Early to Bed, Early to Rise, Makes a Man Healthy

They did a research study at the London school of economics that suggests people who stay up late and sleep in late tend to have higher IQ scores than people who go to bed and get up at more reasonable times. I'm going to use that the next time someone tells me off for sleeping in. Of course, they also found that those same people are more likely to have unhealthy vices and addictions and are more prone to depression and anxiety, but I'm not sure if that's because of the odd sleeping patterns or the high IQ's.

When You Were Young

I was going through old photo albums, and I found this picture. I love it. I'm not sure who took it, but it's a really great shot. I remember this outfit, too. One of the only times my mum put me in a dress. We were at a wedding, and she'd dyed my white underwear navy to match it. Then, during the ceremony, I stood up on the pew, lifted my skirt over my head and showed everyone the great job she'd done.

Ah, little Kelly. So sad that we all have to grow up.

A Rubik's Cube and 100 Other Things

Yesterday I solved a Rubik's cube! I know there are all those fancy strategies and step-by-step how-to-dos, but I didn't follow any of them, and I'm not a genius, and I was almost convinced that my cube had been messed up by someone moving around the little coloured stickers, or something - but no! I don't know why it felt so good when I turned it that one last time so it all clicked into place. Maybe because I've had that thing for longer than I can remember and it hasn't been in the right position since it was taken out of the packaging.

If I think too much about it, though, it kind of hits me that it was likely an accident that I actually solved it. One million monkeys at one million typewriters...

Also, 100 random facts about me, because I wasn't sure I could do that either.

1. I'm almost 5'6", I wear a size 6 shoe, a size 4 ring, a size 34C bra, a size 0 dress and a XS in everything else.
   
2. I can wiggle my ears together, and one at a time.
   
3. I go out of my way to step on that one crunchy leaf on the sidewalk.
   
4. I'm a little obsessive about buying notebooks. I have over 25 unused ones in my closet.
   
5. I sing along to songs so often, I don't notice I'm doing it until someone stops me.
   
6. My number one goal in life is to be a published author.
   
7. I've never had the chicken pox.
   
8. Disney World made me cry.
   
9. I was so insistant on getting the lead roles in plays in school that I'm pretty sure the rest of the drama class hated me for it.
   
10. After I finish doing anything I invariably find myself thinking: "Now what?"
    
11. I like to run around outside during thunderstorms.
    
12. I was a soprano in my high school choir.
    
13. My blood type is O negative, but I can't donate due to low iron.
    
14. I always have to be doing more than one thing at a time, otherwise I can't focus on anything.
    
15. I don't have a middle name.
    
16. I use proper spelling and punctuation in all of my text messages. It annoys me that I can't just do it the quick way like everyone else.
    
17. I'm a night person. No matter how tired I am all day, as soon as midnight hits, I'm suddenly full of energy.
    
18. I used to sleepwalk as a toddler.
    
19. I read 93 books in one year. My goal was 100.
    
20. My favourite colour is green.
    
21. I look more like my Aunt than either of my parents.
    
22. I collect inspiring quotes. I have a notebook full of them. One of my favourites is one I got off of the wall in a toilet stall.
    
23. When my dad told me my grandpa had died, I couldn't stop laughing. I'm still not sure why. I loved my grandpa.
    
24. I've read Jane Eyre from cover to cover 24 times. I've memorized chapter 23.
    
25. I'm a closet romantic.
    
26. I love brushing my teeth. Sometimes I just do it because I'm bored.
    
27. I never do what I'm supposed to be doing when I'm supposed to be doing it, but I always get it done.
    
28. I have an excellent memory. Sometimes I wish it wasn't so excellent.
    
29. I think everyone should be a little bit more like the fantastic Mr. Fox.
    
30. My MBTI type is ENFP.
    
31. My birthday is June 17th, which makes me a Gemini. I don't believe in horoscopes or astrology, but I still find that any description of Geminis represents me to the letter. I chalk it up to coincidence.
    
32. My hands are almost always cold, they're only warm when I'm really drunk or really excited.
    
33. If I could have any super power, it would be teleportation.
    
34. I'm very, very picky about my steak. It has to be a great cut, prepared perfectly, or I can't eat it.
    
35. Real life situations, regardless of what they are, very rarely make me cry, but movies, songs and books, even if they aren't all that sad, make me bawl like a baby all the time.
    
36. My favourite artist is Monet.
    
37. I'm not religious or spiritual in the least, but I like the concept behind spirituality, and I'm very glad it exists in the world.
    
38. I went a week after I was born without a name. My mum wanted to name me Robyn, and my dad didn't know what he wanted to name me, only that he didn't want to name me Robyn. The pressure to give me a name got so great, that one day they decided to look out the window and name me the first thing they could both agree on. I was named after Kelly's Coal Yard.
    
39. I don't know if I could ever really trust anyone who doesn't like animals. I'm also not sure I could ever date a man who isn't good to his mother.
    
40. I have a quick temper, but I'm just as quick to forgive and forget. I don't hold grudges and I don't judge people based on past mistakes.
    
41. I love watching movies, but I hate going to the movies.
    
42. I really enjoy public speaking. It energizes me. It's a shame I don't get more opportunities to do it.
    
43. I'm a little bit of a beer snob. My favourite is Guinness, but Harp and Carlsberg are good too.
    
44. The idea that I might end up working in an office for the next thirty years terrifies me.
    
45. I can't smell. I've never been able to smell. Just born that way.
    
46. My favourite flower is the calla lily, because it's simple, colourless and kind of ugly.
    
47. I have no sense of direction what-so-ever. It's still possible for me to get lost walking around five minutes from my house, and I've lived in the same neighbourhood for 15 years.
    
48. I always order the same thing on my Subway sandwiches: Cold cut trio on honey oat bread; cheddar cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, green olives, honey mustard, sub sauce and pepper. Yummy.
    
49. I still check under my bed some nights before I go to sleep. I don't really think there's going to be something there, it just makes me feel better knowing there isn't.
    
50. When I was 8, I kissed a frog. He didn't turn into a prince, and I went home. For years after that, I was very worried that the transformation process wasn't instant, and that I had left some newly formed prince alone and lost somewhere.
    
51. I get heart palpitations due to anxiety sometimes. The doctor reccommended treatment for them is a tight hug.
    
52. I used to be totally against the idea of having kids. Now I know I want them. The idea still terrifies me, but I think I would really, really regret not having kids when I'm 65 and have no grandchildren.
    
53. I say I don't like cooking. It's not that I don't like cooking, it's that I don't like cleaning everything up after cooking. If I could just cook, then sit and eat it and not have to worry about washing up, I'm sure I'd be more open to the idea.
    
54. There's absolutely nothing I would change about my appearance. I'm very happy with the way I look, flaws and all.
    
55. I have a slight obsession with Scandanavia, Norway in particular, and really hope to see it someday.
    
56. I really, really love potatoes in every single form imaginable other than mashed. I will not eat the mashed.
    
57. IQ tests baffle me. Every one I've ever taken tells me that my IQ is somewhere between 125 and 134, but I still feel like I'm guessing at most of the answers.
    
58. My major in University was English Language and Literature. I should have done it for writing instead, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get through school by studying books I'd already read.
    
59. I have very vivid dreams that I usually remember in detail. Sometimes I get really excited to fall asleep to see what happens, which, in turn, makes it really hard to fall asleep.
    
60. More often than not, I feel like I'm improvising my way through life, hoping the right answers come to me as I fumble through. I think I like it better this way.
    
61. When it comes to food, there's nothing I won't try at least once.
    
62. I don't believe in soul mates in the sense that two people are fated to be together, but I do believe that there is one person in the world that's better suited for you than anyone else. It's just really, really unlikely you'll ever meet them. I think knowing that is a really beautiful tragedy.
    
63. I've never been in love, but every day I find it easier and easier to believe that it's possible.
    
64. I love cats and dogs equally.
    
65. I love those times when you look up at the sky in the middle of the day, and it's so clear that you can still see the moon.
    
66. When asked, some people would say that I take things too seriously, while some would say I don't take things seriously enough. I'm not sure which I agree with.
    
67. Obsessive neatness is a big turn off for me. Things are much more comfortable when they're a bit messy and disorganized.
    
68. I love plaid and I really wish it was easier to decorate with.
    
69. I used to curse a lot more than I do now. For some reason, it's getting more and more difficult for me to swear. I don't have a problem with other people cursing, though. In fact, I barely notice it.
    
70. I like tattoos on others, but I'd never get one myself. I couldn't handle that kind of commitment!
    
71. I hate violence in life, but I can't get enough of violence in movies and video games.
    
72. I measure how important someone is to me by how inspired I feel after spending time with them.
    
73. I miss high school desperately sometimes.
    
74. I tried to wear contacts for a while, but I kept forgetting to take them out and it really started to mess with my eyes. Now I stick with just wearing glasses if I have to look at something in the distance.
    
75. I believe in aliens, but I don't believe they've ever paid us a visit, nor do I believe they ever will.
    
76. I have a love hate relationship with the internet. It's obviously one of the most influential discoveries ever, but it's made things far too convenient. I think life would be much more fascinating without it.
    
77. If I ever have a baby girl, I'd like to name her Katharine or Avery. If I have a boy, I'd love to name him Alistair, after my dad.
    
78. I love pickled things. Pickled onions, pickled eggs...pickles...I also drink too much coke, and like plain old pepperoni pizza the best.
    
79. I probably drink too much alcohol. I've come to terms with this, and it's unlikely to ever change.
    
80. I don't really like chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, and I can't stand white chocolate.
    
81. I'll take beer and chicken wings at a bar over an expensive meal at a fancy restaurant any day.
    
82. I greatly value my alone time, and probably need more of it than the average person, but even when I want to be left alone, I need to know that there's someone nearby just in case I think of something important to say.
    
83. No matter what's happening, or how bad things seem, a hug from my mum always makes me feel better.
    
84. The Princess Bride is one of my favourite movies ever. I never get tired of it, and I'm convinced that Westley is the perfect man.
    
85. I'm eternally grateful to my parents for the way they raised me. I owe everything I am today to them and they make me feel that when my time comes, I'll be an excellent mother.
    
86. When everyone else is falling apart around me and the circumstances seem to call for absolute panic, I'm always able to stay incredibly calm.
    
87. I've been told I look like a cross between Katy Perry and Pam from the Office. I'm not even sure how it's possible to visualize that.
    
88. I'm pretty sure that all of the things I really, truly regret doing or not doing are still fixable.
    
89. There's nothing sexier than someone who's laid back and confident.
    
90. Antique stores are amazing places. I love them. They're exciting, educational and always a little bit creepy.
    
91. I think there'll always be a part of me that wants to be a stage actress. Nothing compares to the feeling of performing in front of an audience.
    
92. I hate asking for help, which isn't good, because I quite often need it - I'm very easily confused.
    
93. I'm not as concerned about money as I should be. I'll probably regret this when I retire.
    
94. I could spend all day, from open to close, in a book store.
    
95. I have a really bad habit of leaving bathroom doors open or not locking them. It's led to more than a few awkward situations.
    
96. I can't wait for my high school reunion. I don't even know if they actually happen in real life, but if they do, I'll be there with bells on!
    
97. I don't have a problem with bugs or insects. I can squish most of them with my finger if I have to. The only kind of creepy crawly thing I can't deal with is the earwig.
    
98. Trashy tabloid magazines are my guilty pleasure. I hate them, and I think they're exploitative and just plain mean, but I started reading them during my lunch break at work when I was 16, and I've been picking them up ever since. For some reason, I only really like reading them during meal breaks, though. I rarely read them at home.
    
99. I'm double jointed in lots of different places. It means I can do some really freaky looking things.
    
100. I sleep on my right side. Always.
     

Familiarity

Whenever I ask someone if they want to do something different, there are always a million and one excuses why they can't: it's too far to drive, it's too late, it's too much work, they'd have to pack...then they spend all night watching television or playing a game on the computer. The same amount of time has been wasted, but they haven't learned anything new.

Next time you say no, at least be honest enough to admit that it has nothing to do with time or cost, it has to do with the fact that there's far too much comfort in familiarity.

Or you're just lazy. Which is totally legit, by the way.

P.S. I used to think Donatello was my favourite Ninja Turtle, but I'm starting to think that I've been horribly misguided.

What Happens When I'm Bored

It's been so long since I've drawn anything I've liked, I figured I might as well post this one. I was going for a self-portrait. Not sure how well I managed it, but I think she's cute either way.

Here, There be Dragons

Yes, I read: "This route has trolls." And yes, it made me want to take that particular route even more.

When You're Smiling

Watching it when you're dog tired makes it even funnier. Is it weird that I'm putting off going to bed because I don't want to have to wake up and go to work?

Real Life Pokemon

Real Life Pokemon Battles
Originally uploaded by Alexander.Quinn

Real life Pokemon battles! I completely understand setting them up, and I would probably do this too if I had the little characters, but why would you throw out a Squirtle against a Bulbasaur? I really do think I'm going to end up buying one of the new games now...

Take a Chance, You Might Grow

We ♥ Norway
Originally uploaded by B℮n

I'm going to go. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but soon. I don't need to live there. It's cold and probably damp and very quiet. I just want to sit there for ten minutes, so when I write about it, I don't feel like I'm making it all up.

"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs."

I found a first edition version of Jane Eyre up for auction online with a $1500 reserve. It would absolutely break my heart, in the very best of ways, to curl up in front of a fire with a first edition copy of Jane Eyre. I think I'm putting that on my 'things to do before I die' list.

I had a strange day today. One of those days where you aren't sad, and you aren't happy, you're just there. Kind of waiting to not be wherever you are anymore so something else can happen. Like limbo. It was a limbo day. My brain wouldn't focus, so I sat around with my brother for a while. He was watching Eraserhead.

Muted.

My dad disconnected the speakers on our television to play music on the patio, so the TV had no sound. When I asked my brother why he hadn't just plugged them back in, he said the movie was "better this way". He might have been right. I mean, I've never seen Eraserhead with sound, but I'm not entirely sure I want to know what it sounds like. Seeing it is plenty.

Now some they do and some they don't
And some you just can't tell
And some they will and some they won't
With some it's just as well.
--Supertramp--

P.S. In case you're wondering why I've been the proud owner of this fine blog since 2005, yet haven't posted a single thing until today: I deleted all those old posts. I'm all different now, and stuff. It's cathartic. Whatever.

P.P.S. You know those candy sticks that are basically nothing but super-condensed icing sugar? I love those.