Honesty can be really creepy sometimes...

My friend Maki bestowed an award on my little blog last night, and it's a very interesting one indeed... The Honest Scrap Award:

According to Maki's blog, the honorees are to: A) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep! B) pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

So, here goes, I'll try to make it interesting.

1. I am ridiculously afraid of drowning. You can see a full post rant on this here, but I still don't think it conveys my knock-down, drag-out, kicking, screaming fear of aquatic death. I know it's totally unhealthy for me to have a fear like this, but I'm practically having an anxiety attack just thinking about it.

2. I absolutely hate root beer. Everything about it - the taste, the smell. I won't even let the cop kiss me after he has had some. Yuck.

3. I am absolutely obsessed with having my teeth look perfect. Maybe it's from the years I spent in braces, but I can't stand it when I think my teeth may not be right. I whiten them, brush them obsessively, and wear the retainer my orthodontist gave me way back in highschool just to make sure my teeth never shift. I also love being tan... because it makes my teeth look whiter. And I can't stand it when other people have bad teeth. It drives me insane.

4. In business, I judge people on their handshake. I hate it when men barely shake my hand - I guess because I am female I don't deserve a proper grip? Or women! What's with the limp grip? It's like grabbing hold to a dead fish. Ugh. Grip firmly, shake, and smile. Then I'll do business with you.

5. I'm a pretty picky eater. Don't get me wrong, I will try almost everything once, but there are so many things I won't eat. I don't really eat steak, unless it's just a really good filet, and even then it has to be cooked perfectly. I don't eat beef much in general - I usually stick to chicken, fish, and turkey. I hate to eat anything off the bone, except for ribs, so no chicken wings, etc. I won't eat mushrooms or cooked celery. I won't eat sardines or oysters. I hate Saltine crackers. The list goes on.

6. I will, however, eat anything spicy. Let me rephrase that: I enjoy eating things that are spicy enough to make a grown man drown in his own sweat and tears. It isn't spicy enough unless it makes my nose run.

7. I believe people too often put words in God's mouth. I was recently listening to a conversation between two of my friends who believed that some of medical science was "playing God." I had heard this particular conversation many times before, but had never heard anyone argue with them. I interjected with the idea that none of us know the bounds of God's gifts to us, even in the medical world. What if genetic engineering and cloning are gifts he has given us to serve some purpose rather than an instrument of man's desire to "play God." No one knows. If people knew best, maybe we wouldn't have airplanes ("If God wanted us to fly, he would have given us wings!") I believe we simply have to make our own best decisions and let God sort it out in the end.

8. On that note, I have a mental Things to Ask God When I Meet Him list: What was the purpose of the dinosaurs? Is there life on other planets? What did Jesus really mean about that "turn the other cheek" line? How do you feel about tithing, confession, drinking, and the United States? Does an evil man who acknowledges You with his dying breath get a worse place in heaven than someone who has always praised Your name? Was the world really created in seven days, or is that symbolic? What was the point of giving us an appendix? Where do you stand on the whole evolution debate? Why don't you physically smite people more? I'm constantly adding to the list, and when people get in a debate like the one in #7, I tend to end the argument with "well, you know, I'll add that to my list of things to ask God when I get there."

9. I love to sing, but I always do it when no one is around. I sing softly sometimes when the cop is in my car or when my roommate is singing along too, but when I'm alone, I belt it out as loud as I can. I like to imagine that I don't suck.

10. I learned recently that I have a severe complex about my weight. I don't think I'm fat by any means, but I was looking through some photos this weekend from a camping trip I took a few years ago. I distinctly remember feeling very chubby at the time, but I came across a picture of me in a bikini. I just stared at it. How could I have possibly thought I was fat? I was practically perfect! The boobs, great legs, and nice toned abs?! And since that was only a few years ago, I know I can get back to that, and I'm promising myself not to be so critical in the future.

So now, I'm supposed to tag seven bloggers for this award, but I think I'm gonna break that and only tag three.

Matt over at A View From 5280Ft
Mahala over at Hidden Mahala
Teeni over at The Vaguetarian Tea Room

You guys tend to epitomize honesty in your writings, so I know this will be a nice challenge for you.

Note to Self: Congrats and good luck!