I’ve never really thought that I was exceptionally good at anything. There’s plenty of things that I’m ok at, but nothing that really stands out as being exceptional. To date, I haven’t found one thing that just “came natural”. I’ve always had to work to be good at anything.

When I was a kid, my parents enrolled me in gymnastics and dance classes. I enjoyed it and was awarded a few medals in the competitions the school had, but my classmates always seemed to progress faster and easier than I did. While a few of the girls in my age went ahead to more advanced classes, I stayed in the same classes before moving on.

School was the same way. Although I rarely got less than a B, I always had to work, especially at math. I had a tutor that got me through my high school algebra classes and always had to study for science and history tests. In college, I put myself under great pressure to create amazing projects, while it seemed like some of my peers created them with ease.

In a lot of ways this bothers me. I guess I’m a little jealous of people that are naturally gifted. My whole life, I’ve felt like I have to fight tooth and nail to get results I’d be proud of. It would be nice if some things were just a bit easier.

But on the other hand, I feel like if things were easier, I’d stop fighting so hard to become better. I know that I’m very hard on myself; it’s a part of who I am. Whether it’s work related or personal, I’m always willing to learn how to become better. I try hard and even if I don’t like something, I’m dedicated to it. If things came naturally, would I have the same desire to try and improve myself?

If being exceptional means losing my desire and dedication to improve, I will stick with being just average.

Tags: being average, me

There are certain little things in this world that, for whatever reason, drive me nuts. I’m not talking about things that I really can’t stand. I have plenty of those. These are things that annoy me so badly that I feel like I can’t function for a split second. They’re all really dumb and I’m pretty sure that the 5 people who read this blog will think I need to be medicated, which is probably true. Whatever. You guys don’t come here for normal, do you?

1. Driving behind a person with their turn signal on
This one gets me every time. I usually just switch lanes, but if I’m on a 2 lane road that doesn’t always work and then I can do nothing but stare at the turn signal and curse at the people in the car for not turning it off. HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW!!!

2. “Picky” Eaters
I’m not talking about the people that say “no tomato” on their sandwich. I’m talking about people that claim they don’t like certain foods, but have never actually tried them.

I’m a “don’t knock it ’til you try it” kind of person when it comes to food. I’ve tried a lot of different types and there are only a few things I don’t like (olives, bananas and mushrooms). I like trying new places and tasting different things, so picky eaters really cramp my style. If the only places you want to go out to eat or Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday’s or any other crap hole chain restaurant, I probably don’t want to eat with you.

3. The Phrase “I want to touch base”
I think everyone has that one saying they really hate. This one is mine. I hear this a least once a day too, and every time I grit my teeth and my brain has a mini explosion.

This makes no sense, unless you are playing baseball. What’s wrong with “I’d like to talk to you” or “I want to sit down with you” or anything other than this stupid saying?!?!

4. When the volume on the radio is not a number divisible by 5
I’m pretty sure this is the one that will make me sound the most neurotic. The volume control on my car stereo is digital. If the number it displays is not divisible by 5, I must change it. If it’s on 14, I’ll kick it up a notch to 15. It has to has to be that way because if it’s not, the world may end.

So I told you mine, so what are some of the things that make YOU crazy?

Tags: me, random, things that drive me nuts

One of the things about me that really annoys Dave is how I tend to keep things way past their expiration date. Specifically clothing items. When I try to tell him that he still owns several shirts from high school, he rolls his eyes and says something like “we’re not talking about me”.

In all honesty though, I do have a slight problem letting some things go. I’m not very into shopping, so when I find something I like I tend to hold on to it forever. Take these shoes for example:

I’m pretty sure I bought these before I started dating Dave and that was 2.5 years ago. That stuff inside them that looks like dirt is the shoe coming apart. When I take them off I always have black stuff on my feet so it looks like I never wash them. I tried parting ways with these shoes a few weeks ago. I went to the shoe store in hopes to replace my old beaten up shoes with a new similar pair because I liked them so much I don’t like change. I found a pair that would have worked perfectly, but they didn’t have the black ones in my size, so I bought white ones instead, but white doesn’t go with a lot of my clothes so I kept my old black ones so I’d have something to match those outfits. Until I find a similar pair, I doubt I’ll get rid of them. As long as the outside of the shoe isn’t falling apart, they’re still good, right?

Then there’s these jeans.

I’ve had these for, I dunno, 5 years? They’re perfect. Soft, broken in, and fit me just right. Don’t mind the holes in the ass pockets. When I got that hole on the right, I thought about chucking them, but they’ve been sitting in my closet instead. They’re still good if I’m just going to wear them around the house, right?

Clearly, I need help people.

Tags: clothing, jeans, me, photos, shoes, stuff I need to get rid of