Secret loves (and some not-so-secret ones)

I'm avoiding.

Tomorrow I speak in my new family/married/conventional ward--whatever you want to call it, I'm still making the adjustment back to the Sacrament Meeting where you can't hear a pin drop during the Sacrament.

Yes, right now I should be writing a talk, and I've decided I'm better at blogging, so here I am.

I'm slightly terrified to write this talk because it means I'll have to give said talk.

In front of adults.

The subject I've chosen has to do with patience and gratitude. If there's one thing I've learned about writing a talk, it's to pick a topic (if you're allowed!) that could use some polishing in your own life.

The girl who counts down how many weeks she has left of her entire grad school career is giving a talk about P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E. Yes, the very one who lives by herself because she "doesn't play well with others." The one who gives in to the 2-year-old nephew who wants to play bubbles instead of eating his dinner (yay for an aunt's prerogative!).

This is all beside the point, really. I'm here to let you in on a few of my secret loves. By the end of this post, if you haven't shaken your head in disgust or dismay at least once, I will give you a dollar. That's a lie, actually...

1) Sitting in my apartment and burping as loudly as I want...and then hearing someone walk by my front door. I know they can hear what's happening in here. And I hope they get a good giggle, because I know I do. I guarantee that this happens at least once a week. But hey, if you've got weird gastrointestinal (<-- there's your big word for the day, peeps) issues, why not have a little fun with it?

2) Finding out lots of people have pinned my pin on Pinterest. When you get that email, it's this boost of validation for your ego. Somebody loves the same random thing I do! Enough to click two buttons and choose a category for it!! I guess it could be compared to wearing a hot new pair of heels to church and being complimented on them and then asked where you got them. This is way easier on the wallet, though.

3) Not showering some days. I don't know why that carries some sort of weird satisfaction. Like you tricked society by going grocery shopping without doing your normal morning hygiene routine...so rebellious.

4) Listening to songs from the 80s through the mid-90s and re-living your teenage years, which were filled with awkward dances and incredibly sappy love song lyrics. Here's a sampling:
* Return to Innocence by Enigma
* Can't Help Falling in Love With You by UB40
* I Could Not Ask For More by Edwin McCain - Bonus: This song reminds me of the summer I worked at Lagoon. Always go straight back to those days, and it ain't pretty sometimes...
* More Than Words by Extreme

5) Trifle.

6) Eavesdropping on the conversations of strangers and silently mocking them in my head. I think my favorite quips have to do with politics or people's restaurant choices. One of the best was from a guy at the Cheesecake Factory who was waxing poetic about Mitt Romney and said, "You can't just judge a guy by the way you think he is." Well, I just judged you because I think you're ignorant.

7) Telling people who haven't known me for very long (or even those who have!) the story of how I was once engaged. It usually comes up around Valentine's Day because of how hilarious the Valentine's Day he and I spent together was 7 years ago. At Beto's.

8) Finishing a huge undertaking of a project. It only took one harebrained idea, 4 trips to Lowes, 3 days of painting, about 3938745 little screws, 49 times reminding myself not to lean up against the wet paint, and 1 carton of mint oreo ice cream, but the cabinets in my condo are all WHITE.

Alright, I realize these aren't all ridiculous. Just most. Do you have anything little you do that you know would probably be shunned or teased in "normal," salt-of-the-earth society, but you just can't help yourself? I thought so...