Personal Preferences

I know I have some interesting (some would say strange) habits and preferences. For example: I don't like peaches because the fuzz weirds me out, I think baked fruit is gross (fruit is NOT supposed to be warm), and I've had an aversion to red foods since I was a kid and thought all red foods were spicy (I have since come around to eating strawberries, watermelon and cooked tomatoes; raw tomatoes, cherries and pimentos are still on my shit list, though).

My biggest aversion, and the one I think is most justified, is my inability to walk on wet concrete in sandals. I know this is ridiculously specific, but considering how often I wear sandals it's an issue that comes up pretty frequently. I'm also often caught off guard by the weather - it doesn't rain often enough in Southern California to warrant being proactive on this front. Here's why it's completely justified and you people should STOP MAKING FUN OF ME.

List of all major injuries I've had:

- broken left wrist
- broken left ankle
- sprained left ankle (3x)
- fractured left kneecap
- torn meniscus on right knee

Aside from the fact that I obviously really dislike the left side of my body, EVERY SINGLE ONE of those injuries other than the meniscus was due to slipping on wet ground while wearing sandals. The highlights:

Wrist: 1st grade - broken while playing tag just after it stopped raining. Slipped on the ground and skidded into a curb. (Cute side note: despite intense pain I didn't cry until I saw my mom; to this day my mom's the only one I break down in front of)

Ankle: 2004 - slid on wet stairs at the San Diego Zoo while doing research for an anthropology class. I had just finished telling my friend not to jump down the stairs because she'll fall and break her ankle. Two seconds later I (the one holding the hand rail and walking slowly because I was wearing sandals that day) slipped and broke my ankle. Oh, the irony.

Kneecap: 2006 - Slipped on wet tile in UCLA's Ackerman Student Union and came down directly on my kneecap, which swelled to the size of a baseball. Once the lovely people in the Ashe Student Health Center found out this happened on campus (which could be held liable if I was a sue-happy type of person) I received the most prompt and attentive care they were capable of (considering the typical pace is about a week wait to be seen for the flu, which would be over by the time the appointment came around, it was quite speedy).

This issue is so gripping that once in college, when caught on campus in the rain whilst wearing sandals and after realizing I couldn't wait it out, I bought a pair of bright pink Converse (that I couldn't afford) so I'd be able to walk home. The next day I brought those shoes back to campus and stuck them in the locker I had rented in the gym so I would never be stuck on campus in sandals again. Of course, I never needed them, but they were always there as a safety.