Burlap & Satin

I've been tagged by the lovely Rasee. Enjoy.

A. List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B. Tag seven people to do the same.
C. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it."

1. Some people crave cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, caffeine. Me? Sweet Tea. I come from a long line of woman that boiled tea bags and put just the right amount of sugar in there. It's one of my earliest memories - sitting in my grandmother's kitchen with the smell of tea filling the air and watching the tea bags float in boiling water, trying not to let my mouth water. It's my biggest crutch. I'd drink it 24/7 if I thought my teeth and body could stand it. We switched to decaf years ago because I'm so sensitive to it and it's been great. Otherwise, I just drink water.

2. Lately I'm seriously getting into genealogy and trying desperately to fill in some holes on my family tree. So far, I've traced one line of ancestry back to the First-generation Americans in the colonies of Virginia. Before that, I believe they hailed from Cheshire, England. I also mapped out eight generations of men named John that named their son John that named their son John that named their son John... you get the idea. To say that was a confusing day for me would be a vast understatement. I was so happy to see someone named Thomas! But of course, he was the son of John. *sigh*

3. I am severely arachnophobic. When most people say that they are "phobic" of something, they are usually exaggerating. I'm not. The actual DSM-IV definition of a phobia is "an irrational fear that interferes with daily life." There are numerous other key symptoms that I won't go into here, but yes, I have a true phobia. I often have nightmares about them (I can't even write the "S" word or the god-awful dreaded "T" word, so you'll just have to figure those out on your own). In recent years, it's become incredibly intense and I'm usually quite unable to function after having interaction with one, no matter how insignificant or removed. This past year has been a horrible one for Really Bad Incidents and my fear has amped up to a whole new level of paralyzing panic. I'm trying to learn how to handle it better, but it's hard to get excited about gardening or working on the house in the Spring time when they're the first thing you think of.

4. The toilet paper should run OVER the roll, people. Over. Don't argue me on this. You won't win. Just look at the science!

5. As I get older, I find that I crave organization more and more. I get very upset if things aren't put in their correct places or if I can't find something. I'm not a neat-freak by any stretch of the imagination, but I do find that having everything in its place gives me insane amounts of comfort. It's almost like I sleep better if I know my house is organized. Meanwhile, the cat hair continues to clump and fall everywhere and I don't even notice it.

6. For the past ten years, I've always fallen asleep to some sort of sleep or meditation CD. Nature sounds work best for me, as they're the most soothing and not distracting enough to keep me awake. But I absolutely cannot fall asleep to silence, or a fan for that matter. Some people enjoy the sound of a fan, but I can't stand it because it makes me anxious all night. I'm always on the lookout for good sleep CDs.

7. My favorite flowers are lilies, then tulips, then daisies. In every house we've lived in since we've been together, J. and I have always had them planted somewhere on our property. Even if it was a pot or a bouquet of fake flowers, they were there.

It's taken me nearly an hour to come up with 7 things about myself. Geez, writer's block much?

Also, because I am rebellious and don't like being told what to do, I'm tagging "whoever wants to do it." So there.