Just a few of my flaws, conveniently numbered for future potential boyfriends November 13, 2007
Posted by charmingbutsingle in I finally answered a tag!, Listing is fun and easy, NaBloPoMo.trackback
I was tagged by Smug Married. And y’all know I usually don’t do tags, but it is Day 13 of NaBloPoMo and my brain is fried from a long two days and a tag looking mighty good. The tag was something about habits or little known facts, so I present …
Six Bad Habits
#1 – I draft all e-mails three times.
I am not lying. I write the first e-mail, which is too long. Then I cut it down and it is too short. And then the final third e-mail is what I send and it is usually a combination of the first two.
You’d think this would take a long time, but it usually doesn’t. I don’t even realize I’m doing it until I stop and think about it or until someone points it out to me. Someone told me today, in fact, “Geez, it is just an e-mail.” And it was just an e-mail. A throwaway one at that. But I still did two rounds of editing before I sent it. This process works quickly for me because I think I’m a fairly prolific writer when I want to be.
#2 – I am mildly OCD about handwriting.
It’s a good damn thing I have e-mail and a computer, because if I had to hand write notes and letters, well, I’d be utterly screwed. My handwriting is a mismash of print and cursive – a capital print “S” to start a word and then script letters to finish, for example. I actually really love my handwriting, but I hate scratching out letters or words because it makes my notes messy, so I try to limit what I have to write. Going into a meeting, I’ll write the subject and date across the top and if it doesn’t look pretty enough, I will flip the page and start anew. So I’ll have two pages that say “Team Meeting, 11/13/07” on them both and go with the prettier one.
Yes, they probably make medicine for this. No, I don’t know how I get anything finished either. I’m pretty sure this is why I never took to wearing eyeliner.
#3 – I hate confrontation and I play out the worse case scenario in my head if I even think a confrontation will happen.
I take every situation to its worst case scenario and then back out my response from there. And, no, I don’t think this is always a bad thing – it suits a PR person sometimes to play Devil’s Advocate. It helps to anticipate questions or identify conflicts. But life isn’t work and, yes, mocking up a response to the Most Terrible Thing Ever isn’t always conducive to interpersonal relations. Like dating. Or ordering a latte.
#4 – I’m wearing yoga pants that I bought in 2001. Right now.
Oh, they’re threadbare and tattered and faced and I’ve had to cut them into cropped pants and the waistband is fraying. But they’re so terribly soft and comfy and Old Navy never made another pair quite like this pair and I can’t part with them. I don’t wear them out of the house, except to take out the trash. I will wear these pants until they fall off of my body.
Yes, I have newer, less ratty yoga pants. Why do you ask?
#5 – I do not manage expectations in my personal life.
Managing expectations is a huge, important aspect of PR. Do it correctly and you can hand yourself, your person, your cause a huge win. Do it poorly and you will always be perceived as a loser because you can’t meet even your own standards, let alone those set by others.
Case in point: I’m invited to dinner by a friend. The friend says, “What time will you be free?” and I look at my remaining task list, which is clearly two hours of work and say “an hour.” I know I’ll never get away in an hour, but I believe if I push myself, I can. My friend ends up sitting alone at a restaurant for 30 minutes. I feel like a bad person.
Repeat.
My good friends know not to make such plans with me. I meet them at their houses and we go to dinner together.
#6 – I have started sneaking cigarettes again.
It started as one with a beer and then two with a glass of wine and then I’d buy a pack for the week and now I have to stop myself from buying them at all. I am not addicted to nicotine. I could not smoke for a month. I’m purely an emotional smoker – I associate feelings with a cigarette and use them to relieve stress.
But I highly doubt that not being addicted is a factor when it comes to lung cancer.
(And yes, writing that last sentence out gave me chills. I’m too smart to smoke.)
So now I tag … everyone. In the comments. If you even still want to continue reading after hearing a very incomplete list of my flaws.
I’m so totally number 5. And I have a really bad habit of overbooking myself, and knowing i have 2 sets of plans while accepting a third. I end up dissapointing 2 groups when I have to chose which to cancel, and then sometimes when I’m feeling that booked up? I cancel all my plans and stay home instead.
I just recently quit the emotional smoking for a third time in my life. I’m not addicted to the nicotine either, but it makes me feel less stressed and in control when it comes to life, as stupid as that sounds. And a lot of the time, it just feels right to have a cigarette or six when I’m out drinking…or dealing with traffic.
These are not flaws; they are just part of what makes you, you. When it comes to loving you, one takes the entire package. If you leave off parts, then it ceases to be you. And no, this is not a lyric from I Am the Walrus.
I totally know what you mean about being an emotional smoker…if I wanted to, it’s not hard for me to give it up. Unless I have a drink in hand. Ack.
Thanks for doing this
CBS and everyone else who admits to (5), may I please take a moment to be a nag? Please don’t do this to friends- overbooking, arriving late etc. I say this as someone who’s frequently the one who’s waiting forever for the friend to arrive and/or being canceled on and it’s extremely unpleasant, not to mention, just demeaning. I think it says something about me (related to (3) that I hate confrontation and end up attracting people who behave badly) and I’ve recently started cutting those people out of my lives. Which is a shame, cos that apart, I quite like them. And saying “this is my flaw, and I admit to it so deal with it” isn’t a good excuse, it’s still poor behavior.
End of rant. Loved the post as usual- am glad you’re doing the once-a-day thing.
I am maddeningly ocd when it comes to handwriting. On top of that I also take excessive amounts of notes, almost word for word in pristine, neat letters. One of my graduate school professor actually has me make a copy of my notes for his binder because he says that it looks neater than a computer.
My flaw? I tend to worry more about what happens to other people than what happens to myself. I put my own career on hold to take volunteer jobs because I worry that other people won’t take the volunteer jobs.
I love your blog and am not writing this to be a bitch. I used to smoke and so I know what its like to quit. But I have a friend who’s father smoked like a chimmny and died several years ago from lung cancer. Two weeks ago his mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. I don’t know if she smoked or not.
Weird. I am currently wearing what I believe to be the exact same pair of Old Navy yoga pants from 2001. My roommates/friends/parents have tried to part me with them many times. I have found them in the garbage can and have panicked when I thought I left them somewhere overnight.
They were probably $12. However, I have sewed them twice because I ripped them on the door hinge on the bathroom cabinet ,making a huge hole, and still refuse to throw them away.
My mom even bought me a nice pair of Nautica pajamas that are soft, and also quite comfortable, but will never replace these pants.
Don’t consider it a flaw!
I have de-lurk a bit because once again I can relate to soooooooo much (except for the smoking but I never really inhaled
). I never realized you were in PR as well but that would explain why I can relate to you on #5. I’d love to change it and have improved somewhat but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to slow it down completely.
#4 made me laugh because I’m sitting on my couch right now in Gap Kids sweatpants from high school! They have a conspicuous hole right in the crotch, but I love them nonetheless!
If these are flaws then I’m really in trouble.
Why would we stop reading? It’s the things that you consider “flaws” that make you such a wonderful, unique person. Especially the yoga pants, which is the type of thing guys do a lot (though, for us, I think it comes from our dislike of clothes shopping).
But #6? I won’t lecture, but ya gotta stop that.
Sometimes, when I fly Business Class, and I have gas, I stretch my legs during a stroll through Economy. Also, I like scented candles.
My six flaws (I only have six, I swear. Other than that, I’m perfect).
That was flaw number one, by the way. I’m damn cocky.
2. I procrastinate like it’s my job.
3. I’m really bad at actually budgeting my money.
4. I’m a total blanket hog.
5. I never remember to floss. Ever.
6. I am very easily distracted by shiny, pretty th- hey look, a butterfly!
I have a tendency to over-edit my emails to make sure they “sound right,” but three different drafts every time? Oh, hell, no!
Ooh! I can rattle some of mine off for you:
1. i expect all my readers to read my blog religiously, but i read their blogs about once a month. if that. yes, i’m an asshole.
2. i am afraid of failure, so it’s easier for me to just not try. i’m not going to get into details about how much this has affected my career…ugh.
3. i’m bad about washing my face and brushing my teeth before i go to bed. gross, i know.
4. i have a tendency to take my bad mood out on other people. thanks, mom, for teaching me how to do that!
5. i’m really really impatient with slow people. slow walkers, slow drivers, slow thinkers….they irritate this piss out of me, and i will huff at them as i outpace them.
6. i’m really selfish with my free time.
feel better now???