I admit it. I’m a slob. I do like neatness, don’t get me wrong, but wow do I have stacks of paper everywhere! My office looks like a bomb exploded, my kitchen sink is full just now, and I have a pile of laundry that’s threatening to erupt. But when it comes to certain things, I’m am A-N-A-L. Is it possible for a disorganized person to be overly organized in certain areas?

My books, for example. I have close to 1000 books, most of which I haven’t even gotten to read yet, and they are my pride and joy. They have to be organized just right - though the method of that organization varies. Sometimes, I separate the genres, sometimes I organize by author. Once (blush) I even organized them by copyright. When my bookshelves are a mess, I feel like my whole world is in chaos. Same with DVDS and the like. They have to be put back where they’re meant to be, but my empty diet Dr. Pepper can could sit on my desk for days. I’m also picky about my bed. It has to be made within moments of slipping out of it. Otherwise, I don’t look forward to climbing back into it that night. When I do thoroughly clean my house from top to bottom, it takes only one misplaced shoe to make me throw my hands in the air and say, forget it. I’d rather have a messy house than a spotless one where one thing is out of place. Not sure why.

I also tend to have a split personality when it comes to clothes. I spend most of my day in my pj’s. It’s a perk of this job. No makeup. Socks, comfy pants and a big ole shirt. But I daydream about getting dressed in the morning, looking my best while I pound away at the keys. It never happens. It’s a bad sign when you put on mascara, jeans, and (gasp!) shoes, and your children ask why you’re all dressed up! I’d love to have a wardrobe of sophisticated clothing, or a closet full of the clothes worn by Jennifer Love Hewitt in The Ghost Whisperer. She dresses so romanticly antiquish. So feminine. I’m none of those things. But I would like to be. When I do get dressed, it’s always jeans. Maybe a nice blouse, but ALWAYS jeans.

So how do you know what kind of a person you are when it comes to fashion? If you’re a tomboy at heart, is it unnatural to dress in a way that opposes that stereotype? Can a tomboy comfortably wear dresses daily? Can a natural-born messy person be comfortable in a spotless home? Because I’m pretty sure a neat freak would be edgy in a messy one. And, can you train yourself to be something completely different than you are?

Just curious. New Year’s around the corner after all. If I can change, that would be a great time to pretend I will!