Sunday, October 21, 2007

Not Your Basic Girl

I'm definitely not your basic girl. Sure, I have three stage foiled hair and acrylic nails (currently painted bright glittery pink), and I just bought a new pink phone and I definitely have more shoes than I probably need (not that shoes should EVER have anything to do with need), but when it comes right down to it, I'm just not your basic girl. Why, you ask? Well, we could start with I'm an incurable tomboy. I was (and still am) a tough girl. As a kid, I played with boys on their level (and scared a lot of them). I was never interested in cooking or cleaning or sewing, and Lord knows that hasn't changed.

So this week and next, I thought I'd share with you some snippets of non-basic girl behavoir that you might find amusing. The first involves cooking.

I was a teenage (maybe 16 or 17) when I came into the house one night and found my parents having a "discussion." Apparently the crux of the discussion is that my dad felt my mom should teach me how to cook. My mom was of the opinion that if I wanted to learn, I'd ask. My dad felt I needed to know whether I wanted to or not, so my mom asked if the same rules applied to my younger brother when he was my age.

I figured I'd fix the situation by voicing my opinion, so the ensuing conversation went something like this:

Me: I don't want to learn how to cook.

Dad: Don't you think you're going to want to eat after you leave home?

Me (slightly confused): Yeah, but I thought that's why I was going to college - so I could eat out.

At that point, Dad gave up. And I want everyone to know that I am 40 years old and still don't cook. I have lived up to my words. I CAN cook, if I have a recipe and the desire. In fact, I'm not a bad cook at all so I guess all those years of living with or around great cooks let something seep in. But it's still not something I enjoy or something I have any desire to spend a lot of time at on even a semi-regular basis.

As for the other domestic chores, well, we pay someone to clean our house and don't feel guilty about it at all. C'mon, I DO have two full-time jobs. Do you think readers want me to personally scrub my toilet or to write another book? And I definitely don't sew. I recently bought one of those cool television special thingies that put buttons back on with these plastic hooks. It works fabulously! The weird thing is, I took up cross-stitching for a while (back when I had time) and actually enjoyed and was fairly good at it. But don't think that translates to regular sewing. If you show up at my cubicle with a hem unraveled on your skirt, I will most likely grab a stapler or duct tape to take care of the problem.

Next week, I'll talk about why I'm a great person to have around if you need someone to work on an engine or build a deck.

- Deadly (unDomestic) DeLeon

23 comments:

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Sounds like we have something in common. I learned to cook under duress and don't enjoy cleaning (does anyone??) I too was a bit of a tomboy. My father gave me a toolbox for my 21st birthday :)

My daughter has this tendency too but she takes it to extremes. Right now she's drawing lines in the sand with regard to fashion. She doesn't like it when people mistake her for a boy, yet she prefers sloppy tshirts and sweats. I'm trying to help her find a middle ground. I don't wear many dresses myself (or paint my fingernails!) but no one ever mistakes me for a man!

Anonymous said...

I feel much the same way about cooking and cleaning. On the former, I can do it and sometimes just throwing stuff together turns out really well. But it isn't something I enjoy. And I hate, loathe, and despise cleaning.

Gemma Halliday said...

I am the same way! I'm admittedly girly, but so not domestic. My least favorite thing: laundry. Ugh! Someday I swear I'll be able to afford a laundry service. Someday...

~Gemma

Jana DeLeon said...

Hi Jenyfer - Your daughter will probably find a happy medium one of these days. And I'm with her on the dresses. I wear more now (although it's more skirts and tops than actual dresses) than I ever did when I was younger. In fact, I'm fairly certain I remember my mom saying that even if she had to pay me, I was wearing a dress to senior prom. :)

Jana DeLeon said...

Tori - I never achieved that throwing things together act and admire people who can. I'm the one who has to leave the house and buy the ingredient if it's something I'm missing. There is simply no improvising for me in the kitchen arena.

Jana DeLeon said...

I'm with you, Gemma. Ugh on laundry. Especially since I'm ultra picky and insist on washing seperately and hanging to dry half of my clothes. It's such a pain. And you don't even want to know about the dry-cleaning bill at our house - scary.

Bethany True said...

I'm ridiculously girly girl. Not only do I love to cook but all my appliances are pink.

High heels? Every day. Dresses? Preferably. Lotions and potions that smell like fruits and floral? Of course! I don't wear much makeup but only because I'm "age sensitive" right now and I think it makes me look older.

So people are always surprised to find out that I know more about football and basketball than many guys and that I've been hunting and I'm good with a shot gun. That said, I will cry like...well, erm umm...a girl, if I kill something.

Jana DeLeon said...

LOL Bethany - I am a ringer with a gun myself, but I feel guilty fishing. :)

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Funny - I hate actual housework but I don't mind laundry. And all of my stuff is line dry because we don't have a clothes dryer here!! Don't do ironing though - I figure that my hubby's shirts look the same once he gets to work whether I iron them or not so why bother?? LOL

I used to like to wear dressed to work when I had a "real" job - easy to just slip one on and go in the morning rather than having to try and match things!

Christie Craig said...

Jana,

Thanks for the laugh. I do enjoy cooking, but I've never been thrilled about owning, or using a toilet brush.

Stick to writing.

Great post.

Crime Scene Christie

Jana DeLeon said...

ugh, jenyfer - don't even mention ironing. When I first started traveling, I ironed more than I ever had in my life. Then I discovered that new poly blend fabric that doesn't wrinkle - whoohoo!

Jana DeLeon said...

LOL, Christie! I'll be sure and stick to the writing, although there are times I feel it's in the toilet. :)

Lucy said...

I'm like you, I CAN cook and do a pretty darn good job when I do, but I'd rather not. And cleaning is down (waayyyyyyyyyyy down) the list of my favorite things to do.

Dru said...

I don't like to cook, but if I have to, I can. I believe that why take out and dining out were invented. Don't ask about cleaning, don't like it either.

Jana DeLeon said...

lucy - I'm pretty sure cleaning isn't even on my list. If it is, it's somewhere below root canal.

Jana DeLeon said...

dru - my soul sister. We can have dinner together any time - out of course. :)

Kathy Bacus said...

I've been accused of being a lot of things--and called them--but 'girly girl' isn't one of them. Sigh.

And, as I shared with Jana in Dallas this past summer, I HATE cooking -- a somewhat inconvenient state of affairs considering I still have three other mouths to feed at home. I'm still waiting for one of my kids to come up to me and say, "I want to learn to cook, Mom." That's when I'll gift them with an apron, cooking utensils, and a nice thick cookbook. Unfortunately, I've had no takers.

And don't even get me started on sewing. Dottie Domestic and Suzy Homemaker sure as heck don't reside at my house.

~Bullet Hole~

danetteb said...

My parents tried to teach me how to cook when I was younger and at the time I didn't think I need to cook either, but now that I'm older with a family little tidbits here and there come back to me of what my parents taught me and I'm not too bad of a cook.....Now cleaning is another can of worms for me:D

Jana DeLeon said...

Bullet Hole - if I had kids, I swear they'd be living on those .99 frozen pizzas. :)

Jana DeLeon said...

danetteb - It's amazing how something seeps in even when you're trying to avoid it, huh? I mean, given a decent recipe, I CAN cook and cook well. But the desire is sorely lacking. And thank goodness I don't have a family to feed!

Nathalie said...

Hum... my deck is roting... can you help me fix it!! Hum... more me reading with a great fresh limonade and you working!

Anonymous said...

A tom-boy with acrylic nails - pink - plus to many shoes: why are you sure you are not more of the Barbie Doll genetically mutated!

Lily said...

I am totally girlie... played with my dolls until my 15th birthday and I hate cooking, cleaning... but I love fashion and pampering myself.