After this weekend and how Cara acted at Walmart–She screamed and cried through the entire store because she didn’t get what she wanted.–I almost want to add, “Shopping at Walmart with Cara.” to my list of six things I very much dislike. However, I came up with the list last night and don’t feel like adding another good thing; it’s just too much work right now.
In an effort to be more balanced with regards to perception of positive and negative things, I figured I’d come up with a balanced list of things I love and things I hate and maybe clear my head a bit. I’m doing the bad first so I end this on a positive note.
To the lists.
THE BAD[!!!]
- Beef Liver–Sorry, Mom, but when you made that beef liver and onions and neither J.R. or I would touch it, you knew you screwed up. I’m glad you like it but it just ain’t for me. Ever.
- Styrophone–The sound of it squeaking together makes my stomach do things a stomach just shouldn’t do. That huge robot? He’s made out of styrophone and just thinking of that thing crashing down makes me a bit sick.
- Tornadoes–No brainer, right? Coincidentally, that particular image was captured right here in good ole Huntsville in 2010.
- Feeling caught–Whether it’s being literally strapped in by a seatbelt or by tight shoes, feeling “caught” will get me close to a panic attack like nothing else. Oddly enough, I don’t mind small spaces. Riddle me that.
- Tickling–I don’t like it. Don’t do it. Not even joking around. Not. Cool.
- Hermit crabs–This came from a trip we took to the Cajun part of Mississippi when I was a heck of a lot younger. I had gathered all of these awesome shells to take home. I drifted off to sleep from the movements of the car and when I awoke, all of the shells were missing. The bastards were possessed by CRABS! No thank you, sir.
- The smell of honeysuckle on a cool morning–There’s nothing like the smell honeysuckle puts off when the grass is still wet from dew. Clean, welcoming and peaceful. Any man made scent out there that claims to have replicated the honeysuckle scent is lying.
- Worn leather chairs–It wraps you up in protection and warmth and if you’re lucky, you have a fine book to keep you company.
- Garlic–I can remember my father’s mother trekking to the very back of her property which is the old family homestead and digging garlic from the black earth. I try not to use it in everything I cook but sometimes the garlic wins.
- The smell of old books–One of my favorite things in the entire world is the smell of old books. I know that’s one reason why I will never be completely converted to digital books. The dusty, earthy scent they put off commands me to dig through them and find something to enjoy and lose myself in.
- The sound of a pencil on paper–It’s that sound of scratching that gets to me. The manic, hard rhythm that comes from the exact moment when your brain and hand have finally come to an understanding and words just flow onto the paper like water rushing over a rock or the jerky stopping and starting sound that comes from your brain fighting you and preventing you from doing your job. Both are wonderful sounds.
- The smell of a sweaty horse–The sweat is the same but it can come from the horse doing–or not doing–what you’ve asked–or told–it to do and it usually signals a job well done on both your parts. It also comes from hot, dewy summer days when all you want to do is find some shade and do nothing else. It reminds me of my childhood and of happy times.
THE GOOD[!!!]
That’s what I hate and love.
I know there are more but these are what jumped to mind when I sat down to make up this list. I doubt I’ll do it again but I’m glad I did; even the bad memories are worth replaying and in the end, they’ll always be a part of what makes me the neurotic, crazy, smart and sometimes kind person I’ve become.
