Things you didn’t know about me #6 – Socks

It’s been awhile since I offered another random fact about myself, so here is number 6:

I can’t sleep with socks on.

Even if I make myself go to sleep with socks on (even though it feels weird), when I wake up….they are always off.

Yup. even if it’s just a nap during the day. Weird considering I have really cold feet.

Things you didn’t know about me #5

Remember how in primary school how you would label your pencils by shaving a little off the bottom end and write your name on it?

Well. I’m lucky enough to have this done for me at work.

Yes, I have my name on my own labelled pencil at work.

I work at an optometrist, and apparently too many pencils were going missing or something so one day I came in and found instructions to use only this special pencil with my name scribbled on it….and to guard it with my life.

So now when I have the phone tucked under my ear, trying to book an appointment for a patient, I find it now takes a minute or so longer as I find myself scrambling through a jar of pencils in an effort to find mine and avoid the sense of guilt that descends when I find myself using someone else’s.

A little absurd. Yes. But my employers are really lovely so it’s ok.

Related post:what happens when i get bored at work.

Things you didn’t know about me #4

OK this one is incredibly embarrassing. [Don't judge me. ]
But I think I finally understand what it feels like to have a phobia.

I’ve held snakes, killed venomous spiders, and come within meters of live and wild crocodiles.

I couldn’t stop laughing on a dangerous boat ride; I’ve swung on giant swings and climbed bridges and and even an active volcano, setting my hiking stick alight on the lava that was only a few inches from my feet.

I’ve travelled alone to countries where I don’t speak the language and where bus drivers get shot on a daily basis.

I don’t generally think of myself as a fearful person.

But…when the doctor told me I need to inject myself daily, I got an anxiety rush to rival that of jumping out of an airplane.

And after I had conveniently managed to ‘forget’ to do it for several weeks I could no longer put it off.

But turns out I can’t actually do it either.

Pathetic!! Yes, I know. Logically, I know injections don’t really hurt that much at all, I don’t want to be sick anymore and know this medicine will help, etc. etc. Logically, I don’t have a problem with it.

But apparently my emotions feel otherwise. I am fine right until the point that the needle reaches mere millimetres from my skin, then my emotions kick into overdrive and take over, and my hand freezes and my heart races…and I just can’t do it.

Maybe it’s because the last time I had injections I had a bad reaction and passed out, then was sick for the rest of the week. Or maybe I am just, pathetic.

but I will conquer this one. I am determined. Good thing I’m not diabetic. Or a druggie.

UPDATE: I did it! Phobia conquered! I am now officially fearless. At least until I have to do it again tomorrow.

things you didn’t know about me: #3

I have decided that I don’t laugh nearly enough.

I am inclined to take myself too seriously far too often.

And we all know that laughter has been scientifically proven to be brilliant for your physical and psychological health.

And it definitely gets you through many a crazy or stressful situation (I discovered that in Guatemala – through all the travelling and cultural miscommunications there were many a ‘we must either laugh or cry’ moments so mostly we just let ourselves get hysterical with laughter. totally worked.)

So here comes the confession:
I have for a long time wanted to go to a laughing club.

Yes.

It is on my bucket list.

As incredibly uncool as it is, I would love to go and sit with a whole group of crazy strangers and start ha ha-ing until it turns into full blown hysteria. As stupid as it sounds, I think it would be, well, hilarious.

You in?

things you didn’t know about me: #2

In August, my life came this close to ending. yep, I was almost killed by a coconut.

I was in Belize, sitting in one of those chairs (see pic), under one of those trees (see pic), enjoying the sea breeze (see pic) and trying not to melt into a puddle of sweat in the 100% wet season humidity (hard to see in pic) of the carribean, when I glanced up and noticed my head was situated directly under a bunch of very ripe looking coconuts.

Hmm, I thought, maybe moving would be a good idea.

So I dragged my chair a meter across to a safer looking tree.

And less than an hour later I was awakened by a thump….and looked over to see one of the above mentioned coconuts resting on the ground right where I had been sitting.

Yup, it could’ve been the end of me in Belize that day.

[Then the 'coconut man' came over and hacked the top of the coconut off with a machete, stuck some ice and a straw in it, handed it to me & I enjoyed sweet revenge on the coconut that tried to take my life.]

things you didn’t know about me: #1

I didn’t crawl.

and I didn’t walk for ages either.

I was a bum shuffler.

As a baby I scooted around on my butt. Yup.

Unique from the start.

Grew out of that one though, thankfully, when I eventually started walking at 17 months.

and no that’s not a photo of me. that would take too much effort.