Tuesday, January 24, 2012

I'm really bad at remembering to drink water

I'm going to tell you three random things that I am really bad at and then three random things that *I* think I am really good at. 

THE BAD

1. I suck at couponing. I mean, I GET the idea of it but the practice of it leaves me trembling. I have an entire subsection of my Reader devoted to couponing websites which I avoid because I feel bad about myself that I just cannot figure it out.

2. I'm really bad at math (hence the above admission...too much maths). Like shamefully bad. So bad that I refuse to pay our sitter based on the exact hours and ALWAYS round up and over pay to avoid having to do anything more complicated than adding whole numbers. My husband is so disappointed in me right now.

3. I hate small talk. I am the worst guest at a dinner party where I don't know many people. I fear I come across as rude when in actuality I am just nervous and can't think of things to talk about it. This is why I am STILL worried that people thought I was a huge jerk at The Blathering 2010. I'M SORRY. I like you, ALL OF YOU. REALLY. I promise I'll do better this year.


THE GOOD

1. I have excellent navigational skills. I can get many places, even if I've only been once, without the aid of a map or GPS. I have most of the city plotted in my head. It does drive me a little crazy though when I say "turn east" and my sister looks at me like I have three heads.

2. I'm good at organizing things...my desk at work, my files, my linens, my cabinets. I need order to function and when things are out of whack I tend to organize. For example, Tim put away the groceries last weekend and his willy-nilly-throw-it-all-in-the-pantry-and-close-the-door plan means I get to take it all out and do it over. I am irrationally pleased about this. I'm weird, I know. (The label maker my mom got me a couple of years ago is my favorite thing ever and when I thought I had lost it, I almost cried.)

3. I'm an amazing parallel parker. I'm sure almost ten years of city living helps not to mention the sweet backup camera in my car. Give me a car and a tight spot and I'll have you parked in a jiffy.

This is where I admit that it was super easy to come up with things I'm bad at (I could easily add ten more things) and much harder to come up with the good. Isn't that always the case? What are you bad/good at?

11 comments:

Jessica said...

I'm very jealous of your sense of direction. I have NONE. N,S,E,&W mean nothing to me. I can only take directions in left and right. Before GPS I got lost all the time.

Math, though, I LOVE. I went into accounting so I could work with numbers every day. Also, I coupon as a hobby. Because I think it's fun.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

I *tried* the whole couponing thing and have decided it's an all or nothing sort of thing. In order for your savings to really be worth the time it takes to coupon, you have to be a mad couponer. And me? I was only sort-of-half-mad. The math never worked in my favor, so I quit.

My sense of direction is also superb and I like to think I'm also pretty darn good at parallel parking. However, unlike you, I *get* small talk and how to make conversation with almost anyone. Maybe that's why we get along - I drag conversation (kicking and screaming) out of you. hahaha.

Elizabeth said...

I love this post! I agree, it's really hard to think of things I am bad at. I can think of things I am good at, but it's harder, and I feel awkward or something talking about it. That's kind of screwed up, isn't it?!
For what it's worth though I am also shy when I first meet people so I totally get that. That's why I am so excited you are coming back the Blathering this year! We already know each other so now all the awkward times are over! We can skip small talk and go right to braiding each other's hair. In a non creepy way. Of course.

Elizabeth said...

PS I am intrigued by these couponing web sites. Is it weird that I don't want to coupon but I kind of want to gawk at people who do?

Anne - AnnabelleSpeaks said...

You are not bad at small talk at all. Either that or you are at least really good at faking it. When I first met you I thought you came across as all kinds of confident and put-together, at least in comparison to the living-in-terror-of-small-talk nonsense going on in MY head. Um.

Anonymous said...

So... I liked this post so much that I had to do my own. http://bessieviola.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/the-good-the-bad/

However... I am WAY jealous of your sense of direction! I am like your sister, and I flail around helplessly when someone asks me if something is east, west, etc. I always feel like such a dummy. ;)

Erica said...

I could just copy/paste #3 under "bad" for myself. I am actually very good at remembering to drink water, though.

k said...

I am bad at remembering almost everything that would be remotely good for my body.

However, I excel at remembering how much I love french fries.

Paige said...

Ditto the navigational skills and organization stuff - when I was a little girl and I got upset, I would lock myself in my room and just rearrange things until I felt better. That's easily the thing I miss most about pre-baby life - having time to putter around and organize.
I used to think I was really shitty at math, but now I manage budgets at work (frightening, huh?) and I've realized I'm not so bad. Hmph.
Small talk somewhat terrifies me, but I am actually really good at it. I think this is because I used to be an actress and I'm really good at seeming confident when I'm freaked out, which I had to do onstage all the time.
I don't know anything about couponing, but I am intrigued. I am cheap and I love deals.
Lastly - I have a freakish memory, particularly for words and conversations, but I am terrible at people's names. Except kid's names. I always know the kid's name and never the parent's. I can see something written down and remember it (probably also from aforementioned life as an actress) and know the words to songs after hearing them once or twice.
That's all I got.

Erica said...

I thought you were a great conversationalist at blathering Chicago.

Hillary said...

I'm good at remembering phone numbers, even now in the age of cell phones.

I'm bad at remembering names, though it's vital to my job.

I'm good at reading books to kids.

I'm bad at being patient.