I'm fascinated by funny things...

... no, not haha funny things, but things most people, when told I "love" said item look at me with the same look they give people who try to shoot things out of their nostrils ON PURPOSE. Here are five things for which I have a fascination/affection:

Wind farms. Love them. As in, love them so much that on our last trip to Palm Springs I took about 45 pictures of the windmills in various states of rotation. And, love them so much that I declared my love for them out loud to a total stranger in my company when he pulled up a Powerpoint slide featuring a picture of a project we're working on that involves said farms at a recent tradeshow. He looked at me as if I'd just said, "Here, want a hit off my crack pipe?"

Hot dogs. Oh my, how I love these nitrite-filled snacks! I blame my father for this love, for he too loves hot dogs, salami, etc. If you have never partaken of a Costco $1.62 (with tax) Hebrew National hot dog and soda, you must! I have not had a hot dog in almost a month now and the craving, well, it's starting to eat away at vital parts of my psyche.

Buttons. Glorious, colorful buttons. I keep buying them and buying them and I do use them for things, but I love them so much I keep buying more. I also save EVERY SINGLE extra button that comes with a pair of pants or a button down shirt. Yep... if you need a black button or a khaki button, I'm definitely your girl. Here's a recent card I made with some buttons... ooh so fun!

Latin-inspired music, especially Brazilian jazz. Oh, for the love of all things rhythmic. I love it and cannot get enough. See some of those music links over there, OK, well, 80% of them? Yeah, they're all inspired by Latin rhythms, mostly those of the samba/rumba. Our first dance at our wedding was a tango (which is more Spanish than Brazilian, but well... close). When we were eating at a Brazilian restaurant near our house (which isn't Brazilian anymore, drat), there was a guitarist playing during our meal. DH, knowing my love for this type of music, grabbed not one, but 6 of the guys' cards! I don't know why I needed 6 of his business cards, but if we were using his cards to quantify my love for his musical choices that afternoon, 6 cards was not enough!

Alternative Religious Movements, i.e. Cults. I am fascinated, but not because I think they're a good thing, but rather because I feel they are one of the worst things out there in our world. They capitalize on people in their weakest moments when they are often searching for greater meaning in life by seeking out a higher power/God/spirit. I have had firsthand experience with people in many of these groups and have done more reading/research than I care to freely admit on SO many groups.

So, there it is... yep, I'm odd. I like what I like. I'm not that into buying into trends. Sure, I own the occasional trendy thing, but usually, I take my time to see what I like and what is the right thing for me before I commit.

And speaking of committing... you're reading words from my office's Employee of the Month! Yes, you heard right, this lady here is the bestest employee for the last 30 days (well, really for the last few months I guess since it's been a while since we've had a staff meeting and I've been here since May). It's great to be recognized for working hard (and I have been). I got a certificate and I think I get a gift card for the place of my choice, which will be great!

So, with that tidbit, I'm off for the day. I have lots of cutie pictures to share from recent shoots, but I'll save that until midweek when everyone can use a pick-me-up!