Apples to Apples? (No, wait, I hate apples....)

When I was a child:

*I collected teddy bears, glass figurines, carousel horses, and old pennies.

*I could (and sometimes did) beat up the boys.

*I read anything I could get my hands on (was reading Tolkien in 4th grade).

*I had to swallow lima beans and green beans like vitamins to get them past my gag reflex (and to adhere to my father's strict "eat all your vegetables" rule).

*I loved Christmas more than any other time of year.

*I played the piano and the clarinet...state band, marching band etc. and I performed in music/drama teams from sixth grade on.

*I only listened to my father's impressive collection of classical records (and I do mean records).

*I named every doll I had and made up elaborate stories for their lives.

*I filled notebooks with journal entries, poems, and stories.

*I owned four pair of shoes each year: sandals for summer, tennis shoes for play, leather flats for school, and patent leather pumps (tiny heel) for church.

*I secretly hated dirt, worms, heights, and risk but refused to admit it and would show up any boy by doing whatever he did better, faster, and with more risk involved.

*I loved competitive games.

*I had very little coordination but plenty of guts.

*My vocabulary was proliferously littered with descriptive words requiring a mini-thesaurus and a pronunciation guide to converse with me.

*I always got straight A's.

*I was never in trouble.

*My favorite tv show was Dukes of Hazaard. (Yee-Haw!)

*I didn't like apples, chocolate, or pizza.

*I owned purses and earrings at a young age...instinctively understanding the importance of accessorizing wisely.

*I was a terrible liar. I started laughing and was unable to maintain eye contact any time I tried to lie.

*I played with My Little Ponies, erroneously believing that I was destined to be surrounded by equines for the rest of my life.

*I always spoke my mind when I saw injustice.


Now:

*I don't collect anything that requires dusting. I prefer to collect books instead.

*I can still (and sometimes do) beat up the guys.

*I still read voraciously. I have an insatiable appetite for well-crafted stories.

*I uphold my own strict "eat all of your vegetables" rule but I have the good sense not to serve anything as nasty as lima beans, green beans, or God forbid, brussel sprouts.

*I still love Christmas more than any other time of year. Christmas, for me, starts the day after Thanksgiving and goes until New Year's.

*I haven't played an instrument in years but I write my own songs now.

*I still love to listen to classical music but I've significantly expanded my musical interests to include gothic alternative rock, blues, Celtic, rock and roll, hip hop, soundtracks, and hymns. However, as a hold over of my intensely musical childhood, I cannot stand anything without a discernible melody, an intricate arrangement, and well-crafted lyrics).

*I've traded my dolls in for characters that leap from my head to paper (okay, if we're being technical, they leap onto my computer screen) and have the most interesting lives.

*I still love the incredible possibilities presented by a fresh, blank notebook but these days I fill my computer every day with stories, journal entries, poems, and songs instead.

*I don't know how many pair of shoes I have at the moment (one less than I need??) but I no longer buy a practical pair of shoes to get me through a given season - I buy shoes I love and then search for an outfit to go with them. And forget a tiny heel. I like my heels four inches high and pencil thin.

*I still hate dirt, worms, heights, and risk but I still can't let anyone outdo me.

*I still love competitive games but the people in my life who are willing to compete against me are few and far between. = )

*Still no coordination (note the many head injuries and my disturbing propensity for walking into inanimate objects) but still plenty of guts.

*I still flex my vocabulary at every available opportunity (note last night when I asked Mal where the "overflow container" was for the extra ketchup and he just looked at me, laughed, and said, "you mean the 'jug'?"). I use my vocabulary, not because I want to sound snobby but because I am endlessly fascinated by the vast range of incredibly descriptive words available to me. And because three letter words are only truly useful in Boggle.

*I've transferred my propensity for earning straight A's to getting high evaluations at work.

*I am never in trouble. Really. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And Mal doesn't count as trouble.

*My favorite tv show (and in fact the only one I really watch) is Lost.

*Still hate apples, chocolate, and pizza (a fact my hubby calls either "un-American" or "mental", depending on his mood).

*I am not fully dressed unless I'm accessorized. I've had to recently upgrade the size of my jewelry box...

*Still a terrible liar. Can't get away with diddly squat. I can, however, bluff anyone in poker because that's part of the game so to my twisted brain that doesn't count as lying.

*One swift kick to the head from that stupid horse while I was in college cured me of my fascination with all things equine. Besides, who needs a horse when you can have horsepower instead?

*I still speak my mind, loudly and emphatically if needed, especially if I think injustice is involved.