Monday, August 20, 2012

I have only one discernible quirk

It strikes me at this moment that I have become fully entrenched in the digital world. I'm no lawnmower man but I did find myself inside a moment that I never thought would happen. Since I have the whole week off, I decided to kick things off by doing a massive cleaning of my apartment. It was desperately needed. While I was doing that, I needed to find an alternate spot for some books I had picked up at book expo, which yes, was almost three months ago.Don't judge me! The jumbled pile atop my dining room table wasn't doing it for me anymore.  Though I have a ginormous book shelf in my living room, I have had to lie books on their sides, double stack them in multiple aisles per shelf and in general, make the whole thing look like an unorganized mess due to the fact that I have a ridiculous amount of books. I broke a sweat while doing this and I guess because of that I had the fleeting thought that my life would be less labor intensive if only I didn't have so many damn books. It feels dirty, admitting that. Dirtier still when I remembered that I have had that thought before, (but just once!) when I was packing for a plane ride. Also, I was at a coffee shop yesterday afternoon with 30 minutes to kill and I had my iPhone and a Kindle (that I've borrowed) at the ready with nary a book in sight. If I had envisioned the same scenario a scant two years ago, I would have laughed, then cried, then been very, very afraid and quoted you something by Zamyatin. However, I'm too distracted to do that, what with all the bright lights and apps to put on my phone.

I was just incredibly distracted by a Groupon in my email that offered a ten day excursion complete with a guided tour to Marrakech and the surrounding area. When I think of Morocco, I almost feel like I can smell spice in the air and feel cool royal blue ceramic tiles at my fingertips. I'm hoping to piggy back a trip to Morocco on the other trip I'm taking next year to Barcelona. But when I get offers in the mail that make it sound so easy (just click here and give your credit card number now), I get restless and yearning to go go go. I never used to think Morocco would be a place to visit. A friend I used to have introduced me to the idea and I have wanted to go ever since. It'll probably happen.

The town I have called home for about two years (THREE in February!) is quickly becoming a destination. I have noticed more young, hip people on main street in the last hour than I ever have before. I can't help but feel this is an upward trajectory, despite all the endless bitching and moaning from many homeowners on the local blogs about "Wah, taxes and wah, traffic." It will make me think moving out is a mistake as I always leave places before the party gets started (See: My entire college experience).

Also, general question: Is anyone else under the impression that people will invent quirks about themselves to feel unique? Or are people unique enough that they should be believed when they say that something "quirky" bothers them or they are interested in something strange? I do have one discernible quirk. Everyone who knows me will ridicule me for every time it comes up and it is this: I hate going to dinner with a group and having someone order the same thing as me. I hate it. But my reasoning is this: I want to try everything, particularly if I've never been to that restaurant or haven't tried everything there before. However, this reasoning falls short when I realize that I don't always try everything from everyone else's plate. In fact, many people don't like to share their food at all (weirdos). But it is this thing I have. I didn't invent it to seem interesting, I swear. And actually I'm trying to slowly get over it because it annoys me. My quirk annoys me.

So you would think that I'd be slightly more understanding when I hear that someone has a similar thing. But apparently I'm not. For example, I just witnessed a conversation between two 20somethings (who clearly want to sleep together) and the guy mentioned a book he was reading and told her she should read it. She responded by saying "I feel like it is a really personal thing, what you are reading. I don't like knowing what people are reading because it is soooo personal. I can't even read the same thing someone else is reading at the same time." And I put myself in the guy's shoes and it would just make me think she's a lunatic. It doesn't seem charmingly quirky. Am I alone on that? Forever alone?

2 comments:

  1. Lol, i sometimes get a little twang when that happens too, but I get over it quickly so I wouldn't call it a quirk....I have too many to adopt that one too! But I feel you sista! Lol, and I think I got one of those same Groupon's because we were flipping a coin for Marrakesh too! It was the summer heat there that won us over though ;-P I'd like to check it out though...someday.

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  2. I am definitely going to Morocco, likely when I go to Spain next year. Meet you there?

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