Confessions...

Well hello, Wednesday.  This is my first full week of working in the office in weeks but the week is going by surprisingly fast - which is good as I am already so ready (and excited for) the weekend!

I haven't done a confessions post in awhile so thought it would be a good way to share some of the miscellany that is floating around in my head.

These are my confessions...

- when stranger ask me where I am from/live (when on a plane, for example), I usually say Minneapolis.  I will sometimes follow it up by saying that I currently live in Charlotte.  I just don't identify with this area of the country at all so just pretend I still live in Minneapolis when people ask.

- I also can't bring myself to say that Charlotte is 'home'.  If I am going to be in Charlotte for the weekend I will say "I am going to stay in Charlotte this weekend."  I won't say "I am going to stay home this weekend" because Charlotte so does not equal home for me.  Home is Minneapolis or my parents' lake cabin.  I know that these first two confessions probably make it sound like I am not working on achieving acceptance like I discussed last week, but I can accept living her and still think of it as a temporary stopover.

- I only clean my apartment every 4-6 weeks (my mom and sister are probably cringing as they read this, their houses are immaculate).  I tidy up 2-3 times/week and clean my bathroom and wipe down kitchen counters weekly, but I am around so little, it's not worth it to dust/vacuum/scrub floors more often than that.  I used a cleaning service when I lived in Minneapolis but can't justify the cost down here as I am around so little and would rather put that money in my plane ticket budget.  You know, since I seem to buy 1-2 tickets/month.

- I can not relate to people who say they don't read because it's boring.  I just feel like there are so many different genres out there that there has to be something for everyone!

- I get a little bit annoyed with the concept of 'cold' down here in the southern region.  I was saying how I enjoyed the 65 degree temps in Ohio this past weekend and a colleague said - 'oh burr, 65 is so cold!'.  This resulted in a blank, confused stare on my part.  I can't imagine how 65 and burr can be used in the same sentence.  That's like me saying "oh my gosh, 85 degrees is SO HOT."

- I know I have said this before, but I still can't believe that people still smoke knowing what we know about how bad it is for you.  I get that it's an addiction, but it's such a gross habit.  My list of dating deal-breakers has changed over the years, but one thing that remains the same is that I would never date a smoker.  Never.

- I get way more excited about the recent first class upgrades I've had than I probably should.  It's not even about the snacks or free alcohol (which I can't partake in anyways due to my RA med), it's honestly the leg room and the high likelihood that my seatmate will not utter a word to me on a flight.  And those 2 things are priceless for a tallish, non-chatting traveler like me.

Do you have any confessions to share?

Confessions

Lately, Leigh has been posting her confessions each week, so I thought I'd play along this week!

{Confessions}...

• I have lived in my condo for nearly 10 months and I have yet to hang a single picture on the walls of my living room.  I feel like the downtown view distracts people from noticing, though.  
• I don't like Toms.  I think their company mission of donating a pair of shoes for every pair purchased is awesome, but they are just not my style.  I know I am in the minority on this.  
• I also don't like sweet potatoes, regardless of how they are prepared (mashed, cut up & roasted, fries, baked).  They are just too sweet for me - I am more of a savory person.
• I have zero interest in dating these days.  My last experience with dating was not a positive experience and I have no desire to put myself back out there right now.  I am hoping my attitude about dating changes after the CFA.   
• Someone was talking about a 5 hour flight they recently took and my thought was - that sounds nice.  I want a vacation so badly, even the thought of a long flight sounds appealing.  My vacation in July can not come fast enough!

 Any confessions you'd like to share?

Confessions: The Holiday Edition

The lovely Nora does these confession posts occasionally (and just did one last week!) so I thought I would play along.  This is a holiday themed list of confessions:

• I do not like eggnog.  At all.  
• I adore cheesy ABC Family and Hallmark Christmas movies. 
• I pretended to believe in Santa for YEARS after I knew he was not 'real'.  I continued to pretend because I thought the Santa gifts might be discontinued otherwise.  What can I say, Santa brought some really cool things.
• I have the hardest time not telling people what I got them for Christmas.  I usually buy gifts close to Christmas to make it easier on myself.  I was terrible at keeping gifts a surprise as a child.  I remember one Christmas my mom made me swear not to tell dad what I got him.  I decided to use reverse psychology on my dad and said, "Do you know what you are getting for Christmas from me?  It's not a wallet!"  It was totally a wallet.  I am sure he fell for the reverse psychology.
• I am not the "fun aunt" when it comes to gift giving as I do not give toys as gifts.  Instead, my nephews and niece get books from me.  They may not get that excited over books in comparison to the fun toys they receive, but I never see many of those toys again, but year after year, I read the books I gave them.
• I love my in-laws for many reasons, but I especially love them on Christmas Eve because now my mom makes something besides oyster stew!  Now it's usually a seafood feast that includes crab and shrimp.  Mmm.  Granted,  there was always a cheese and cracker tray and veggie tray, and the stew isn't too bad if you load it up with oyster crackers, so it's not like I went hungry all those years.  I just enjoy the meal WAY MORE these days!  ;) This year we are celebrating with some of my dad's family so we'll have lasagna and some other casseroles like that (I made a gf lasagna to share).

I will close with something completely off-topic by wishing my Mom and Dad a very Happy Anniversary (they have been married for 42 years!!).  I'd also like to wish my cousin Suzanne a very Happy Birthday!!

Do you have any holiday-related confessions you'd like to share?

Friday Confessions

Nora did a Confessions post last Friday. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so here is my version!

• I learned how to make scrambled eggs at the age of 27... Embarrassing, I know. I think a 5 year old could master that. I was having a friend over for brunch and decided to make breakfast burritos. Then I panicked and realized that I had never made scrambled eggs. So I called my mom (who couldn't believe I had never made them) because I had no idea how much milk to put in, or if I needed to add milk at all.
• I have never seen a single episode of American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance.
• I have also never seen a single Star Wars movie - and probably never will.
• I have a life-size crush on a fictional character, Adam Braverman. He's a character on Parenthood, a new favorite show of mine. I think he is downright dreamy - and get this, he's a Minnesotan! He grew up in Alexandria which is 30 minutes from my parents' lake cabin! I should totally start a fan club if one doesn't exist!
• When I walk on sidewalks or tiles, I try not to step on the cracks. It has nothing to do with the "don't step on the crack or you'll break your mother's back" mantra. It's one of many OCD things I do.
• I have done solo karaoke once in my life. My brother sang a Johnny Cash song at a townie bar in Maple Grove, MN (total suburbia). He dared me to sing a song... I'm not one to turn down a dare. I sang a song by Eminem (I won't admit which one. The lyrics are TERRIBLE). It wasn't one of my finer moments. My brother's song selection was much more appropriate. What can I say, I was a stupid 22 year old who had consumed a few too many vodka crans. It was a really fun night, though.
• You know how I told you yesterday that I work 6 cubes from my ex-boyfriend? I also work 2 floors below my ex-boyfriend. Yes, I dated 2 co-workers. I dated the one who works 6 cubes away in 2005/06, and dated the one who works 2 floors above in 2007/2008. * hangs head * I didn't technically work with either of them while we dated, but we were employed by the same company. However, in my defense, The Chariot has 300k+ employees and there are plenty of successful Chariot marriages - so it works for some. Just probably not for me.

Anything you'd like to confess on this wonderful Friday?