt what I am doing and take a shower. But once I've got round to showering and dressing (I am not speaking of dressing up), I feel great because of all the things that I have finished while in my nighty.

    2) Another weirdness I probably share with others: When I am in a hurry to get things done, I always tell myself aloud which is the next chore, and it speeds me up considerably.

    3) Having been a late-comer all my life, but still working at improving my bad ways, I always see to it that my clocks and watches are five minutes fast - that does the trick (mostly).

    4) When I want my cat, a sweet red-white long-furred race mix, to shift from a place where he is not particularly welcome, I talk to him in Arabic, because he was born in Cairo. Believe it or not - it works.

    5) I have a ring that I nearly always wear - it is magic. It is an old Egyptian silver ring with a red glass stone, quite big and of rural origin. Wísh I knew its life history! The sight of this ring has induced many people, even complete strangers, to start a conversation with me. This repeats itself again and again. Sometimes, when I tell someone that the ring is magic, they think I am trying to be funny, but really I am not.

    About these e-mails that practically order you to send them on, or else ...: I don't think it is weird to go against what they tell you do do. Who are the original senders, to give out orders to others and to set punishments in case you do not oblige?

    Have a nice cosy weekend in your favourite hanging-around, errr - I mean beading, gear!
    Sabine

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  13. LOL!...I was trying to figure out what was "weird" about your answers....guess I have a much wilder definition of "weird" than most folks!

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  14. To all ~ Let me get this right... We're ALL charter members of the Society for Artists in Sleepwear! It's now officially official.

    BeadBabe ~ Oh do please tell! You might actually be surprised, like I was, when you start reading the comments.

    Sabine ~ I love the idea of a magic ring!

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  15. This one truely made me Laugh Out Loud!

    I don't think you're wierd at all though, & I agree, I hate those FWD. things. I got a virus in my computer from one once, & try not to open them anymore, no matter who sends them!

    The cat on the other hand, being a cat is a little wierd. I love the picture. Most cats like to stay clean. Maybe he was a dog in his most recent past life, & still thinks of himself that way!

    I usually wear satin PJs to work in my studio. It helps to keep the quilts from hanging up on my clothes when I'm doing free-motion work. The mailman has raised an eyebrow or 2 at 430 p.m. when I go to the door wearing satin PJs over long-underwear! SO a flannel nighty sounds perfectly fine to me!

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  17. Let's see, Robin;

    < We're ALL charter members of the Society for Artists in Sleepwear>.

    If we were all members of the Society for Artists in Nighties would that make us SAIN (as in Sane????

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  18. Anonymous1:48 PM

    Robin, I think, you as the orginator of SAIN, Society of Artists In Sleepwear! Need to make some sort of wee annoucement and perhaps a charter certificate...Oh, my I could go on and on. This has really sparked interesting comments. I think it may speak to art being something we think is more important than how we are looking at the moment. Refreshing for a ..."bunch o' dames."

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  19. Anonymous7:13 PM

    Dear Robin,
    I really enjoyed your post today and I laught a lot, because I thought we could be sisters!
    1. There is the Pyjama thing: If I don´t have to leave my house and garden that day, I NEVER would dress up.
    Once I met my postman in a nearby Shoppingmall, and he simply couldn´t recognize me- He met a woman with combed hair, a painted face and with NO pyjama on.

    Best wishes to you and to all the other girls and the nice and dirty cat.

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  20. How fun! Reminds me of the John Prine song, "Dear Abby, Dear Abby, You won't believe this. My stomach makes noises whenever I kiss..." http://www.mysongbook.de/msb/songs/d/dearabby.html

    I'm not a nightie gal, I get dressed right away when I get up. But if I had one of those cool LLBEAN flannels, I might change my ways!!! As long as it didn't twist around me in the night. Then I'd have to go back to my t-shirt.

    My weirdest thing is probably that I sing to my dogs, all kinds of goofy made up songs. "Barney, the fruit-loving puppy...that is who you are!" And if I'm in a good mood, I'll sing a phrase I just made up from nowhere. My husband still walks in and looks at me like I came from Jupiter. It just makes me sing more!!

    And I sit with you on those manipulative emails from guiltsville. I just delete 'em.

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  21. Oh Robin, I didn't mean to make light of your embarrassaing tummy growls. Sorry for that!
    I go to a church where we have long silent meditations...sometimes for several hours, and we are not supposed to eat beforehand. You can hear growls coming from all over the chapel! They always make me smile.

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  22. I wear my night time attire until just before my husband comes home from work. Than it is a mad rush to get the bed made, empty the dishwasher and start dinner just before he open's the door and says "I am home"
    Wearing your jammies all day in New Orleans is suppose to be a "no" "no". I had a friend who answered the door once with "sorry I am not recieving guest right now" because she was not fully dressed with her make-up and dress clothes on. I thought that was so funny. I am not afraid to open my door in my jammies.

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  23. Anonymous6:25 AM

    Is it permitted to tell two weird stories although they are not directly connected to my personal weirdnesses? If these stories are out of place in the blog, please just disregard them and pass them by.

    1) The weirdness of the (military) world

    Long before I owned my magic ring, from 1945 to 1947, my mother and I were staying in a refugee camp in Denmark, because we had had to run from the Russians. The camp was enclosed by fences and barbed wire, and we were not allowed out except on very special permission, e.g. to go to the doctor.

    Once I had to see the doctor because of an ear ache, so my mother was allowed to take me out into the post-war free world. The doctor was a very kind, understanding man. He not only cured my ear, but also got out two puppets on strings, darkened the room, and improvised a performance for a little girl in charity clothes and her mother.

    Back in the street, we passed by a shop selling icecream. I had never before seen such a miracle, but of course I recognised instinctively that it was something delicious - and I wanted some. The shop owner flatly refused to sell the tiniest bit of icecream to us, for a little German girl to enjoy. People started to shout abuse at us, which I did not understand at the time, but later of course I did.

    Decades later, my parents went on a trip to Denmark, now very welcome tourists, taking the opportunity to pass by the former refugee camp. My mother wanted to show my father the grounds - but NO, they were not allowed IN beyond the fences and barbed wire. The refugee camp had been changed into a military camp.

    Does this episode qualify as weird?

    To finish on a funny note, here is story no.

    2) Weird inventiveness

    In this same refugee camp, there was a young man who had lost a leg in the war. The leg had been replaced by a wooden one. Somehow, this man had established connections to the outside world, and every now and again he was able to conquer the barriers at night and get out. For these rare occasions, he had prepared his wooden leg by hammering nails into it. When he returned, he was singing happily, carrying home, hung on the said nails, his catch of the night: Sausages!

    Sabine

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  24. I always delete the threats of bad luck at the end of "forward on" emails. I would never forward a threat to anyone I send emails to. I really don't get that one. I especially when emails are spiritual and the bad luck wish at the end has to do with ones spirituality. That is now acceptable to me. OK, I'll stop my rant on one of my pet peeves.

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  25. I love this post! You are anything but weird, let me tell you. I think I can do you one better than the flannel nightgown. My mom made me a bright blue fleece sleep jumper. Think footie pajamas without the footies or the butt flap! As soon as the weather starts getting cold on it goes and I don't come out of it unless I have to go outside. So there I am, all 5'9" of blue! So does that qualify me for membership in SAIN?

    I'll post my 5 Weird Things to my journal over the weekend. =)

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  26. I luv your cat. I recently took in Mrs. Mom Cat and she has a special personality among our pets.

    She looks like a siamese [sort of] with grey/white stripes. And blue-grey eyes.

    In the house she is polite -- outdoors she is a menace to bugs & all things moving!

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Thanks you for joining the discussion on this post today!