Fire and Rain

The other day, my high school friend Melanie—a hilarious, brilliant, and wonderful woman—posted some kind of thing where one is supposed to reveal six weird habits or things about oneself. Though I have fortunately been spared the promise of 34 years of bad luck if I don't participate, it seems like a good exercise. I don't know if they are all necessarily weird things, though. Just insights, I guess. Here goes nothing:

1) I kind of like bossy men—or at least men who will take charge occasionally. You probably wouldn't expect it from a liberated woman like myself, but one time at my Christmas party this guy named Bryce (who I'd only met maybe an hour before) pinned me up against the door under the mistletoe. It was unexpected and maybe I should have objected, but I like a guy who will take charge.
2) For a long time I resisted the temptation to completely succumb to reality television, but I have a new TV obsession—"No. 1 Single" starring the great Lisa Loeb as she embarks on her quest for true love. It's great. The episode I saw Sunday morning before church was called "Wingman" and Lisa hooked up with her good friend, actor Michael Panes. Hooray! I feel a certain kinship with Lisa, and I think it's more than the fact I've decided in today's outfit that purple goes perfectly well with brown, orange and green. Hmm…
3) Today I appreciate the fact I have some kind of in-born maternal instincts. This morning I took the train to work and one of my fellow-passengers had quite the scare when she boarded this morning—while her son was on the train, as well as her baby in a stroller, she couldn't find the other woman and child she was traveling with, and we all thought the toddler was lost. It was AWFUL. I can't even imagine how I'd feel if it had been one of my children, but I'll tell you what. I felt terrible when I heard the little boy screaming because he thought his mother was leaving him. It was one of the worst sounds ever. Fortunately, the family was reunited and all was well in the end, but it was terrible. What really made me the most upset, however, was when I got off downtown and heard a woman telling the story to another woman, and all she could do was gripe that the intrigue made us two minutes late. The internal mother in me wanted to reach out and slap that woman. I don't know that it makes me a nurturer, but still.
4) One of the great regrets of my life is that I'm not particularly proficient (ok, I really suck) with any instrument. My inner beatnik would be well-served if I were making the coffee-house circuit and getting crazy with a little performance-art, but I guess it's not meant to be. As I don't even drink coffee, there's not much point, right? We'll see if I get any better on the harmonica any time soon.
5) The little things in life make me happy. This weekend I purchased a new shelf from Pier 1 for the apartment, and it's a fantastic addition. I have a heck of a time crocheting—whether baby blankets for my friends who are getting ready to be parents for the first time or hats and scarves for the blind Polish orphans. The highlight of my Sunday (besides watching Lisa Loeb find what I hope is true love) was telling my friend Travis that even though I love his curly hair, that he still looks hot, hot, HOT with his newly-shorn head. The best thing to ever happen to me was when Mister West of the Chunga and Mister Morning Show (101.9 KENZ) dedicated the top news stories and Hollywood headlines to me on air and read everything in his sexy voice. My good friend Melissa married a guy named Corn, so she's now Melissa Corn. I can't stop laughing about it. See? It doesn't take much, and I'm perfectly content.
6) I'm a firm believer in the power of individuals to be catalysts for change. It may be the naïve little girl in me, but I plan to make a mark in the world. Amen!