Creative Writing Prompt #9

h/t: Amanda, Leslie

I live in a part of the country I barely knew existed five years ago.
I work for a company that finally feels like the place I belong.
I talk in low mumbles.
I wish I didn't.
I enjoy the sound of the world covered in snow.
I look both ways before crossing the street.
I smell poorly. Feel free to take that either way.
I hide my face behind a beard.
I pray because God hears me.
I walk with long strides and quickly in the cold. Sometimes I skip. And sometimes I forget my wife has shorter strides.
I sing loudly in the car when I'm by myself and that's about it.
I can always win at Mario Tennis for Nintendo 64.
I watch too much TV.
I yearn for very little since getting married.
I daydream mostly in conversations, with few visuals. I've always found that strange. I have all kinds of discussions with people in my head; usually folks I know but nearly as often folks I don't.
I want my kids back. No, wait. (Arrested Development!) I want running water again.
I cry sometimes when Amanda cries. It's contagious, like a yawn or a laugh, but not really like that.
I read Bill Simmons a lot. And that's fine, but I'd like to read other things too. (Note to self: See if David Brooks has RSS.) (Second note to self: Open a book, fool.)
I wonder if it took Amanda this long to do this exercise.
I touch Amanda's thumb with my thumb sometimes and remember the first week we spent together after an eight-month online/phone courtship and holy cow.
I hurt in my knee sometimes and don't know why. I also don't know why the pain feels good to me in a way. "Hey, cool, a randomly achey knee! Just like an old man!" Makes no sense.
I fear bees. It's irrational and that's the worst part. I will fix it.
I hope people stop being jerks.
I break wind. So do babies. So does the president. Leave me alone.
I eat burgers on occasion. This is huge. Trust me.
I quit only one job because I actively sought and found something better and it was a most excellent feeling. But I still miss some of the people I knew there.
I bathe at work these days and never thought I'd be thankful for the chance.
I drink a wide assortment of beverages, none of which include coffee of any sort or artificial sweeteners.
I save instinctively. I don't know if my mom trained me or if it's just part of her family's blood; probably a combination. I like having better than consuming.
I miss Minnesota and West Virginia and those who dwell within each. I suppose I like missing, in a way, because it means I've known people and places worth missing.
I forgive more since knowing Amanda. She gets people and their feelings so much better than I do.
I learned how to ride a bike when I was two. That's not true; I just hadn't made a joke for awhile. Actually, I learned how to create a document link in Lotus Notes recently. It was neat. I promise.
I have never read the Bible in its entirety. I will.
I don't have the stomach for a lot of blood. (That's a strange sentence. You know what I mean. Oh, sorry. You know what I mean.)
I kiss Amanda's left shoulder a lot, I just realized.

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Today's writing music selection: New Bomb Turks, Flogging Molly, The Decemberists, Neutral Milk Hotel, Baby Sweatshirt, Randy, Velvet Underground, Matt Pond PA, Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire (it's old playlist week!) (apparently!) (this one from 12/24/06)