And the Truth Comes Out

Source

Last week, I shared with you five truths and four lies, and I had you guess which “facts” were true and which were false. (If you haven’t read that post yet, I recommend you do so before continuing with this one.) I thoroughly enjoyed reading your guesses. And now it’s time to provide the promised answers. 

1) I’m probably hiding in your closet right now. You got me. This one was a lie. Or was it? *evil laugh* But seriously, how many of you compulsively checked your closets even though you knew I was lying? (Because I totally checked mine.) 

2) I don’t suffer from caffeine-withdrawal headaches when I go without coffee. This one is actually true. The only caffeine-related headaches I get, that I’m aware of, are ones from drinking too much caffeine. (Admittedly, I do have frequent headaches—ranging from low-level to migraine—but I haven’t noticed a direct correlation between the times I get headaches and the times I go without coffee.) Every few months or so, I go off coffee for about a week, because it always tastes better after a break, and I don’t experience an uptick in headaches. I don’t know if my periodic breaks have any bearing on my lack of withdrawal issues, or if I physically can’t get addicted to caffeine. *shrugs* I’m still waiting for Marvel to realize this gives me Avenger potential. *sits and waits by the phone* 

3) I am ambivalent about Nate Ruess’ singing abilities. This was a dirty, rotten lie, and it hurt me to type it. Here, have a link to a brilliant example of why I love Nate Ruess’ singing. And here, have another one for good measure. I was a little surprised that not many of you have heard of him, but looking back, I should probably have linked to some of his music so you could get an idea of his singing voice (as I am doing now). My bad. I should probably have also specified that he’s the lead singer of Fun., for those of you who don’t know band members by name. (He also has a solo album.) 

4) I love Panic! at the Disco. This was a lie. *hangs head* I’ve tried to get into P!ATD multiple times, and it stands to reason that I should love their style because it has a lot of the elements that I normally go for in music, and because I tend to like the kind of musicians (like Nate Ruess) signed by their record label, Fueled By Ramen. But I just don’t, and I’m not exactly sure why. *hides from rabid fans* 

5) My favorite numbers are one and eleven. This is true. I have a super secret reason for these being my favorite numbers. Obviously I will never tell you that super secret reason, because then it wouldn’t be super secret anymore (logic, I know). But it’s fun to rub it’s super-secretiveness in your face. 

6) I love reading the classics. This is also true. I grew up on the classics, and I’m still in love with them. I haven’t read nearly as many as I would like to, and there are so many I want to reread. SO MUCH READING. *runs around in circles* *has small meltdown* 

7) Chickens are my favorite kind of bird. Many of you thought this one was a lie, and I don’t blame you at all. Chickens are not known for their intelligence or beauty, and it appears I strike people as a more majestic-bird-loving type (which is quite a compliment, I think, so thank you), but it is in fact the truth. Normal people lose it around adorable puppies. I lose it around chickens. I just—they’re just— I love chickens. 

8) I am deathly afraid of spiders. This was actually a lie. But let me clarify before you peg me as a psychopath/not-very-nice person/public menace. I do not like spiders. I do not keep them as pets and give them names and cry when people kill them. I actually do have a soul. But I am not deathly afraid of them. I don't run away from them or freak out when one crosses my path. When I see spiders, my first instinct is to puke because they are revolting creatures with an unreasonable number of legs, and my next instinct is to kill, kill, kill. Approximately 2.5 seconds after I see a given spider, I have taken care of it and disposed of the body. Killing spiders gives me joy. Some people get high on drugs. I hunt out the dark corners of my room where spiders are likely to be hiding, and then I kill them all. Nothing beats that sort of high. Many try to flee, but none survive my wrath.  I am a hitman, a spider serial killer. Spiders fear me. *evil, slightly unbalanced laughter* *brandishes flamethrower*

9) In kindergarten, my fellow classmates frequently got upset with me for reading too quickly. This is actually true, and it’s part of the reason why my mother started homeschooling me in fourth grade. I only attended the last third/fourth (approximately) of kindergarten in America, and that was when the trouble started, and it was the same for first grade (not for second grade because I spent part of that in a missionary school in Africa, where I wasn't given any trouble, and part homeschooled), and third grade. My classmates weren’t all mean, but a lot of them complained that I read too quickly, or that I wrote too much for the writing assignments, or that I answered too many of the questions in class. (Peasants.) My various teachers also complained that I was reading too quickly and making the other kids feel bad. (Poor them.) I got picked on a lot, and I even got a couple hate notes.  (Side note: If you're going to send an anonymous hate note to someone you dislike for being smart, you might want to consider that they're smart enough to figure out who wrote the hate note. At least try to disguise your handwriting.) It’s been my experience that kids who try to do well in school don’t get much respect. It’s also been my experience that kids are a lot more cruel and messed-up than their parents are willing to admit. Not that I’m bitter or anything. *attacks school yearbook with  aforementioned flamethrower* 

And that is all for today, little coffee beans. Last month, I said that I would resume posting twice a week come May, but because I am going to be busy moving to a new apartment in May, and because I still haven’t caught up with blog reading and comment answering yet, I’m going to post only on Wednesdays until June (unless I start feeling like I have a lot of free time on my hands). Sorry. In the meantime, what is your favorite bird? Are you afraid of spiders? What is/are your favorite number(s)?

Five Truths and Four Lies

Source

Once upon a time, in an age long past (so, about a month ago), TT @ Intro to Blurb tagged me for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award. I did this tag a while back, but not only is this tag great for repeat offenders like yours truly, it’s also been altered since the last time I did it. Which means I'm up for round two. 

Here are the new and exciting rules: 

Say nine things about yourself. Either four can be true and five false, or vice versa. 

Tag people—share the lies (I mean, the love). 

I have elected to share five facts about myself and four lies. It’s your job to guess which ones are true and which ones are not. Let the fibbing games begin, and may the odds be ever in my favor. Or something like that. 

1) I’m probably hiding in your closet right now. 

2) I don’t suffer from caffeine-withdrawal headaches when I go without coffee. 

3) I am ambivalent about Nate Ruess' singing abilities. 

4) I love Panic! at the Disco. 

5) My favorite numbers are one and eleven. 

6) I love reading the classics. 

7) Chickens are my favorite kind of bird. 

8) I am deathly afraid of spiders. 

9) In kindergarten, my fellow classmates frequently got upset with me for reading too quickly. 

I hereby tag: Victoria @ The Endless Oceans of my Mind, Heather @ Sometimes I’m a Story, and Opal @ Opal Swirls. 

And there you have it, my little coffee beans. Now it’s your turn. Which ones do you think are facts, and which ones are lies? Next week I shall spill the beans. 

One Lovely Blogger Award (Round Two) and Dragon's Loyalty Award

The marvelous Victoria @ The Endless Oceans of my Mind nominated me for the One Lovely Blogger Award. (Thank you, Victoria!) I’ve actually done this one before but the cool thing about this award is that I get to share seven facts about myself, so I could maybe do it a bazillion times without it getting old. At least, not for me. 

Source

On top of that, the esteemed Ashley @ [insert title here] nominated me for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award. (Thank you, Ashley!) Since both of these awards involve listing seven facts about myself, I’m just going to combine them and give you fourteen facts. You could challenge me on this, if you wanted, but Ashley’s award says I’m a dragon, so you might not want to get on my bad side in case I decide to eat you. Fair warning. Also, why wouldn’t you want to read fourteen facts about me? 

Fact one: In order to get stuff done, I need to be in a brightly lit area, especially if I’m reading or cleaning. If it’s a rainy, overcast day, I’m fine to work on the computer with the light a little lower than usual because it’s cozy and all. But otherwise, poorly lit rooms deeply bother me. Often the overhead light doesn’t cut it, and I need to supplement. 

Fact two: 50% of my current projected TBR pile for this year (at the very least) consists of books I want to reread. And a lot of those planned rereads will be stuff I read last year. As a part of my mental system, I’ve always found that I process everything better the second, third, (and so on) time around. Last year, I read a lot of new-to-me books, so I’m eager to experience those again this year and analyze them more thoroughly. 

Fact three: I will always love Star Wars, to the ends of the universe and back, but first and foremost, I will always be a Trekkie. In fact, when I got home from watching The Force Awakens, I sat down and watched an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. 

Fact four: By the time I finished editing my first complete novel, I had spent about eleven years working on various writing projects (I started way young). During that time, and in the year since, I have come up with so many story ideas that if I were to suddenly stop thinking of anything new, there’s a good chance I would still be set for the rest of my life. This is one of the main reasons why I write so quickly—I have to keep up somehow. I’d hate to let any of those ideas go to waste. 

Fact five: I have a minor obsession with trilogies. While I love stand-alone books, nothing grabs my interest quite like a trilogy, and as a testament to that great love, I just bought three trilogies I’ve never read and have no clue if I’ll love or not. I actually prefer the all-in approach over buying the first book to see if I like it before committing. Even if I’m not a huge fan, like with MATCHED and UNDER THE NEVER SKY, I will still eventually break and buy the whole trilogy, just because. My brain will bug me non-stop unit the day I do. Also, if a book is disappointing, I am more likely to forgive it and reread it if it is part of a trilogy. I honestly have no explanation for this—it just is. 

Fact six: I can’t write well if I’m not surrounded by books and coffee (preferably both). I can function without those, of course, but not with the same depth of comfort, concentration, and consistency. My stress levels immediately lower and my contentment levels immediately rise in the presence of books and coffee. So you could say that spending loads of money on books and coffee is justifiable, not just for energy and entertainment, but for medicinal purposes as well. After all, I have to maintain my sanity somehow. 

Fact seven: I enjoy swimming, and I was even a certified lifeguard for two summers, but I’m scared of the ocean and I can only swim in lakes if I don’t think about what might be underneath me. When I was younger, I also used to be afraid about going outside because I was certain an animal was going to jump out of the woods and get me. Actually, to this day, I’m still not a big fan of being outside alone—I’m just generally less of a wimp about it. But my fears are more reasonable now because, when I go for walks, I usually come across a small herd of deer that likes to hang around in the woods by the side of the road and stare at me as I pass by. Obviously they are plotting my demise. There is no other explanation. 

Fact eight: In school, I had a love/hate relationship with math. There were times when I would genuinely enjoy it (especially algebra), and I even wanted to take calculus at one point. But my biggest frustration was that I could happily spend a whole hour solving equations, only to find out that I had answered everything incorrectly. And then I would lose confidence and get a mental block and it would be all downhill from there for a while. After taking physics in high school, I had always planned to take advanced physics and astrophysics but I never had the time. I still might study those some day (when I was eight I watched a documentary or two or on quantum physics and string theory, because I could, and I think that’s why I love physics so much now). But I was very bad at the math part of physics. So that was fun. 

Fact nine: I pace like a caged animal testing its boundaries when I’m waiting for my coffee to heat up. And I tend to do it without even realizing it. (Also, thanks to Geico, this is what I think of when I’m using the microwave.)

Fact ten: I’m less fond of libraries now than I used to be. I’m a huge fan of the idea of libraries, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t like borrowing books and then having to return them. If I’m going to read something, I like to own it so I can enjoy the story knowing I’ll be able to reread it whenever I please. Also, sometimes library books have gross stuff on them, and they’re rarely in as good condition as my books, so they’re not as much fun to read. They don’t even smell as wonderful. But, this year I’ll try to do more with libraries because, let’s face it, I can’t buy all the books in the world so I have to make compromises sometimes. 

Fact eleven: I am a book dragon, and I hoard books. If you touch my treasures, I will breathe fire at you. Grr. I’m also super picky about how I shelve my darlings. It’s a strange, idiosyncratic system involving how much I love the authors, the stories, the colors of the books, and the genre, as well as size and smell. (I kid you not. I shelve my copy of BATTLE ROYALE differently than I otherwise would because it seems to be made of some sort of strong-smelling cedar, and strong smells give me migraines so I try to keep the cedar smell from spreading into my other books.) This means that when I buy new books, as fun as that is, I have to go through the trauma of reorganizing my ENTIRE book collection to make everything look just so. 

Fact twelve: My childhood nickname was Little Miss Morbid. In case you were wondering, it still applies. 

Fact thirteen: I have an obsession with heights. Where normal people look up celebrities to stalk their gorgeous faces, I just look them up to see how tall/short they are. Maybe this comes from being taller than most people I know, which means that when people comment on my appearance, (and they do, quite frequently), it’s usually about how tall I am. So I find it a little comforting to know that the average female celebrity height seems to be 5’7”, which is my height (actually, I’m technically 5’6” and three quarters, but my driver’s license says 5’7”, so we’ll just go with that). This is a clear indication that all I need to do to fit in height-wise is become famous, and that was already on my agenda. Isn’t it neat how that works out so perfectly? 

Fact fourteen: Rats are my favorite kind of animal. I used to keep pet rats, but they all died, and I’m not really allowed to have any in my apartment, so I’ll have to wait till I’m living somewhere else. *sad face* They make excellent pets because they are social, affectionate, and wicked intelligent. Imagine, personality-wise, a hybrid between a dog, a monkey, and a hyperactive pig, plus maybe a smidge of octopus—that’s pretty much what you’re getting into if you buy a pet rat. Hamsters would be my second favorite, and I would actually be allowed to keep one here if I wanted. Which I might, eventually. I love hamsters because they are anti-social, neurotic, and introverted—like me. Only, if I were locked in a cage with my fellow kind, I wouldn’t kill them (probably). Not so with the adult hamster. Other animals I want as pets include: mice, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, and skunks (I’m not even kidding on that last one). 

There you go, little coffee beans, fourteen wonderful facts about me that I’m sure you were dying to know. (I’m not going to tag anyone, because I’m lame like that, but you are welcome to tag yourself—just make sure to drop me the link in the comments so I can read your post.) What about you? Do you have any interesting obsessions? Any telling childhood nicknames? Do you reread books? What are some of your fears/phobias? Oh, and the most important question of all—Star Wars or Star Trek? (Just kidding, you’re free to love them equally.)