Idiosyncratic Ruminations

Looks like my fellow hoochie, Turnbaby, has tagged me to reveal six weird things about myself. Hmmmm...this shouldn't be too difficult...

1. I collect cookbooks. My particular favorites are those published by Junior League organizations from around the country (still don't have one from Birmingham), and I have scores of others. At last count, my collection in my kitchen numbered a little over a hundred, and I have more in storage that I rotate from time-to-time. Why my fondness (ok, I'll call it an obsession) with cookbooks? Was I deprived of cooking as a small child??? Maybe it has something to do with #2...

2. During my senior year of high school, our class was administered an aptitude test to find the the "Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow" for our county. I was shocked to learn that I had received the highest score on the test, which not only covered cooking and sewing, but also many aspects of modern homemaking (remember...this was the 70's...). The Sicilian still laughs his head off whenever I bring up that distinguished honor, but he shuts up when I roll a perfect cannoli shell.

3. I'm pretty sure I had past lives. I haven't confirmed this with a reading by Shirley MacLaine, but sometimes the hair stands up on the back of my neck when I read about life in merry old England during the Restoration (I often think I was a bar wench) or listen to big band music (I feel certain I was a hostess at a USO center in the 40's). Maybe next time I'll come back next time as a Taylor Hicks fan...oh, wait a minute...

4. I'm a certified makeup-a-holic. I can't go by a makeup counter or display without buying something. My first trip to Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was a religious experience. Bobbie Brown and I are on a first-name basis.

5. I carry the same trait that my tagger possesses...I love me some shoes!!! I have in excess of 100 pairs. Put me in Manolo Blahnik's and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside (I have a pair that my friends call "roach in the corner" shoes - they just don't understand...). When Saks or Nordstrom's has a shoe sale, I'm waiting at the door with my nose pressed up against the glass until they open. My latest purchase was a beautiful pair of Stuart Weitzman pumps that I'm wearing right now...oooooooooo...heaven!

6. I have a phobia...a BIG phobia. Some people are afraid of snakes, spiders, heights, closed-in spaces, wide-open spaces, etc. I am afraid of birds...that's right...BIRDS. They can be alive or dead, big or small...I don't like them. I can be in the room with a bird in a cage, but if he gets out, I crumble. When I'm walking down the street and I see a pigeon on the sidewalk in front of me, I'll cross to the other side. I guess I wouldn't do too well in Trafalgar Square...

OK, there you have it...six weird things about Pia. I'm not tagging anyone else 'cuz I think all of my blogging buddies have already been hit. Just beware - I'll get you next time!!!