30 Day Writing Challenge - Day 02

Today I get to write about ten likes, and ten dislikes. This ought to be fun. ;)

I'm going to start with my dislikes, because I would rather end on a positive note - and pick myself back up after thinking of ten things that I don't like.

1. When people are loudly political, but can never give any proof or resources to tell you why their side is right. I'm all for "my opinion is..." but it bothers me terribly when someone states things as though they are fact, and then refuse to back it up, or tell you where they heard that, or in any way support their claims.
2. Snakes. Yup, just going to put that there. Yes, I am referring to the slithering animals - not to people who act like snakes. Something about them just freaks me out, even though as a kid I used to be able to catch them in my yard. One day, my opinions on them just changed, and I find it hard to even look at them. That being said, I wish no harm on them - I just don't want them near me.
3. When people refuse to fact-check things they share online. I've actually written about this on here before, but it annoys the heck out of me.
4. Super cold weather.
5. Super hot weather.
6. People who are constantly negative. I get it - we all have bad days, and I sure have plenty of my own. But when people can not seem to find a single good thing in life ever, I just have to distance myself from them.
7. Drinking. It just never appealed to me, really. I'll have an occasional wine cooler or some girly drink with umbrellas and fruity bits floating in it, but if I have a dozen drinks over the course of the year, it's been a big year.
8. Particularly formal events. I don't own a little black dress, and the idea of dressing up, and going to an event that's fancy has no appeal to me. Jeans, a t-shirt, and sitting out on my deck or by a bonfire are just fine with me. I also have no desire to have my nails done, sport fancy hair dos, or wear cute shoes. No thank you - comfortable is more my style!
9. Music with foul language. I can't even explain this one, but I will cuss like a sailor... but I have no desire to hear it in my music. Even I don't understand this about myself.
10. New York City. I know I'll probably get a lot of nonsense for this, but I just don't see the appeal. It's too big for my tastes (but I love Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Nashville as far as cities are concerned). The idea of driving into NYC bothers me. There's nothing there I particularly need to be a part of, and it's only a little bit further of a drive for me to go to Philadelphia if I desire some hustle and bustle. I get strange looks when I admit that I do not, in fact, heart NY.

I like so many things... where do I even begin?!

1. Country music from the 1990's and early 2000's. I feel like this will always be my go-to music, for as long as I live. While there is some music currently on the radio that I find myself enjoying, as a general rule, I think it all sounds the same these days. It's easy to tell what direction country music labels are going, and it makes me kind of sad, when I know so many wonderfully talented, unique artists. I miss being able to turn on the radio and know who was singing, even if I had never heard the song before.
2. Zoos and aquariums! I know there is so much controversy over whether these are a good thing, and animals should be let to live in their natural habitats, but I still love a good zoo. I don't mean little roadside zoos with lions cooped up in 15x15 spaces with no room to run - I'm talking about places that do their best to give the animals an amazing life, with room to roam and plenty of enrichment. I'm talking about places with knowledgeable staff who can tell you about their animals. I love being able to get up close to animals that there is no way I would otherwise have a chance to see.
3. Animals, just in general. I've spent most of my life living in areas where herds of deer roam across my yard, and I still get excited when I see them. Wild bunnies make me smile. Chipmunks are welcome little buddies in my yard. I swear I am like a child when it comes to seeing animals in the wild.
4. My furry family, obviously. I am especially fond of my dogs - as annoying and untrained as they are - and I have a huge soft spot for cats that have any kind of special need (hence how I ended up with feline leukemia positive cats, a cat that can't walk in a straight line, a cat who's deaf, a cat with chronic breathing issues...).
5. People who love animals. I have, in the last couple of years (particular since I started rescuing special needs cats) met some pretty awesome people who are involved in rescuing pets. It's such an awesome common ground to have with people.
6. Walking! I never thought that I would like walking for pleasure, but I've fallen in love with it! Just me and the great outdoors... sometimes the dogs come along... sometimes I convince friends that being healthy is fun. There are a lot of really cool places to go walking in my general area, and just take in the scenery, and breathe in fresh air.
7. "Parks and Recreation." I'm kind of obsessed (also with "The Office," to be fair) and will watch it repeatedly. Once I finish re-binging through it on Netflix, I start over again. I have zero attention span most of the time, and no desire to really watch anything that is going to require me to think, so my trusty old Parks & Rec saves the day, time and time again.
8. Happy and inspirational quotes. I have a folder on my computer desktop, just chock-full of pretty words that I browse through when I need inspiration, particularly in the morning.
9. Early mornings! I'm fairly certain that most of my co-workers think I am out of my mind when I am greeting them happily at seven o'clock in the morning with "good morning, sunshine!" Only one regularly growls at me, and one actually noticed that I stopped saying it for a while, and told me that she was sad that I didn't greet her with my normal morning greeting.
10. Road trips! I love just getting in the car and going, especially with my girl friends, and especially when we have no real timeline to get anywhere, and are just enjoying each other's company, and stopping when we feel like stopping. I particularly love driving through New England.