Collector of Collections

I have mentioned in a previous post that i collect quotes (among other things). These quotes have come to me through many different times in my life. They often reflect my mood at the moment or speak to me about something on a deeper level.

Perhaps my fascination with quotes is that, someday, I, too, hope to say something witty or wonderful or deep enough for people to say over & over again...

So enamored with quotes I am that I painted them on the living room wall of the first house I owned. I loved it! It was something that was truly me and though they were a ridiculous pain to paint over when I sold the house, I would do it again!

Don't tell Cop'er, but I have been eyeballing some walls in our house...

Here are a few of my most recent finds:

• Surrender isn't about giving up. It's about letting go.
• If you want to be understood... listen. ~Babel
• The decisions you make are important... but not that important.
• Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you'll ever regret. ~Laurence J. Peter
• Behind every argument is someone's ignorance. ~Louis Brandeis
• If you believe in eternity, life is irrelevant. ~from "House"
• Creativity is a drug I cannot live without. ~ Cecil B. DeMille
• Dance is the hidden language of the soul. ~Martha Graham

Addendum to 100 Things about Me

A good friend, we'll call her Cattails, told me today that my list of 100 things didn't tell her anything new about me! How??? Out of 100 things there was nothing new??? No surprises???

It's exactly what I feared... i. am. an. open. book. No surprises. No skeletons in the closet. Nothing to make jaws drop. How boring can I be?

Ok, Cattails, I'm going to try for something that you didn't know... I don't care that we have been friends for more years than I can remember! I WILL TELL YOU SOMETHING NEW!

1. (101) I think taking showers are a total waste of time... baths too... but, that doesn't mean I don't take them. I see them as a necessary evil.
2. (102) I like rap music... ok, not all rap, but i don't mind it if i can understand what they are saying!
3. (103) I don't own an iPod. I own a Zune.
4. (104) I have SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder. I need lots of light (& chocolate) during the cold grey winter months!
5. (105) I would like to fill my house with photographs I have taken - larger than life photos.
6. (106) I don't like coconut, cherries or eating oranges. (I also don't like OJ with pulp - reminds me of drinking hair!)
7. (107) I collect quotes.
8. (108) I won't let Cop'er use the 'good towels' for showers. Now that I think about it, I can't recall letting him use the good towels ever. He's very dirty!
9. (109) I would like to learn how to do stained glass creations... but I don't have much interest in pottery.
10. (110) I only do easy/medium sudoku puzzles. The hard ones take too long & get too messy. I might like a challenge, but not that one!
11. (111) I have been collecting Disney ornaments for longer than I have known Cattails! I have a Christmas tree with nothing but Disney on it!
12. (112) I know how to crochet and cross-stitch, but I haven't mastered the sewing machine (& I do own one!)
13. (113) I have worn contacts since I was in 8th grade. I hate glasses, but enjoy the new ones I just got because they make me look cute & smart. (It doesn't matter that those are things I said about myself!)
14. (114) I have read the whole Twilight series & know it's not about vampires as much as it's a love story... & who doesn't enjoy a love story??? hmmm... maybe I should ask Sister Fantanimal!!
15. (115) My ears make too much earwax. It's been that way since I was a kid.
16. (116) Even though I have many purses, I have yet to find "the perfect purse"... Hence the reason I have many purses.
17. (117) If I were to let my hair grown into its natural color, I fear I would age 30 years. (Thanks, Mom. I'm sure that was your side of the family blessing me with the early grays!)
18. (118) I prefer to spell 'gray' with an 'e' rather than an 'a'... as in grey. Unfortunately that's not going to work with my last name, Grayson.
19. (119) I only wear 2 colors of socks - Black & white - unless it's a holiday. I have socks for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's and St Patty's Day.
20. (120) I use colored staples, colored paper clips and colored binder clips at work. No one else does.

Well, Cattails, that's all i have right now. I hope at least ONE thing was something new for you! If not, I'm going to have to suggest we not spend anymore time together until I can acquire something new & exciting to talk about!

100 Things about Me (that you did or didn't know)

1. I’m the oldest of 3 girls.
2. My parents are still married—celebrating 40 years this year!
3. I’m 2.5 years away from the big 4-0 myself! But… in birthday years.
4. I’m married to a cop.
5. I have 3 dogs (I usually only claim one of them & the others in the generic “our” sense).
6. I have 2 cats—all are completely mine!
7. I love the autumn; ‘tis my favorite season! I was born in the fall!
8. I’m a Libra—highlights of that sign are charming, balanced (emotionally and mentally), artistic, romantic. Sounds just like me!
9. I’ve lived in the Mechanicsville/Richmond area all my life.
10. I’m a graduate of VCU with a degree in Communication Arts & Design; minor in photography.
11. I was a commuter student.
12. I like getting flowers, but not roses. They are so ‘everyday’.
13. I think a hammock is a great place to waste time and take a nap.
14. I have a pool at my house and I like it, but I wish the water stayed warmer longer.
15. I have a job that I really like.
16. I love all things Scottish and Celtic.
17. I have been to Scotland, Spain and many places in the Caribbean.
18. I love to travel, even for work.
19. I love cruising, but even I sometimes want a land vacation.
20. I finally saw a Broadway play last year—The Lion King. It was magical!
21. I have 2 nephews on my side of the family & 2 nieces, 1 nephew on Cop’er’s side.
22. My sister, KidEduc8r, lives 1 mile from me; my parents, 4 miles.
23. My favorite food is Mexican—chips & salsa at the top of the list.
24. My favorite color is orange—that bright, fiery orange color that runs rampant in the middle of autumn!
25. My pup, Lil Guy, sleeps right next to me at night with his FrogDog (toy) & I love it!
26. I have been watching “All My Children” & “General Hospital” since I was just a flicker of life; thanks, Mom.
27. I watched “Days of Our Lives” when I was a teenager, but couldn’t keep up.
28. I have a Pontiac G6; I think I could very well be the reason they went out of business!
29. I am addicted to blankets, bags, purses, pens, paper and lip gloss. Contrary to what some people think, I don’t have that many coats or shoes!
30. I can put furniture together (by myself) & I do read the directions.
31. I have my own craft room (also doubles for the guest room) and Cop’er has a Man Cave (I try not to step foot in there).
32. I like big piles of money, but never did I say it was the way to making one happy.
33. I enjoy a walk to the mailbox to find something other than bills. A card & letter are wonderful surprises!
34. I don’t like how the dryer shrinks things… especially my sweatpants!
35. I love photography and wish I was a landscape photographer for National Geographic.
36. I also wish I could live off my writing skills.
37. I like grammar rules.
38. I miss having a fire in the fireplace, but hear it’s not good for those with allergies.
39. I have allergies.
40. I get allergy shots 2x a month.
41. Our dog, Jake, snores; so does Roxy, my cat.
42. I have headaches frequently & they think it’s from the changes in the barometric pressure.
43. I have dated a police officer; doctor; lawyer; men from the Navy and the Army; graphic designers…
44. I met Greg Grunberg (“Heroes”, “Felicity”) at a tradeshow in Chicago last year. I got my picture taken with him.
45. I ‘stalked’ the cast of “Dawson’s Creek,” with my camera, when they were in town for a shoot at the University of Richmond many years ago.
46. I love a good chick flick, but also like mysteries and dramas; however, I am very picky about my comedy.
47. I can make jewelry… I like to give it away.
48. My favorite authors are Nora Roberts & Patricia Cornwell (she writes about things in VA & I think it’s cool to read about things I know).
49. I like frogs and have a collection of them in my house.
50. I also have birdhouses in my kitchen.
51. My favorite candle scents are citrus varieties and cinnamon.
52. I don’t have a favorite book.
53. My favorite movies are Titanic, Beauty & the Beast, Man on Fire, National Treasure (1 & 2).
54. This blog has been ‘alive’ since 2007.
55. I love to write. I have kept a journal since I was a freshman in college (if you are doing the math, that’s 20 yrs).
56. I’m not a computer genius, but I can find my way around one.
57. My desk at work is very organized; my house is not except for the closets & cabinets.
58. I like it when women are strong role models – especially when up against men.
59. I think it’s ok if a woman just isn’t meant to be a stay-at-home-mother.
60. I voted for Obama and I’m not ashamed of it. I still think the guy needs a chance to make things happen. If I have to, I will re-evaluate in 4 years. All I know—it’s not as bad as a Bush!
61. I used to like watching the Olympics. I can’t get into it now.
62. My favorite shows on TV are: House, Bones, American Idol, Paranormal State.
63. I love all things paranormal: ghosts, spirits, hauntings, etc.
64. I have been to quite a few NASCAR races. They are actually quite fun.
65. I’ve been to Loch Ness, Scotland. I didn’t see the monster.
66. I have been to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.
67. I wished I was an exercise junkie, but I’m not.
68. My given name was originally spelled with a ‘y’; it’s now spelled with ‘ie’ & it’s a legal change.
69. My dad is a pharmacist and my mom is a ‘retired’ nurse. Together they make a doctor!
70. I love sunsets, sunrises (though I don’t see many of them), and long walks on the beach.
71. I also like short walks on the beach.
72. I just like anything about the beach.
73. I had a convertible for a while (someone wrecked it for me) and I loved it! And I miss it!
74. I’ve fallen off a horse (don’t ask Cop’er to repeat that story).
75. I have a collection of over 250 DVDs.
76. I only wear silver and silver-toned jewelry.
77. I like shirt with collars or v-necks the best.
78. I hate when my socks won’t stay in place and I have to fidget with them all day.
79. I think cat and dog hair is just another thing to wear.
80. Sharpie markers with the fine tip rock!
81. We have a Florida/Sun room in our house & it’s completely opposite of Florida temperatures in the winter. I think is should change to the Alaska room then.
82. My favorite color to wear is aqua/teal/blue.
83. I’m a night person; hate mornings.
84. I like to save my change, count it and roll it into big money!
85. I think naps are wonderful ways to waste time.
86. Text messaging is a great invention.
87. I used to use Macs, now it’s PC all the time.
88. I have a Wii, but it’s not as much fun as one-player.
89. I haven’t had a soda in 6+ weeks.
90. I haven’t had (the bad kind of) fast food in 6+ weeks.
91. I wish I had a week off to catch up on my leisure reading.
92. I like “So You Think You Can Dance”… I wish I was a dancer.
93. I love my new camera. I wish I was able to experiment in farway places with it.
94. I like to get dressed up with fancy clothes and makeup… once in a while.
95. I enjoy hosting parties but not the clean up or prep work.
96. I think the invention of the DVR has totally changed the way I watch TV.
97. I like to support breast cancer and wear the pink ribbon. I know there are other cancers, but this one is the closest to my heart & my family.
98. I would like to see Josh Groban in concert several times a year.
99. I love summer thunderstorms.
100. I want to see all of the states in the US before I die.