Sally's last entry has prompted me to address something new that's been going on with me.

Over the last month, I've started counting. No, I'm not just LEARNING how to count. I mean, counting, at really weird times. Usually when I'm tired, but I'm not always counting THINGS, not even time, I just start counting in my head. If I sit down on the pot to go pee, I start counting. When I'm drawing blood on morning run (at the end of my shift), I count how many times I go over the draw site with the alcohol pad, I count while I'm filling tubes with blood. Sometimes, after work, I count while I'm sitting at red lights on the way home. It doesn't interfere with anything, it's just weird.

So, anyway. The buck has been passed.

5 Random Things About Me.

1. I'm short, and I like it that way. It enhances my youthful appearance. At least, it will until I get old, and then it'll enhance my little old lady appearance, which is actually fine with me.

2. I have a short attention span, and if I'm not interested in a topic, I can't focus. My mind will drift, and I'll go "huh?" a lot.

3. I get aggravated at my messy house, but I have a tendency to avoid doing anything about it.

4. I like to be spoiled. I do! I love it when people do lovely things for me, and, well, it happens a lot. I have a lot of people that really do help KEEP me spoiled.

5. I expect things to go my way, and I'm not so afraid to make that happen anymore. However, getting my way all the time means nobody else does, so it's something I need to keep in check.

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5 Smells I Love

1. Corey. Not his ass-smells, not his "I've been working in an insulation factory all day" smell. His "I just got out of the shower, and I brushed my teeth, too!" smell, and his "I've worked out in the warm spring sunshine just long enough to make my skin warm but not so long it's sweaty" smell.

2. Dinner. Made by someone that's not me. Oh, fine. I like the smell of my own dinners, too. I was just trying to not brag.

3. Deodorant. Because the alternative isn't so good. As long as it's not Brut. Gack! Christine's hubby wears it, I think, but thankfully, I've never been close enough to his armpits to be able to tell.

4. Gasoline. I don't know why, I've just always liked the smell. It might have something to do with my childhood. My grandparents on both sides operated mechanic's shops, and one set had a gas station. My mom and dad managed a gas station for awhile, though I don't remember it. My great aunt and uncle also had a gas station. You know what? They were all Whiting Bros. stations. Huh. I just realized that.

5. Pine trees. Not PineSol, not pine-scented tree-shaped car fresheners. Real pine trees on a warm, sunny morning.

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Smells I Can't Stand

1. Perfume. I might be able to tolerate it more if women didn't slather it on so thick that it announced their arrival 10 minutes in advance.

2. Nail Salons. Mesothelioma is probably like a hangnail to an amputated leg compared to what the people's lungs are going to go through after a career in one of those places.

3. Rotting vegetation. Fresh cut grass is one thing, but the clippings after 24 hours just makes me want to throw myself off of a cliff.

4. Sepsis. After being around a patient that's septic, it takes a full day's sleep to get the smell out of my nose.

5. Dog pooh. Well! It stinks!

the last trail...the next path