I Love Being Me

I love when I first encounter someone on IM and they say “so tell me about you”.  I always respond with, “what exactly would you like to know?”.  Specific questions from the other side are a big help in telling someone about me, because I am never sure what it is they really want to know.  There are a lot of things I could share with them but most are seeking certain information and the more direct they can be the faster we can supply what it is they really want to know.  Since I am a freak magnet, they usually are seeking to know if I am married and what my favorite sexual position might be.  Those land on my ever growing ‘ignore and block’ list.

Once in a while I will receive one of those “get to know your friends” emails with a list of questions designed to get to know them better.  Usually the answers do not reveal a whole lot I wasn’t already aware of about my closer friends but once in a while there will be a shocker in there.  It is more fun to answer the questions as it is like reviewing who I am, and I always find that I really do like the person named Marti that is answering those questions.  I just got the 2010 version of get to know your friends so just for fun I will answer a few but in more detail that  I would on an email.

Q. What is your favorite flower?

A. My favorite flower is lavender roses.  At one time, like my mother and her mother, it was yellow roses, but then I discovered lavender roses.  Purple is my favorite color, just about any shade, and lavender roses are just beautiful.  Mixed with white ones their color is even more intense.  I have a lavender rose bush at the old house that I plan to transplant.   The women in my former church had a secret encourager program, where those interested filled out a short bio about themselves and stuck it in the ‘hat’ and everyone drew one.  For a year you secretly did something at least once a month to encourage that person.  This resulted in many notes, cards and small gifts especially around special dates like birthdays and anniversaries.  One year for my birthday my encourager gave me a lavender rose bush and some how I’ve managed not to kill it.  I love that bush and want to bring it to my new home where  I can enjoy the flowers again this summer.

Q. Name 3 things you are afraid of.

A. The number one fear I have is fire.   I’m not entirely certain when that started, though I suspect it was when I was in grade school when two separate fires really impacted me.  One was  the Beverly Hills Super Club fire, the accounts in the newspaper following that night really upset me a lot.  The second was a fire in Amberly Village that claimed the life of two teen age girls one night. The accounts of neighbors and family that could hear their painful, last screams have been with me since reading them, I cannot imagine a more horrible way to die.  Having been married twice to fire fighters I also have a pretty good education in what happens in a fire and so I am a fanatic about smoke alarms and changing the batteries every time the time changes in Spring and Fall. In my first marriage I saw first hand the destruction of a house fire when our home caught fire while we were separated before the divorce.  There is  something deeply upsetting about seeing your things burned and coated in soot.

The second fear I have is the dark.  I am again not certain why but I am terrified of the dark and have to have night lights around the house so that I can see at night.  I sleep with a flash light within reach in case the power goes out just to be sure I can see to find a candle.  I am also night blind so that adds to the fear because I don’t make out my environment very well on a visual level once it is dark.

The third fear I have is storms.  I’ve always been afraid of nasty storms and never got over it as I have grown older.  I have a  weather radio and keep it on all year round.  I admit I am not liking not having someone to wrap around me now when it storms like it did the other night.  I am okay with storms during the day time but once it is dark I really hate them.

Q. Favorite fast food?

A. I guess Chipotle would qualify as fast food, goodness knows once to the counter it is prepared very quickly for my enjoyment.  I love  their steak bowl with rice, black beans, corn salsa and cheese.  I skip the fork and use tortilla chips instead.  I have been known to go on a binge and eat it 2 meals a day for several days in a row it is that good!  I find it a good value to for the money too.  If I am not overly hungry the bowl will feed me for two meals which isn’t bad for $7.50 for the bowl and chips.

Q. Favorite adult beverage?

A. This is easy to answer, I like beer. Big shock, I am a west sider, raised Catholic and love the summer church festivals so yes, going to doubtlessly like beer.  I grew up on beer as a kid.  Now don’t freak out  but yes my parents would let us have a tiny cup of Hudepohl 14K draft now and then.  We lived in Price Hill and dad used to walk up to Curnayn’s Bar, around the block from our house with a half gallon jug during the week and a gallon jug on the weekend.  He and mom would enjoy their beers on the porch at night in the summer time.  A big thrill for me and my siblings when dad would allow one of us to walk up with him.  Then things in the area went down hill a bit and the bar became a rougher place and dad stopped taking us along for the walk.  I come from a long line of beer loving German/Hungarian blood so beer is my favorite.  I’m not a big wine drinker but starting to enjoy it on Saturday evenings when we Divas get a different wine to sample.  This week the choice is another Mad Housewife variety, next week we are trying one called Big Pecker.  Our Saturday wine has to be something with a fun name and that one sure sounds fun!  I enjoy coconut rum over ice to sip, or vanilla vodka in diet coke, but given a choice I will usually opt for a beer.

Q. Zodiac Sign?

A. Taurus.  And believe me I am very true to my sign.  Now before all my born again friends start freaking out and pointing out that the Bible addresses following such things as reading your fate in the stars, I know that.  BUT I also think God in His endless wisdom would have seen fit to apply certain personality characteristics to those born at various times of the year and with certain planets etc all line up a specific way.  After all everything He created works together so why not?  Besides I have yet to find someone that doesn’t line up with their sign.  Not all the characteristics of the bull are ones I am fond of but I am true to it.  One thing I did not do in the past was pay attention to the compatibility of my sign with others when forming long term relationships.  My soon to be ex is true to his  sign, and the least compatible sign to pair with mine other than Leo.  No surprise many of the issues we had were the very ones astrology experts warn about when pairing Aquarius and Taurus.  I’d say I’d be watching that in the future but I have NO intention of getting in a long term relationship again so astrological compatibility will not be an issue for a friend with benefits. If you want to know more about my characteristics read up on Taurus.

Q. Favorite time of day?

A.  Whatever time it is right now.  I have learned over  the past years to live in the moment, life is short and you have to enjoy where you are and what you are doing right now as there are no guarantees that you have the next minute.  No point in longing for what isn’t here, far better to enjoy the moment I am currently living.  At the moment my favorite time of day is 1:15 in the afternoon on Saturdays.

Q. If you could change one thing in your past what would it be?

A. Not a blessed thing.  Seriously I would not go back and change anything.  I believe everything in my life before today has helped make me the person I am today.  My life is not without its very painful and difficult times, some frightening as hell, some so painful I didn’t think I’d survive, and some so gloriously  happy that I cannot find the words to describe the feelings.  But everything worked together, and still does, to make me who I am now.  Certainly I’ve paid the price for many of my decisions, the consequences sometimes were hell, but they were my decisions and I learned from them.  The Garth Brooks song, Standing Outside The  Fire, describes it well, “life is not tried it is merely survived if you’re standing outside the fire”.   I have said this before, I’d rather be sitting in my rocker when I’m old saying “remember when” rather than “damn I wish I would have…”  I would rather have regrets for the things I’ve done than the things I wanted to and never did.  “I’d rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.” ~ Shelby, Steel Magnolias

Okay that is a little bit more about me.  Perfectly imperfect, adorable, fun loving, sometimes temperamental, sometimes moody, mostly always bubbly and forgiving to a fault ME!  And I LOVE being me!