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Jul. 1st, 2008 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
violachicThere's this meme-type thing where someone picks seven interests from your interests lists and you explain why they're there.
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kalmn picked these for me:
camels:
I'm going to cut this one, because it is a slightly lengthy story.
Once upon a time, I worked at this toy store (at a now-defunct location) where we began selling this new little novelty toy called Beanie Babies. At the time, they actually weren't selling all that well- believe it or not. One day I came to work and realized that this lone camel
had been sitting on the shelf for a couple weeks. I then took a closer look, and realized what funny-looking things stuffed camels are. At that moment, I knew I had to take him home.
He sat on my shelf for awhile. When I went back to school, I took him with me. He's cute, wouldn't you? Then one fateful day, I was inspired to stuff him into my backpack on my way to a music history exam, for luck. He was stuffed into a little front pocket, with just his head sticking out. Several of my classmates commented on it, and I pulled him out. Some of us passed him around and patted him before the exam started.
Then, somehow, Humphrey (for that was the hapless camel's name- not of my giving!) achieved legendary status among the class. (Here, think that Far Side cartoon with a big, intricate mathematical equation on the blackboard with "here, a miracle occurs" in the middle of it.) Turns out a beanie baby camel is perfect for balancing on one's head, on his tummy with all four legs splayed. And no, this did not impress Alice, for that was the music history prof's name. But we did it anyway. We did it in theory, too, and while studying in groups, and in the hallways between classrooms.
By the time I dropped out of college a year and a half later, I was absolutely devoted to camels in general. As mentioned above, I had realized how strange stuffed camels looked, and to me the unusualness was a big draw (what, me- drawn to unusual? who knew?). So I then bought a couple more stuffed camels. Then people started giving them to me as gifts. Then I got overwhelmed with stuffed camels, and started giving them away to people for luck, to remember me, or just for a laugh. Because yes, stuffed camels are, in fact, good for a laugh.
Now remember, Gentle Reader, that much of this occurred before my current obsession with all things Middle Eastern. But when I did make my first foray to this beautiful and complicated land (flowery enough language for you yet?), I got to RIDE A CAMEL! W00t!!! There is even a picture of me somewhere atop said camel, but I can't remember the password to that photobucket account at the moment. I've since and in hindsight considered my love of camels that now spans more than a decade to be an omen of things to come (or to have come? where is the grammar consideration here?) in my life.
And so, even though the original Humphrey was sold to a collector (poor move on my part, I must say), and a replacement Humphrey donated to, and probably decimated by, the children of Tuwani over three years ago, I hold a special place in my heart for the Beanie Baby camel named Humphrey. I still have some stuffed camels, a lovely framed picture of camel breeds on my wall, and what one of my housemates refers to as a "camel shrine" in my bedroom. I recently bought an absolutely gorgeous carved camel while on vacation (withdivalibby reminding me that camels are not native to Quebec).
And that's The History of Camels as told byviolachic
Oh yeah- and since then, I've realized I kind of have a thing for clever, stubborn animals (which certainly explains some of my ex-boyfriends), which includes, but is not limited to, goats and donkeys-who you may think are not clever, but when you live in a village with a whole bunch for a few months you are privy to all of their existential crises. Which is a story for another time.
down comforters:
I am a nester. I like to be cozy. I'm not sure there is a much deeper explanation than this.
I'm a cheap date, what can I say?
glow-in-the-dark stars:
Ever since I first saw these on a friend's ceiling in, say, middle school or so, I have coveted them.
I remember my first year of college when my roomate and I, about two weeks in, simultaneously discovered there were glow-in-the-dark stars in our room. It was a really good ice-breaking moment, and we laughed as we both exclaimed "hey, there's glow in the dark stars on our ceiling!" at the same time. We had both been really stressed, starting college and all (duh), and that moment diffused a lot of the tension.
There are still stars on the ceiling of my bedroom in what is now just my dad's house. I put them up there when I was about 19. He griped, saying they'd be a pain to paint over when they went to sell the house, but let me put them up because I had repainted my walls all by myself, without making him help. There are also still splotches of blue on the ceiling.
I still want glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling here at the 'Nidge.
The word "ceiling" starts to look really strange when you type it over and over.
liturgy:
I was raised in the Lutheran and Episcopalian traditions, and have come back to worship in those traditions as an adult. Although my foray into the Anabaptist churches has radically altered my theology (some, I suppose, would feel free to call me heretic, and I accept the label with pride), I feel at home worshipping anywhere, and in particular, still love the liturgy of the Lutheran and Episcopalian churches.
I suppose liturgy in general gives me a feeling of ritual, of being home and familiar. I love the music of the Lutheran liturgy- the Lutheran church has such a rich history of music in general- even the new one. Liturgy gives me a way of worshipping, even when I don't know what to say. While I love, in practice, the idea of things like Quaker worship, I'm a little terrified of participating in one because I would feel pressured to feel the spirit or something. This does not mean that liturgy is an easy out, though. Words and music, however familiar, however repetitive, however ancient, still have power, and I still do not say or sing parts of the liturgy I feel I have a problem with. Which, of course, may change from Sunday to Sunday- or even minute to minute.
I'm high-maintenence. I know.
moon on a stick:
Several years ago (I can't believe I've been on LJ long enough to say "several years ago" regarding any event related to it!) there was this weird movement- I have no idea where it started or how it got to me- to get as many people as possible to put "moon on a stick" in our interest lists to see if we could set some kind of record as to how many people put a single interest on their respective lists.
And if that sentence isn't run-on enough for you, I can try harder next time.
I know it didn't make it to number one. In fact, I have no recollection as to exactly where it ranked, at its peak. But I do remember it made it way higher than anyone thought it would. If anyone else has any memory of this, please tell me about it.
I've kept it on since, because really- who doesn't want the Moon on a Stick?
wandering aimlessly:
Dude. I'm really good at this. Really, really good.
One of the things I miss most about my Pre-Pain life was living on the far (far, far, far) North side of the city, and working on the Southwest side, which left all of that city to wander through on my way home from work. Not that I've wandered too far off the Red line, much, but I'd wander. I'd take pictures. I'd stop and have something to eat while doing the daily Tribune crossword. I'd meander home in time to fall into bed. It was lovely.
When I was in Palestine, I'd take my days off in the Old City of Jerusalem, and do the same thing. That's how I found my favorite pizza place in the Christian Quarter, and the falafel stand inside Damascus Gate.
I like to wander. And I haven't even read Tolkien. I know, shame on me. I'll get on it someday.
you:
Despite how isolated I've become in the last couple years, I really like people. I'm interested in people. I like to know what makes them tick, where they come from, what their stories are. I like to strike up conversations with strangers, just because I can.
Once on the el, some stranger on the other side of the car and I were the only ones who found a particular instance funny- a conversation we all were, uh, privileged to hear, a guy shouting as loudly as possible into his cell phone earpiece, something he said, but I don't remember what- and noticed the other person was laughing at the same thing, catching eyes and getting the joke. That was a really awesome moment. I have no idea who he was, what stop he got on at, which one he'd get off at (ooooh, prepositions!), but it was great.
Its one reason why I've kept my LJ all this time. I like to read about you, hear about you, know about you. I'm not actually very outgoing; in fact, I'm a long-time-documented introvert. I'm actually extremely shy. But I like people, a great deal.
So tell me about you!
I believe the rules are that if you leave a comment here saying you're interested in playing, I'll pick seven interests from your list, and you have to explain them.
Wanna play?
kalmn picked these for me:camels:
I'm going to cut this one, because it is a slightly lengthy story.
Once upon a time, I worked at this toy store (at a now-defunct location) where we began selling this new little novelty toy called Beanie Babies. At the time, they actually weren't selling all that well- believe it or not. One day I came to work and realized that this lone camel
had been sitting on the shelf for a couple weeks. I then took a closer look, and realized what funny-looking things stuffed camels are. At that moment, I knew I had to take him home.
He sat on my shelf for awhile. When I went back to school, I took him with me. He's cute, wouldn't you? Then one fateful day, I was inspired to stuff him into my backpack on my way to a music history exam, for luck. He was stuffed into a little front pocket, with just his head sticking out. Several of my classmates commented on it, and I pulled him out. Some of us passed him around and patted him before the exam started.
Then, somehow, Humphrey (for that was the hapless camel's name- not of my giving!) achieved legendary status among the class. (Here, think that Far Side cartoon with a big, intricate mathematical equation on the blackboard with "here, a miracle occurs" in the middle of it.) Turns out a beanie baby camel is perfect for balancing on one's head, on his tummy with all four legs splayed. And no, this did not impress Alice, for that was the music history prof's name. But we did it anyway. We did it in theory, too, and while studying in groups, and in the hallways between classrooms.
By the time I dropped out of college a year and a half later, I was absolutely devoted to camels in general. As mentioned above, I had realized how strange stuffed camels looked, and to me the unusualness was a big draw (what, me- drawn to unusual? who knew?). So I then bought a couple more stuffed camels. Then people started giving them to me as gifts. Then I got overwhelmed with stuffed camels, and started giving them away to people for luck, to remember me, or just for a laugh. Because yes, stuffed camels are, in fact, good for a laugh.
Now remember, Gentle Reader, that much of this occurred before my current obsession with all things Middle Eastern. But when I did make my first foray to this beautiful and complicated land (flowery enough language for you yet?), I got to RIDE A CAMEL! W00t!!! There is even a picture of me somewhere atop said camel, but I can't remember the password to that photobucket account at the moment. I've since and in hindsight considered my love of camels that now spans more than a decade to be an omen of things to come (or to have come? where is the grammar consideration here?) in my life.
And so, even though the original Humphrey was sold to a collector (poor move on my part, I must say), and a replacement Humphrey donated to, and probably decimated by, the children of Tuwani over three years ago, I hold a special place in my heart for the Beanie Baby camel named Humphrey. I still have some stuffed camels, a lovely framed picture of camel breeds on my wall, and what one of my housemates refers to as a "camel shrine" in my bedroom. I recently bought an absolutely gorgeous carved camel while on vacation (with
divalibby reminding me that camels are not native to Quebec).And that's The History of Camels as told by
violachic Oh yeah- and since then, I've realized I kind of have a thing for clever, stubborn animals (which certainly explains some of my ex-boyfriends), which includes, but is not limited to, goats and donkeys-who you may think are not clever, but when you live in a village with a whole bunch for a few months you are privy to all of their existential crises. Which is a story for another time.
down comforters:
I am a nester. I like to be cozy. I'm not sure there is a much deeper explanation than this.
I'm a cheap date, what can I say?
glow-in-the-dark stars:
Ever since I first saw these on a friend's ceiling in, say, middle school or so, I have coveted them.
I remember my first year of college when my roomate and I, about two weeks in, simultaneously discovered there were glow-in-the-dark stars in our room. It was a really good ice-breaking moment, and we laughed as we both exclaimed "hey, there's glow in the dark stars on our ceiling!" at the same time. We had both been really stressed, starting college and all (duh), and that moment diffused a lot of the tension.
There are still stars on the ceiling of my bedroom in what is now just my dad's house. I put them up there when I was about 19. He griped, saying they'd be a pain to paint over when they went to sell the house, but let me put them up because I had repainted my walls all by myself, without making him help. There are also still splotches of blue on the ceiling.
I still want glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling here at the 'Nidge.
The word "ceiling" starts to look really strange when you type it over and over.
liturgy:
I was raised in the Lutheran and Episcopalian traditions, and have come back to worship in those traditions as an adult. Although my foray into the Anabaptist churches has radically altered my theology (some, I suppose, would feel free to call me heretic, and I accept the label with pride), I feel at home worshipping anywhere, and in particular, still love the liturgy of the Lutheran and Episcopalian churches.
I suppose liturgy in general gives me a feeling of ritual, of being home and familiar. I love the music of the Lutheran liturgy- the Lutheran church has such a rich history of music in general- even the new one. Liturgy gives me a way of worshipping, even when I don't know what to say. While I love, in practice, the idea of things like Quaker worship, I'm a little terrified of participating in one because I would feel pressured to feel the spirit or something. This does not mean that liturgy is an easy out, though. Words and music, however familiar, however repetitive, however ancient, still have power, and I still do not say or sing parts of the liturgy I feel I have a problem with. Which, of course, may change from Sunday to Sunday- or even minute to minute.
I'm high-maintenence. I know.
moon on a stick:
Several years ago (I can't believe I've been on LJ long enough to say "several years ago" regarding any event related to it!) there was this weird movement- I have no idea where it started or how it got to me- to get as many people as possible to put "moon on a stick" in our interest lists to see if we could set some kind of record as to how many people put a single interest on their respective lists.
And if that sentence isn't run-on enough for you, I can try harder next time.
I know it didn't make it to number one. In fact, I have no recollection as to exactly where it ranked, at its peak. But I do remember it made it way higher than anyone thought it would. If anyone else has any memory of this, please tell me about it.
I've kept it on since, because really- who doesn't want the Moon on a Stick?
wandering aimlessly:
Dude. I'm really good at this. Really, really good.
One of the things I miss most about my Pre-Pain life was living on the far (far, far, far) North side of the city, and working on the Southwest side, which left all of that city to wander through on my way home from work. Not that I've wandered too far off the Red line, much, but I'd wander. I'd take pictures. I'd stop and have something to eat while doing the daily Tribune crossword. I'd meander home in time to fall into bed. It was lovely.
When I was in Palestine, I'd take my days off in the Old City of Jerusalem, and do the same thing. That's how I found my favorite pizza place in the Christian Quarter, and the falafel stand inside Damascus Gate.
I like to wander. And I haven't even read Tolkien. I know, shame on me. I'll get on it someday.
you:
Despite how isolated I've become in the last couple years, I really like people. I'm interested in people. I like to know what makes them tick, where they come from, what their stories are. I like to strike up conversations with strangers, just because I can.
Once on the el, some stranger on the other side of the car and I were the only ones who found a particular instance funny- a conversation we all were, uh, privileged to hear, a guy shouting as loudly as possible into his cell phone earpiece, something he said, but I don't remember what- and noticed the other person was laughing at the same thing, catching eyes and getting the joke. That was a really awesome moment. I have no idea who he was, what stop he got on at, which one he'd get off at (ooooh, prepositions!), but it was great.
Its one reason why I've kept my LJ all this time. I like to read about you, hear about you, know about you. I'm not actually very outgoing; in fact, I'm a long-time-documented introvert. I'm actually extremely shy. But I like people, a great deal.
So tell me about you!
I believe the rules are that if you leave a comment here saying you're interested in playing, I'll pick seven interests from your list, and you have to explain them.
Wanna play?
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 01:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 02:03 am (UTC)aeschylus
bonzo dog band
leonard and larry
ovff
rock against bush
the queer old dean
timbuk 3
no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 02:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 02:13 am (UTC)duchess de burgogne
ethneogens
gavin friday
paradigm shifts
sacred spaces
the afghan whigs
no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 02:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 02:14 am (UTC)Also, I am totally with you on the down comforter thing. Also glow in the dark stars.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 05:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 09:22 am (UTC)Anybody who still has flashbacks from working the sausage-on-a-stick booth at a Ren faire. {shudders} Oh, man, the mental images I'm getting now...
no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 10:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-02 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-03 02:48 pm (UTC)I have just noticed that we live in the same area, and we share quite a few interests. For example, I am involved in my own brand of activism. And I also feel about the same way regarding Lebanon, and Palestine, and the Middle East in general (I suspect) - as I wrote a few entries about the situation there back in May when hostilities flared-up.
I honestly wouldn't mind adding you to my friends list, but the choice is entirely up to you. I think that we'd get along really well, and I'm always up for networking with other activists. I spent a lot of time doing that during Pride.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-03 11:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-07 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-07 11:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-11 12:24 am (UTC)climbing
expected naked jack
guy gavriel kay
linguistics
methane bubbles
natacha atlas
transmetropolitan
no subject
Date: 2008-07-11 12:27 am (UTC)brian walsh
cowboy mouth
dandypants
harlaxton
koyaanistgasti (can't tell if that's a g or a q there...)
ontology of participation
radical egalitarianism
no subject
Date: 2008-07-11 12:29 am (UTC)bale mountains
bogdanovism
claude nougaro
debre zeit
ras dashen
water's footstep
no subject
Date: 2008-07-11 12:32 am (UTC)blue ranger
david yost
masumune shirow
quarters only
sko
yaoi
no subject
Date: 2008-07-11 12:35 am (UTC)anerisian
badtz maru
betsy-tacy (YAY for betsy-tacy books, I just want to hear what you have to say about them!)
dorothy dunnett
humorless feminism
the bechdel ginger benchmark
wombabes
no subject
Date: 2008-07-11 12:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-13 04:46 am (UTC)could you pick 7 from my list?