14 things I love about you

In my old office, the Marketing girls--whether it was our batch or the ones before us--supposedly had a bit of a following, probably owing to their (our) sticking out like sore thumbs in such a corporate setting. Case in point: one of our former artistes who would wear knee-high boots with her skirts. Aside from the outfits, our collective behavior could be flamboyant--often unintentionally so (a certain chocolate cake incident comes to mind). Perhaps it was a reaction to the sometimes stuffy environment, something Comm and Fine Arts majors weren't quite built for.

So anyway, whenever we would hear of people making the moves on (or silently pining away for) one of the girls, we would call that person a fan, and mercilessly subject the object of affection to grade-school "yiheees."

It seems I now have me an online fan. Months ago, I created an account in 43 things. It's this site where you list 43 things you want to do. I used one of my screen names and built up a list of 14 things. I found out about this site called 43 people (there's also a 43 places site), and, surprisingly, a couple of people have included me in their list of people they want to meet. Kind of cool, and also a little creepy.

The latest person said that he (maybe she?) wants to meet me "because i really love her looks she is fine and i think she will be a good wife." I'll admit it's flattering, but the editor side of me is questioning whether I should be flattered by the attention from someone who neglected to use a comma. (Gasp!)

Now I'm wondering what it is about my entries that makes this person think that I would "be a good wife." (The looks part, I can understand. I'm kidding. Wondering about that as well, but am infinitely more intrigued about the wife part.) What did this person see in my 14 entries that made him think I would "be a good wife"? I had things like "learn to speak Italian" and "learn how to cook" and "read the entire bible" (something I've attempted many times, and each time I only got as far as...Exodus). Does this person want an Italian-speaking, bible-reading master chef with a nice tummy (ahh, one of my superficial goals)?

It's got me thinking about perception--how I come across when I write, or even when I talk. Depending on the day and the circumstances, a person I've just met could think that I'm either whip smart or incredibly ditzy, compassionate or the epitome of a "mean girl" (as my current co-workers now like to call me). And while I find that the older I get, the less I care about other people's opinions of me, a part of me remains curious. It's the whole subjectivity deal, never being able to be the "other."

It's also perception the other way around. Have I been reading other people wrong, giving them characteristics that aren't truly theirs, simply because of the way they write? I'm convinced that the blogs that I read tell me a great deal about the people behind them. But if my 43 things list is any indication, I could just be assuming too much (or too little). Not that I disagree that I would make a good wife...