Some things (including the 25 variety)

I'm on the couch this morning, taking a seldom-used sick day to tend to a low-grade cold/flu thing I've been battling for the last couple of days. It's basically a bothersome throat, an annoying cough, and feeling tired and achy. I was in bed last night by 9:30, but woke up this morning still feeling like crap, so I figured my body could use the rest from work. Funny though, I always feel guilty about phoning in sick to work. I blame my father, who I never remember taking a day off work because of illness. Of course it eventually caught up with him: he had to take eight weeks to mend a quadruple bypass in the early 1990s. (Even then, he was afraid to tell his employers that he needed the whole summer off work! I think he viewed being sick as a kind of weakness that could and should be avoided. Probably less-so today, thankfully.)

It's a lovely warm day today, so it's nice to open the windows and allow some fresh air into the apartment. Ah, spring, you will be upon us shortly!

So I've been getting the various "25 things" memes that have infected facebook over the last couple of months. I haven't bothered to answer them via facebook, largely because I consider myself a somewhat private person (this blog notwithstanding... although this is still sort-of a secret blog in that many of my friends are unaware of its existence) and don't want some of my facebook "friends" (ie. acquaintances) knowing more about me than the bare superficialities of what I choose to report on FB. I also don't want my mother (who is an avid Facebooker, largely for the Scrabble app) knowing my business - I love her dearly, don't get me wrong, but I've never been one to share my innermost thoughts with her. I wonder if this reflects poorly on me? But I sort-of like these self-indulgent exercises - in fact, it'll be my first random thing about me! So here we go...

1. Despite evidence to the contrary, I tend to enjoy these self-indulgent, narcissistic exercises - sometimes I even learn a thing or three about myself.
2. I often wish I was about 2 or 3 inches taller (although, oddly, I don't really consider myself short).
3. I wish I could sustain a weight that's about 10 pounds less than my current weight (I tend to carry more in the winter because I don't run near as much).
4. Despite evidence to the contrary, I don't dwell on my physical attributes.
5. I was an early and avid blogger - my first blog was called "Letters to Harry" way back in 1999 - and my "classic" blog from 2004, which documented a break-up and my forays back into the dating world, had a very devoted and loyal readership.
6. My current blog is not very well read (because even the people that know about it don't visit it often - or maybe it's just not very good).
7. I consider myself a crush-aholic.
8. Although I haven't lived there for many, many years (but grew up there), I still consider myself a Montrealer at heart.
9. Toronto feels like home.
10. While I treasure my CD collection, I've pretty much made the transition to buying my music digitally.
11. I once did a list like this when I was doing the online dating thing.
12. While I consider myself an excellent ice skater, I always seem to be slipping and falling on icy sidewalks.
13. I have fond memories of every woman I've been in a relationship with, even with the ones that ended badly.
14. Regrets, I have but many.
15. Every time I go see a live event (concert, theatre, the opera), I almost-always say to myself, "Why don't I go see more live events?"
16. Money, and the lack thereof, is a constant source of concern (even though I'm not living near the poverty line, which I have to remind myself).
17. If someone said to me "Name your ideal occupation," I'd answer, "Staff writer at the New Yorker magazine."
18. I long obsessed about my imperfect teeth (which is why I'm wearing braces - thankfully near the finish line!)
19. I rarely have problems falling asleep at night (sleeping through the whole night is another matter).
20. I sometimes shake my head in amazement at the quality of people who consider me a friend (I don't think I have many friends, but the ones I have are wonderful and special).
21. I've only ever really been in love twice.
22. I'd go out to more social events, particularly on my own, if I wasn't so shy.
23. I hate street festivals.
24. Although my friend H. insists there's no such thing, I like closure.
25. When I discover a new song that I like, I can listen to it over and over and again.

Hmm, pretty bland list. Oh well. To come: 25 Albums that changed my life!