Thursday, May 22, 2008

Six Unspectacular Quirks Meme

I plan to talk more about screenwriting techniques soon. In the meantime, Sphinx Ink has tagged me for a meme. Here are the rules:

Link the person who tagged you.
Mention the rules in your blog.
Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.

Okay, here it goes...

1. I’m a health food fanatic. Not only am I a vegetarian, but I scrupulously avoid a long list of “poisons,” including partially-hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, dairy products that aren’t from antibiotic- and rBGH-free cows, artificial sweeteners, etc, etc, etc. In other words, I'm a real pain to invite to dinner. Which is a pity, because...

2. I hate to cook. It’s not that I’m a bad cook, I just really, really HATE TO COOK. If my family were a part of the Fast Food Nation, this wouldn’t be a problem. But since we’re all health food nuts, I have to cook. And I hate it.

3. I lust after big old houses. I love graceful old trimwork, mellow hardwood floors, and idiosyncratic nooks and crannies. I love wrap-around porches, screen porches, porch swings, turret rooms, spreading live oaks, and dusty old attics full of forgotten treasures. I’ve always wanted to live in a big old house. The last time I lived in a big old house, I was six.

4. I’m a planning freak. I constantly make lists, figure out how I’m going to do things, the order in which I’m going to do things, etc. Steve says I spend more time making lists than doing what needs to be done, but I think that’s an exaggeration.

5. I loathe crowds, noise, TVs or talk radio programs playing in the background, using the telephone, driving a car—far too many things that are an inescapable part of our modern lifestyle.

6. I’m a sucker for cats—which is why I have six of them. I also love birds, squirrels, butterflies, dragonflies, and lizards, which is why my (organic) garden is overrun with critters, and my cats stay inside.

7 comments:

Lisa said...

I can see how quirks one and two could certainly be inconvenient! I'm not at all surprised that you're a big planner and list maker. Very interesting... :)

Steve Malley said...

Glad you did this meme too!

I share your thing for big old houses, even though I live in one now, with its funhouse floors, bizarre drafts, odd noises and dodgy plumbing. I still love this ancient and cavernous halls!!

oh, and cats.

Charles Gramlich said...

I'm with you on big old houses; I grew up in one. I also loathe crowds and the detritus of modern life, but I'm not much of a planner and definitely not a health food nut.

I like to cook.

Sphinx Ink said...

Interesting list...Having come to know you over the past few years, I would have guessed most of those. I didn't realize, however, that you HATE cooking. Since you cook way more than I do, I figured you liked it. Of course, given the limited parameters of the foods you can eat, obviously you have to cook for yourself.

I also never thought about your having a fondness for "big old houses." Considering how much time and effort you focus on your current home, it makes sense.

I love big old houses, too, and lived in some in the past, but they require huge amounts of maintenance. Great for those who have the money, or have the handyman skills, but a bummer for those of us without either.

I'm with you on the love of cats. As you know, however, I'm not much good at planning. I admire those who do it well. I'm a pantser in life as well as in writing!

Shauna Roberts said...

My husband and I love big old houses too. Our first house (a tiny one, with all the gingerbread long since removed) was built in the 1880s. We quickly learned that our love of old houses was combined with a strong dislike of fixing them up.

I'm with you on cats.

We've eaten vegetarian at home for maybe 24 years, but still will eat meat at a friend's house (particularly if there's not much else on the menu). I also avoid most of the things you label "poisons"
when I cook, but again, at a friend's house we'll eat most of what's served. (And I've learned not to go into people's kitchens when they're cooking because almost no one follows what I consider basic rules of sanitation.)

Valerie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Valerie said...

Not sure why it had me comment this one when trying to comment the other... so I deleted and split into two comments. :)


I also love big houses, but only if they have character.. not any of those modern big houses that all look the same. I have a cat named Nestle, he is my only one now. I love your love/hate relationship with cooking. I like background noise, which is odd, since I'm not a huge fan of talking on the phone (in general) or being around people that make noise (lmao). I don't drive though, so I can't relate to that one.