Let's Start at the Very Beginning (It's a very good place to start!)

I'm taking a class right now called Theory of Knowledge--basically a philosophy class for high school students. It got me thinking--why am I the way I am? Why am I so obsessed with school? Why do I love airheaded things like pop culture and chick lit and romantic comedies? And then I stumbled across the greatest question of all: why do I love lists?

Hint: The answer involves the land of sun and sand

and Arnold Schwarzenegger

I thought about it, and I traced it back to a trip I took one summer with my father to California. We rented a car and went to Disneyland and Giants games, and Monterey Bay Aquarium. At some point during the trip I wanted to annoy my father so I created a list of favourite states and screamed at the top of my lungs, on loop (I was such a charming child!). I can still recite that list from memory...

Alabama, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Arizona, Indiana, Tennessee, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana

For some reason I called those last two "twin states" (I cannot for the life of me remember why I did this...). In the years since I have added South Carolina, Alaska, Hawaii, and New York to the list (along with the phrase "and don't forget" to make the song flow better). I thinks this proves that I was a truly insane child...

Why is the list like this? Why these states? Why this order? Why make a list at all? These are all great questions, most of which I can't answer. I can tell you though, that it pays to have memorized fifteen random states in a bizarre order. Like when playing the name the states game, like in Friends:

Or when someone randomly asks you to name a state (and yes, this has happened. Once.)

So, anyway, I think that explains a little bit of my crazy. I'm sure if you keep reading, there will be much more to add (like why I must reorder all the out of place books I see at the bookstore). I'm sorry, in advance. But as they say, Blame Canada. Or, in this case, blame California (I just googled it, and this is actually a thing people do! See, I'm not SOOO crazy!).