Noelle tagged me to share seven things about myself. She cleverly focused her seven items on insecurities, which I will now blatantly copy. Structure, how I love you. Plus, I am still recovering from my surprise spring cold, and the medicine fog has not lifted, so I need all the help I can get.
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I think I have disproportionately fat arms. There is a distinctive dearth of button-down shirts in my wardrobe because I can’t squeeze my arms into a sleeve longer than mid-upper-arm. The buttons are stressed out, the seams gasp in anguish, and my arms look like sausages. JG always tells me that my arms aren’t fat because they’re strong, climber arms, but that is small consolation when a shirt that fits in every other way is practically busting out buttons at the cuffs. My solution is to wear a lot of sweaters to avoid the unflattering bratwurst look.
I have giant lips. I know, I know, celebrities are getting collagen injections to look like Angelina Jolie, but you know — I am not Angelina Jolie, and I can’t pull off these giant lips. I am loath to wear lip gloss because I feel like it makes my face scream, “Look! Look at my shiny, huge lips!” People with cute, petite lips have my instant envy. To make matters worse, I have huge teeth as compared to the size of my face. I swear, there is a picture from our wedding where I am busting out laughing and I look like a horse.
Speaking of which, I have a really loud laugh. Although it’s one of the things I like about myself, I am concerned that it makes people uneasy. Aside from the occasionally ear-splitting volume, I also throw my head back, which is unnerving and can lead to injuries, depending on my proximity to a wall or a railing. My laugh is not subtle, but it is genuine, so I always hope that that makes up for the obnoxiousness.
I love big words, but I shy away from using them in conversation because I don’t want people to think I’m trying to be elitist or I want to make them feel dumb. It’s just that, sometimes, the right word just happens to be a long one.
I am paranoid about following rules. I have thank-you notes stocked up at home and the office just in case I need to send one, and I buy wedding and baby gifts as soon as the registries are available so that I don’t miss out. I always consult the rules of board games instead of making something up. I ask everyone I can what they’re wearing to an event so that I can align my wardrobe accordingly. I try really hard to blend in, which may come as a surprise, since I was a textbook overachiever in my adolescence and inclined toward performance-driven activities. Part of this tendency probably comes from being Asian in a community that was and still is predominantly Caucasian, so I was noticed without doing much. I guess I think that failure to follow rules means that I have been unprepared, uninformed, or inconsiderate, none of which are acceptable options.
I hesitate to recommend my very favorite books or restaurants in the slight chance that the person won’t like them. What, then? Can we still be friends? So far, this fear has been unfounded, but I am always totally effusive about my love of whatever I’ve recommended, so it’s possible that people may not be completely honest in their review. There’s just something very vulnerable about making recommendations.
My deep interest in specific topics can come off the wrong way. I can’t help it — I really do love the periodic table. Isn’t it beautiful how the columns align to the valence shells of each element? And how the transition metals often display color changes as they go through chemical reactions? And how you can scale electromagnetism as you go across the rows? Isn’t it cool? Isn’t it?! I know, not everyone can relate. And I’m not trying to show off, it’s just that I am truly enthusiastic about chemistry and board games and vocabulary and all of that weird stuff. So please don’t get scared of the intensity and back away, despite the scary glint in my eyes.
10 comments
I am a fan of rules, too, but I think some board and card games are more fun when you play by “house rules.” Usually when we try a new game we follow the rules to the letter the first time, then adjust as we see fit. It’s a good way for Tim, a very non-competitive guy, and uber-competitive me to play well together.
Also, when playing games with friends, I’m all in favor of following the “house rules” of whatever house you’re at. So, if you came over to my parents’ house for a game of ping-pong, for example, you could not lose a game due to a bad serve that missed the other end of the table in your enthusiasm (even though such a serve would totally cost you that game-winning point anywhere else).
Oh, I am a laugher. Sometimes the sound just echos in my ears after I do it. Nothing like that to make you uncomfortable.
I am with you on the big arms to. I hate how they look in pictures when smashed down to the sides.
I too fear recommending things. And last week, one of my college roommates, when I mentioned a tv show she and her husband might like, said “well, I don’t think I will, since I didn’t like that other show that you recommended.” So now all my fears are pretty much confirmed.
I’m with you on the laugh, and I love mine too. It is very distinctive and I love that!
I’m the same way with big words and with grammar, etc. I am an editor by trade, so my whole job for YEARS was to find errors. But someone pointed out that it makes me look elitist, and it is so not my intention.
I have an obnoxious laugh. Not just loud, obnoxious. But when it comes, I mean it, and it sounds very fake if I try to restrain myself.
You are SO well spoken and I wish I was more like that and less of a page vomiter.
My family used to tease me SO MUCH for using “big words”, like I was trying to make them feel less smart or something. It was hard to say, “but… that word is the only one that really fits!” without seeming like a huge nerd, so a huge nerd I was.
Kudos to you for reveling in your distinctiveness.
Oh, my goodness! You’re so SILLY! Why were most of your “seven things” all RA self-bashing? Your arms are fine. Your lips are fine. It’s COOL to use big words. Your laugh is wonderful. Stop being so hard on yourself!!
When you said you had a thing for rules, i was thinking in terms of being scared of getting caught breaking them. I cry any time I find myself “in trouble” (which works well for getting out of speeding tickets — not so well in response to supposedly constructive criticism at work), but I have no problem totally ignoring the rules to games, rules at work that I think are stupid, etc. I think I have problems.
I think I would find it very difficult to pick my favorite (?) seven insecurities. Nicely done.
I would never have thought that you have giant lips! Isn’t it weird the way something can stand out about yourself that no one else would ever notice?
I feel the same way about recommending things that I like, even though sometimes it’s fun to disagree over those kinds of unimportant things.
Also, I have the arm problem to. My biceps are sweet thanks to all the swimming, but I’ve got major dangly issues with the rest of them.
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