On The 6

Not J.Lo's album from the late 90's, but literally on the six (stay with me here). Although now "if you had my love and i gave you all my trust, would you comfort me and call me bay-bay..." is running through my head. and if I did my job, it's repeating itself in yours too. You're welcome from the 90's.
Please go here if you need a refresher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYfkl-HXfuU&ob=av2e

So I feel like everyone has their "thing." And typically if someone has a thing, it's not to be messed with. Well, I've got a couple "things."

One is that I HAVE to wake up on a 6. 5:46, 6:26, 7:16. You get the idea. But seriously, HAVE TO. If I need a few extra minutes or need to get up a little earlier but not a whole 10 minutes earlier, I'll allow myself (on rare occasion) to get up on a 2. This is extremely rare. Even people I'm bunking with, if I know that their alarm is not set for a 6, I really don't like it. I might even call it disturbing. Casey, for example, has jumped on board. He sets his alarm on a 6 now too.

If he doesn't, I legitimately, and in all seriousness, ask him to change it. And if mine isn't set for a 6 (or occasionally a 2), I cannot go to sleep. I don't know why. Maybe in my head my alarm will never go off if that happens or I'll sleep through 3 days or my feather bed will explode and feathers will be everywhere. All I know is this started in high school, and I've been doing it every since. I know it's strange (I really do) but it does no harm to anyone so why should I try to change?

But why does this happen to people? Everyone has something I'm sure.

Probably my biggest "thing" besides my alarm set on a 6 is double knots. I HAVE to have double knots in my running shoes. Always. It's pretty much automatic as this point. It's like when I put my Brooks on, I turn into a robot. Even if I'm not wearing them to actually go running right then--double knots. I think probably its because I run so fast and gazelle-like that my shoe laces come untied all by themselves without a double knot. And sometimes, even my double knots work themselves loose...those are the days I run really fast. I get scared when my shoe laces come untied and fly about like rag dolls while I'm running because I'm terrified of tripping on them. And frankly, the biggest disturbance to me is having to stop and re-tie it. Who has time for that? Sometimes the mini-break is welcome, but often it just totally interrupts my rhythm. Not okay. Double knots are a must.

I mean, I also go for the folded over tortilla chips or pita chips. I don't like the flat ones. If we're at a Mexican restaurant for example and you get chips and salsa, I will dive right in for the folded ones...and I pick around looking for them (without any qualms over touching every chip in the basket to find them...but I do so gently. My friends and family totally understand). They just taste so much better. And I really don't like the flat ones, unless I'm in a pinch. I don't know...it's got this like double crunch (from the fold), and it all fits in your mouth without getting crumbs everywhere. They're just so unique and way more fun. People I'm with, if they come across a folded one, just automatically hand them to me because they know I actually get excited about a good folded chip. Katie, however, likes to pretend like she's going to eat it because she knows I'll protest...so rude! Likewise, I only truly like orphan crackers. Like Triscuits or Wheat Thins. Orphans are the broken ones. I think this is because not many people really like a broken cracker. They want the whole kit n kaboodle for that full piece of cheese or whole dip of hummus. But I like to rescue the broken ones merely because no one else wants them. I don't know when I started the whole folded chip/orphaned cracker business either. But they're my things.

I have another thing...tiny bowls and small forks. If I have anything, everyone in my life knows I will try to use a small bowl for it. I love small bowls. If you look in the lower cabinet on the left (next to the fridge) in our house, you will find an enormity of small bowls...you'd think we have elves living in our house. But we don't. They're for me. They're my thing. I also don't like regular people size dinner plates. I always eat off of a salad plate at home.

I have no explanation for any of my things.

My last thing is lists. I have to have them. For everything. But I already wrote all about them. So you get it.

A few of my other "things" that are my favorites:
Bulldogs
Brooks Running Shoes
My fam
My friends
Cruises
Taking strings off bananas