Blogging Ideas

Thanks Jackie, for giving me the ideas I need to keep my blog going!  I actually do love having something to say, but I never know what to say except the same old, same old stuff.  Or political commentary, which, on my blog at least, garners little to no reaction from any readers - as such, I have no idea how you all receive such things. 

Now the trick will be trying to remember to post something every day.  If I miss a few days, I'll just do all the posts at once.  You can look to the left of your screen to see a partial list of the daily ideas.

Oh - the other preface I must make, is that I don't do pictures of myself (maybe if I ever found one that wouldn't make me throw up), and I rarely get my pictures off my camera to post pictures of anything else.  If the daily blog idea includes pictures, I may or may not actually pay attention to that part.

Day One
Fifteen facts about me?  Easy.

1. My very best friend in the whole wide world is my dog Jack.  Sometimes if I say this to people they act a little awkward, like it's kind of sad not to have anyone else but a dog to be friends with.  I don't consider myself to be lacking at all; I have lots of great people to talk to and interact with at work and at home, and then I have my Jack, who always just wants to play with me and love me and hang out with me.  I don't think he cares if I'm fat or don't have my hair fixed or am wearing something a little odd just for the sake of comfort or convenience.
2. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It feels good to me, and I know it's true.  And it's a good thing for me that it's true, for so many reasons - we believe that animals will be with us in the afterlife, we believe that repentance reverses the eternal consequences of all but one sin, we believe that God loves us so much that he not only knows our names, like he might if he read them off our birth certificates, but that he knows every intricate detail that makes us who we are as unique individuals.  I also have a personal belief that his gospel works for everyone, though not in the ways that some might think; his is a gospel for individuals, not masses, and therefore even if the only thing we have going for us is a desire to be what we should be, he will work with us, he will be patient with us, he will forgive us as many times as we ask him to.
3. I love the outdoors.  I think that if I was physically capable, I would be one of those people who lists as their interests hiking, mountain biking, swimming, water skiing, rock climbing, dancing, etc.  (That is, in addition to more 'cultural' or 'intellectual' passions.)
4. I am highly interested in a LOT of different subjects.  Maybe that's part of why I never went to college?  I can't for the life of me pick just one subject I want to deal with for the rest of my career as a working person.  I love science, astronomy, theology, philosophy, psychology, humanities, language, history, and on, and on.......and on. 
5. I love good food.  That's hard to admit - fat people aren't supposed to admit they like food, are they?  But sometimes I think that I can taste food better than some people.  Why else would there be a few foods that literally make me shudder a bit when I taste them because they're just. that. good? 
6. I used to wish and wish as a young kid that when I grew up I could have long, dark, curly hair.  I had no idea that I actually had the makings for all of that.  Funny thing is, it's never turned out how I pictured it.
7. I have a very strong appreciation for beauty, whether I find it in nature, in people, in animals, in artwork, in music, in dress, or in spirit. 
8. I haven't ever travelled east of Denver or west of L.A.  Never farther north than the northern tip of Bear Lake, nor farther south than Phoenix (which I only touched from within the airport on a layover.)  Some of the places I would love to see most are the Oregon/Washington coast, Alaska, the British Isles, Jerusalem, and New Zealand. 
9. I love both early mornings and late nights, though my sleep requirements pretty much dictate that I can only enjoy one or the other in any given 24-hour period.
10. I love to perform musically, particularly as part of a really good band or orchestra (which is something I haven't done in more than a decade.)
11. Sleep is one of my all-time favorite pasttimes. 
12. My electric heating pad is one of my most-used possessions.  I put it down in my covers under my calves and crank it up as hot as it will go.  Ever heard of toasted skin syndrome?  I have it on my calves, but that doesn't really matter to me at all.
13. I have a major sweet tooth, but that doesn't mean that I can enjoy anything sweet.  Candy, with the exception of chocolate and 2 or 3 non-chocolate kinds, are generally considered not worth my time or thought.  Favorites are brownies, soft cookies, pie, and ice cream.
14. I have an obsession, not just with Jack, but with all dogs.  I think about them all the time, and am always really excited when I see someone walking their dog(s) at the side of the road.
15. I have a somewhat unique sense of humor that seems to be getting more....unique...as I get older.  I blame my dad.