1.03.2007

Six Things About O'Kitten

I've been tagged by pinsandneedles to tell you six weird things about myself. Proceed at your own risk.

I. I learned everything that I needed to know from cats. This explains many of my neuroses, as well as my continuing (and, to those of you who may not be cat-obsessed, mildly irritating) obsession with cats. Housecats, great cats, big cats, small cats, cat lore, Egyptian cats (oh Bastet, how I adore thee), cat mythology, and a thirty-some year collection of cat-related items. (One thing about people who love cats--if you don't know what gift to give them, get them some cat thing...lol) However, this topic has been more completely covered elsewhere.

Obsidian Kitten and the original Obsidian Cat


II. One of the rather cat-like things about me is that I am extremely resistant to change. Despite my fondness for the interweb, it is a bit newfangled for me and I refuse to try this silly BloggerBeta thing (primarily because I don't want to sign up for some new Google thingamajig...okay, that plus I hate anything with "Beta" in the name--it means "new" and "different" and probably "riddled with bugs that will befoul everything I attempt to do and frustrate me no end"). Oh yes, besides being something of a Luddite I am easily frustrated.

III. I started posting regularly to this blog because I rather accidentally had an article published in Knitty last spring about how I'd rather accidentally become a knitter last winter. They asked for my blog/web address to post with the article, and I was very proud of my self because I had a blog address (a blog to which, incidentally, I rarely posted). Lo and behold, a few people actually read my article and visited my Obsidian Kitten blog.

At the time, I honestly didn't know how many people read Knitty. Good thing. If I had, I'm sure I would've never had the cojones to actually submit an article.

IV. My four primary food groups are caffeine, nicotine, sugar, and salt. But I make sure all the animals (cats, llamas, sheep, and chickens) eat very healthy, regular, and well-balanced meals. I even prepare food for the cats.

There seems to be something very wrong with this picture, but I can't quite put my finger on it...

V. I think the "wrong thing" with this picture has something to do with being Bipolar. Being Bipolar makes a lot of the basic life skills (grocery shopping, cooking, eating, sleeping) extremely challenging. I can't quite explain how...but I have been known to burst into tears in a grocery store aisle because I couldn't choose a roll of toilet paper or a box of cereal.

It's as if my on-off switches are broken. I don't know when I'm hungry, or tired. Can't fall asleep, then once asleep, I can't wake up. (In the worst of my depressions, I've slept for periods of 36 hours straight.)

Off and On


VI. I've been clean and sober since February 3, 1996. I don't know if this is so weird, exactly, but it's one of the things I'm most proud of. And people seem to find it rather odd. "You mean you don't drink--at ALL?"

"Um, no, I kind of exceeded my lifetime capacity already."

I imagine these six things border somewhat on the TMI category (no, that's not Three Mile Island, but Too Much Information), and aren't so funny or weird. I suppose I could've told you that I only know how to do two things with my hair (towel it dry, or tease it into an upright and locked position like I did in the 80s, which I've been forced to do lately since I desperately need a haircut), or that I prefer to buy jeans and shoes at the Salvation Army on half-price day because I get a very odd thrill out of super deep-dish bargains.

Maybe I'll have to try this again when I'm in a slightly funnier mood?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

You aren't weird...just interesting. HUGS! I love the little you in the picture. Weren't you a cutie? My father and stepmom (ER Nurse) tell me they think I am bipolar. But I have never gotten that checked out. I am emotional on a good day. LOL! I am depressed for periods, then I snap out of them. I go through phases of needing little sleep and then sometimes...12 hours of sleep is just not enough. LOL!

Maybe we can be the weird sisters together. LOL!
HUGS and have a great evening.

sienna said...

HUGE congratulations for #6! Looks like you have a big anniversary coming up.

& I'm with you on the BETA. Absolutely.

Chris said...

Nope, not TMI - just interesting! The Off-On picture is excellent. :)

Your #3 is hysterical! And I was just talking about #2 with a friend - since software people always talk about the beta release as a pre-release to clean up the last few messes.... ICK!! Bad marketing, Blogger/Google.

Oh, and I buy most of my jeans and shirts at Value Village. :)

Obsidian Kitten said...

heehee! i've never thought of weird as a bad thing. at all. just far more interesting.

anything less to me is just uniteresting. *yawn...*

rotfl

and omg, this blogger/google thing has me so annoyed. if dreamhost would just cooperate with me and let my ftp software work (i actually think it's a password glitch, but what do i know?) i'd be on my way, but i got frustrated before the hollydays and put off sorting out the problem til the new year. (oh, i guess that'd be now, lol)

Anonymous said...

Well, beta is just slightly better. I think the only good thing about it is that the template components are drop, click, and type, but I stick to the traditional template types. I like altering using my distorted programming methods. But that's just me.

As for the weirdness thing, I know so many people that are more messed up than you are. I have a few bipolar friends and I know a lot of people who end up either in NA or AA for [insert drug/alcohol incident here]. So you actually sound normal to me!

Plus, yer kitties are so cute!

Glaistig said...

Funny, touching, poignant. That's you. I don't think I have the cojones to post such an insightful/introspective post about myself. Congratulations on your sobriety (I hope that doesn't sound stupid but it's heartfelt.) [Runs to go print out Knitty article.]

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your sobriety. I am bipolar as well and understand the 'not drinking at all' thing (though mine is for slightly different reasons). For some reason people think it's just bizarre that I don't drink any alcohol whatsoever ...
Anyway, I'm enjoying reading your blog. I actually got to it through the Knitty article (browsing the archives), and am glad that you update regularly.

Anonymous said...

You even have tiger striped slippers. Awwww -- how cute.

mrspao said...

I love that photo of you and the original Obsidian Kitten..

Anonymous said...

uhhh, I think all the good comments are taken, so lets just say it was a really good read! Now I have to go through the knitty archives, but I have time because your snow is back again-please call the cold white stuff back to where it belongs....

Obsidian Kitten said...

aren't those tiger slippers funny? i *still* love fuzzy anomal print slippers (right now i have leopard ones), and i got ones shaped like big black paws for xmas--they're awesome, they even have claws!

as for my shoddy diet, right now I'm trying hard to get in one decent meal a day. sad, isn't it, that something that should be so simple is such a challenge? (i didn't make any New Year's Resolutions, perhaps that should be the one)

maybe i should call Meals on Wheels...

one year I tried to eat at least one fruit or vegetable a day. just one. that was hard... *giggle*

okay, so i have something to work on. I have no doubt that if i ate better I'd FEEL better...

Obsidian Kitten said...

oh, the first knitty link above should take you to the article, but if it's not working:

http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATllamas.html

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to your being clean ! I had the same desease for years and it was an awful time. Now I enjoy life and purr like my cats ! Apparently we really are cat women !
Today I had to switch over to "New" Blogger, it's NOT Beta anymore, because of my Catnip group. It really is nothing. You click, give your email address, your password and, yups it's done ! I really see no difference, everything works like before, only now you can drag your pictures where you want them and don't have to play with the htmls. All templates are the same as old Blogger but apparently you can change color or font color, but I haven't looked at that yet. Even the conversativest and anxious people did it now. Just jump as I did this morning. I only copied my template on a document just in case.