With thanks to amypalko for the idea, here is my first Thursday 13 in quite some time. These are thirteen of my passions, but they are not the only ones I have. I am leaving out the obvious Husband/Family/Cats/Sex to make way for a bit more of an esoteric mix. Sometimes thirteen just isn’t long enough, you know?
Thursday 13 #7 – 13 of My Passions:
1. Reading – I love to read. The only problem is that I tend to inhale books. When I have a really good book in my hands I won’t notice someone calling my name, earthquakes, you name it. When I was younger I used to read by night light until my folks took it away. So…I started reading by the red glow of my clock. I still have the ‘dear heavens it’s 4am and I have to be up at 8:30 for work’ problem sometimes.
2. Writing – With my love of reading, it shouldn’t be too surprising to discover that I love to write. I’ve written poetry, blog posts, fanfiction, newspaper articles, book reviews, etc. Really, I’d love to make my living writing full time, but I think that’s a little while off. I am a professional blogger, so at least I’ve managed to get started in this direction. I carry a notebook with me everywhere I go, just in case.
3. Doctor Who – My love of Doctor Who is not an obsession. Ignore the fact that I get paid to write a blog about it. (Watching Doctor Who) I have all of the new series episodes…and all of the old series ones that are available, too. Some of the older episodes were taped off of the television, but I am replacing them with shiny DVDs as finances allow. My husband has the Doctor Who theme as the ring tone on his phone for when I call. I even have a “Time Lord” t-shirt that is more than 17 years old.
4. Silliness – Silliness is essential for life. Also, just so y’all know, I know where the Silliness.org’s Lair of Silliness is. No, I won’t tell you. I don’t think that life should be lived in a dull or boring way. Wear silly socks. Play on the swing set. Do Mad Libs. Find joy where you can. Life is hard enough as it is.
5. Music – I have eclectic taste in music. (KoshVader says “Unfocused”, but I prefer “Eclectic.”) I love a bit of almost everything. On top of this, I sing. I used to sing a lot. Sadly, the stage fright seems to be getting to me more often lately. I’ve also taken lessons in: piano, recorder, drums, and guitar at different points in my life. I would love to learn to play the lute, but I have really small hands and a non-working joint in my ring fingers. Maybe I’ll pick up Harping at some later point. How is it possible to live without music? I have a near constant flow of music in my head. I sing to myself all the time. Silliness may be essential for life, but music is life.
6. Scotland – If the URL of this blog hasn’t already put you wise, I have this thing about Scotland. My great-grandfather was from Glasgow, so that may have something to do with it. I’ve taken Highland Dancing, and I even competed with the Highland Fling once. (I placed 5th.) I’ve been to Edinburgh, and I have to say that if I hadn’t been in love with Scotland before then, that trip would have done it. I love Scotland in some sort of visceral fashion. It just gets to me. Yes, I still like California. It’s just not the park beneath Edinburgh Castle on a Sunday morning. Bells in the air as you walk through the kirk yard of St. Cuthbert’s. Tea on the Royal Mile. Sigh.
7. History – I started college as a Medieval Studies Major. I’ve worked the Renaissance Faire. I’m a member of the SCA. Mostly, I like Ancient/Celtic/Medieval history, but I’m not really that picky. I just like history.
8. Blogging – This one should be obvious. I have three blogs and one LJ. I used to have one more blog, and I’m due to have another one for work at some point. Maybe I just like to talk a lot. I don’t care. It’s a great venue to get those thoughts rolling around in my brain written down. I’ve already mentioned my love of writing. I love blogging because it’s a conversation. …And it’s a great way to share fun and interesting things you find online with others. Oh yeah, and to keep people up do date.
9. Tea – I love this congenial beverage. It’s warm and tasty. Well, the good ones, anyway. I also love the meal called “Tea.” Little sandwiches. Little Cakes. Fruit and cheese. The full afternoon meal version. There something really satisfying about it. Darn it. I’m hungry now.
10. Order – I am a Librarian, like my parents before me. Is it any wonder that I have a need to create order everywhere I go? (Except at home where I never seem to have enough time.) I tidy shops. I make sections pretty at work. I can’t help it. It’s what I am.
11. Disneyland – Yes, I’m one of those crazed Disney people. I spent my honeymoon at Disneyland. (I even spent a night in the Honeymoon suite!) We go back as often as we can. We don’t just go for the rides. We go for the Grand Californian and for the food. Oh, and the massages at the Health Spa. I’m even subscribed to the official podcast.
12. Good Food – As I mentioned in #11, I love good food. I’m a foodie with seriously lacking cooking skills. The Napa Rose is half of the reason that we visit Disneyland. I mean, we rate restaurants. Sometimes, we are very snobby. Good Food is an event, not just a meal. Yum.
13. Museums – From Pez to Aviation, Sherlock Holmes to the Royal Ontario Museum, I love museums. Maybe it has something to do with my love of Tourist Traps. It doesn’t really matter what sort of Museum it is, I’ll have to stop by and check it out. I’m a wandering lifeform with a tropism for museums. Good thing my husband agrees with me on this one. If anyone ever offered me the chance to visit Museums and write about them as a job…well…I’d trip over my own feet to chase after the opportunity.
Thursday 13