Obsessions

Bee tagged me with the obsession meme and seeing as I have a near-obsessive (or compulsive?) penchant for these things, here I go--never mind the fact that my reply comes a week later. (Clearly--and unfortunately--punctuality in correspondence is not one of my obsessions.) Anyway, onward with my obsessive idiosyncrasies:

1. Brushing my teeth in the morning. It's the first thing I do in the morning, and if for some reason I'm thwarted, I feel all kinds of gross until I get it done. I should probably wait until after I've had breakfast, but no, I want to get it done now. I just can't stand it when my mouth doesn't feel clean, which in a way brings me to....

2. Water. I almost always have a glass or (refillable) bottle of water handy, and I probably drink three to five liters of water per day. Part of my water obsession is wanting my mouth to feel clean: on the run portion of a race, if offered Gatorade I'll always take water as well, so that I can rinse my mouth and rid it of the sweetness and acidity of sports drink. But mostly I just like how I feel when I'm well hydrated. If I'm not drinking enough water, I feel sluggish and just... off. Of course, being well hydrated has its drawbacks, especially when on a plane and the only facilities available are, well, an airplane lavatory.

3. Animals. Primarily cats and dogs (and horses--I never grew out of my little girl's love of horses), but virtually all animals. I talk to them, by turns as if they were small children and as if they were intelligent, reasonable adults with whom I can carry on a conversation. I cannot pass a dog in the street without saying, "hey, puppy!" no matter the actual age of the dog. The Suitor and I have four cats, and look forward to the day when we have a large enough house (and yard) for a dog as well.

4. Cupcakes. I don't know if this qualifies as an obsession so much as an infatuation, but either way, I adore cupcakes. I love all kinds of baked goods (and I'm constantly making them, much to the Suitor's dismay), but cupcakes are a special kind of delightful. I don't know what it is about them. It's not the shape, else I'd be as taken with muffins as I am with cupcakes. (I am indeed taken with muffins, but not to nearly the same degree.) And it's not just that they're cake and frosting, although I do adore cake and frosting. The only thing that keeps me from making cupcakes at home on a regular basis is the consequences of eating an entire batch of cupcakes all by myself.

5. Food. No, really. I know it's surprising that someone who writes a blog about food has an obsession with food, but I can't get enough of the stuff. I plan my meals a week ahead of time not so much for the economy of planning ahead or so that my CSA veggies don't lie in the fridge unused, but because I take so much joy in deciding what delicious things I'm going to cook and eat six or seven days from now.

On that note, coincidentally, it's just about time for lunch, and there is some charcuterie, pain au levain, and fruit calling my name. If you read this and have a blog, please consider yourself tagged!