Obsessions
So I have a real tendency to become obsessed with things, and hence, have dedicated this page to some of my past and present obsessions.
Cabbage Patch Kids
These were probably my first obsession. I got my first one, Aretha Fay, on January 15th, 1984. She's 15 now, and is enjoying college life here with me at Wellesley College. My sister and I both got matching ones--blond hair and blue eyes, though their outfits were different--Aretha Fay had a green-and-white checked dress--they were the originals, with the very hard heads, Xavier's signature, baby-powdered cheeks, and their number at the base of their skulls. Aretha Fay is absolutely the best Cabbage Patch ever. It was the saddest day of my life when, in Kindergarten, I let her go down the slide first, thinking she would stop herself, and she ended up in a big mud puddle, all muddy and unhappy. It was awful. My second Cabbage Patch was a premie whose name I shortened to Carrie, followed by a red-haired Cabbie named Samantha. The collection went on, and now, counting those my sister has donated to me, I have about 11 Cabbage Patch Kids. I still have all of them, most of them out in my room, and as I said before, Aretha is here at school with me.
90210
So from about 1990-1992, I was completely obsessed with 90210. By the end of my obsession, I had five shrines in my house to it: two in my bedroom, and three in our basement common room. I was a big fan of the Brenda-Dylan relationship, and as it faded, so did my interest. My favorite episode was the prom episode (end of the first season, that is), in which Brenda and Dylan slept together for the first time. I actually memorized all the dialogue around that. . . "Dylan, wait till we're in the room. . .We are in the room, silly. . .Oh, it's beautiful . . ." and so on. Scary, isn't it? I also really liked the episode in the second season (aka their second junior year) when Emily tried to burn down the Homecoming float the gang made. Anyways, it was an excellent show, and I was obsessed. I hardly ever watch it now, but I still feel twinges of loyalty.
Ireland
When I was very little, I thought I had been born in Ireland. I don't really know why, I was just convinced that I had been. I always loved St. Patrick's Day, and when I was 11, my family and I finally went to Ireland for the first time. And after that, I become really obsessed. I wanted my parents to send me to school there (specifically, to Kylemore Abbey), and I just wanted to go back again and again. I didn't go back again till I was 17 though, but I still love it. I was able to go again last year with my parents, and it was a great trip--we visited our family in Brosna, and also rented this awesome cottage in West Cork, on the sea. I just adore Ireland, and I find it such a fascinating place right now--it's undergoing such a incredible growth (14% last year!), and is a really wonderful place to visit. The picture is of Bunratty Castle, my favorite place in Ireland. I loved it so much the first time I went that my mom took me and my sister back on our last day in Ireland, on the way to the airport. It's a completely furnished 15th century castle, situated in the middle of a folk park of cottages and homes from all over Ireland. I highly recommend visiting it, and for a cheezy, fun time, going to the medieval banquet there.
Winnie-the-Pooh
I guess this one started when I was quite little. For my birthday parties when I was young, parents used to get Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree from the library, and my dad would bring home a movie projector from work, and we'd watch it. So it became one of my favorite cartoons. I always had Winnie-the-Pooh pictures on my wall, and my sister and I were given a home-made Pooh from a family friend when we were young. When I was older, I become obsessed all over again, and I currently have several stuffed Poohs (including Hug-and-Giggle-Pooh), lots of Pooh paraphernalia (necklaces, pins, keychains, and so on), and Pooh posters and movies. I even have Pooh flannel sheets, and used to have a Pooh backpack. I just find him so cute and cuddly, and every time I see some new Pooh object, I just want to own it. <grin>
Xena: Warrior Princess
This is kind of a current obsession, of which I am rather ashamed. I know it's an extremely poor show, but I just can't stop watching. I love everything about it: it's cheeziness, the action, the whole thing. A couple of friends and I have become extremely obsessed, and despite it being over, I still just love it--especially since I can watch it every day on Oxygen. I especially enjoyed seasons II and III, and am a big fan of Callisto--though I was rather upset when they made her all good and lame. Anyways, I also (shamefully) enjoy fan-fiction. I especially like uber-fiction, which takes place in around current time usually, and is roughly based on the characters from Xena.
Computers
So clearly this is my dorkiest obsession, but I obviously love computers--right now I actually have two--a Compaq Presario and a Sony VAIO laptop. I spend almost all of my time on a computer--doing work (*sigh*), playing Tomb Raider (right now I'm playing III, which is damn near impossible), playing on the Internet, or just generally mucking about. I really feel withdrawl when I don't use a computer for more than a few hours, so to help alleviate that, I've got all sorts of traveling electronic toys, though my Palm recently died, so I'm planning on replacing that with an iPaq fairly soon.