Don't change who you are, but let's be real...this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon

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The concept of not being too weird to early is not foreign to me, I generally refer to this strategy as "time-releasing the crazy."  You don't want to go full Monty before people realize they can handle and enjoy your weirdness.  When I started dating my husband (and I knew that I would marry him very early on), I waited a whole month before I put a little statue of a sleeping gnome in the back of the fridge.  When he finally saw it, he stood there staring at it muttering, "What the...?" in front of an open refrigerator door.  That gnome has lived in our butter drawer ever since.  I knew the hubs appreciated me for being a little nuts when he made a straight-faced joke one day about how high the gnome's cholesterol must be (living by the butter and all).

When I started a new job last year, it took me almost two months to start hiding mini rubber chickens in peoples stuff.  And it took everyone else a few more weeks to figure out just what was going on.  Seeing as I have hidden over 500 chickens in the world, they have some catching up to do at work.

It's not that I advocate people being anything but themselves, because I don't.  But, as a curator of weird shit, I have learned that it is an art and a good strategy to not put all the weirdness out at once.  Hopefully by sharing a little at a time, I can help bring joy to my day and to others, and quietly convince people that it is okay to be funny, and carefree, and weird, and unique, and yourself.  I think that I learned it was okay to be a little weird by one person in my life, and I am glad I came to the realization that being myself would be enough.

If you are feeling unsure sometimes about being yourself and letting the weird out, just do a little bit at a time.  You can also surround yourself with at least one person who really is comfortable with being a little weird.  All the right people will appreciate you for you, not in spite of you.

I'm Not a Cheerleader, I'm a Mascot.

Via photos.uc.wisc.edu 

Someone at work recently told me that some ladies were discussing me and they commented that I must have been a cheerleader previously. I understand why they would think that on account of my incessant smiling and ongoing effort to raise the energy in the room.  However, this is not an accurate assumption.  No disrespect to any current or former cheerleaders, but it just has never been my thing personally.  I would, however, give my right arm to be a mascot.

Mascots are hilarious and fascinating, and basically one-person theater shows.  Mascots even go to mascot camp to learn how to walk, cry, fight, and basically be awesome.  Check out this clip from Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel:

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKlbjMPXKdA

 

I have been in love with mascots for years.  Milwaukee Brewers sausage races, mascot soccer games, or watching Bucky beat up the visiting team mascot has been a way of life.  I would be most happy to cheer on the team (not unlike a cheerleader) but do that in between expressing my emotions mascot-style rather than in between some high kicks.

 

Mascots bring such joy, don't they?  Here is a fun Big 10 mascot video to make your day:

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxhIhHv8oIM

 

So please, don't consider me a cheerleader... I am a mascot at heart.  On Wisconsin!

 







The Most Interesting Woman Award

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Meet the most interesting woman.  This is Iris Apfel, and she is my hero.  I first came across a picture of her by chance, and I thought, whoever that crazy old bat is, I love her.  When I found a second picture of her, I determined that she wasn't just a random lady and I needed to learn more.

Iris Apfel was born in Queens, New York, and studied art at NYU and the University of Wisconsin (woot!) before spending a life long career in interior design, fashion, and living life as a style icon.  There are three things that I like most about Ms. Apfel which lend to a good life lesson:

1. Her best accessory is confidence.  She clearly appears confident and comfortable in her own skin, and it is so very refreshing.  Every photo of her shows joy and personality that is all her own.
2. Style trumps fashion.  Fashion is based on labels and lines of clothing that designers make up.  Style is something personal and an expression of personality and originality.  Ms. Apfel has more style than the City of New York.
3. Bold is better.  Bright colors, mixed prints, five stacked bracelets and a monkey statue in your apartment is clearly the way to go.

I hope that as I age, I can fall into even half of her personal style, because it says so much about her.  She clearly is a lady with worldly experiences and fabulous stories to tell.  I can't wait to be a brightly colored, mixed prints biddy wearing my body weight in jewelry and living surrounded by a stylish collection of conversation pieces.  It's good to have goals.

Read more:
Iris Apfel's Apartment Proves That More is Really More
Iris Apfel - Wikipedia

I have a confession to make... I am an introvert, and I'm not afraid to not show it.

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It's true.  I am an introvert.  I am one of those who have a whole different half below the surface.  You might not have known this about me, especially at work.  I have always been in a position that requires me to be "on stage" at work, and so my theater skills have done me well there.

But all of that time spent with people at work, or talking and interacting, means that I need to balance it with quiet time, introspective time, and alone time.  I promise, I am not a recluse. I just need to recharge.

I like to think of being an introvert as just saving some of my best features for those who know me well enough to appreciate them.  Other strangers might just wrongly assume that I am dull, shy or anti-social.

In some cases where I have been around highly chatty extroverts, I have found it quite draining and stopped any effort to contribute to the conversation.  I feel guilty that they are not seeing a true representation of me as a person, but then I think, if they slowed down to truly hear what I would say I would consider actually saying it.  Please don't hold it against me.

If you are an introvert, or you would like to better understand someone who is, read this:
What Is It Really Like To Be An Introvert?

This article is so spot-on, I am sad I didn't think of it first.  Enjoy your new found understanding of the "loners."

Say what you need to say, but from a good place.

Image source

I have been feeling a little bit frustrated this week about the lack of people around me being able to share basic information with each other in the form of feedback.  I have yet to be able to understand if it is a "chicken" or an "egg" problem, meaning if people aren't comfortable giving feedback or if the problem is people aren't comfortable hearing a bit of constructive feedback.  Either way, shenanigans.

I have learned over time though education, sports, or work that it is important to provide open and honest information to others.  It is often a bit difficult to share or hear it, but saying what you mean is in fact the only way to get your point across.  Or course, you don't have to be mean while doing it.

And for that matter, you don't have to assume someone is being mean when they tell you something constructive.  Let's try this...the next time that you balk at saying what you mean, try to be straight about it.  The next time someone is straight with you, graciously say thank you.  Where would that get us as a society?  Would we be better off, or would the world implode with honesty and conflict?  I would be willing to take the chance, as long as we say it nicely.

The ghost of Joyce (A.K.A. ugly pants always come back in style)

I saw the ghost of my grandmother in the grocery store today.  She was in the form of another lady, no doubt someone else's grandma, shuffling along with her husband as a steady arm.  I cried right there in between the jams and the specialty cheeses because I instantly missed her.

"Fake" Joyce at the store was so cute; she was wearing a polka dot sweater with matching green skinny jeans (as skinny as they make them for hip grannys) and some gold sneakers.  My grandma had all of those items in one form and they are such fond memories that I have of her.  I thought it was cute back in the day when my grandma bought clothes from the Gap.

I was surprised that I had such an immediate reaction to Fake Joyce.  For the first time, I saw a vision of myself 45 years into the future.  I have always imagined how I might grow up and slowly turn into a version of Joyce, but it was fascinating to see a visual reminder of my future.  I am happy to report that my future self is still wearing polka dots.

Most of my memories of Joyce's later years are not very positive.  She went from depression, to angry, to a sublime state of dementia.  I had to say to her, "Well yeah, Grandma, my back would hurt too if I slept most of the day."  Her angry period was when the decision was made to sell their house and downsize into a senior apartment.  I will never forget the stories about how she would stomp outside and pull the "For Sale" sign out of the yard, or when she snuck out to the garage full of bags for donation to pull out the ugliest pants you've ever seen that my mom constantly tried to throw away.

Today's sighting of Fake Joyce brought back so many of the fun and positive memories of my grandma that had been overshadowed by the later years.  What a revelation.  Suddenly I remembered her metallic sneakers, her love of Regis and Kathie Lee, and the way that she danced all of the time in a way that was slightly embarrassing to the rest of us.  I remembered that she always had cut up cantaloupe (I will never be adult enough to spend time on this), and listened to Harry Carey on the radio.  I recalled that even in the later years when she didn't know who I was, she and my grandpa would still squeeze each others' hands to each syllable of the phrase "See how much I love you?".

And for the first time, I was less worried about my memory, and more excited about the fact that I am destined to wear polka dot sweaters and embarrass loved ones with my dancing for decades.  And, for the record, I still have those ugly pants.

Awkward is one of my super powers.

Via LaurenConrad.com

I can't be totally sure why, but for some reason I continue to get more awkward with age.  Perhaps it is because over the course of time I got more comfortable with who I am as a person.  A weird, silly person who likes to find joy and wear bright colors.  And the more I am myself, the less makes it through translation to the general population.  And just how did I get this way?

I think that I was lucky enough to come across a few key people in my life who told my by their friendship, their actions, or their support that it was okay to be myself, whatever that might be.  What a nice treasure to have, and most certainly one that I did not know the value of at the time.

I spent many of my younger years with a lot of those crazy theater people, and I love every one of them.  There is something special about the creative theater folk, as in that they often have a creativity and a confidence in who they are.  How wonderful to be surrounded by those crazy, interesting people.

In my twenties I had a few friends who were very comfortable in being their own weird selves, and appreciated me as my own self as well.  Eventually, I figured, I could be fine being weird too.

And so, I just decided to wear a lot of polka dots and hide rubber chickens and eat caramel apples and speak in movie quotenese.  It is okay if not everyone gets it.  Most people don't like sushi or red wine the first time they try it, but they get better with age.  Okay, well maybe that's not true for sushi.

Comfort with myself + enjoying weird things = Awkward girl
Awkward girl - my superhero name.

Be the change.

 Via inspire-keri.blogspot.com

I love this picture - it is a good reminder for ways to live life and be the change.  See for yourself.

Change Yourself
If you have a level of self-awareness that every moment may give you an opportunity to learn and better yourself, you will not allow even the smallest moment to pass you by. Tiny changes every day are always easier than a total self-overhaul, right?

You Are In Control
You are. If you have decided that this is your life, and this is how it will be, that is your choice.  But if you really wish for something else, there is only one thing stopping you from making the change.  Find a way to convince yourself that it will be hard and you will have to be patient, but it will be worth it.

Forgive and Let Go
I can think of a few friends that I know that have a hard time with moving on, or allowing them to forgive others without an apology.  It is exhausting to spend part of your day throwing energy away at something that doesn't get better or doesn't give energy back, and this is blocking your ability to put your time and energy towards the things and people you really love.

Take Care of This Moment
As a piece of advice at our wedding, and family member gave my husband and I the advice to step aside and take just a few minutes to ourselves to be in the moment, and watch our guests enjoy our wedding celebration.  We did, and it was a memorable and perfect moment.  I now give this same advice to other friends heading in to their weddings.

Without Action You Aren't Going Anywhere
You can't lose if you don't try, right?  You can't win either.

Everyone Is Human
Remember that everyone is fighting a battle, and that perhaps someone is rude to you because they are having a rough day.  Be resilient enough to know it isn't personal, and see how you can help bring their day up.  If they keep being awful over time, don't be around them any more.

See the Good In People and Help Them
It makes me crazy when I hear people assume that someone else is always trying to screw them over.  I hear this a lot in the workplace in particular.  Trust that people wake up wanting to be successful at work, and that no one, including your boss, lies awake at night dreaming up ways to make your life harder.  Let's give the benefit of the doubt so that we can get to the real root of the issue instead of the cop out response.

Persist
Resiliency  - the top skill missing from our kids lives.  When you take a really good digger, say to yourself (or your kids), "That was a good one!" and "Brush it off, bro."  Refer to the "you are in control" and "change yourself" sections.

Be Congruent, Be Authentic, Be Your True Self
Think of one or two areas where you tend to be less than authentic in order to impress someone, fit in to a group, or convince yourself that you are something else.  Focus on the root cause of why you reduce your true self in that case, and find one small change you can do to stay authentic in those situations.  Try it a few times in a purposeful manner, and see what comes of it.  I can think of a friend who is fantastic as her true self, but I haven't seen it in a while.  I think that if she felt more comfortable being her true self more often, she would have more of the life that she wanted and would feel more comfortable in her own skin.

Continue to Grow and Evolve
Lather, rinse and repeat for tiny steps forward in life.  Sometimes it is harder to see the growth or change, so ask yourself where you were one year ago as a reference point.  It is usually an easier unit to measure slow and gradual change.

Baby steps, but take steps and be the change.

Happy 30-somethings: Resiliency, happy surroundings, and the heralded mix tape.

Via recitethis.com

I came across two very interesting articles this week that discussed the topic of happiness.  Reading them together helped highlight some of the key factors to happiness, particularly for my Gen Y age group, and some of the skills that I learned in some unlikely places to ensure my happiness at this stage in my life.  Here are the articles, in case you would like to partake in reading:

Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy - Huffington Post

The Habits of Supremely Happy People - Huffington Post

 

The first article does an exceptional job explaining how Gen Y-ers are wildly ambitious, have high expectations, and think that they are unique among others their age.  The high expectations mixed with a dose of reality ends in feeling let down and unfulfilled.  Facebook and other social media don't help, as we watch everyone else live what appears to be a "better" life, which is really just digitally enhanced and never really better.

 

Fast forward to the happy people habits.  While the first article gives only three basic pieces of advice for the unhappy Gen Y-ers, the second article provides habits that can help our wallowing generation.  Here are a few of my favorites, mostly that pertain as actionable items to the unhappy Gen Y problem.

• Surrounding yourself with happy people: This is critical to keep up momentum, and perhaps surrounding yourself with quality people will reduce the instances of Facebook-enhancing your life.  I don't even like to read or hear from unhappy people, so I do not surround myself with them, and that includes social media.
• Cultivating resilience: I truly believe this is a critical missing ingredient from our kids, and even Millenials' lives.  We have lost this in the world of teams without tryouts and cuts, baseball games with no outs, and the continued promise to our kids that they are great at everything.  I learned this skill twice over before I left the house for college.  It's called Racine public schools.  I know an incredible number of successful people who graduated with me and learned realism and resiliency in just the right dose to be awesome adults and parents.
• Appreciating simple pleasures: Finding meaning and joy in the small details in life.  Some of my favorites? Getting a cheeseburger that looks just like picture, and nearly anything with polka dots.
• Valuing a good mix tape: Music reduces anxiety, which is a great reason to "soundtrack your life."  The young folks of the world may know this as a "playlist," but the careful craft is still the same.  Except for when I had to stop, start, and rewind cassette tapes, that was the best worst thing ever.

These are small things, that add up to a big change in expectations and happiness.  If you are looking for some inspiration try just one happy habit, and really stick to it.  See if it works.  You can even borrow my cassette deck if you need to.

Thanks for the inspiration, even though you didn't know it.

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There has been no better compliment in the world than someone telling you a statement that started with the phrase, "You inspired me to..."  For me, it has sometimes been just a small comment, like, "You've inspired me to wear more bright colors" or, "You are the reason why I started [fill in the blank]."  If that isn't quiet validation for how you live your life, I don't know what is.

I don't live my life for others, but it is always encouraging to know when I may have inspired something in someone else's life.  Over the course of years though, I remember very vividly the impactful moments when someone spoke to me with a phrase starting with, "You inspired me to..."  Every single one of them.

This helps me think about what I might be doing in my life that is inspiring someone right now without my knowing, and that helps remind me that I better be giving my best effort.  I better go work out, I better be a nice person, and I better be a leader in my work.  I do these things for me, and I do these things for that person who might get inspired.  I don't do these things for anyone else.

I think it is important to pay homage to the people who have quietly inspired me, and that I have probably forgotten to tell them that they made an impact.

• To the news anchors, musicians, and business leaders who keep it real and are successful by being themselves instead of somebody else. Rachel Maddow, Zooey Deschanel, Sheryl Sandberg, you inspire me that success doesn't have to look like someone else's design.
• To so many of my friends and my sister that are awesome at being moms among many other things, you inspire me by making it look easy when I imagine that it is not.  At all. But worth it.
• To my choice few and impactful work mentors, you inspired me with persistence.
• To my parents, you inspire me with your adult wisdom and I have realized it is totally okay that I am becoming just like you in my old age.
• To my friends with awesome blogs (Victor, Kate, Kathryn and Michelle), you inspire me to provide a platform for the things that I enjoy, because chances are someone else will too.
• To my husband, who inspires me and lifts me up so often, I can't even categorize it.

Share the impact and tell someone about their impact on you.  They don't know that they inspired you, just like you never know who you may inspire.

Read this, and lean in.

Via google.com

I read all sorts of books, and this was a book related to my career that never once got boring to read for me.  It was recommended to me by a few friends of mine in leadership roles, and it did not disappoint.

Now, before all of the men stop reading, this here applies to you too.  And as Sheryl describes it, it doesn't apply to you in a patronizing "doing it for the moms and wives and daughters" sort of way, it should impact you personally when you are missing out on some of the most talented co-workers, bosses and mentors available to you.

Sheryl Sandberg eloquently describes the feelings women go through, often unknowingly, as they progress in their careers and I guarantee that at least some of the feelings or thoughts she describes will be something that you thought was maybe unique to you.  I have thought for years that I have been waiting for everyone at work to find out that I am a total fraud and that I don't totally know what I am doing, and I have been "waiting for the other shoe to drop," so to speak.  Apparently this is very common for women to have thought this to themselves, and not really so common for men.  It's not that I don't have confidence in my work, I do.  But there is something there still that wonders if today is the day that I might be found out.

Sheryl also describes in great detail, the decisions of talented women to leave the workforce in order to take care of children.  Since many of my friends are at this age, I implore you to read this book before making a decision.

Overall, Sheryl is describing to us the need to "lean in" to our careers and understand where we limit ourselves unnecessarily.  She urges us to "seek and speak your truth," to lead authentically and break down some of the barriers that we don't realize are there and that we need to talk about.

I once had one of my most impressive managers that worked for me tell me how much he liked having a woman as a boss.  I also work in an area where there is a serious gap in female leadership at the executive level, and I find this as my golden opportunity to lean in to close that gap and help other female leaders see their path.

Read some more from Harvard Business Review:
Tell Me Something I Don't Know About Women in the Workplace - HBR
Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers - HBR
What's a Working Dad to Do? - HBR

I do rock a lot of polka dots. Unapologetically.

Via obaz.com

Polka dots bring people joy, and if you haven't ever thought about it, you haven't been paying close enough attention.  I rock a LOT of polka dots, because they make me happy.  It's kind of my signature print, with a close second in stripes (I don't care if they make me look wide, they make me feel happy).  I didn't even own a pair of black pants until about three weeks ago.

Polka dots are one of the many things that I do, no matter what, no apologies.  I liked cider before it was cool, and glad I stuck with it because now I look like a visionary.  I would nap every day if it was socially acceptable for 30 year olds.  I like to buy CDs still because I like to read the booklet (even if they rarely put the lyrics in any more).  I hate furniture stores (which you know), mini-vans that are driving crazy, and when the worms come out on the sidewalk when it rains.

I'm only sharing these things because there is so much feedback, criticism or judgment in the world if you are tuned in to it.  And you should have awareness, to a point.  However, if you took it all in and changed as a result, you are running the risk of losing all of the things that make you your true self.  Focus on being authentic and comfortable in your skin, and you will be able to sell it.  And then, your toughest decisions during the day are choosing between dots and stripes.

Rock a lot of polka dots, ok?

Life is a sitcom, or sometimes a quirky British comedy.

Mr. Bean, via tvrage.com

The reason that I often feel the need to "soundtrack my life"  is because there are so many moments when I realize the ridiculous humor of my day.  Small snippets that could easily be part of a TV sitcom, and often better than fiction.  Today was one of those days.  I know what Mr. Bean must feel like.

I seriously have to question sometimes whether or not I am living in a TV show that I am unaware of, like when Jim Carrey was part of a never-ending channel in "The Truman Show" that lasted his entire life.  If people around me start to do commercials of every day products while we are having a conversation, I will be on to their game.

Here were some of the humorous things that happened to and around me today:

The man in the "business casual" lederhosen look: As I am driving to work downtown Milwaukee early in the morning before most of the business world has stirred up, a man passing off some cargo shorts, short-sleeved dress shirt, and suspenders with an incredible beard made it look like a native German had to take to the city.  I loved it.

The karma of hurry up and wait: So I am standing behind this guy at the Kwik Trip trying my hardest to get out quickly before I break down and buy some blueberry cake donuts.  The man in front of me was the change-digging, "no that's the wrong price", slow-as-molasses guy at the checkout.  I found this humorous and ironic that he was the exact person behind me back on the highway and he could barely stand the fact that my 12 mph was not fast enough for him.  I slowed to eight over to get him back for making me buy a donut.

Neck spider: I am driving today, when the biggest daddy long legs spider CRAWLS UP MY NECK.  I am not sure how I did not crash, seeing as I am particularly ticklish in my neck area.  The turtlenecks are getting dusted off tomorrow, I don't care if it is 90 degrees.

Runaway grape: I was in one of the really nice conference rooms with a few co-workers on a conference call webinar.  While I probably should not have been eating grapes in the meeting, I dropped a grape that rolled away in the middle of the meeting, never to be heard from again.  I looked and looked while trying to pretend I was stretching and looking casual, but after a while I just had to hope no one stepped on it.  At least my husband would be happy to know that he is not the only victim of my grape shrapnel.

I am really just blogging until I find out that I have been on TV this whole time, or until someone realizes that they should pay me for the rights to a movie/mini-series/book deal about the funny and mundane.  Meh, it was probably a better show when it was called Seinfeld.

How to drum up the best kind of nonsense

I do like nonsense.  Color is better than black and white, funny is better than serious, and joyous shenanigans is better than the status quo.  Sometimes I have to temper my nonsense for those who are not prepared to handle it, and that is ok.  However, a good friend today reminded me about the importance of "just being myself," and I appreciated the small nudge that I have the free reign to bring nonsense to other people, even if they aren't sure how to receive it, and we are probably all still better off.

I think back to one of my favorite moments of nonsense, a prank that is only meant for joy.  Years ago I lived down the street from a house that was clearly inhabited by a lady that REALLY liked flamingos.  I have never met her, but it was clear by her yard that this was her collection of choice.  One night once it was dark, I went down and put a family of new plastic flamingos in her yard that I bought from the store for this exact reason.  I would have loved to see her face when she noticed them.  (Incidentally, this is also a good harmless prank to do to your friends' yards, but this lady would have genuinely liked them)

The idea of bringing small pieces of joy and nonsense to peoples' lives is best illustrated in one of my favorite films. If you haven't seen it, get over your fear of subtitles and get with it:

Via fairy.blogcu.com

This is also where my love of gnomes comes from.  Amelie takes her dad's garden gnome in the middle of the night and sends it around the world with a flight attendant friend in order to convince her dad that the gnome was traveling the world, and so he should too.

Via chelseairl.com

The point is, strike up some nonsense.  And yes, I am going to take my own advice.

Temporary art: Restoring my faith in humanity

Buffalo Street between Water Street and Broadway, Milwaukee

Earlier this year, Milwaukee's Third Ward was chosen as one of America's top art places in the country.  How exciting!  The Third Ward is arguably my favorite place in the city, and I am glad it is getting deserved recognition.  In fact, I love some of the things that are popping up all over the city that remind me about some of the people that are working for good in the brew city.

I was walking through the Third Ward this week with all of the time in the world (Ref: The Week of Katie) and looked up to see, for the first time, the picture above painted on the side of a building.  I wasn't sure if I had missed it all this time by watching for traffic, but after a brief bit of research, I found out it was just finished in the last two weeks.  It became a reality by the ideas and support of Hanson Dodge Creative and Lululemon.  See the scoop here.

I love this type of pop-up art, conceptualized by the people that live and work right in that community.  This shows a commitment to where they spend their time, and sharing the same positive energy with the world.  Just think how many moments of impact a simple mural like this will have over time.

An impactful example of more temporary art in the city can be seen while driving down Fond du Lac Avenue where 16 locations of temporary art can be found.  Some are paintings on boarded up buildings, some are messages tied from bright streamers on chain link fences.  In one of the parts of the city that can most benefit from the positive message, I hope non-denizens make the trip down Fond du Lac Avenue as well to see what impact a small visual effort can make.  Click here to see more of the story.  Below is a map of the art stops.

Via radiomilwaukee.org

Who are the ringleaders behind the temporary art beautifying these areas of the city with temporary art? In:Site Milwaukee. This is the same organization that brought us art on boarded up buildings in the Century City neighborhood off Capital Drive in 2011.  Artist Christopher Willey painted brightly colored animals with messages to address environmental issues in the neighborhood, and it was AWESOME.  I am proud to be in the city that is one of the best kept secrets in the Midwest for art and culture, if you know where to find it.

Weird is Rad: Let your freak flag fly.

 

 

Weird is rad.  If you don't think so, you are too worried about whether or not other people are judging you.  The problem here is that everyone has the weird in them, and I tend not to trust people that aren't willing to be their true selves.  Get over yourself if that is you.

When I meet new people, I do try and "time release the crazy" as I call it, as in, I don't maybe show all the weirdness right away because I don't want to overwhelm.  With that said, here is some of my crazy (those that know me will not be surprised).

• Gnomes:  Yes, I like the creepy garden gnomes.  I prefer to hide them around the house and outside so they are a funny surprise when people find them.

• Dancing in public:  Apparently I do this frequently, but don't know it.  I can tell that I am doing ballet things with my feet when my hubs looks at me like, please stop.  Once I did a full on spin in American Eagle because the music was loud and I forgot where I was.  I hope no one noticed.

• Sending funny pictures to people: I love sending funny things to friends' phones.  I particularly like sending that very first llama picture to someone who doesn't know why, so they are just like, "um, what?"  I have saved over 500 pictures on my phone for this very reason across the spectrum from llamas, quotes, Samuel L. Jackson, piglets in clothing, and plenty of T-Rex and Domo pictures.

I have an appreciation for strange or unique people in the world, and I have to share my favorites with the universe.  These are some of my favorite true originals.

Iris Apfel: A New York native known for her interior design work, Iris is a fashion icon.  Her awesome bug-eye glasses, giant stacks of bracelets, and joyful smile make me happy.  I only hope that I can be this rad when I am her age.  I love her original style and personality.

Via intothegloss.com

Jennifer Lawrence: She is crass, hysterical, and does pretty much whatever she wants. J Law, thanks for not jumping the bandwagon.

Photo by Mark Seliger, via http://time100.time.com/2013

Marcus Samuelsson: Marcus is an Ethiopian-born and Swedish-raised chef in NYC.  It is on my bucket list to visit his restaurant, Red Rooster, in Harlem.  He is so impressive as a chef, and seems very down-to-earth and real.  And he is not afraid to mix patterns.

Via marcussamuelsson.com

Rachel Maddow: Rachel is the first openly gay anchor to host a major prime-time news program in the U.S., and she is wicked awesome.  I don't care what your political views are, Rachel is one of the smartest, well-educated, well-spoken and comfortable-in-her-own-skin people in a position as role model in our time.  She is rad.

Via Rachelmaddow.com