Seven Things Meme

There's a meme that's been going around the blog world for quite a while - you're supposed to list and talk about seven things about you that people reading your blog might not know. Peggy, from my writing group, did this recently and reminded me of it. As regular readers are aware, we don't really do a lot of memes here, but we need to get Allison posting, I think, so Allison, I'm "tagging" you - you're it! Give us those seven things. Here are mine:

1. I have a serious aversion to washing dishes right after you eat a meal. There's just something I hate about it. It's like you are erasing or negating the whole meal somehow. I never ever wash the dishes right after dinner unless I am a guest somewhere and can't avoid it without being horrible.

2. I just participated in a summer postcard swap with a bunch of other bloggers. I love this about the internet - that someone you've never met before writes on their web site "Hey! Let's all make postcards and send them to each other!" and then seventy people or so, who have never met each other, go ahead and do just that. Silly. I love it.

3. I am a candy hoarder. I like to buy candy way more than I like to eat it. I always have old candy sitting around. Especially chocolate.

4. I try to buy a book of poetry a week, on average. I consider it one of my duties as a writer. This is not a hard goal to accomplish at all. Well, except this week. Since I'm at the ranch. But don't worry, I'll make up for it on the way home. My recent favorite buy is the McSweeney's Book of Poets Picking Poets, where I found this poem, which is a really, really great summer poem. Even if you don't think you like poetry, you should check it out.

5. My poetry book a week habit might be cancelled out by the fact that I look at the People magazine web site every day. I'm so ashamed! I almost never buy People magazine, though. Only at the airport, and even then, it's the exception rather than the rule. Jane is much more fun for the airport.

6. I collect Jack Rogers sandals. I think of it this way, as "collecting". Ridiculous!

7. I LOVE the movie Casablanca so much that I actually sort-of avoid watching it. I'm afraid it's going to, like, wear out or something, but then I'll accidentally see bits of it, and it's always so perfectly good. What can I say, I love the whole "We''ll always have Paris." scene, but what people forget is the bit that comes after it, that Rick says "We didn't have, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night." And then she says "I said I'd never leave you!" and he says "And you never will..." even though she's getting on the plane. That's some beautiful bittersweet stuff. The fact that I love it so tells you more about me than I might like to admit. But we'll leave a more detailed analysis of that for another time. Some time when we talk about why Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is my favorite movie, even over Casablanca.

Okay, Ali, I admit that was sort-of a lot of work, that post. Still, I know you can do it! Call me if you need ideas.