Unpopular Opinion – Lia’s Version

 

The guest blogger this week is my granddaughter with her own take on her dislikes that most people seem to like.

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My top ten dislikes:

 

#1- clocks ticking

    I have no idea why, but not only is the ticking of a clock annoying, it’s also frightening at the same time. I’ve always felt like the ticking gets louder and louder each tick as if it’s counting down. I know some people feel like a clock ticking is relaxing, soothing. But for me it’s the exact opposite. It’s like the clock is telling me that I have to run from something or constantly look over my shoulder. What is it trying to tell me? Well, it’s a clock. It doesn’t say anything, I just like to overthink involuntarily.

 

#2- the concept of vampires

    Being someone who likes to write, especially about worlds and creatures that only exist in mythology, I think that having iconic, creative, and terrifying characters is important. HOWEVER, I personally think that the concept of vampires is heavily overused. The way modern day television project vampires as seductive, attractive, graceful killers is...well, frankly, boring and aggravating. But everyone has different tastes. For me, I like to think of vampires as a form of the undead, possibly with a slightly higher range of intelligence that differs from zombies. I like vampires who are cunning with horrifying features like rows of pointed teeth, blood running from their hollow eye sockets, and not just two flimsy fangs. 

 

#3- calendars 

    One of the most generic Christmas gifts you can find, at least for me, is a calendar. You don’t know what to get your distant relative you haven’t seen in years but they just gave you a check for your b-day so you don’t want to seem rude? Well, you can’t go wrong with a calendar. However, with smart phones and modern technology, you can access a reliable calendar within seconds. There are even refrigerators with a built-in touch screen that includes a calendar! For some, it makes things organized, but I just don’t like seeing how fast time passes each day as I walk through a house. 

 

#4- heavy necklaces

    I don’t know why but heavy jewelry seems to weigh down on my entire vibe. They’re just not for me. 

 

#5- The movie Titanic 

    I don’t see the whole hype with the movie Titanic. It was a ridiculously long movie for a painstakingly tiresome idea of romance. However, it just isn’t my genre. 

 

#6- sweet and salty combo

    Maybe it’s just me, I know many people like the sweet-salty combo. I wouldn’t be able to stand cHoColaTe CovEerd BAcoN even if my life depended on it. Even if I were drinking something sweet with a plate of crackers, it wouldn’t be enjoyable. 

 

#7- Theme parks

    Of course, who doesn’t love a good roller coaster? Or fair funnel cakes and churros? Well, me. I like the food and the rides, but theme parks are generally so incredibly crowded. I, being someone who doesn’t like crowds too much, think a theme park is not exactly my idea of a vacation. 

 

#8- sleeping in

    Waking up after everyone else and being the only one still snoring in bed while everyone else is ready for their day is not a good vibe. 

 

#9- wearing socks to bed 

    I hate having my feet hot whilst the rest of me is perfectly comfortable under the blankets. I also hate having to stick my feet over the edge of the bed while sleeping (I’m still mentally five years old). 

 

#10- Hot drinks 

    Drinking hot drinks, even in winter, I just can’t stand it. My head feels like it’s burning up even if I just take a few sips of a coffee or a hot chocolate no matter how cold it is. I’m the type of person to drink ice water and eat ice cream when it’s 40 degrees out.

 

Ruminative Reflections

 

Why are hospital gowns and curtains so ugly? I can understand the need for making a massive number of these things, but must they be of such dreary material? Is there a factory that cranks these items out and they only have ONE design of material? It’s bad enough to be in the hospital, but to have to look at those ugly curtains and gowns is awful. If you do have to make them all of one design, why not tie dye? That would so much more cheerful…

 

Why are people still buying torn jeans to wear? They look terrible! And some of the ones that women wear show a great deal more flesh than they should.

 

Why did Taco Bell stop making their taco salad? And enchiritos? And churros?

And WHY did Costco get rid of their Polish dog??????

 

Did you know that slugs and snails are super sticky if you step on them with a bare foot? Totally gross! Stepping on a snail is not quite as bad, since you also have the little house that is getting smashed. But to step on a slug? Many years ago there was a disconnect by the vent at the top of the steps going into the family room. The contractor who did the family room add-on was terrible and things were very sloppily done. Slugs started coming through the vent from under the house. One night I had to get up for some reason with one of the cats and walked down the steps to the sliding glass door. I stepped firmly on a large slug. I really had to scrub hard to get the ooze off.

 

We lived in a fairly rural area growing up and at a certain time of year we would have tons of toads roaming around in the back yard at night. My brother and I enjoyed taking a bucket and seeing how many toads we could catch. Then we’d let them all go. BTW…if your dog eats a toad, don’t worry too much. Toads are mildly toxic, but they won’t kill you dog. Watch out for the vomit, though…

 

ABC Book Challenge T – W

 

T – Traveling in it       Around the World in 80 Days (1872) by Jules Verne

The 1956 movie with David Niven and the 1989 travelogue done by Michael Palin were very good, but I think the book is better.

Phileas Fogg makes a wager that he can travel around the world in 80 days and pledges half his fortune on it. He knows he will likely spend the other half of his fortune on the expenses of such a trip. If he loses the wager, he will be penniless. His trusty valet, Passepartout, goes with him.

They encounter many challenges along the way, but Fogg is ever calm and stoic. Passepartout notices the incredible beauty of the world they are traveling through, but Fogg pays no attention to anything other than his travel schedule and playing whist with other various passengers along the way. 

 

 

U – Unhappy ending       Old Yeller (1956) by Fred Gipson

Don’t have a lot to day about this one. Everybody knows the ending of the book and the movie that was made from it. HATED the ending!! This was NOT a kid’s book in my mind. So depressing. Of course, I was also highly upset when Charlotte dies in Charlotte’s Web and I LOATHE spiders. But this category demanded an unhappy ending and I put this one at the top of the list.

 

 

V – Violent book                     Deliverance (1970) by James Dickey

Not gonna say a lot about this one, either. Perfect for the violent category, though. I read the book before I saw the movie. Both were well written and performed. Just not my kind of thing.

 

 

W – Water                               Cachalot (1980) by Alan Dean Foster

Sci-fi book from a favorite author. Cachalot is an ocean world. Most towns are built on raft-like structures anchored in the sea floor. They are temporary, and when the fishing or harvesting of minerals has been fulfilled, they move the whole town to another place. When the colonists arrived, they brought with them the various kinds of whales. The whales are the sovereign rulers on this planet.