7 Things About Me, Per Oofa

Me and Morris

After several dozen posts, I guess it is time for you to get to know me better. I've gotten to know a lot of you through your personal posts, and I figure I should reciprocate.

Brooke at Oofa Luffa Le posted a 7 Things About Me post a couple weeks ago and asked that her readers do the same. So, here are 7 Things About Nifer...

Degas' Little Dancer

~1~ DANCER

I have been dancing since the age of three. Mom, trying to get her outdoor-and-dirty-aversed daughter into hobbies, signed me up for ballet and tab lessons at a local VFW hall. She had no idea that she was signing herself up for 15 more years of ballet slippers and tutus, tap shoes and fringe skirts, bobby pins and blue eyeshadow. Over the years, it wasn't just ballet and tap, there was jazz, acrobatics, lyrical, pointe, dance company, competitions, workshops, some ballroom... and a complete obsession. I gave up dance lessons to go to college, but I could never give up dance. I always loved school dances, and when I went to college (where we didn't have many school dances), I danced down the street to class. I danced in my dorm room. I danced in the shower. I danced down the halls. And, when I got an apartment, I danced on the coffee table. Then I was introduced to clubs, and all hell broke loose. I was a dancing machine... 4 hours on the dance floor without pause. Now, I take a dance class here and there, and I still dance on the occasional coffee table...

By moonjazz on Flickr

~2~ READER

As you got above, I was an indoor child. I didn't like to go outside. I hated bugs (still do), and I didn't like to get dirty (still really don't). So, summer vacations meant completing my school summer reading list by my birthday in the end of June and then reading that list over in books I chose. College quelched my love of reading for a bit just because I didn't have time to read for recreation when I had 80 pages of reading for each class a night. Now that I am no longer required to read, I read everything I can get my hands on again. One of the best gifts I ever received was a book for my book list. Yes, my dear friend Superstar bought me a book with three sections: books to read, favorite books and passages, and books lent/borrowed. I love it, and I might have to get another one because it is quickly filling up with books I want to read! I'm also addicted to magazines, blogs (obviously), newspapers online (although I still prefer ink-on-my-fingers print), even the sides of cereal boxes.

~3~ PERFECTIONIST

It's unhealthy really, I'll do something over and over and over again until it's just perfect to me. Jed actually found me crying on the kitchen floor two weeks ago because I had just cleaned the entire house but found some stray dog hairs on the bottom of my foot as I was rinsing out the mop. I know, folks, it's not that serious, and I do try to tell myself that. I could always tell when my mother cleaned my room because she wouldn't place items back on my dresser in their EXACT spots. I would come home, realize this, thank my lucky stars I had a mother who still cleaned my room when I was 23, and rearrange everything back into their homes. Which segues into the next thing about me...

Surveying the San Diego coastline

~4~ CRITIC
Since everything around me has to be perfect, I am exceptionally good at noting what isn't. I went to a family friend's dance recitals every spring when I was younger, and I would critique every performance under my breath, earning stern reproach from my mother not to say anything to above-mentioned friend when she came out. In college, as a journalism major, I pondered becoming a film, dance or food critic. Occasionally you may see critiques in this blog, although I have done much yet (maybe with the exception of my debate posts). I judge people's fashion sense, their hair, their houses, their cars. I don't view myself as superficial... it's just a hobby.

Holding nutmeg in Grenada

~5~ BUDDING FOODIE

In the past few years, I have made it a hobby to eat good food and try new restaurants. Now that I have a house, however, the budget has shrunk a bit for culinary experimenting, so I experiment at home, in my beautiful new kitchen. I never cooked. My parents always tried to encourage me to make dinner or help them around the kitchen, I quickly refused and turned back to my book. Now, I kinda wish I let Chef Dad show me the basics. I'm doing ok though. I quickly learned that you can't let oil get too hot on the stove and that my burners are extremely sensitive. I learned the wonders of having a convection oven and how to chop and slice vegetables. I'm becoming less scared of raw meat and more open to broadening the spice cabinet. I'm an avid fan of Hell's Kitchen and Todd English. I watch cooking shows, read cooking and food articles online, and collect recipes I want to try (anyone know of a cute book for collecting recipes?). I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm on the path.

Gearing up!

~6~ WANNA-BE WORLD TRAVELER

Last year I found an around-the-world cruise via Princess Cruises, and if I had a year and $30k to burn, I would have been on the ship in January when it set sail for the worldwide seas. I absolutely adore cruising; I think it is the best way to introduce yourself to places you may or may not want to return to, and to truly relax on a vacation. It is also an economical way to travel as your accomodations, transport and food are all rolled into one package price. I'm not opposed to more traditional means of travel, of course, once I commit to a destination. I also love PLANNING my vacations. As soon as a trip is booked, I'm on Frommers.com looking up the destination, possible itineraries, best tips, tours and attractions. I carefully plot out our days to make sure we take advantage of every location we visit and every dollar we spend. Top on my list: cruising the Panama Canal, Italy and/or cruising the Mediterranean, and Hawaii (which is reserved for the honeymoon).

"dal basso" by Lorena on Flickr

~7~ STUDENT
No, I'm long out of school, but I strive to continue learning each and every day. I love meeting new people who have a different perspective to show me or a new skill to teach me. I try to always have a mentor. Life is so amazing and complex, a person simply cannot absorb it without the help of others. I used to keep a record of what I learned each day (stemmed from a requirement for my high school psych class), and you might still see that occasionally here. I think that's why I love to read, dance, travel and cook. It is the reason I read so many blogs. I see a whole new side of the world through each of those endeavors, something I would have missed if I weren't so open to learning.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it inspires you to post seven amazing things about you! Please comment with the link if you do, so that I can visit!