Five Things You Don't Know About Me

Whenever I read lists on other people's blogs, I have an almost uncontrollable urge to join in the list-making fun. It's the same urge I get when someone puts a questionnaire in front of me: I simple have to fill it out. It's a sad thing for the telemarketing people that I have no landline phone... In any case, the most intriguing list I want to join in on is the '10 things you don't know about me' ones. Problem is, there isn't much people who know me do not know about me. I talk a lot, and I have almost no secrets from anyone (and the ones I do have, I certainly have no intention of putting on the internet), and so a list of 10 (TEN!!!!) things my friends might not know about me is a really, really (REALLY) tough task for me.

So how about a list of 5 secrets? I have been thinking about this for a very long time (ever since I saw one of those lists on someone else's blog), and even 5 secrets is way too hard for me to do. Apart from the fact that my mother reads this blog, and she knows almost more about me than I do myself, I just am not a person to keep secrets from anyone. Even when other people tell me their secrets, there is a big chance I will tell someone. In my defence, it is always someone who either doesn't know the person involved or will never meet them, but still - if you want someone to be your secret keeper, it had better not be me. (Though I do love hearing your secrets - as long as you're okay with some complete stranger knowing them, too)

But I still want to make a list. So I came up with a list-category of my own: 5 Things You Probably Know About Me But Only I (And Some Other People Very Close To Me) Am Allowed To Make Fun Of. So, basically, it's a list of things I think are odd about me, but fun enough to blog about. Feel free to make suggestions for better lists, or to not read any lists I ever post, or to tell me to stop writing lists and get back to Awesome Lady, dammit!!* So, here goes:

5 Things You Probably Know About Me But Only I (And Some Other People Very Close To Me) Am Allowed To Make Fun Of

1. I have the tendency to get infatuations with 2-Dimensional characters. And I am very loyal - some of these, I have been 'in love' with since I was a very little girl, and they will never be evicted from that special place in my heart. Examples: Lucky Luke, The leader of the Biker Mice From Mars, Vegeta and Piccolo from Dragonball Z. (On a side note, apparently, people (don't ask me who) are using the Simpsons to teach kids about Christian values - weird much?)
2. I have been afraid of the underwater and anything that lives in it since I can remember, and although I can now watch about 5 minutes of underwater documentaries, I don't think I will ever manage Jaws (or even March of the Penguins). This fear is so profound that I can be in the shower after having seen something sub-aqua-ish (real word!) on TV, and have to keep looking behind the shower curtain to see if there are any sharks, etc, swimming in the bathroom. Do not, under any circumstances, take me to an aquarium, not even if I foolishly volunteer to go. (Unless there are Manatees in the aquarium - more on that later)
3. I love the beach. Absolutely LOVE it. But only really if it is raining, cold and miserable. I mean, I can spend time on the beach when it is sunny and warm, but I won't have as good a time as when it is, say, so cold you have to wear at least three coats and 2 pairs of gloves. Rain is a must. Drizzle is an acceptable substitute.
4. I do not like to walk, unless in very rare circumstances. Most people think I am just plain lazy or stubborn, but walking really hurts my legs and feet (as does standing still for more than 5 minutes). Shopping, although I like it, is torture for my legs, and the only reason I hate going to museums is because the slow walking with many, many pauses to stand in front of something you like looking at, kills my legs. Seriously, the day after I've been shopping or in a museum (and trust me, I do like museums in theory - I just wish they could wheel the things past me as I sit in a nice chair) is almost always spent doing as little walking, and as much lying down and sitting as possible. Walking with a purpose is different (I don't mind walking into town, for example), but aimlessly wandering, or even hiking in nature, is not on.
5. And, finally, I love Manatees. They rule. The Zoo in Amsterdam does not have them anymore. When I was in the Zoo in London I didn't see any. Where are the Manatees???

*I have got some ideas, but my creative juices are a bit dried out at the moment - sorry!