Day One: A Picture & 15 Facts About You

(I chose this picture simply to showcase my favorite octopus necklace)

Fact #1: 

I hate ALL pictures of myself. 

Seriously. Anytime someone pulls out a camera, my first thought is always, "Oh shit! Where can I hide so I'm not in it?" This is why anytime I manage to take pictures of myself, they are usually the mac photo booth ones that kind of alter what you look like. There are very few pictures of me in existence because I get rid of them all.

Fact #2: 

I can't hold still when listening to music. 

Music makes me want to physically move around. If I I have to sit somewhere while listening to music, I'll be tapping my feet, singing (or at least mouthing the words) and moving my body to the rhythm. If I have the freedom and privacy, I'll be dancing. If there are people around and I don't want them to see me dance, I'll pace around since my body has to move.

Fact #3: 

I have a rare birth defect called Congenital Synostosis of the left forearm 

(or more simply "Bone fusion of the left forearm") 

It prevents me from turning my left arm so that the palm of my hand faces upward. The bones in my left arm cross over each other and fused at the elbow. I have the most rare form of it because it usually forms in both arms. However, my right arm is totally normal. My birth defect prevents me from doing a few things, but mostly I have just found other ways to adapt. (For example: I play the guitar left handed instead of right handed) What's funny is my left arm is slightly shorter and skinnier than my right arm since the muscle forms differently due to the position of the bones in my arm. There is no surgery to fix it. I'm stuck with it.

Fact #4: 

I cannot stand monotony. 

I crave change. I especially need to look of things to change. I have dyed my hair just about every color you can think of and cut my hair in almost every style possible. I haven't tried varying hair styles for medium-long hair, which is what I'm going to do next. I rearrange and redecorate my room every couple years and switch the posters in my room to make it look different and more colorful. I have to try new things once in awhile or else I get so bored I feel like I will go crazy.

Fact #5: 

I love animals. 

I have an affinity for wolves. They have always been my favorite animal. I have an obsession with octopi/octopuses/octopodes (or whatever you prefer to call them). A few years ago, I watched a show on discovery channel about them and it made me realize how cool they are. Thus, the obsession began. I think they could potentially take over the human race because they are so damn intelligent. I love seahorses as well.

Fact #6: 

Yellowstone is my favorite place in the world. 

People have their religions, churches, temples, etc. I have Yellowstone. It's the only place I have ever felt close to what I would consider to be God. When in nature, it is the only place I feel connected to something sacred.

Fact #7: 

I'm afraid of drowning. 

I have had 4 near drowning experiences in which all of them I stopped fighting and accepted that I was going to die, but something would happen at the very last minute where I'd suddenly surface and be able to breathe again. Those experiences have prevented me from wanting to swim in the ocean and other large bodies of water.

Fact #8: 

I am afraid of clowns, mannequins, and dolls. 

They make me nervous.

Fact #9: 

I always remember the way things or people smell. 

I will crave that smell when I miss something or someone.

I really love the smell of books.

Fact #10:

When I get really nervous, I drink a lot of water to the point that I end up feeling sick.

Fact #11:

I get hypnopompic hallucinations with sleep paralysis.

Hypnopompic hallucinations happen upon waking from sleep and it only lasts for a few seconds. To put it simply, you get trapped between dream and reality so your eyes will be open, but your brain is still in dream mode so it's common that characters from my dream will appear in my room. Sometimes the hallucinations are scary (dead people in my bed, faces in my walls and ceiling, spiders or insects crawling all over me, etc), sometimes they are as silly as seeing neon lights flashing on my ceiling. The sleep paralysis kicks in when i see all of this stuff happening in my room and it terrifies me but no matter how hard I try to move, run away or scream for help, I can't...because technically I'm still asleep.  

Fact #12:

I have a freakishly fast metabolism. 

I usually have to eat at least 4 meals a day or I'll lose weight.

Fact #13:

According to the chinese zodiac, I am a rabbit.

I don't believe in horoscopes at all, but the positive and negative characteristics of the rabbit fit me PERFECTLY.

It is kind of scary how accurate it is in describing my personality.

Fact #14:

I love office supply stores and book stores.

I find them very relaxing. Office supply stores make me want my own office when I own a home. Book stores make me want to buy a white chocolate mocha and curl up on a couch with a good book. If I feel really stressed, I go to these places to relax.

Fact #15:

I have to constantly keep my creativity alive. 

If I don't do something creative regularly, I will become very withdrawn and depressed. 

Art is such a huge part of my life. I really think I would die without it.