Friday Free For All: Bringing Back the Naughties with Lists

I read somewhere recently that the first decade of the new millennium (2000-2009) are referred to as the "aughts". I love this, but I also find it a bit clunky. Nearly every term I've heard that refers to this time period is quite clunky in fact. But then I read that the British refer to the decade as the "noughties" and I love it. "Nought" is a term used non American English speaking countries for "zero", so it is both appropriate and fun to say. Being that I am an American and I must bastardize everything, I'm calling the decade after the 90s "The Naughties". Isn't that fun?

Why am I talking about this? Because it's Friday, and I can, for one - but also because I am feeling nostalgic for the halcyon days of blogging on LiveJournal when a list could be considered compelling content. I'm tired and I burned myself out last week with the videos and the writing. I want to post something meaningful, but I want it to be simple and elegant. I want to post a list, and so I shall. I give you,

Things I Suck At
(idea lifted from Amy Estes at Coffee & Sunshine)

Brevity
I can go on and on and on about any and everything. If you don't believe me, please refer to my very first VEDA video. Like my hero, Ernest P. Worrell, I never know when to quit.

Cleaning
I don't know why this is so hard for me, but it is. Something that would take a normal person twenty minutes to do will take me two hours. It is incredably vexing, but as I grow older, I am learning how to cope with my shortcomings. That's a kinder, gentler way to say that I am becoming complacent. I hope that the next house I live in is about half the size of the present one. I had a lot less problems with this issue when I was in college and confined to a finite amount of space. Bigger spaces just mean bigger messes. I would have much fewer problems if I lived in a box. I wonder if I can find one with a reasonable mortgage?

Confrontation
I recently told a close friend of mine that j^C and I are going to have to start having our arguments via email. My feeling is that I can think more clearly on paper and therefore have a well reasoned and logical argument. This is just a ruse though. The truth is I don't like confrontation and I will do nigh on anything to avoid it. I will roll over, cave, and become the milquetoast we all know me to be to avoid a fight. That's kind of sad, and something I should really work on.

Selling Things
I totally stole this one off of Amy's list, but it is so true for me that I couldn't leave it off. If I had to make my way in the world selling myself and/or my wares, I would starve. I feel like a great big jerk when I am trying to promote anything. I don't like people trying to sell me things, but since I hate confrontation, I'll cave pretty quickly to make them go away. Conversely, since I hate to be sold I don't like to sell. Of course, maybe the real aversion is to being turned down.

Staying on Task
That sounds like something a teacher would say, doesn't it? "J, you need to stay on task." Pfft. Please. I don't now that I would classify it as a weakness, but it's definitely a hindrance at times. My brain tends to go faster than my hands or my mouth. As such, I am usually involved in several things at once, all in various stages of completion. The problem with this is that things tend to linger on in a state of incompleteness. In these moments I wish I could do something from start to finish, but I'm just not wired that way. I think that's OK.

Alright kids, that was 5 things. Any more and I fear we will be descending into a Sneaky Hate Spiral. I began to wonder though, is there anything I wish I sucked at? Yes! I wish I sucked at cooking sometimes. I like doing it, but it can be a hassle. Also, if I sucked at cooking I wouldn't feel obligated to take culinary masterpieces of the baked goods variety to parties EVERY TIME. I could just go buy a frozen cake and be done with it. Alas, the burdens of being good at something. Poor me.

What do you suck at? Do you think it's bad that you suck at these things? Is there anything you wish you sucked at?