I wanna talk about me...

Would you allow me to be selfish for a minute? For some reason, I have this great desire to talk about me. Therefore, this post will not contain anything about my job, my apartment or anything like that. So let's get started.

I like my tea sweet and strong whether it is hot or cold. I like my soft drinks without the carbonation. I will literally stir or shake my drinks to get the carbonation out. If they still offered it, I would drink Chantico from Starbucks every single day. That stuff is like liquid chocolate. Just set me up with an IV.

My favorite colors are purple and blue, any shade. I have never seen a shade I didn't like. They remind me of unicorns and fairies. I always wanted them to be real when I was a little girl. I would imagine I was really a fairy princess who had been spirited out of my crib and given to kindly human parents to raise. I would imagine a beautiful unicorn would come to take me back to reclaim my throne.

My favorite movie of all time is Evita. I still cry at the end. I love the music. I even own the 2 disc soundtrack. I can even sing the whole movie for you, if you want. I used to drive my sister crazy by singing it. She swore up and down she hated that movie but had never seen it. But now she loves it because of course I own it on VHS and DVD.

My favorite band is Relient K. I love the poetry in their lyrics. I love the guitar riffs. I love the silliness and seriousness snuggled up against each other on their albums. I can always trust them to make me feel better. I can think of a Relient K song to match any situation that life may throw at you. Seriously, I can.

When I am in a bad mood, I like to listen to the Comatose album from Skillet. I like to turn it up as loud as I can get away with and feel the bass boom through my body. It is kind of soul cleansing. This is especially effective in my car.

I am a closet techno and electronica fan. I absolutely love it. It makes me want to dance and lose myself in its whirling and twirling sounds. There is something about it that just makes me get lost in the fantastical. Maybe I am just crazy.

Speaking of crazy, I am in love with the song Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. It speaks to a part of me I don't understand. The first few beats of the song seem to stop my heart and I can't go on until I have heard the rest of the song. The video is really cool. It is a series of morphing ink blots. Every time I watch it, I see something I haven't seen before.

My favorite Beatles song is Paperback Writer. I think this is because, if I could make money doing it, I would be a writer. I love to write. That's why I have a blog. That's why I majored in English. That's why I love to read. That's why my favorite music may not have the best vocals, but they have killer lyrics.

I absolutely love apple pie. Especially if it has lots of buttery crust. I like to eat it piping hot with cream poured over it. When I can't afford whipping cream, French vanilla creamer is a suitable second choice.

I love the rain. I love the way it smells. I love the way it sounds. I love to walk in it and get soaked to the skin. I feel like I am soaking up part of the world around me to carry with me. Yeah, I know, that sounds incredibly weird but...well...that's how I am. The rain reminds me of my time in Alabama which will hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.

I love roses and orchids. They are so beautiful to me. It amazes me how intricate and delicate they are. My sister gave me a rose pendant that I wear everyday. I really just love flowers in general but these are my favorites.

I love to sleep in moonlight. It makes me feel exotic and beautiful. I think it goes back to the fey fantasies of my youth. I really would have loved to grow up and find out I was the heiress to a vast fairy kingdom. I think Legolas and I would have been very happy together.

Well, I suppose that is all. Thanks for reading my self-centered diatribe. I feel better now.

Family stories...

Independence Day was a bit subdued for my family this year. There were fewer of us for various reasons. Because there were only four of us for most of the afternoon, we sat around telling stories. Now I have been in the family for almost 27 years and in my youthful ignorance, I thought I knew them all.

I was delighted and sad to find out that I don't. I also didn't take into account that new stories are being made everyday. I was delighted because I love to learn about my family history. I love learning about the failures and successes, triumphs and defeats. I was saddened because I learned things I never would have thought could happen to my family. Of course, I am not going to divulge the private happenings told to me in confidence in a public blog. That would be rude. But I was heartbroken by some of them.

As I sat there and listened to my aunt talk, I wondered if there are stories like these in everyone's family. I think we all assume tragedy doesn't affect our fanilies. We think our families are, if not perfect, then almost perfect. We remeber all the good things but when we find our perceptions of certain parts of our family are not how we had them pictured in our minds, we begin to view them differently. You look at people with new eyes. You understand certain behaviors better. You learn more about how that person thinks and how they really are.

We laughed together and we cried together that day. And I realized I have come to a new appreciation for the people who surround me. They are good people who love each other. I am blessed beyond belief. Next time you are at a family gathering, take time to listen to the people around you. You may learn something interesting. Thanks for reading.