Everyone Has Their THING...

I have a few things that are my things:

Sensa pens

The formerly Willat Company produced a high-end pen that has the special gushy part for your fingers. I loved it the moment I tried it. It was sheer delight - it happened to be a sheer $50 delight. I got it anyway. I loved it from the moment I tried it and now I have about 50 or more Sensa pens. That is my thing. Well, that is the first thing. There are plenty more things I am into.

Writing Paper

There are plenty of people who are strictly into computers or worse, they are physically joined to their cell phone which allows them to text each other. That is most definitely not my thing. I like e-mail - I enjoy it, but just for its speed and convenience. But a letter should be personal and warm and fuzzy! So having the best possible pen to write upon the best possible paper, to use my best penmanship to scroll words across the page that adorn your mailbox... so much more important than anything one could do in e-mail.

So while I may not want to go crazy buying a typewriter or anything nuts like that, I have plenty of things that do the same thing in a different way. Some of us rely solely on the computer to keep in touch with everything - family, friends, news, banking.... everything.

Blogging

This is a hell of a lot cheaper than a therapist and just as good. I find that I miss having an uninterested third party to talk to and now I have one again and never think about going to a shrink again. I get it all out and feel better about it. That is a beautiful thing. I find that lately I'm blogging a whole lot.

Taking Pictures/Images

Is this a thing or just something really, really weird about me? I take enough photos that I suppose it qualifies as a "thing". We went to Las Vegas in May and I took over 1600 images in four days... I do it to remember things - everything - not because I have any thoughts on being the next Ansel Adams. I just love to take pictures of every day things, not just when I travel. At work I take photos all the time, because at a golf course there is no end to what can be seen!

Candles

Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Scented candles is one of those things. In our old house, I had a mid-sized collection of candles. What I did not have was an ideal storage space for said candles. They started out in my office, but that was the highest story of the house, and the heat up there was too much. I then moved them to the garage but soon after we were packing to move and the garage was hot, too.

In my current house, there is plenty of room and plenty of ideally built and spaced and located closets. I took over the entire closet next to the library, and that has worked out well. I'd like to have it rebuilt with stronger, sturdier shelves, but it is not at the top of the list. But it is nearly full. However, being a practical person, I used those candles - all of them - and often have several burning at once. One in each room: living room, kitchen, dining room, eat-in room, sun room, my office and the master bedroom. Luis has an office there but there is no point in bothering to make that room fragrant. He doesn't appreciate it and I am never in it.

Organisers

You cannot tell me that anyone can be too organised. Too rigid and inflexible, yes, and there are many, many people who are like that. But too organised? No such animal! I love organisation. I'm not always perfect at it, but I am likely to be the closest of most people that try to be organised. And I love well-made organisers. Levenger is almost always my favourite place to shop for lovely decor that serves to organise.

Books

I have so many books I have to live to 200 years old to read them all. It is a daunting prospect. It might be a teensy bit less daunting if I didn't buy a gazillion books every single time I set foot in Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc.

Travel

I love it... I even love flying and I always live to regret it (travel is much harder on someone with Muscular Dystrophy), but seeing new things - oh, wow. How much did I love visiting all the places I've been: Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, New England (all of the states there - Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and - I think - Connecticut), Montreal, Niagara Falls, St. Lawrence Seaway, Florida, New York, Boston (oh, I loved Boston!), Las Vegas, Pennsylvania (Reading, Intercourse, Dutch Country, etc.), Palm Springs, Virginia, Washington DC, etc. I got something - at the very least - from every single trip. I have seen a lot of New Jersey. About Connecticut, I know I have been there; I'm not sure if this state is considered part of New England or not. It seems to vary. I wonder what Connecticut thinks...?

I plan to travel more and if I've to do it without Luis, I'm OK with that. I need to do it now, while I really can, than wait until I'm in possibly worse condition.

Bank Notes

Do you know anyone who doesn't love money? I love money, too, and while it would be fun to have hordes of freshly minted US currency, I thoroughly enjoy foriegn bank notes. United States money is the most boring, poorly thought out notes in the world. Everyone else has gorgeous, colourful, picturesque notes that come in different sizes by denomination; we have our money, all the same in size, all the same in colour. Even the colourful money is a failed experiment.

I work with a lot of people. They've all got things that they love, too. No one seems to have my interests, but I like them all anyway. I find it funny that most of them have golf as a thing. I never understand it, but I do understand the happiness that I get from reading, writing, blogging (which is a form of writing without a pen), burning scented candles, petting my kitties, orgainsing (don't laugh - I can find most everything!), visiting the ocean, going to new places.