Tagged by Annie

OK, I've been blog-tagged by Annie to tell the world what I will and won't settle for. So, here goes nothing.

THINGS I CANNOT ABIDE
1. Unkindness in a "romantic" relationship, and that covers a lot of territory. Kindness includes honesty, respect, fidelity, and putting the toilet seat down. I'm over the Bad Boys Do It Better phase (if I was ever under it, so to speak).

2. Cheap pots and pans. I love food, and I love to cook. I spent a lot of money on my All-Clad kitchen wear, and it's one of my best investments ever. Looks great, cooks great, and will last a lifetime.

3. Coffee beans that are pre-ground and come from a can. Like Folgers or Maxwell House or the other swill that many people drink. I'm a coffee snob (even though I do like Starbucks ~ they have their place) and proud of it.

4. Same for beer. I like beer, but most American beer (at least the big brands, i.e., Bud, Miller, etc.) might as well be overchilled horse piss. And "light" beer? Not happening for this girl.

5. I won't share a bathroom or a checking account with anyone, not anymore. Not again. The reasons are not that complicated, really. There are certain grooming rituals and implements that live in the bathroom that I don't want anyone else to know about, ever. I don't care how many times someone's seen me naked; my leg shaving and eyebrow grooming (among other things) are private. And the checking account thing: I will NOT be made to justify spending money that I earn. If I want to spend $150 on books, as long as the bills are paid, I'm going to do it. And free of guilt, I might add.

6. I won't be made to feel guilty. I don't believe in it; its a negative emotion and only serves to drain the energy that I could use for other things. So don't bother packing the car to drive me on the guilt trip; I'm not going.

7. Die-hard republicans and fundamentalist Christians who can't keep their mouths shut. I actually don't care what you believe and I really do respect true faith, but I never, ever, ever want to discuss your beliefs with you.

THINGS THAT I'M OK WITH
1. Cheap shoes. I find most expensive shoes to be ugly and uncomfortable. Since I don't like wearing shoes to begin with, I really don't like the idea of spending a lot of money on them. I will spend more for workout shoes because I want to be able to continue to work out, but that's a necessity. For everything else, it's PayLess, Target, and Old Navy flip flops.

2. Men who are a bit shorter than me. There's no height requirement to ride this ride. There's a shoulder width requirement, though. :-D

3. A little gossip. I'm naturally curious, i.e., nosy, so a good dish is something I enjoy from time to time. No name calling or trash talking, though, not even about celebrities.

4. Cheap clothes. I don't need designer labels, and I won't buy anything that's dry-clean only. I want to be covered appropriately and look as cute as possible doing it. For that, I don't need to spend $80 on a T-shirt when I can get cute T-shirts at Old Navy at the bargain price of 2 for $15.

5. Cheap wine is fine with me. The label doesn't matter; it's how the stuff in the bottle tastes. I may be a beer and coffee snob, but not so much for wine. That said, I'm not going to drink Boone's Farm or Mad Dog; I do have some respect for my liver.

6. In the man department: You like porn? Fine, keep it on your own computer, not mine, and pay for it yourself. Whatever. You like a little 4:20 action? I don't care about that either, just don't think I'm OK with doing it in my house or in my car. And again, pay for it yourself. Nothing harder though; that's where my line is drawn.

Interesting exercise, Annie. There are actually a lot more things I could put on both lists, but I won't right now, partly because I fear the Things I Cannot Abide list would outpace the Things I'm OK With list and I'm not ready to see that in black and white.