7 weird things about me

I've been tagged by Yodasmistress , and my task is to share 7 quirky or unusual things about me. So, without further ado:

1) Even though it's 2007, and we're firmly in a high-tech age, I don't have cable/satellite television. I have eight channels from which to choose my television viewing pleasures, and 75% of the time I watch PBS. 'Cause I'm a nerd who likes history and science, and I also like kid's TV. I dunno, maybe that's two things...

2) When I was a small child, around 3 years old, I used to wake up in the middle of the night, sneak into the kitchen, and eat butter. I'd take a stick of butter and unwrap it a bit, nibble a bit off the tip, wrap it back, and put it back in the 'fridge. When I got older, my mom told that she had been afraid that we'd gotten mice and they were somehow getting into the 'fridge, because she'd find these tiny toothmarks in the butter. Then one night she caught me, and the Midnight Butter Raids were busted. I have no idea why I liked butter so much. I can't help but wonder how much butter was wasted and thrown away because of the mystery bite marks. I also used to pour ketchup onto a saucer, and scoop it up with my fingers to eat it. I was an odd child.

3) This sounds totally gross, but I like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches with pickles. Whether it's pickle slices on the sandwich, or a spear on the side, it's all good. I discovered this odd combination in my hungry college years, and it never left me.

4) I've always been fascinated by social insects. Bees, ants, some wasps... I used to read about them voraciously, and would watch them with the patience of a miniature wanna-be entomologist. During my college/hippy phase, I had daydreams of becoming a beekeeper. Then again, I went to class barefoot wearing headscarves and broomstick skirts, so that whole phase of my life was weird.

5) I rarely shave my legs. My legs see a razor maybe 4 times a year, tops. Part of it is cultural, part of it is laziness. It was just never something that was prevalent, shaving legs, when I was growing up, so it never became a norm or a priority for me. Then when I got older and my social circle came to resemble an advertisement for Benetton, it was something that was "done" by my melanin-impaired friends ;-) and I thought I ought to do it, too. But the habit never became truly ingrained, partly because I don't really care about hair on my legs, and partly because it just takes too much effort. And despite what some men and women have said about leg hair negatively effecting sex appeal, I've never had a man get nekkid and say, "Good grief, woman-- go shave those legs!" Never. Not even once.

6) I have a weird thing about sheets. As in, when they're put on the bed, I will spend 5-10 minutes smoothing them out until nary a crease or wrinkle can be seen. I can go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink without even blinking, but sheets have to be smooth, damn it.

7) I love Little House on the Prairie. Specifically, I love the book series (although I'm not averse to watching the TV show). Laura Ingalls Wilder painted such vivid pictures of her life in her books that I continue to read them to this day. At least once a year or so, I'll pull out the whole series and read it through. I can honestly say that those books were probably the reason that I've been into arts & crafts my whole life. Who could read about candle-making, weaving & sewing, hunting and fishing, preserving food, etc., and not want to try it themselves?!?