Moi

I am a newly-minted member of the Dirty Thirty Club. I am a daughter, a sister, a best friend, & a girlfriend. I am a dork with a twisted sense of humour. I am painfully shy, but I can put on a good front. Failing that, I get labelled as a snob. I am slow to trust, but loyal to a fault. There isn't much I consider too much information. I forget easier than I forgive, mostly because I have a short attention span. I don't think I'm forgetful per se: I just can't remember until reminded.

I will be your staunchest supporter unless you hurt someone I love or lie to me. I only sing if no one can hear me. I only dance if I'm drunk. I don't get drunk often & it doesn't take much. Some days I like myself more than others. I'm working on increasing the "more" days. I am a taker of bubble baths, a maker of greeting cards, and a baker of cookies. I eat 'em, too. There is nothing I wouldn't do for my loved ones & there isn't much a good cup of tea can't fix.

I am a beautifully neurotic work in progress.  Anything else you'd like to know?  Just ask!


What's in a name?

The lovely ynotkissme asked yesterday where the names "Chibi" and "Chebbar" came from, saying she secretly hoped they were our real names.  Sadly, they aren't (nor is "Jeebs" our last name... heh).  Also sadly, there isn't a really great story behind them, either.

Two jobs ago, I worked with a guy who thought he was funny liked to bastardize turn people's names into nicknames.  Somehow - to this day, I don't know *how* - Chebbar's name morphed into Tree Boy, which turned into Trebor (like the candy).  Chebbar and I are also fans of LOLcat-speak.  Yes, we "speak" it to each other (and sometimes to poor, unsuspecting people who have NO CLUE what we're talking about when we slip up and forget); yes, we always understand each other;  and yes, it always makes us laugh.  Shut up.

We were lolling (not to be confused with LOLing) around one Caturday Saturday trying to decide what to have for lunch when inspiration struck: grilled cheese!  No, grilled CHEEBS!  With cheddar cheebs!  No, no: CHEBBAR CHEEBS!!1!one!

Yeah, rocket surgeons we are not.

So, Trebor turned into Chebbar and somehow cheebs turned into Jeebs.  And Chibi?  Well, "chibi" is just a Japanese word meaning "short person" or "small child" (and let me TELL you that the short jokes ABOUNNNNND where I am concerned, especially when Chebbar and Greg get together).  It has also gained popularity with manga and anime fans (which is where I'm sure 97% of my Google search hits for A Case of the Gimme-Gimmes (aka Chibi Wants) come from).

Told you it wasn't a really great story.

And if you're confused about how it's pronounced, it's Ch-EE-bEE. :)

Oh!  In other news, I'm sad (*snerk*) to report that it was confirmed this weekend that there will be no Baby Megatron Harry Wilford Brimley Richard Willie [Jeebs] in the next nine months.  So there, Miss Troublemaker Grace.  ;)



Mah Peeps
I figured it would be helpful to create a handy, dandy list to refer to in order to keep all my peeps straight.  Sorry it took me so long.  Heh.

Chebbar = my other better half (no, seriously)
Mom = self-explanatory (I hope)
Brad = step-dad; Mom's third husband
Dad = technically my step-dad (well, technically no longer my step-dad, since he's not married to my mom anymore); has been around since I was 2, and treated me (for the most part) like one of his own
Mona = Dad's (second) wife
Nick = my (half) brother (we don't do the "half" bullshit: my siblings are my siblings, end of discussion)
Taylor = my (half) sister (see above)
Justin = Taylor's ex-boyfriend
The Donor = my biological father in name/blood only
Stripper Extraordinaire = The Donor's ex wife
Brian = The Donor & Stripper Extraordinaire's oldest son; my "adopted" brother in name/blood only
Luke = The Donor & Stripper Extraordinaire's youngest son; my half-brother in name/blood only
Grandmonster/Bev = my maternal grandmother in name/blood only (as of this post, I will now be referring to her by her name)
Gramps = my maternal grandfather in name/blood only
Grandma = my paternal grandmother (we like her)
Grandpa = my paternal grandfather (we liked him)
Donna = my maternal(?) aunt in name/blood only
Pops = Chebbar's dad
Nana = Chebbar's grandmother
Mike = Chebbar's uncle
Sarah = Chebbar's youngest sister
Beth = Chebbar's middle sister
Theo = Beth's oldest son; Chebbar's nephew
Jake = Beth's youngest son; Chebbar's nephew
Andrew = Chebbar's best friend
Kelly = Friend of Chebbar
Adam = Kelly's fiance
Greg = my BFF, Part I; Dawn's husband
Dawn = my BFF, Part II; Greg's wife
Wyatt = Greg & Dawn's son; my nephew
Matt = the one who fucked me up
Jeff = the one who broke my heart
Wade = Boss #1
Rob = Boss #2
Larry = Boss #3 (who I worked with two jobs ago)

I think that's it: if there's anyone you're curious about that I've missed, let me know!


The 100

1.  I find it *very* hard to come up with snippets about myself.  
2. I overuse smilies/emoticons.  I also overuse ellipses, dashes, and parentheses.
3. I am long-winded.  I'm just as long-winded in real life.  I digress.  A lot.
4. I have a short attention span, which is likely part of why I digress.  A lot.
5. I lurve teh intarwebz.  I have met so many wonderful, fabulous people online who have improved my life for the better.
6. Case in point: I met Chebbar online.  ;)
7. I find it FAR easier to make friends online than in person.  I attribute this to the fact that we moved so much when I was a kid.
8. I love LOLcats and LOLspeak.  However, I *hate* text speak -- "ppl" and "u" makes you look silly, especially if you're over the age of 13.
9. I have the sense of humour of an 8-year old boy: nothing makes me crack a grin faster than bathroom humour or a well-timed curse word.
10. My mind also tends to lean towards the perverted.  My mind doesn't visit the gutter: it LIVES there.
11. I went to 7 schools by the time I hit grade 8.
12. I have 2 best friends (G & D).  I have many, many acquaintances, but not many people I would consider a "regular" friend.
13. As such, between the lack of friends and the family I don't speak to (4 at last count), the one thing I've *always* worried about in regards to a traditional wedding is that there would be 3 people seated on my side of the church.
14. My mom and her sister (my aunt) had a falling out when I was 15; my aunt contacted me once after that to ream me out for leaning too heavily on my grandmother and hasn't spoken to me since.  I wrote my biological father off (literally wrote him a letter telling him not to contact me again) when I was 21.  My grandparents "wrote [me] off" when they "wrote [my] mother off" when I was 23.  I don't miss any of those toxic people and my life is better for them not being in it.
15. This is a carry-over from the (one remaining) message board I frequent.
16. I'm sorry if this bothers you.  I know it's not for everyone.
17. I won't have to pee until I think about peeing, at which point the need will be undeniable, even if I only dribble a few drops.  Oh, or if you tell me I *can't* go.
18. I don't have anxiety/panic attacks often, but when I do, they're awful and I hate them.
19. I'm a sap.  I cry easily and often.  Books, greeting cards, commercials, greeting card commercials... you get the picture.
20. I H.A.T.E. that time just before FLOrence Henderson arrives and I get all hormonal and shit.  
21. More specifically, I hate not being in control.
22. I'm an anal-retentive control freak.
23. However, eventually I can get to the point in almost every situation that I can accept that everything works out the way it's meant to work out in its own good time.  It hasn't let me down yet (either that or I end up making my peace and accepting the outcome).
24. Letting go like that is both scary and liberating. 
25. I love lists.
26. I'm a meme whore.
27. I curse a lot and I like it that way.  Most of the time.
28. I talk to myself.  Well, I talk out loud my side of conversations I'd like to have, especially when I'm mad/upset/frustrated.  I also do this to organize my thoughts in regards to what I want to say, how I want to say it, and in what order I'd like to share.
29. When (if) the time comes for said conversation, I generally forget everything I wanted to say.
30. I do timed typing tests.  For fun.
31. I have strange ideas of what "fun" consists of.
32. If I am shopping with someone else and have to stand while they browse, I will finger-space the hangers on the clothes racks.  Retail habits die hard,  yo.
33. I hate dusting.  It is the most pointless chore on earth.  I'd rather scrub a toilet than dust.
34. I have three scars: one from a hernia operation when I was 7; one on my lip from when I kissed the corner of a brick wall when I was 8; and one around my ankle from when I was 13.
35. I have four tattoos: a tribal band around my left ankle that I got when I was 20 to try to disguise the scar (see above); a tribal butterfly on my right shoulder that was my 25th birthday gift to myself; a "tribal" Taurus symbol on my right ankle I got as a quasi-memorial to D's little girl when I was 29; and a tribal turtle on my left shoulder that was my 30th birthday gift from Chebbar.
36. I finally feel like I'm done with my tattoos because they're "equal" and "even out" on my body. 
37. At the same time, I'll never say that I'd never get another one.  They really ARE addicting.
38. I have no problem with bloody movie injuries that are a result of guns, explosions, falls, etc; however, I  can.not. watch someone being beaten up, even though I know it's not "real" (saw one too many awful fights while in high school and now it makes me physically ill).
39. I epitomize eldest child characteristics to a scary degree.
40. This one time, at band camp...  Nah, not really.  But this one time, my brother and I were fighting over a Cabbage Patch Kid outfit and for some reason I had it in my mouth.  He yanked it free.  I can still conjure up the feeling of that cheap cotton squeaking across my teeth and it still gives me full-body shivers.
41. I have a seriously corny sense of humour.  No, seriously: my siblings favourite thing to say to me (aside from calling me their other mother) is, "Chibi, you're NOT funny.  You're CORNY.  Quit trying to be funny!"
42. I hate, HATE, HATE people who shuffle/slide their feet instead of picking them up when they walk.  THEY'RE FEET, PEOPLE!  NOT SNOWSHOES!  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PICK. THEM. UP!!!
43. I started this list on January 21 because I knew I'd never be able to come up with 100 things fast enough for my 100th post.
44. I "smoked" for a week when I was in grade 8.  I blessed you with seemingly random quotation marks because I doubt it would really count as smoking, as I don't think I ever inhaled...
45. I have never smoked pot (I have ingested it, however -- I didn't realize it was a special brownie until I had a bite).  I'm not morally opposed to it, I just cannot fathom relinquishing that much control for an unknown length of time.
46. I do wonder if I'm missing out.
47. I can't sleep during the day unless I'm sick, and I usually can't even sleep then.
48. I'm a cynic with a Pollyanna twist: I doubt everyone and everything, but look for the best in people/life.
49. All the moving we did when I was a kid left me with an inherent need to be liked/included.
50. It is easy for me to feel inadequate
51. I sometimes worry that people don't really like me, but are simply humouring me until I give up and go away.
52. I rarely wear lipstick/gloss or eyeshadow, yet I own many, many of each, and feel compelled to buy MORE.
53. I don't think I necessarily whine when I'm sick, but I'm definitely cranky(er than usual).
54. I am deathly afraid of spiders: even if I see an image of one on TV, I have to change the channel.  That being said, I will kill them (and then shake, shiver, and shudder for 5 minutes afterward).  If I don't, they will end up in my bed.  Or in my hair.  *cries*
55. Chebbar is deathly afraid of bees and wasps.  I know that fact isn't exactly about me, but the fact that I get this perverse little "manly" thrill in killing them and "saving" him is about me.
56. I don't question how things work or why things are the way they are often enough.   There is currently an ad on a bus shelter near our place that asks, "How do planes stay in the air?"  I look at that sign and think, "Huh, I never wondered that.  I wonder WHY I never wondered that?"  It just doesn't occur to me: my mind doesn't work that way (maybe it doesn't work at all!  D: )
57. I am an ISFJ.
58. I "played" with my Barbies until I was 12.  However, "playing" simply consisted of changing their outfits and doing their hair.  I wasn't an overly imaginative child.
59. Being told that alcoholism is hereditary when I was in peer counseling in grade 11 coupled with my biological father's drinking problem has always weighed in the back of my mind when booze makes an appearance.
60. I can swim, but I won't go in lake/ocean water deeper than where my feet can touch.  However, I am fine in the deep end of a pool because I can see the bottom.
61. I like my steak well done.  There, I said it.
62.  I am freak in regards to food safety.  If raw chicken touches ANYTHING but the plate its on and the  knife I'm cutting it with, the entire kitchen will get bleached. 
63. When I'm stressed, I can't sleep; when I can't sleep, I stress.  *sigh*
64. I will be 31 in April and still don't feel like a "grown up" most days -- I seriously feel like I'm playing house or something.
65. I always assume that people have it more together/are more mature/successful than I am just because they *look* put together.
66. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that I didn't move out of my parents' home until I was 28.
67. That being said, I moved straight from their place into a condo I purchased on my own (well, with the help of the bank).
68. I am totally and completely conflicted over the thought of having children -- I honestly can't say that I want them or don't (and my answer changes from minute to minute).  I don't feel ready yet (as I still feel very much like a child), but at almost 31, I feel my window of opportunity is ever-dwindling.
69. It took me 7 years to finish my degree (after a year of general studies); I knew I no longer wanted to do anything related at year 6, but just couldn't give up and quit at that point.
70. I'm still marginally bothered by the fact that I've done nothing with my education related to the field, even though I know I'd be miserable if I did.
71. And that being said, I probably wouldn't change a thing because I *really* enjoyed the course material.
72. So far, I only have one "grey" hair (pretty much dead center of the part) and it's snow white (as in, if I yank it out and place it on a white hand towel, it disappears).  My great grannie had snow white hair.  Knowing I share this with her makes it okay.  :)
73. I hate math.  I was very good at it until grade 12 calculus (I was doing so poorly, it brought my grade point average down enough that I dropped out to maintain my A Honours status).  Since then, my confidence in my mathematical ability is non-existent.
74. I made the honour roll for the first time in grade 4 and was on it every year until I graduated.
75. My self-esteem is far worse than anyone would guess: I've been faking it 'til I make it for so long that I appear outwardly confident.
76. I second-guess myself ALL the time.  The second I do that, I have zero faith in myself.
77. I am ridiculously introspective and self-aware, and probably analyze myself too much/often.
78. If I dislike a food, chances are good that it's a texture thing as opposed to a taste issue.
79. I haaaaaaaaaate the "myspace face" that shows up in the pictures of every female (and many males) under the age of 25 -- you know, the kissy faced I'm-trying-so-damned-hard-to-look-sexy-but-just-look-like-I-sucked-on-a-lemon face?  My apologies if you make that face.
80. I am a dirty, dirty reality TV whore.  *hangs head*
81. I hate the summer heat and humidity.  I don't handle it well: I get sticky and sweaty and cranky.
82. I love spring and fall is a very close second.  However, if it's not 30 degrees outside, I'm cold.  All. The. Damned. Time.
83. I love the smell of coffee, but hate the taste -- I have to load it so full of cream and sugar that I might as well be drinking syrup.
84. However, I do like coffee-flavoured things.  I luuurve Tim Horton's iced cappuccinos.  I'll drink a mocha if forced to go somewhere like Starbucks.
85. I can't wrap my brain around games (like Chebbar's beloved WoW) that don't have a definitive ending/winner: they seem like a pointless waste of time to me.
86. I hate wearing socks in the summer.  HAAAAAAAAAAATE
87. I learned to read when I was 5 and have been an insatiable reader ever since -- I wouldn't go *anywhere* without a book, and still won't. 
88. I rarely buy books because a) they're too expensive, b) I read too much, and c) I don't have the space to keep 'em all.  The public library is my friend.
89. After so many text books in so many years of schooling, I pretty much only read "fluff" now.  I'm not ashamed of that.  Mostly.
90. I have two "rules" for reading: 1) only one book at a time (unless I do something dumb like forget my book at work) and 2) if a crappy book doesn't improve by the end of chapter two, it gets tossed -- life is too short for shitty reading.
91. I have a serious soft-spot for the books I read as a kid.  If I did have a library, it would be filled with Beverly Clearly, Roald Dahl, the Anne of Green Gables series, etc.
92. I think the reason I love books so much is because they were my constant companion as a child who moved a lot and had a hard time making new friends.
93. I had received a boxed set of Anne of Green Gables when I was 18.  When I was 19, our basement flooded and they were ruined.  I missed those books something fierce.  When I told Chebbar this shortly after meeting him, he tried twice to find me another set before finding one for my birthday last year.  ♥
94. I would like to get married, just so I could "belong" to someone.  I know how old-fashioned and backward that sounds, but it's the truth.  I've always been the one-off in my family: my siblings have the same last name and my mom and step-dad have the same last name -- I've always been the only "Jeebs."  I want to feel like I belong as part of my husband's family.  Cheesy, but so am I.
95. You will almost always be unsuccessful if you press me to pick a favourite anything -- food, song, book, colour, etc.: 99.9% of the time, my answer will be "it depends."
96. I practiced cartwheels in the hallway one summer when I was 9 years old until I mastered them.  I never could do a round-off, though.
97. I also practiced whistling with my fingers until I figured it out.  I used to be able to whistle one-handed, but I can't seem to do it anymore.
98. I think I might border on OCD at times.  I count stairs, and not just the first time I come across: I literally have to force myself not to count all 48 stairs between the garage and our apartment.  Things *have* to be even/symmetrical.  I count a lot of things without consciously realizing I'm doing it.  I eat candy like Skittles according to colour/flavour and they must be eaten in twos.  I have to touch the lock  on the door before I go to bed to assure myself that the door is in fact locked, even if I locked it 5 minutes earlier.  Wow, now I sound like a bit of a nutter.
99. I am a sarcastic wench and can crack a one-liner here and there, but my wit fails me when I need it.  I *always* have a comeback; unfortunately, it's usually at 3am.
100. In my over-achiever's quest at efficiency, I finished this list with 18 entries until I reach 100.  *eye roll*