Eccentric?

I have been called many things, ranging from flattering and validating to off-the-mark or downright offensive. Yesterday I was called "goofy" at least twice by the same person. Whatever..................

Some of the things I do lead to people perceiving me as eccentric, bohemian, "a little strange," or downright weird. Obviously those reactions and opinions do nothing to change what I do and how I live. I make the final decision on that.

For your entertainment, however, I will share some of the things I've done that have led to some of these labels. For instance, I am adamant about recycling, at home, work, anywhere. It blows my mind, first, that things that can lead another life are mindlessly filling dumpsters and landfills. And it blows my mind even more when I think about how much money is spent on disposal when recycling is free! At home, I pay 50 cents for each small bag of trash picked up by the city. I pay nothing for what gets picked up for recycling.

I was thrilled when our city recycling program began accepting junk mail, office paper, and shredded paper. The catch is, though, that they will not take away anything that is in a plastic bag. Hence the trunk full of trash bags filled with shredded paper. I bring these home, rip open the bags, then stuff the contents into cardboard boxes (many of which have been toted home from an office building on the corner). Sometimes I am able to use the shredded paper for packing material, and people who have hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, guinea pigs, etc, are willing to use this for cage bedding.

I was, by the way, a "freak" about recycling even before it was decided that we need to "go green."

Maybe some of my insistence on recycling is part of being an artist and creative thinker. The potential uses for things that are commonly discarded are endless. And maybe having been broke many times in my life helps fuel this way of thinking.

There was a time I used a die-cutting machine in an art shop---buy the paper there, use the die-cutter, paper cutter, etc to your heart's content. I was appalled at the scraps in the nearby trash can, and asked the owner if I could rescue some of them. She didn't deny my request, but looked at me like I had just crawled out of a swamp or something, and said, "I don't mess with scraps; I can afford to use new papers." Yikes!!! I shop elsewhere now, again at a place where customers can use the accu-cut to their heart's content. It thrills me that there is a bushel basket of scraps nearby---not waiting for a trip to the dumpster, but ready for the right person and project to come along that will use them up!

Enough of the recycling soapbox for now...............here are some of the other things that lead people to think I'm strange..........

my "mulletts rock" bumper sticker

I challenge myself each Fall: how long can I hold out before I kick on the furnace the first time. Halloween is usually my target. If I make it that long, then it's my birthday, then Thanksgiving. In 2006 I made it to December 1---and even then I kept the thermostat set at 60 all winter. And how did I do with my challenge this winter? HA...........no heat even yet! Now it helps that I live in an upstairs apartment, but I swear I am not sucking up all the neighbor's heat! Their gas and electric usage is very close to what it was last year. OK, I bought an oil-filled electric radiator for my bedroom, but it has gotten extremely limited use. My electric matress pad went on the bed in mid-January, and it keeps me nice and toasty. Otherwise, when I'm home I'm usually doing something, being physically active, and I dress in layers. It also helps that I have made the descent into hot flash hell.............

Holidays and changing seasons are great...........I love the changes of color, like seeing seasonal decor. I do not, however, do any seasonal decorating. The one exception that that is my office door---currently with my Valentine garland.

These are some of the things that are part of who I am. Others may think what they will...........but I do what I do because I am who I am, believe what I believe, and will continue to live my way in spite of what others think. I believe there are also people who think I'm cool, who find what I do admirable in different ways, and even some who help me do what I do!