Thursday, December 20, 2007

Tagged Again, This Time By My Roomie

I discovered today quite by accident while blog-hopping that I have been tagged by Elaine at Artful Spirit http://artful-spirit.blogspot.com/. She is going to be my roommate at Art & Soul in Hamtpon, VA in May 2008, so I guess we'd better get to know each other! I can tell you she makes fabulous folk art sculptures from paper clay. Elaine was tagged by two other mutual blog friends, Viv, hostess of the snowman swap, at http://vivs-whimsy.blogspot.com/ and Sadie Hartmann, maker of Betsy ornaments and more at http://craftilyeverafter.blogspot.com/.

So I am supposed to tell five unusual things about myself. Although I am not feeling very unusual at the moment and seem to have the holiday blahs and a muse slump, here goes:

1) I am a little bit obsessive-compulsive, and this is not to mock anyone who is medicated for this. Perhaps I should be. I like to hang my clothes by color, line up my shoes neatly, organize my canned goods in my pantry by type, and much too much to even name. When I was little I had a collection of porcelain animals on my dresser, and one of my girlfriends took pleasure in rearranging them. It would actually make me cry. So it would when my nieces and nephews messed with my Barbie house arrangements. What can I say? I was a brat. An OCD brat.

2) I used to be fluent in Spanish, having majored in it in college, having hosted briefly an exchange student from Chile and having taken honors Spanish all through high school as well as French in college. By the time I graduated, I had read a novel in Spanish and written a term paper. I wish I had done more with it and have lost much of my ability.

3) Sadie Lou said she bites her fingernails, so I am going to steal that one, although I don't anymore. I did from toddlerhood to age 15, and then stopped cold turkey in 10th grade, probably the only cold turkey thing I've ever done. Moreover, I can't believe I ever did it, because I am so fussy about my nails now, girly and I don't like to stick anything germ-y in my mouth, like fingers (more OCD coming through). I don't even like to touch my face with my fingers, except when washing my face.

4) Can't sing or dance a lick, although I try. I absolutely love all music, know the words to a million songs, could play Name that Tune or Songburst until the cows come home, but no one can stand to be around me when I do. Although I was short, I got moved to the back row with the tall boys in second grade choir (that's how bad I was), and I pretty much got kicked out of junior high band. I was just awful-really. Several years of dance lessons also did no good, although by the time I took ballet in college, I was okay, except for leaping- ugly! And I would start to giggle- and ballerinas can't giggle, or even crack a smile.

5) I wouldn't mind living on a farm. I like all the hard work, baking, cleaning, gardening. I have driven a tractor and a chisel plow before. I like the big old houses, big open spaces, animals, natural foods, vegetables, canning. I can ride and saddle a horse. And all this is funny because my friends think I am a prissy city-slicker.

Done. And in the spirit of the busy holidays, I am not tagging anyone! Aren't you relieved?

6 comments:

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

Very nice post. Merry Christmas

Elaine Thomas said...

Wow!, I am glad I tagged you. We have alot in common. I arrange my clothes that way as well. I also arrange can goods in the pantry. I was also a dancer in my younger years. I took ballet lessons for about 5 years and played the violin. Well, we will have lots to talk about on our trip to Hampton, VA.
Happy Holidays!!

Anonymous said...

I am so glad to know there is someone else out there that hangs her clothes according to color! I even try to match the colors of the hangers with the same color of the clothes that are hanging on them! My pantry is also very neat and tidy, with all the labels of the cans facing outward. I can't sing or dance either, so I only sing outloud when nobody else is around (except the kitties)! Have a Merry Christmas!
Michelle
ferricat@yahoo.com

vivian said...

good girl!! Its nice to know little tidbits about people isnt it!
vivian

Sherry said...

Hola Gina!! I loved learning a bit more about you.

I appreciate your visit to my blogs and I wanted to say that my heart goes out to your niece...not the most pleasant experience she's having and it would be easy to make the mistake she did. I am sending up many prayers for her. If you ever need to talk, ask questions or just vent, please feel free.

Wishing you and your family the best of the holiday season. And much joy, laughter and good health for the coming year.

Loudlife said...

Hey Gina-Lou!
(The -loo is an endearment that started at a job I once had. Everbody got it - Lisa-Lou, Laurie-Lou, Tina-Lou, Gary-Lou, etc. I've never been able to shake the habit. I've stopped myself from typing it several times and decided to heck with it today.)

I was just reading my Somerset Studio that arrived a couple days ago and there you were in the letters section! Did you know they published your letter? And I'm with you on the content. Those anti-people are kind of whiny, IMO.

I am slighly OCD in that when I arrange something in my house I want it to stay this way. A girlfriend of mine will still talk about the time I got sharp with her for moving several things around on my shelves - 20 years ago!

These days it's my husband who arranges things and I let him because if I got invested in it there would be war - 2 artists in the house is too many opinions sometimes!

Your trees are so beautiful. I'm going to try to post pictures of ours sometime tomorrow (probably right around 2am, knowing me). Hopefully before the last minute panic sets in and mayhem ensues.

Have a happy, happy Christmas!
xoxo
Laurie