'Tis the Season to be Quirky

I don't have a nativity set. The kids decided to make one for me using parts of the Friend magazine, pieces of a tiny nativity set, and few of their most cherished toys. Very touching!

Well, thanks to the few of you who are so quick to criticize, I think I might be able to finally take care of my tag and list 6 of my most special-est quirks. We'll see how far I get, anyway.

1. A shout out to Kasey for asking for clarification on my dislike of "Titanic." This is actually just a shallow manifestation of my quirk which is a deep-seated disdain for Hollywood, and much of the movie-making scene, and how they have the undeserved attention and devotion of much of the world. I didn't go to the movies a lot while growing up, so I don't understand why people feel such a need to spend so much time and money to watch so many movies. But I'm noticing that the bad economy and rising theater prices are starting to cause many to ask the same question, lately.

As for Titanic specifically, I don't care for the two stars of the show, I don't like that they slapped a cheesy (and immoral) love story on top of a true tragedy and then peddled it for money, and I was disappointed that despite the completely inappropriate drawing scene, it was fawned over by much of the population of BYU and other Church members. I wasn't surprised, but I was disappointed. It was so over-hyped that I felt like being one of the few people to say, "This is just a movie. It has no bearing on my life. I do not need to watch Titanic, in fact, because of inappropriate scenes and content, I shouldn't watch it." I'm not that good about all movies, but I took a stand on this one, and I plan to stick to it. I much prefer to learn about history through biographies and non-glitzed documentaries.

2. Oh, have I not chased everyone away by bashing Titanic? Okay, then I'll reward you by discussing a less-controversial quirk. I have some pretty fidgety fingers. The rest of me is pretty relaxed, in fact, I don't like sitting next to jumpy people or kids because it ruins my calm, but then I'll slowly realize that while the rest of me is still, my fingers are busy rubbing against each other, or picking at skin, or clicking my nails, etc.

3. Along with my personal ban on movies, I also ban other commercial enterprises. Such as refusing to eat at Carl's Jr. anymore because of their offensive ads geared toward young, lazy, mentally inept guys who apparently are too busy enjoying porn to learn how to cook. I know that when I refuse to give them my money, it doesn't make much of a dent in their pocketbook, but it makes ME feel better. I can't control the actions of others, but I can control what I support financially.

4. Judy asked about why I never know how I want my haircut. She's actually exaggerating because the last time I asked her to cut my hair, I brought two pictures. My fourth quirk is that I'm a wash-and-go kind of girl, but I have hair that is definitely not. I keep hoping for divine inspiration that will reveal the magic haircut to me that will make it possible to cut my hair prep time in half . . . at least. By the time I get into the chair, I realize no inspiration has come, but it's been 6+ months since the last cut, and I'm so frustrated that the only stipulation that I have is that it needs to be shorter . . . NOW!

5. I love traditional breakfast foods but I can't eat them for breakfast. Unless, of course, breakfast is at 9 or 10 o'clock. I'm talking about eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash browns. Warm, heavy, greasy foods makes my stomach queasy and unsettled in the early morning. I can only do cereal, juice or fruit. What would be totally awesome is if I could eat a prep meal before breakfast to get my stomach jump started, and then go for the works later after my appetite has been thus whetted. Is that what brunch is for? Pity. I don't have time for brunch.

6. In spite of the fact that I have more than the average amount of children and was the 2nd oldest in a large family, I never considered myself a kid-friendly person. Children are too unpredictable and unbridled for me to feel comfortable around them. Plus, I seem to have lost track of my inner child. Whatever meager skill I may now display in that area has been painstakingly learned. So why do I have so many children? Well, at the risk of being too deep, since both Tim and I are healthy, responsible people, I am free to leave it to Heavenly Father to decide how many need to come to our family. I always second-guess myself in these matters, but I have complete confidence in Him. I'm pretty good at adjusting to whatever He thinks is best. Besides, since raising children always pushes you to be better, by the time this is all over, if I don't lose it and go spinning completely out of control, I should be downright AWESOME. One or the other.

So here's to working out all of the kinks!

(Oh, and by the way, I tag Judy, Kasey, Kathryn, Brittany and Krista. Ha! Your painful journey of self-discovery starts NOW! Need any helpful suggestions?

Julie--your suggested quirk was not submitted in all seriousness. For shame! Using comments to make fun instead of for what they were originally intended! This is completely contrary to your previously impeccable behavior. What were you thinking? I therefore regret to inform you that your suggestion did not make my list of top 6 quirks, and I will not address it in my blog. Or maybe I just did.)