Monday, January 21, 2013

Oh, the Oddities!

So, I'm really excited right now because I was tagged by La Domna to do an Oddities list about myself! I've never been tagged before, so this is a first for me! So, let's begin, shall we?

1. My childhood home, where I lived when I was 2 to 17 years of age, was haunted. Some of the stuff that happened was innocent enough, but other times I was downright terrified. The most common thing that happened was I would hear typing in the computer room at night, but every time I peeked to see who was causing the typing, the room would always be dark and empty. Other things would happen such as the lights flickering on and off, electronics turning on or off by themselves, even objects moving by themselves with no logical explanation. The worst part was the point I starting seeing apparitions. I can think of a total of 3 different times I saw such things. One was a shadowy figure of a man in a tophat that walked past the computer room into my room. Another was a misty white, almost human-like figure that swayed down the hallway in my direction. It was terrible, and I ran to the refuge of my parents room immediately. The last was the worst- I saw a doppelgänger of my own mother that woke me up in the middle of the night. It looked and sounded just like my mom, but its eyes were otherworldly and almost malevolent. The weird part about that is my mom is still alive and well, so I don't know what was pretending to be her... But I didn't like it one bit. I've come across the knowledge in my recent years that the old owners were affiliated with the mob, and that the husband of the wife that had lived there had passed away. There's also the fact that the lady across the street ran a nursing home right in the house, so residents there were frequently passing on.

2. I love a wide variety of music. I'll listen from anything from Beethoven to Napalm Death! I also adore Marilyn Manson, and actually have two Marilyn Manson inspired tattoos. One is on my stomach and is a human heart draining into a spade (inspired by the song Spade, with the lyrics, "You drained my heart and made a spade/But there's still traces of me in your veins.") The other is in between my shoulder blades, and it's two angels praying by the shock symbol.


3. I have five tattoos altogether, but they're all pretty huge.


4. I've always been a solitary person, and I really still am. I've never had a huge amount of friends, just one or two that are my true friends.



5. I'm a Virgo, and a tiger in the Chinese zodiac.


6. Growing up, I used to write a lot of short stories. A lot of them were about animals, as I've always loved animals and aspired to be a veterinarian (before I realized how utterly awful I was at math and science). One time, the Disney channel had a story contest that I entered where the winner would get their story made into a cartoon. My submission was about a three-legged cheetah that faced trials and tribulations. I received a Tinkerbell pen in the mail with a letter that thanked me for submitting and kindly telling me I lost. I wasn't really that sad, but I did think my story had more thought than the one that won- which was about a Spanish-speaking spider. Ah well. To this day, it's my dream to write and publish a book. I've also wanted to have a room in one of my future homes with a huge library where I could get lost in a great book and a cup of tea whenever I wanted.



7. Along with my cat and betta fish, I have five hamsters (four winter white and one Syrian). I only intended to have one hamster. My boyfriend and I saw an adorable, tiny white hamster in the pet store that we ended up purchasing even though it had something wrong with its right eye. We embraced his little disability, named him Pi-right, and gave him lots of love! We eventually learned that the poor tiny creature had actually suffered a stroke, and he passed away two days later. I was heartbroken, but also practical. We exchanged it for the largest, healthiest hamster in the store and named it Hammy. We found out two days later that Hammy was large for a reason. She gave birth to seven tiny hamsters, and we had no idea what to do! We researched a crazy amount of baby hamster stuff. It turns out that the mom does all the work, though it was imperative to keep everyone fed and hydrated. They started foraging for food when they were only 9 days old. I had fun giving them all fruit, veggies, and hard boiled eggs. I even did mini video updates on them daily, which was so fun. They will turn one year old this March! Unfortunately, none of the girls survived; so I now own Hammy, her three sons (Christopher Columbus, Katooloo, and Squeakers), and a Syrian hamster we bought named Baby Bear.

Please note: All watermarked photos are my own, the rest are from the land of Tumblr.

And that's it! I'm really not too interesting, haha! I tag everyone reading this (if you want to do it, of course!). I'd love to learn more about you all!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

21 comments:

  1. What a lovely tattoo! I love how colourful you made it.
    I am a virgo too and definitely a solitary and bibliophilic person. Maybe it's our sign!

    We have similar tastes in music! Not exactly Marilyn Manson but I like groups in the same vain as: Christian death, Joy Division, Bauhaus etc..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, my dear! I got really lucky to get that seahorse tattoo. My boyfriend used to work at a popular tattoo shop here in Las Vegas (they used to be on TV on a show called Inked), and one of the guys that worked there did bright, colorful animal stuff; so I was able to get a nice tattoo for really cheap. It's definitely my favorite tattoo and I am very thankful to have it :)
      It seems like we have a lot in common! I think a lot of it is that people under a certain zodiac sign share similar characteristics, but we all always have our own 'quirks', hehe! I don't know, my boyfriend is a Virgo too, and I've gotten along with every Virgo I've ever met. I don't necessarily follow astrology, but it is weird sometimes!
      That's awesome about the music! We are seriously like twins, hehe! <3

      Delete
  2. I´m quite solitary and definitely bibliophilic, but I´m a gemini, so I don´t think it´s the sign... Oh how I want a library! Or maybe I just want to turn my room into a library... And I am going to become a librarian, so I´ll work in a library too! Libraries are awesome!!

    And those hamsters are seriously cute, even though I much prefer puppies...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's so funny! My dad is a Gemini too :)

      Libraries ARE awesome! That is wonderful that you're going to become a librarian! Liber Vix is a librarian if I remember correctly. I really should consider a career change, I think a library would be a much better fit for me. I know you said you never get stressed, well, I'm the opposite. I get stressed, worried, have panic attacks, the whole 9 yards. So I really need a career that doesn't involve poopy people and stupid dramatic situations! I know every job has it's downfalls, but still. ;)

      Thank you about my hamsters! They kind of ARE like puppies, as weird as that may sound. Sometimes they stand on their back legs and reach their paws up to the sky, begging to be held until I pick them up! Lol! It's so cute!

      Delete
    2. Humph. My library is decidedly NOT awesome, LOL. I'm just a technical assistant, which means in a small branch I do everything from circulation, reference, computer help, displays, etc. But I do love libraries in the classical sense. Just be careful where you go, some libraries can be a lot more stressful than you'd imagine. I was so stressed out my first couple years in this position that I was sick all the time and ended up having to have emergency gallbladder surgery, the first and only surgery I've ever had (thanks job!) When I went to the doctor and told him how stressful it was, he actually said he'd been hearing the same thing from lots of library workers...isn't that crazy!? Love the odd facts, and the hamsters are too cute :)

      Delete
    3. Awe, I'm really sorry your job was so incredibly stressful, and I'm sorry you had to get emergency gall bladder surgery. That is so aweful! I guess there will always be some coworkers and/or customers that just kill what would otherwise be a lovely job. Damn you, mean people! *shakes fist* That's so weird that the doctor had been hearing that from a lot of library workers! I wonder why that is. I work with kids in both my jobs... One as a substitute teacher, one as a child assault prevention facilitator. I do enjoy my jobs, but both can be really stressful in a lot of ways. Plus, I get sick all the time now. I wish I could find a job that pertains to my psychology degree, but most positions require grad school; and the economy just sucks anyway. I'm just lucky to have a job, in my opinion.

      Thank you for the compliments! My hamsters really make me happy, they are wonderful pets :)

      Delete
    4. I can imagine, working with the public or kids is definitely rough on the old immune system! A lot of my initial library stress was due to a toxic work environment, mostly the staff. Once we got a new manager a couple years in, things improved a bit. And after I gave them my gallbladder I decided I would make a concerted effort to not get too stressed out or worked up about the job, and just take it as it goes. Some days I'm better at that than others ;)

      Delete
    5. Ugh, coworkers can certainly make or break a job, that's for sure. When I used to work at Barnes & Noble, my managers were all really snappy and always took it out on me and other employees when they were having a rough day or personal issues. It was really unfair. I dreaded going to work even the night before my shift because it got so bad. I hate when people get power drunk upon promotion, it's so damn stupid. I wish you the best with everything! This might sound weird, but watching ASMR videos and practicing breathing deeply when I get stressed really helps me :)

      Delete
    6. Oh yeah, my old manager loved her power and having little minions to swoon over her. I was a good, professional employee but not fake and not gossipy like all the other hens in the henhouse, so to speak, and she didn't like that. Our new manager has been more accepting of my introversion. I have a touch of social anxiety but I have adapted the best I could, working with the public has been quite the crash course! I am far better than I was growing up, but the crazy/angry patrons can still fluster me!

      Delete
    7. I'm glad that turd lady manager doesn't work there anymore. That's just silly that she didn't like that you weren't gossipy like all the others. If anything, I'd find that an admirable trait in someone. I'm glad you have a new manager that's more accepting of you.

      Ugh, can't there be more jobs that don't involve working with the public? People can be such assholes. I have so many stories. My first brush with a crazy patron was when I worked at a tiny hardware store when I was 17. I couldn't return the guy's repair kit because he tore the fuck out of it, and we couldn't resell it Like that. Also, we were a small business and he didn't even have a receipt. I felt bad that we couldn't give him the money back (like 12 dollars I'm guessing), but my manager said no. Instead of explaining the situation to him, she just let me get screamed and cussed at by this guy while she hid somewhere else. He said a very mean, "fuck you," to me, and finally left. I hate people, haha. <3

      Delete
    8. Ha, I like that description, "turd lady manager". Indeed she was! Guess what the first and only thing she said to me when I returned to work 2 weeks after my gallbladder surgery was? "So, are you going to start watching what you eat now?" I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her that my diet didn't have nearly as much to do with it as the workplace stress had!
      I can imagine working retail sucks and that sounds like just the same sort lazy, pass-the-buck attitude my old boss had. I've only ever worked in libraries, and though it's a public, non-profit institution, you'd be surprised how people still act like they own you. I've never heard it to my face, but I know of others who've been told that "I pay your salary!" That cracks me up. I would like to break down the exact amount of taxes that they pay that goes towards the library system, and exactly how much goes towards my wages, specifically. Not much, I'm guessing! Yeah, I try to not be cynical, but oftentimes, people do suck.

      Delete
    9. That seriously makes me sick that your ex boss said that to you. That alone should have gotten her fired. That is absolutely fucked up beyond belief. I'm really surprised at how some people think it's okay to comment on others' body types and food choices, especially in the professional world. I had a Female boss at one of my old jobs that told me I was "cuter when I was skinner". I had gained like 10 pounds because I was actually eating, whereas I was previously in such a bad depression that the only calories I was getting were from vodka! Ultimately, it's definitely better to focus on the less negative aspects of life and people in general. :)

      Delete
  3. Loved all the facts about you :) your tattoo is so beautiful! And those hamsters are the cutest <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! You are always so kind <3 I hope you do this tag sometime, I'd love to read yours! :)

      Delete
  4. Love the tattoo! I really like all the colourful sleeves around these days - if they'd had that going on 20 years ago I'd have been all over it.

    I'm scared of hamsters, lol. I kind of associate them with rats and mice, and I'm TERRIFIED of those.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Dee! There are a lot of talanted tattoo artists these days. My favorite is Nikko Hurtado. His tattoos are absolutely mind-blowing. I've never seen any that compare to his. One day, I would love a tattoo by him. Though, it would be hard to get ahold of him with all his fame and such, haha! :)

      That's understandable- hamsters ARE rodents, after all! I know a lot of people don't care for them, but they're my little fur babies ;)

      Delete
    2. Oh! Have you started Penpal? I just finished it today, and I wanted to ask what you thought so far :)

      Delete
    3. I read it last weekend! I found it a bit rambly (obviously if it's self-published it wouldn't have had a severe editing), but the story itself was really interesting and creepy. I read it in a day, so it was enough of a page-turner to keep me going! :-)

      What did you think of it?

      Delete
    4. I'm glad it was a page-turner for you! I read it pretty quickly too. Spoiler for anyone that hasn't read it- but I hated the ending with Josh and the creepy serial killer. On the contrary, I loved the chapter about Boxes- it was so creepy and well written! Though you are right, it was really quite rambley. I googled the author and found out he was a philosophy teacher, so that makes sense about the rambles, hahaha. But I did enjoy it overall and I even got my mom to read it too :D

      Delete
  5. Oooh, I love the seahorse tattoo, the colour is really nicely done! I'm going to see Marilyn Manson this Saturday!!! I'm rather excited as I have been listening to it since high school but I've never managed to see him live before!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so very much! :)

      Oh my, I am so jealous! I hope he puts on a good show for you! I've seen him two times live. The first time I saw him, I was so enamoured and amazed by the performance that I actually got the first Manson tattoo I have... I listened to him in high school (like you), but seeing him live just brought out a whole new Manson fan in me, haha!

      Delete

I know I sound like a cheeseball, but I really do appreciate you guys being here and reading my blog. It's nice to know that I'm not just talking to myself, haha. Your comments are just an added bonus. Please know that your comments are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.