weird 6 by pen

1. Whenever I move someplace new (apparently), I generally don't speak for about a year. It's like I'm overwhelmed into silent observation, trying to take it all in and learn the new culture's rules. The worst was when I moved from upstate NY to Raleigh, NC after living up North for 18 years. I went to NC State and was by a deliberate (I'm sure) twist of fate paired with a girl whose licence plate said FARMGAL and who pinned a giant Confederate flag to the ceiling, right under the halogen lamp, which illuminated the thing quite well to a passing eye 5 stories below. Luckily, the fire marshall ruled this atrocity out about halfway through the year.

I also didn't speak when I moved to Chicago, which is sort of unfortunate because I moved back after just one academic year, though I was lucky enough to grab onto mendacious' friendship, and well, here we are. (Cheers!)

And then I moved to Wilmington, where you all know I was rather silent for at least a year, but my former boyfriend was also an un-fun, pessimistic jackass, so I blame him.

2. Every morning when I pick out clothes to wear, I feel a very strong pull toward one color or another. If I don't choose clothing of this color, I feel I will have a very bad, or at least a very uncomfortable day. I typically give in to the impulse, as it makes me feel much better when I do.

3. I'm allergic to scallops, but no other seafood. They make me heave violently, and every time I walk by them in the seafood section I hold my breath and cringe, like they're going to come after me. The allergy is genetic, as my aunt is also allergic to only scallops. Also, my husband questions the authenticity of this allergy, which infuriates me to no end, like I'm being busted for something I absolutely did not do.

4. I have a lot of vivid dreams, and many of them are apocolyptic in nature. I've had dreams about entire cities being either blown up or swallowed by water, and they are rarely in reaction to the particular news of the day. I've had a few dreams about this really insanely long bridge over blue blue water, and being on or under it somehow? while it was being engulfed and everyone raced to save themselves, in cars and on foot. Then when the Real World: Key West was on, I was like, OMG, that's the bridge. Even though I had never been to or seen pictures of Key West before. I don't feel the dreams are prophetic, just the product of an overactive imagination and an anxious personality.

Lately my apocolyptic dreams have been limited to my entire aquarium dying from an obscure fish plague (the name of which I can never remember after I wake up) while I watch helplessly. I don't know if the scaled-down version is more or less alarming.

5. I've never broken a bone or had stitches. But I get bruises all the time and have no idea where they come from.

6. When I was little, I loved each and every one of my stuffed animals, to the point where I wouldn't get rid of any of them, ever, and as a result still have many squirreled away in various attics and storage places. (Though to my credit, I've been making a concerted effort of late to break this packrat habit, and have sent many off to goodwill, telling myself that it's time for someone else to love Gav the Christmas Bear and the bunny with one button eye.) I remember going through a phase where I arranged every last stuffed animal on my bed before going to sleep at night, for fear that one might feel left out. Except for this one, a pink poodle named Cindy. I hated Cindy with every fiber of my being, and used to beat her up regularly--but then felt deep remorse afterward and tried to talk myself into liking her. It never worked.

I could go on all day--seriously, this topic was fantastic. Thanks, Kim and ashley! I tag mendacious, daniel bruckner, cue (if you're out there???), t. (triple now, at least), sarah, szu-hua, and the sick cookie.