I'm obsessed

Shaina tagged me, so I guess I'm it. Why do I feel compelled to list five of my obsessions? Who knows. Maybe I just like talking about myself.

Obsession One: The internet. This encompasses many things -- email, blogging, IM, Facebook, and a few other dot-coms. (Does texting fit here? It also applies, but perhaps doesn't deserve its own paragraph.) Mostly I like to keep in touch with people. Luckily, I have a few friends who share my obsession and keep the communication alive. Occasionally I wonder if I'm better at online relationships than in-person ones.

Obsession Two: Clean counters. Just this morning I took a quiz about my decorating style. You can read my full decorating profile here, but my favorite line in the whole thing is "goodbye clutter, hello clean!" That's pretty much my mantra in life. If I'm ever feeling funky, cleaning off my cluttered counter tops is sure to improve my mood. I enjoy staging clutter interventions for other people. This is not a marketable skill, but I think it is fun.

Obsession Three: Being prompt. There are few things I like less than being late or running behind schedule. I start preparations for departure freakishly early so as to spare myself the stress of being late. I would rather be 20 minutes early to church/school/an appointment than two minutes late. I sincerely appreciate people who share my opinion, especially when those people are in charge of starting meetings/appointments on time.

Obsession Four: Brushing my teeth. I cannot leave the house without brushing my teeth, especially if I'm going to exercise. I know this is bizarre. I love fresh breath, that clean minty feeling in my mouth, and the smooth texture of sparkling enamel. This does not mean I am without cavities. And I do wish my teeth were straight and white. But I love to brush my teeth.

Obsession Five: The details. I am way too nit-picky for my own good. The wording has to be perfect. The party plan has to be super-organized. The baby dress and shorts pockets and polo collar have to be ironed. The floor has to be mopped. The windows must be streak-free. The parts to the toddler toys have to be present and accounted for. Sometimes paying attention to detail is a good thing to have on a Mommy resume. And sometimes it just drives people (including me) crazy.

So there you go. Clearly, I am obsessed, so I need to feel validated by my gene pool. I hereby tag my blogging relatives (see Obsession One - feel free to participate via Facebook rather than blog): angieinpink, clodhopper, real-redhead, holly, big.bald.dave, dixon delicious, eddude, emmy z, dixieannah, reddladybug, rach.bec.hep, sylvia, girlygirl, marcie, joeyship, hollyoak, dubey, heidi dawn, sandy, lisa, kayla....geez, am I forgetting anyone? I hope not. Obsession Five might keep me up tonight.