Friday, March 13, 2009

100 Things About Kelly

To celebrate my 100th post, here are 100 things about me!

1. My favourite herb is rosemary.

2. It seems like the older I get, the more introverted I become.

3. I miss living near the ocean. It is therapeutic.

4. I am totally a cat person.

5. I don't like being cold. Or wet. Or especially cold and wet.

7. I tend to constantly challenge myself. Whenever life isn't stressful for a second, I make sure to take on something new. =)

8. I don't know how to play chess, and I don't care if I never learn.

9. I used to never be able to handle conflict in any form. I could't even debate about things in person (only sometimes online, if I had time to formulate my answers). Only recently have I started to be able to actually stand up for myself. But I have always had very solid opinions and beliefs.




10. I am a better person when I live in community.

11. I like burning hot showers, and lukewarm dish water.

12. I love doing laundry, and I always do it on Monday and Friday. Always. Even when I had the flu and literally had to crawl up the stairs with barf bucket in hand.

13. I wish I still played the piano.

14. I'm not a big fan of shoes outdoors. I like to feel the earth with my feet. But I almost always wear at least socks, if not slippers or shoes, indoors.

15. I totally LOVE being pregnant. If it weren't for the horrid newborn stage, I'd probably have a dozen kids.

16. I love mayonnaise. I could eat it with a spoon.

17. I believe anything little is automatically cute. Except spiders.

18. Going out is stressful for me because I know I will have to park somewhere.

19. When I see emo kids, I want to pet them. Some day I think I will.



20. I tend to have very random, but extremely stressful dreams.

21. I hate living in the suburbs. I like either downtown, or out of town.

22. I love Yo Gabba Gabba.

23. I miss my dreadlocks so much and am definitely going to dread my hair again someday.

25. I like cold, soggy toast (as long as the sogginess comes from the over-saturation of butter, I love butter). Camp toast was the best!

26. I shave my armpits but not my legs.

27. I prefer cold drinks over hot ones.

28. I stress myself out mostly over possibilities rather than actual events. My imagination gets really detailed and over-the-top.

29. I love swimming in the ocean despite the threat of sharks and jellyfish, but am scared of lakes because the little harmless fish and seaweed freak me out.



30. I use freecycle regularly and most of what I own has come from there. I hate when people don't reply to me when I send them an email through freecycle. I always reply to everyone who emails me, even if the item is gone already. I think it's a simple courtesy.

31. My favourite colour combination is brown & turquoise.

32. I really enjoy working out. I don't care if I am ever really skinny again, but I want to be really strong. I want to feel like I can protect and defend myself if need be.

33. I absolutely love photography. I'm no good at it, and use the auto settings on my camera (*shame*), but I take pictures almost every day. I also took photos of everything as a teenager and I am so thankful I did. I love artful photography as well, but I've never tried anything like that. I just enjoy looking at it.

34. I have to schedule in showers or I forget to. I try to shower at least twice a week.

35. I hate anything to do with finger/toenails. I can't stand mine being touched, it takes a lot of energy for me to even clip my nails. I hate clipping the kids' nails even more. I could never get a mani/pedicure.

36. I have a slight obsession with cloth diapers. I think it's hilarious that I can get so excited about some fabric that gets soaked with pee and stained with poop.

37. I have to force myself to drink water and eat vegetables every day. My natural inclinations are very unhealthy and I constantly have to fight it because health is really important to me.

38. I used to love humidity and hate air conditioning, until I had kids. Now if it's too humid I feel like I can't breathe, so I tolerate the AC.

39. I over-think and over-analyse everything. I also get very easily overwhelmed. Sometimes the thought of life itself paralyses me.



40. I really want to sew and knit, and I have the supplies, but I never actually do it.

41. I like going out for breakfast better than going out for dinner. Cora's is my favourite place to go!

42. Besides combing out my dreadlocks in July '08 and getting a hair cut in October '08, I haven't combed or brushed my hair since June 2005.

43. I get discouraged easily and am prone to depression.

44. I like sweets, a lot. I'm not really big on salty food.

45. I am afraid of people in general. Nothing scares me more than a mob. I would much rather be alone in the wilderness than in a crowded area.

46. I am good at making up silly little songs about anything and everything on the spot. Most of the time they even rhyme. I sing to my kids all day, but I never sing in front of anyone else, ever.

47. I think I'm a closet anarchist. I'm not sure if it would really work in our culture, but I honestly think that the New Testament Church was more like an anarchist group today than the "church" today. I'm also afraid to look/get into it too much because I know I will probably love it and there would be no turning back.

48. I think I would last a lot longer before going crazy in solitary confinement than most people. Honestly I could just sit and stare at the wall for hours, perfectly content to just think. I'd go crazy eventually, but probably not as quickly as most.

49. I'm really slow at everything, and always have been. I'm usually the last to finish things in a group. I'm a slow walker. Assignments in school took me longer than everyone else. It always takes me a lot longer to prepare meals than what the cookbook says. Chores take me forever. etc etc etc. Some times I wonder if there is something wrong with me.





50. I absolutely love beads! I enjoy making jewelry, even though I never wear it.

51. I seem to actually love stress, apparently I am a cortisol junkie. I procrastinate with everything. I enjoy chaos too. Normalcy drives me insane.

52. I am extremely empathetic. I think that's part of the reason I hate crowds, I pick up everyone's "energy" and most of the time these days I don't have enough strength to handle it all. I also constantly try to think of what life is like from other people's perspective, and when people talk to me I try to relate through my own experience.

53. I don't feel like my clothing ever accurately portrays who I really am. And I can't seem to figure out how to actually do that. Or if it really matters. Honestly maybe it's because I don't even know who I really am.

54. My love languages are quality time and touch. Although lately I have found that acts of service is becoming a lot more important too. And I have noticed that I hardly touch people anymore, probably because I am always in survival mode and I don't feel safe. Gifts and words don't mean a whole lot to me...

55. I am very detail-oriented. At least when I am given the time and space to focus.

56. I eat food off of the floor. All the time. And my floors aren't always clean. I don't like to waste food.

57. I like being one-on-one or in a small group of people, in those situations I tend to talk a lot. I love telling stories if I have a captive audience.

58. I think a clothesline full of freshly washed clothing is a work of art.

59. I have a hard time starting something if I know I won't be able to get it all done in one sitting.





60. I enjoy being really sarcastic and harsh in conversation (in jest, obviously), but only to the right audience of course. I wish I had friends I could be like that with out here.

61. You could win my heart through a foot rub. Or a shoulder massage. I am always so tense.

62. I much prefer to sit on the floor than on a chair or other furniture.

63. I like paradoxes.

64. My greatest personal need is for respect.

65. I've never really been athletically inclined.

66. I could happily spend hours and hours and hours in a library or bookstore. I wish I had the time.

67. I tend to exaggerate, but I don't lie. I like to think that it is just because I am a natural storyteller. = )

68. I'm fairly claustrophobic.

69. I love cooking, and I think I would enjoy cooking for a large group of people if I had the space, time, and resources. I hate cutting veggies though, but that's unavoidable since I insist on having lots of veggies in everything I make.



70. I have a hard time letting go of my past mistakes, and still beat myself up over things that I did even over a decade ago.

71. Summer camp was seriously the best time of my life ever.

72. I always feel the need to please everyone and make sure everyone is happy. I hate that though, and often wish I could just be a jerk.

73. I am very organized on paper and good at administrative work, but find it hard to be organized in real life.

74. I hate doing the dishes more than anything. After many, many years, I finally have a dishwasher. I get really angry when I hear someone complaining about having to load/unload the dishwasher. Just be thankful you have one!

75. I used to be vegetarian (4 years), even vegan, and raw food vegan for a while. I miss it, sometimes. But I just need the animal fats and protein during my childbearing years.

76. I'm not exactly sure what my favourite type of music is anymore. There will always be a place in my heart for hardcore/metal music, but I also really love acoustic stuff, especially with hand drums. I like a lot of indy stuff too. Ska, punk and swing music will always be special to me as well, although I don't really care to listen to it anymore. And I grew up on folk, gospel and old country, so that will always be in my blood.

77. I tend to like really bland foods and am not inclined to try new things. Although Dave has brought me a long way in that area.

78. I don't think I have very much of a "presence". I startle people a lot because of it, and I don't mean to. And I don't think people notice if I am missing from a group. Sometimes when I'm out I actually forget that people can see me. I feel like I fade into the background. It's weird.

79. I have a really hard time dealing with things that are unfair. I can't work if everyone around me is just sitting around, and I can't just sit if someone else is working near me (but if I don't have anything to do/don't know what to do, I just end up feeling really awkward).



80. I really don't worry about my appearance much.

81. I am an extremely focused person. But I need my space and quietness to be so. Under those conditions I can get a lot accomplished, but if I am interrupted and there are lots of things going on, I can't focus at all. I'm not very good at multi-tasking, although I have learned how in several jobs that I've held. But it really doesn't come naturally to me.

82. I think chocolate almond milk is one of the greatest things in the world.

83. I really enjoyed school up until grade 4. It was rough from then on out, even though I found academics easy.

84. I don't care for mindless entertainment. I like movies, books, music etc. that really move, challenge, or affect me.

85. I really enjoy driving out in the country. But in the city I hate it.

86. I hate modern Western Christian culture, so much.

87. I used to think I was a disciplined person, but I am realizing now that I'm really not. I'm just good at setting things up so I don't have a choice but to do it. If I'm not forced to do something, I just won't, even if I "should".

88. I put a lot of effort into trying to be positive in everything. It's really hard for me because I am naturally pessimistic and cynical.

89. I always knew I would have kids, but never had a clue that they would impact me this much and this deeply. I always saw it as kind of a peripheral thing and not my defining role. I still don't think I was "born to be a mother", and it is seriously the hardest thing I have ever done, it doesn't come naturally to me, but I do think it is my greatest overall calling in life (but not the only).



90. I have a hard time with people that are superficial, and I find small-talk really annoying.

91. I absolutely love tattoos and it's killing me that I haven't been able to get any new ones for years.

92. The lifestyle I am living right now is very hard on me. I think I would make a good gypsy.

93. I have an overwhelming need to make music but just can't seem to do it.

94. If I go out for coffee I always order a chai latte. Preferably iced.

95. I think I'm a really awkward person. After I talk to someone I usually spend a long time wondering how they perceived me, and I feel bad about the stupid things I said (I express myself better in writing).

96. I can get really obsessive about things. Too bad house work isn't one of those things.

97. I never liked yogurt (soy or dairy) until a couple of years ago. Now it is one of my favourite things to eat!

98. I don't really enjoy shopping. I don't like going out, and I don't like spending money. I also think ethics are really important and it bothers me that most retailers don't.

99. I am a list-maker. I need a list of things to do every day or I will do nothing.

100. I'm pretty sure I could write another 100 things easily. I think I'm pretty introspective and self-aware. By now I'm sure you think I'm a little too self-absorbed... lol.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

ICH BIN DER BESTE!!!
I love the old photos. The viking helmet photo made me miss my old house in Pakenham, and the 2nd photo made me miss the days when a matching lavender sweat suit was the height of fashion.
Most of all, this list made me realize how much I miss you, and why I love you so much. I really hope we can live in the same city again someday (who knows where or when) because you really are one of my favourite people.

Marla said...

You're one of the most interesting people I know, and I barely know you.

Unknown said...

I read every single one and I'm convinced than ever that we would be great friends if we lived closer together.

Alex said...

Happy 100th!
Point 49: Wow! That's me!

VanessaKim said...

I've said this before but seriously..we are SO much alike it's kinda creepy.
I'm a cat person too. Cory & his mom are both deathly allergic. :(
My brother's tried to teach me chess a few times. It's just too complicated for my simple brain.
My showers have to be boiling hot.
I played piano for over 10 years then stopped as soon as my parent let me. I wish I'd stuck with it.
I'm opposite in the shaving department. I shave my legs but not my armpits. That is to say, I shave my legs once a month or so.
I refuse to swim in lakes or oceans. I'll wade in them but I'm convinced that God did not mean for us to be there. Otherwise we could breathe under water.
I don't really like to swim in pools either. I tend to just walk around and occasionally float.
I never find anything on freecycle. Everything listed here are want ads. I've given away a few things but have never found anything.
I love brown & turquoise. We're thinking of repainting our bedroom those colors.
If I come into some money I'm buying you a super nice camera. I think you really have a natural talent.
I'm with ya on the cloth diapers. I'm kinda obsessed with goodmamas now. Which is awful because they're so expensive.
Don't ever move to Oklahoma. The humidity here is absolutely ridiculous.
I really hate crowds too. I get all sweaty & panicky.
We're definitely anarchists. Embrace it. :) It's not something we go around broadcasting, but I think Jesus was totally an anarchist.
I love jewelry making. You inspire me. It's so relaxing. I need to do it more often.
My clothes don't fit me either. I'm forever trying to find who I am & look the part.
I think when you're a mom/housewife, service is definitely a big deal. Cory's definitely physical touch & I'm so not. It causes stress at times.
My feet ache non stop. And my shoulders. So yes..a foot or back rub is a direct line to my heart.
I'm extremely clumsy & so not athletic. Which is why I'm so puzzled that Faith and Elliott both seem to be pretty athletic. They both learned to catch balls really early & are already proving pretty great at t-ball.
In high school & college I'd just sit in book stores or the library for hours on end. I miss the quiet..
Cory loves to tell stories as well. He always exaggerates & gets so mad at me when I correct him.
I'm extremely claustrophobic. I'd prefer to take stairs than take an elevator. I'm forever terrified of getting stuck in one.
I don't mind dishes. It's laundry I hate. Which is why we should live together..
I like bland/familiar foods as well. Cory's really adventurous & I'd prefer to just have chicken & dumplings or mac n cheese every meal.
I feel invisible all the time. The thing is though that I don't really mind it much. Often times I look around & find everyone engaged in conversation but me.
I used to like really brain engaging movies and books but lately I've been craving mindless entertainment. I guess there's just too much on my mind & I need it to escape.
I'd make an awful gypsy. I need order & structure, especially in my home. I usually find myself dying to be home after being gone for just a few days.
I love iced soy chai lattes. Not much makes me happier. I craved them non stop while pregnant with Otto.
I hate shopping. Unless it's for the kids. I like buying the kids things.
& that was probably your longest comment ever. :)

Anonymous said...

The more I know about you the more I wish we could totally hang out and have a playdate with our kiddos!

Mandi said...

I love love love these types of posts. And I LOVE getting to know you more. And I love writing these posts too ;-) Thank you for being transparent and real :-)

~ esther ~ said...

This was fascinating... I enjoyed getting to know you a bit more! =]

xmomx said...

Ditto:

5
8
11
17
19
25
26
27
33
36
41- I've only been twice - we should go together sometime!
46- Myk and I are sooo bad for this. We joke it's the reason we love one another.
53
70
77- Myk has helped me a lot with the foood variety
89

Graceful Oven said...

Your inspire me in so many ways and this post was so beautiful and honest.

MummaBear said...

I wish I had been able to get to know you so much better when you were near now I will hope I get to know you from across the country.