The Woodstock Factor

You would be surprised if I told you that I have a secret not-quite-obsession with Snoopy and Woodstock and virtually all things Peanuts. I don't go out and collect all things Peanuts-related, but I don't argue when presented with a gift of said items, especially if they are actually useful.

My car doesn't have a Peanuts sticker (stickers on cars are something I never understood - what happens when you go to sell it and the buyer doesn't have the same feelings toward your crusade that you do?). There is not a single visible Peanuts item in my bedroom, living room or kitchen. There are no Snoopies or Woodstocks at work.

I do, however, have the entire collection of Peanuts cartoons, the history of Charles Schulz and Peanuts, two Peanuts Puzzles, Peanuts checks, mints in the shape of Snoopy and Charlie Brown - some of them headless, a result of an angry spurt one day when I shut myself in my room and bit the heads off of every character-shaped food I could find. (Satsifying, yet far less permanent than biting any human heads), Snoopy shorts (no worries - they aren't worn in public, ever), all the Snoopy DVDs, even a Woodstock avatar on a site I frequently post on - and on and on.

Himself feeds this not-quite-obsession and gets all sorts of excited when he finds something that he knows I would like (the book with the cartoons was a particular piece of pride and joy for both of us). He has begun developing the assumption that Baby Girl will have the same not-quite-obsession that I have - Baby Girl is already the proud owner of two Snoopy outfits and a Peanuts pop-up book, both purchased by her father.

I was thinking about this as I was unpacking - wondering what other things about me people might be surprised about - weird quirks I have that I actually manage to keep under wraps for the most part. I don't seem the type that would have a not-quite-obsession with a cartoon dog (or maybe I do?) or his little Woodstock buddies, even if I do find great bits of wisdom in the silent communications between the canine and his birds (is that rationalization)?

I realized the following interesting tidbits:
-My favorite sitcom in the whole world, even more than Friends is The Cosby Show. I have watched every episode more than once, thanks to a bad bout of insomnia several years ago and their air time on Nick at Night as a 'classic.' I think it's because Dr. Huxtable, even though he's black and a doctor, reminds me in some way of my dad, who is definitely neither black nor a doctor.

-I own stuffed animals (dogs) that reside on my bed when it's made (right now they reside in a box marked "Stuffed critters and misc.", as I haven't actually unpacked the not-entirely-useful things yet). They are another thing fed by Himself over various Valentine's Days and birthdays. Somehow, early on, he found out I had a fondness for stuffed dogs and teddy bears. He's gleefully increased my stuffed critters ownership over the ensuing years and is again spreading it to Baby Girl, whose nursery theme is teddy bears.

-I don't like ice cream that has chocolate in it (usually) with three exceptions: Oreo cookies, chocolate chips or cookie dough. Even then, I'm relatively picky about the brands, etc. But the ice cream itself cannot be chocolate. I realized this is still true when trying out Ben & Jerry's "Half Baked" the other day. Entirely too much chocolate. Truth be told, I'm not a chocolate fan period, unless it involves chocolate covered raisins.

-I have a unicorn collection. Granted, I haven't added to it since I was about 12 or 13, but I never got rid of it. It's boxed up at The Parents' house. There are some beautiful figurines in the collection, including a hand-blown glass unicorn. I'm not sure how it started or why it stopped, only that at one point it was a fairly impressive collection.

-Himself and I own more board and card games than any other person I know, other than The Parents. Clearly, I know where my board game addiction came from, but Himself's is a puzzle, since no one in his family even owns games. At one point, we had so many free points at the local game store, we got $50 worth of games free. Twice.

As I continue to dig through boxes and sort things out, I'm sure there will be more surprising tidbits that reveal themselves. It's like an adventure in self-discovery, unpacking things that have been packed for three months. I'm learning more about myself every day. Scary.