For the last few days I've been pecking away at this Facebook 25 Random Things list.

I've seen it pop up on the occasional profile, and wondered to myself what I might write if any of my friends were to tag me. Then last week I was tagged unexpectedly. Well, I shouldn't say "unexpectedly", as I expected to be tagged at some point... just not by the gal who tagged me.

She was a childhood friend - well, a friend of my sister's actually - with whom my life has crossed paths with on many occasions. I've always liked her, and have often thought how neat it was that our lives should crisscross over the years. Common friends, common places...

I think that's the thing I love so much about Facebook... I've been able to keep in better touch with old friends, have gotten to know old acquaintances on a new level, and have been able to gain a greater insight into the lives of new friends. (Blogger friends included!)

I have to admit that some days Facebook is like my crack. I can spend a good hour (or more!) stalkbooking people, catching up with friends, commenting on photos, etc. I really do love it... and I'm not ashamed to admit it. ;)

Anyhow, getting back to what I was originally saying... because I spent so much time plucking away at this 25 things list, I figured that I might as well share it here. If you read my blog on a regular-ish basis, then you'll probably already know most of the stuff I'm about to share - but you never know, you might learn a thing or two as well.

I actually think that most of you here in blogland probably know me better than over 1/2 of my Facebook friends. And I guess that's part of the reason it took me so long to figure out what I wanted to share on there. Like a lot of people, I have an interesting cross section of Facebook friends which includes everyone from old ex-boyfriends to my MIL. I kinda wanted to write a thoughtful list that would have a little something that applies to everyone encompassed by this broad spectrum.

So again, please keep in mind that this was originally published on Facebook... therefore, I've edited a few things here like names n' places. If you want to see the unedited version, then you'll have to add me as a Facebook friend. ;)

25 Random Things

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I love to write. Therefore, this list of 25 things will be longer than any of the other lists you’ve read before. Feel free to stop reading now (or else consider yourself warned...)

2. Because I love writing, I blog a couple times a week. However, I like to protect the innocent, so I don’t use real names. In fact, I've never even bothered to give the address out to anyone - not even to J. He treats my blog like a journal, and doesn’t want me to feel the need to censor anything on his account. And that’s exactly why I love him and have never had anything bad to write about him yet. ;)

3. I also love J because he doesn’t kill spiders, even though he thinks they’re disgusting. I, on the other hand, think spiders are beautiful. I especially love black widows. They’re my favourite. I usually offer to catch any spiders that make their way inside, but J always insists on catching them for me – which usually involves him making a grossed out face and racing to the door.

4. While I’m on the topic of insects, I should mention that I also love ants. I think they’re such amazing, hard-working little creatures. I love their shiny little bodies and cute little antennas. When out walking, I do my best to avoid intentionally stepping on them or their homes.

5. Speaking of which, I really hate when people intentionally stomp on bugs when they’re outside and not harming anyone. If bugs are infesting your house, okay, I can understand. But if you’re outside, then just leave them be! I think it's stupid that some folks will stomp on something just because they think it’s ugly. I might think you’re ugly, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna stomp on you!

5. Another thing I hate is the phone. I procrastinate before making appointments if it means that I’ll have to call someone. I also like to make phone dates with my friends so I can space out my longer hour+ phone calls and plan my evenings around them. I really don't like being on the phone every night of the week. Fortunately, J sits next to the phone so I almost never have to answer it.

6. Okay, so let’s stop talking about things I hate. It’s far too easy to start going down that slippery slope. Instead, I’ll list the things I love. One thing I love to do is cook. The more complicated the recipe, the better. However, I rarely ever bake.

7. Whenever I cook dinner, I look forward to catching up on Kevin Smith’s weekly SModcast. You can check it out at www.quickstopentertainment.com. Oh gawd, some of those SModcasts just put me in stitches! But first, a fair warning to the curious and unprepared: Kevin Smith swears A LOT, and goes on many (hilarious) raunchy tangents. It’s definitely not for everyone. And just like anything else in life, some SMods are better than others.

8. I also love to paint with oils and acrylics. The other night I just finished an oil painting of a magnolia tree. I come by it naturally - my Grandma K painted, and so does my father.

9. Another thing I love is dreaming. Sounds like a silly thing to love, but I usually have very vivid dreams. Although here's a weird observation for you - almost every night I have a dream with a scene that takes place in either a stairwell, a public bathroom, or my Grandpa J’s house. For some reason these are common themes that have lasted since early childhood. Also, after a couple years of practicing lucid dreaming, I’ve developed the ability to fly in all of my dreams – whether I actually realize that I’m dreaming or not. Because of this, I rarely have nightmares, as I know that I can always quickly fly away from danger. (I’ve yet to dream about a bad guy who can fly as well.)

10. While my bookshelf boasts a couple books on dreaming, I’m sure if you were to peruse the rest of its contents, a number of you would think I was either a new age flake or perhaps some kind of witch… and I’m totally okay with that. I believe that every form of spirituality has something of value to offer. My roots may have been in Christianity, but when it comes to my own spiritual journey, I’m definitely a world traveler.

11. I also tend to get a mixed reaction when I tell people that I have my certification as a Reiki Practitioner. I have not gone for my Master Level yet, and am unsure if I ever will. I guess time will tell.

12. Anyhow, like I was saying, my spiritual roots began in the United Church and I used to be a pretty active member. As a teenager I taught Sunday school; I represented the youth on our church’s Official Board; and, I worked at GL United Church Camp in the summertime.

13. My Grandpa J was one of the founders of GL camp. Even though I was painfully shy, I liked going to camp because I knew it made him happy. He was the kindest, sweetest, and more generous person I have ever known. I miss him more than anything.

14. My love for my Grandpa was the only reason I was hesitant about moving away from Pemmytown. He was so old and precious, I didn’t want to leave him behind. I liked visiting with him and mowing his lawn, n’ stuff like that. In high school, my cousin and I used to hang out at his place every day after school, drinking juice boxes and watching Degrassi (and later on, “Ready or Not”.) This might be why his house is still a constant theme in my dreams.

15. I find that the longer I’m away from Pemmytown, the more charming it becomes.

16. I often think about how my life might be different had I stayed in Ontario versus moving out west. I’ve come to realize that moving out here was a much bigger sacrifice than I had ever realized at the time. I think that if I fully knew that I would miss everyone as much as I do, I never would have moved.

17. On the flip side, I have absolutely NO regrets! I really believe that my life is absolutely perfect, and I’m probably the happiest person I know.

18. I always try to see the glass as half full. There is no point in dwelling on the negative. I may sound like a Pollyanna, but I do believe that every situation has a silver lining or a lesson to be learned. So when bad things happen, I try to find the opportunity to be positive as soon as I can, thereby limiting my time spent brewing in negativity. After all, negative people are a total drag to be around. Don't you agree?

19. According to the Myers-Briggs personality type assessment, I am either an INFP or an INFJ. Every time I take it, I’m always on the fence between the P and the J part of the assessment. So what does this mean? Well, it means that I’m Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Perceiving… or sometimes Judging. Seems that I could really go either way with the perceiving or judging side of things.

20. In regards to my personality, I believe my worst quality is that I have the ability to be a very convincing phony. I mean, I honestly do my best to like everyone I meet, and try to focus on their most redeeming qualities... but let’s face it, some people are really hard to like. This is when my inner phony comes out to play. I hate causing drama and would much rather kill someone with kindness, than give the cold shoulder. I don’t have it in me. Even if someone totally deserves the cold shoulder, I know I’d just end up feeling bad about it.

21. I think my best quality is either patience or forgiveness. I guess they kinda go hand in hand. Then again, I think I’m actually patient to a fault, so maybe that’s not exactly my best quality? There's been a few times when my overabundance of patience with people or situations hasn’t served me well at all. So, I guess by default that means my best quality is forgiveness. Not that forgiveness is necessarily easy, but grudges are soooo unhealthy. I’d much rather learn to forgive, let it go, and move on. You can’t live in the past.

22. Speaking of the past, I’ve spent the past few days chipping away at this list. And if you’ve made it this far, that means you’ve probably spent the past hour or two reading it. I’m sorry, but I did warn you at number one that this would be long. I imagine that this is why no one wants to read my blog. Ramble, ramble, ramble…. Sorry folks, we’re almost done.

23. By the way, when I said that no one wants reads my blog, I was actually lying. Like I mentioned at number two, I just haven't given the URL out to anyone. People do read it though - but those readers exist in the anonymous world of Blogland… although a few of them have since become my Facebook friends. (Hi!)

24. Hmm... what else can I talk about? Oh, I just received a progress report today about Abdul – the little guy we sponsor in Ghana. It said that he is happy, social and confident. His favourite activity is playing with empty tins. His favourite game is soccer. His favourite food is Tuo-Zaafi with ayoyo soup (whatever that is?) And his favourite subject is alphabet reading. A neat little fact - Abdul and I share the same birthday. :)

25. I also share my birthday with George Lucas, and J shares his birthday with his hero, Steve Spielberg.

And now I’m finally done. Aren’t you happy? I know I am!