Living the Fictional Dream

I was tagged by Kevin over at Shameless Stuff for this meme, and I’m a sucker for a good survey, so here goes!

The Rules

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things/unspectacular quirks about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

This is going to be a challenge. Usually when I play the random facts game (office ice breakers, etc.), I can talk about my as-yet-unpublished novels, but you guys already know about those!

Random Facts about Erin

1. I’m a Christian. That’s probably not random if you know me, but religion isn’t something I talk about much on the blog, so I think it counts. A world this beautiful and this complex could never have been an accident. I also strongly believe that everyone has the right to believe how they choose. Forcing religion on people through laws or a show of force is just so wrong…
2. My dog, Tag (an eight-year-old golden retriever who is the sweetest puppy in the whole world!), is never going to die. Or, at least she thinks so.

   One day, my husband and I were talking… I don’t remember what about now, but he glanced down at Tag on the couch and said something like, “You know, honey, someday Tag won’t be with us anymore.” Tag’s head popped up (I’d thought she was asleep) and she barked, just once, but with this serious look on her face. I know that was her way of saying either “I’m never going to die, so shut up,” or “I’m never going to die and leave you alone here with Erin!”

3. I get celebrity crushes on little/lesser known actors — Kevin Anderson who played Julia Roberts love interest in Sleeping With the Enemy, Nick Brenden who played Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the guy who plays Junior on Wildfire (even though I just watched the one season!), the guy who plays A.J. in Empire Records… I don’t know why these guys never break out into bigger stars!
4. I hate typos. I always did, but after being a copy editor for several years, the hatred grew. My biggest pet peeve is when people put the apostrophe in the wrong place in “y’all.” Drives me up the wall, and since I live in Texas, I see it all the time — on signs, notes, etc. An apostrophe in a contraction is supposed to go where the missing letters are. “Y’all” is contracting “you” and “all,” so the contraction is taking the place of the “ou.” If we were supposed to spell it “ya’ll” it would be contracting “ya” and “will” … or something else that ends with an “ll.” I guess people get it wrong because they are used to “I’ll” or something? I don’t know, but it drives me crazy!
5. I don’t have the small talk gene. I think I’m physically incapable of making good small talk, especially with strangers. If I’m emailing or chatting with you, I’m fine, but face-to-face… arg! Conversation crashes and dies every time! I never can think of anything interesting to say, and when I do, it feels so forced. Luckily, if people keep hanging out with me despite this lack, we eventually get to know each other well enough that it goes away.
6. According to The Birth Order Book, I’m a first born compliant (as opposed to a first born superstar). I don’t think any psychological grouping is the end-all/be-all of a person, but when I read the description, it was totally me. First born — check. Worrier/mother hen type (as opposed to the type that has to be the best at everything) — check. I’d have to look it up again to remember the rest of it, but that’s totally me.

   That book also told me that I’m a frustrated perfectionist. Apparently, if I’d had my way when I was a kid I would have been a full-on perfectionist — everything totally neat and in it’s place, well organized — but something happened, and I wasn’t able to be neat like that, so I became a slob instead. However, it’s a well organized mess. Even though things are piled haphazardly about, you can ask me for something and I will totally find it wherever it is in whatever random stack of junk. Normally I can go straight to it (assuming no one else “organized” my stuff). I don’t know about the first part — I can’t imagine ever being a neat freak, because I hate to clean — but the second part is right on.

The Tags

I’m not sure I know enough bloggers for this, but here goes. (If you don’t feel like playing, no pressure!)

1. Ms. Eclectic
2. Miss Meliss
3. Jens
4. Stephanie
5. Alex
6. Donna

Whaddya know… I did think of enough. Just barely!

Sweet dreams, y’all!