Strange habits. And rainbows.

This post might end up being the one post that sends you away thinking "wow, what a strange gal!" But I'm okay with that because indeed, sometimes I am a strange girl. There are times I LOVE being a strange girl because it gets a laugh and I LOVE making people laugh. So here's my confession, I love rainbows and as a result I have developed some peculiar habits surrounding ROYGBIV.


Why rainbows? Because they're visually pleasing to the eye. If you line up crayons, post it's, anything really, in rainbow order, it's just easier to look at. Heck, even Apple lines up their iPod's in rainbow order on their website! Here are some of my rainbow habits:


1. The Closet. When I'm super organized (which I admit is rare) I hang all my clothing according to rainbow order. I start with whites, then pink then I run through ROYGBIV and then cap it off with black and then finally dark to light neutrals. I can't tell you how pleased I am after this is accomplished.

2. Highlighting. When I have multiple things to highlight on a single sheet of paper, I always go in rainbow order. You don't always have the full spectrum, but I stay in order as much as possible.


3. Candy eating. Why I only care about eating food in rainbow order when it's candy and not good ol' lunch, I don't know. Any sort of multi-colored candy I have to eat in rainbow order. A perfect example is M&M's. Now, I don't just tear open a bag and start fishing for reds, I've got this down to an exact process. If you don't think I'm crazy yet, you will after I explain.

Christie's guide to eating M&M's in rainbow order

Open bag.

Pour out M&M's







Start to line M&M's in columns according to color.

Continue sorting until all M&M's are in their respective color columns.

Start eating column of M&M's with largest number. Continue eating until column is equal with next largest number.

After all columns are equal, eat in rainbow order. This can be done singularly, in groups or by selecting the top M&M from each column so you are eating one of every color.

Continue eating until only one M&M is left in each color column. Finish by eating singularly or all together.

Mmm. Tasty!

A hug is the new high-five

I love hugs. Hugs can be platonic, excited, friendly, welcoming, warm, romantic and just plain awesome. Who doesn't like getting hugs? One great thing about not living close to a lot of my friends is the fact that I get to hug them when I see them. If I have a bad day, just a couple minutes of a hug turns my mood right around. A hug can comfort you in ways that are unexplainable when situations arise that are too deep for words. A hug is a genuine way to say "I care about you."

Apparently not everyone shares my love for hugs. Apparently there are school principals and teachers around the nation who view hugs amongst friends as "dangerous territory." Really? You think hugs are dangerous? Are the concerned that a hug will lead to a kiss which will lead to....? Give these kids some credit. It's a hug. I hope this isn't what America has come to. Forbiding hugs - give me a break!

I hereby make it my personal vow to hug as much as possible. Not so much that I get creepy or anything, but when necessary and relevant, I'm gonna hug. You're gonna like it.

Ear plugs

There are some days that I really wish I would invest in a pair of ear plugs. I'd carry them in my purse because there are so many times a day I could use them!

Do you ever go into sensory overload? I do. I don't know that it's really a sensory overload but more of a sound overload. It happens to me when there are so many sounds my brain is trying to process that I start to go nuts. It doesn't happen very often but when it does, I absolutely hate it. It happened today.

I was at work where our office walls are pretty thin and you can usually hear a conversation next door, especially if folks are laughing. Well I've already got a jaw ache (cavity fillings yesterday, ugh!) and so my sensitivity is heightened. There were three people chatting in one office next to me, what sounded like two people in the office on the other side and at least four people talking loudly and laughing down the hall. Now I'm not saying that casual conversation doesn't belong in the work place. It does. It's to no fault of the people talking, I'm just a bit cranky and my brain was trying to process every voice all at once. Couple that with hearing the phone ring and doors opening and closing and printer's printing. Yikes. My head almost exploded.

So on my next shopping trip, I'll once again debate on whether or not to buy some ear plugs. If you see me wearing them, take no personal offense.

The Simpsons, Frank Sinatra, the U.S. flag and Edgar Allen Poe

What do these four have in common? In the present or some time in the past, these four have all been featured on a United States Postal Service stamp. That didn't even cross your mind, did it? Here's my beef with the postal service and it has nothing to do with their service. As a friend of mine pointed out, they do a heck of a job delivering a letter from NY to CA for only 42, scratch that, 44 cents.

I'm not really that agitated about the price increase. They need to make money, I get it. What I'm irked about are the stamp designs. Please don't think I'm unpatriotic but I'm incredibly bored with the the Liberty Bell and the U.S. flag. I've always thought of stamps as the accessory on an envelope. Just like a pair of diamond studs says classy and sophisticated to an outfit, a U.S. flag says here's my money Westar, thanks for the electricity. Boring! Although I must admit that the newest flag design is a vast improvement over the past few.

Instead of issuing a set of stamps that contains brightly colored flowers or a stain glass window design, they issue this, this, and Lord help us, this!

I have no desire to put cartoon characters with electric solid backgrounds on my neatly addressed, pretty envelope. The Olympics have been over for some time now, and Mr. Poe would necessitate for me to address my envelope with my left hand to make his creepy portrait stamp work.

I don't think I'm asking for too much. A cheery, relevant stamp. Alas, I've decided to purchase the newest "love" stamp, the King and Queen of Hearts. It's the best out of the bunch.

I'm begging the stamp designers out there, please, no more Edgar Allen Poe!

Staying committed

Do you know what I really don't like? I don't like it when some one says they are going to do something and then they don't. Like they tell you that they're going to be ready to go out around 10:00 pm and then at 11:15 you're tapping your toes (in your new black patent leather high heels you're waiting to show off) as they finish styling their hair. Or what about when people start a blog and promise to faithfully create entries and then disappear for months at a time? That's this girl.

I had to turn my life over to the Columbian Theatre for the good parts of February and March, hence my inability to muster enough energy during my one hour of free time a night to blog. But I shall prevail! Look for more entries coming soon....be cause I said I would.

Hitting all the red lights

I despise slow drivers. Especially the ones who drive 3-4 miles below the speed limit. I also hate when I get stuck in a pattern of catching every single yellow light. I don't like congested traffic, especially when I get boxed in by two previously mentioned slow drivers. I don't like getting into my car when it's hot and stuffy but more than that, I hate rolling the windows down because I can't seem to get my hair to blow behind me, it always blows into my face.

But today is a new day. Today is the day that I was begging for and seeking out each and every one of these. Today, it was 84 degrees in Manhattan, KS. Yes, it's March 5 and it feels like May 30. I loved it. I had to force myself back to work after my lunch break. Driving back to work is when I realized I didn't mind driving 27 mph with the windows rolled down and hitting every red light. Heck, the lights would turn yellow and I'd slam on my breaks in an attempt to spend one more minute in the sun. And that stuffy car never felt so fantastic. I didn't even mind the hot steering wheel. This is grilling weather my friends, beer and brats. And that's exactly what my night consisted of, after hitting every red light on the way home.

Karate Chop!

I have encountered many things in my life that I feel are completely underrated. Cheese, socks, space heaters, french toast, things like that. As I slowly approach my third decade (yikes!) in this life, I think I've found the most underrated thing. The karate chop.

I'm not referring to the "hey hold this concrete block steady so I can smash it with my karate chop" kind of chop. I'm referring to the "oh my goodness I'm in sore muscle heaven...keep going" karate chop. It's a massage technique and it is oh so underrated. It's able to find sore and tense muscles you never knew existed. As much as I love the traditional "kneading" technique to massages I'm seriously contemplating a request that my masseuse give me a full 60 minutes of the karate chop.

So next time your shoulders and back and....okay I'll admit it, your butt are sore, ask your loved one to give you a karate chop massage. You'll be so glad you did! LOVE it!

Thank you Uncle Sam

February is one of my favorite months. Not because of Valentine's Day or because I get to celebrate birthdays (sorry family & friends with Feb. birthdays). I enjoy February because that's when I receive my tax refund from Uncle Sam.

The sensible person in me thinks I should put the money towards paying off those pesky student loans or towards my car payment. The self loving person in me thinks I should spend a little of the money buying something nice for myself. A couple years ago, it was a new pair of running shoes that, at the time, were oh so fancy. The plan worked last year and kept me from feeling guilty so I figured I'd try it out again. So I paid of some debt and bought myself a gift. What did I splurge on this year you ask? An alternator.

What is the world coming to when you take your car in for a standard oil change and tire rotation and come home with an alternator? Sad I tell you. It looks like my gift to myself is one of sustainability this year. The gift of being able to continue doing what I'm doing. No fun new shoes or the latest tech gadget. Just an alternator. I can't even show it off to my friends. I'm just glad Uncle Sam was there to cushion the blow.

God bless the Girl Scouts

Today at work I had an ethical dilemma. I've had to make this decision countless times and each time it's just as tough as the time before. I'm familiar with the situation and I know the decision I should make as well as understanding the consequences for making the wrong decision. While the choice may be clear cut for some, I usually spend 30 minutes listening to the angel on my right shoulder debate with the devil sitting on my left shoulder. I'm debating my healthy snack against my sinful snack.


That's right I was a good girl this morning and took an apple to work to munch on in the afternoon. But as I gazed upon the apple sitting on my desk waiting to be devoured that pesky little devil popped up to remind me I had two boxes of girl scout cookies stashed in my "work pantry." It was only a matter of minutes before I abandoned my good intentions and began to salivate over Thin Mints and Caramel Delights. I couldn't even manage to get all four cookies out before taking a bite. In that moment I sent up a little prayer thanking God for blessing the Girl Scouts with such tasty treats and allowing me to enjoy them for a short time once a year.



Now, there might be someone out there wondering why I neglected to bring home the girl scout cookies to share. Well darlin', I was just trying to save you from having to make the same excruciating decision I was faced with. I did it for you.

I'm a sucker...25 things about me

As much as I really don't want to do this, I want to do it more. So here it is, 25 things about me.

1. I get heartburn almost daily. It's a strange thing that my sister and I have in common. I really hate heartburn but the sad thing is I hate Tums more.

2. When I see dogs riding in cars I make a squeaky/excited noise that I'm fairly certain is obnoxious to anyone else in earshot. But seriously, dogs riding in cars with their ears flapping in the wind...how can you not be giddy?

3. I have a love/hate relationship with Britney Spears. I'm convinced she is a terrible role model in every way possible. On the flip side, her music is just so damn catchy.

4. Don't ask me to pick a favorite anything, I can't do it.

6. I eat McDonalds french fries dipped in sweet and sour sauce. It's soooooo good!

7. I would give my left arm to be a lead on Broadway. Which might be difficult because I'm not aware of any lead parts that call for a one -armed brunette. Regardless, if I had the talent, it would be my dream job.

8. In high school my nickname was Crispy. No one really calls me that anymore and I really miss it.

9. One of my favorite snacks in high school was Easy Cheese on Twizzlers. Yes, together.

10. I have hilarious friends. They're the funniest people I know.

11. I donate blood as often as I'm allowed to. I'm type O negative, the second rarest!

12. I've written a song. I did it with my pal Mandy during college and while it's not going to win us a Grammy any time soon, we think it's pretty good.

13. I break for leaves when driving. I often mistake them for small rodents.

14. I refuse to buy cheap toilet paper. An extra dollar is very much worth the comfort.

15. I have a Snuggie. It's royal blue and awesome. Technically it's the Snuggie Deluxe which is 5% thicker and has pockets.

16. I have an irrational fear of a snake getting into my shower while I'm showering. This has replaced my previous irrational fear of a snake coming up through my toilet while I was using it. Hey...I said they were irrational.

17. Some people see a spider and run away. I see a spider and I have an overwhelming urge to hunt it down and smash it to pieces.

18. I love the fact that my brother married one of my best friends.

19. I had two imaginary friends when I was a child, Hucky and Freddy. One day I threw a fit until my mom made Hucky a PB&J for lunch. By the time she made the sandwich and put it on the table for him to eat, I informed her that "Hucky wasn't hungry anymore."

20. I save my day planners and calendars. You never know when you'll need to figure out what you were doing November 17, 1997.

21. I hate wind!!

22. I would love to have my own pottery studio some day. I'm not incredibly talented but that's why I need a studio, so I can practice!

23. My ability to relate smells to a very specific memory is hilarious and impressive (at least I think so).

24. Brownies, after McD's french fries dipped in sweet and sour sauce, are my weakness.

25. Hands down, July 4 is the best day of the year. I'm quite partial to July 4, 2007.

Mother Nature is a tease

I have a bone to pick with mother nature. That shady gal just can't seem to make up her stinkin' mind! Now I realize I live in Kansas and we all know about Kansas weather. I accept that there will be some inconsistency. However, this January/May weather we've been getting the past two months is driving my crazy! One day it's 27 degrees with a blistering 20 mph wind. 24 hours later you have the urge to don flip flops as the thermometer approaches 65 degrees.

What happened to the good ol' days of predictable seasons? Back when I was a young one, January meant thick socks, maybe two pairs if you've got circulation issues, perhaps some tights, jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, a sweatshirt, heavy winter coat, gloves, scarf and a hat. This weekend, January meant a t-shirt, jeans and flip flops. My poor body doesn't know whether to shiver or break a sweat. I wonder if this is what menopause feels like?