crazy eights

I've had a blog since May 2005 and have never been tagged for a blog meme. Pretty remarkable in blog land, like being picked last for a team (which I wouldn't mind since I'd rather dance than play sports). But my run has ended; Lynn has tagged me for a Crazy Eights list.

OK, so here's how it goes:
(1) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves

(2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.

(3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
(4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

OK, so in no particular order, here's my Crazy 8 list of random, crazy things about me:

1. My closet is organized with the tops all sorted by sleeve length: tanks, short sleeves, long sleeves, then sweatshirts/jackets. Within each sleeve length, they are sub-categorized by color: white, brown, yellow, pink, red, green, blue, black. All the hangers face the same way and there is exactly one hanger for each garment, no extras on the rod. When I wear a brown shirt, it is returned to the brown shirt hanger after washing. Skirts and pants also are sorted by color. So simple and I know exactly what I have and can always find what I want.

2. I can bend my index finger all the way back and touch the back of my hand. Mom used to say I didn't have a bone in that finger. Freaks people out, especially when I ask them to bend it as far as they can cuz it feels kinda rubbery. Funny!

3. I play piano, not terribly well, but decent enough that my neighbors tell me I should play more. I write, both professionally and casually. I paint; I always had some talent in art and my ex-father-in-law was an accomplished artist who taught me oil painting. I dance: ballet for about 10 years, then swing, ballroom and salsa as an adult. I even performed in two amateur salsa groups. My oldest brother and I used to choreograph contemporary dances in the living room to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. But, I cannot sing. Lordy, nope, I cannot. When my daughter was little, she would turn off the radio if I started to sing. When my oldest granddaughter was old enough to speak, she asked me to turn off the car radio. I can sing Oingo Boingo songs pretty well, or at least I think so.

4. I can do the splits: right leg and left leg. I can also sit in sideways splits and lay my torso flat on the floor. It feels so good to lie like that, relaxing and breathing. I think that it opens up my hips and relieves some of the pain from the spondylolisthesis.

5. I've had cancer, twice. Cervical. Back in the late 80s and all's good now (except for the fibromyalgia, scoliosis and spondylolisthesis). It's funny, but I didn't think of myself as a cancer survivor until recently. Maybe because I had surgery both times and didn't have to do the chemo or radiation that I usually associate with cancer.

6. I rarely drink. In the course of a year, maybe a total of 6 beers and maybe two glasses of wine or champagne. I don't like the way alcohol makes me feel. It makes me feel altered,not like my genuine self, and I don't like the feeling. For me, I don't see the attraction. Maybe it doesn't make others feel altered? It makes me sad to see people who are drunk or tipsy; it affects my perception of how I know them normally. I don't want to see an altered side of people that I like.

7. I can't eat food that looks like an animal. A big ol' slab of animal meat on a plate makes me go white and become nauseous. Anything on a bone: pork chops, ribs. A roasted bird. (I'm already burping just imagining these dead animal carcasses.) If it looks like an animal or animal part, my tummy starts to do cartwheels. The smell of animal flesh on a BBQ - oy, saints and angels! - same thing. Because I tend to have low iron, the doctor says I should eat some animal, so if the food is already prepared and doesn't look like the animal (chicken tenders, tuna in a can), I can stomach it.

8. I believe we can create the kingdom of God on earth. I think it's possible, although I'd be very naive to think it's probable. I believe we can share a world of love, peace and goodness toward one another. And through that caring for one another, we can help the hungry, the poor; we can elevate the disenfranchised, care for the sick and the lonely, maybe even balance things out a bit. If we all acted as though we understood that each person we encountered had a Divine spirit, we could change the world. "Namaste" means that the Divine in me sees and acknowledges the Divine in you. We see beyond the outer physical shell - with its ego and needs and competitiveness - and we recognize the peace of God within. Maybe we can't bring the kingdom to the entire world, but I can try harder to bring it to each day that I rise and breathe, and send love and peace from my heart into the world.

Now, I'll tag the following people for fun; whether they choose to play or not is up to them: Mercy (the first person who ever commented on my blog), Amber, Maureen, Sharon.

Namaste