The very cute Mandy Leigh recently did a vlog tag of 15 random questions. As I don’t have a video channel (do you think I should? Would anyone even watch it?) I thought I’d take the questions and answer them here.

15 Random Questions

Question 1. What’s a nickname only your family calls you?

When I was younger my family had a nickname for me. I don’t really get called it any more though. That nickname was Oily, short for Oily Gym-slip. You see, my name is Laura Johnson and when I was really small I couldn’t really say it properly and my uncles decided it sounded like Oily Gym-Slip more than Laura Johnson and it just sort of stuck. Only up until a few years ago I was still called Oily by some family members.

Question 2. What’s a weird habit of yours?

Personally, I don’t think it’s that weird but a lot of people do. I really hate it when plug sockets are empty and turned on. I don’t think anything of turning off empty plug sockets in work, in pubs, in shops, wherever I happen to be. OK, OK, maybe it is a bit weird. Especially as I had to turn off an episode of Come Dine With Me a little while ago because there were about 4 empty plug sockets turned on in the guy’s kitchen. I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else I was so distracted by those little red squares on the top of the switch looking at me.

Question 3. Do you have any weird phobias?

Obviously, I don’t think any phobias I have are particularly weird. My main two though are clowns and birds. Actually, the clown thing is getting a bit easier over time. They still freak me out, all that make up and stuff, they look really sinister. But, I’m not crying when I see one any more. Birds are another deal altogether though. I’m convinced they know I’m scared of them, convinced they know I have nightmares about them getting caught in my hair and as a result fly at my head for a giggle. It’s happened a few times so it’s definitely not just a one-off. Pigeons and seagulls are the worst offenders.

Question 4. What song do you love to secretly belt out and blast when you’re alone?

To be honest, I make no secret of the fact I love a bit of cheesy pop music from time to time. Anything from Busted to Taylor Swift and Katy Perry to Backstreet Boys. I also love a bit of country too. Dolly Parton is my hero!

Question 5. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I think I’m going to be a bit of a hypocrite saying this but it’s when people won’t get off their phones. I’m actively trying to get better and when I’m out with someone, say for dinner, I always try to leave my phone in my handbag. I’ll check it when the other person nips to the loo or whatever but when they keep it on the table and you know they’re just checking their Facebook or something I think it’s really rude. Surely there is nothing that urgent that can’t wait an hour or so? Or, if it is that urgent the other person would be calling you, not sending you a message, no? This little moan makes me sound like an old lady but I don’t care. I like manners.

Question 6. What’s one of your nervous habits?

I’m a nail picker. If I have nail varnish on I’ll pick at it and try to peel it off. If I don’t I tend to pick around the edges of my nails instead. This is probably why they tend to split and break. I use to bite my nails and only do that very occasionally now and it only tends to be my little fingers that I chew on. Gross, I know.

Question 7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

If you’re standing at the foot of the bed I sleep on the left hand side. That means that when I’m lying in bed Tom is to my left. Weirdly, when we visit my mum I always used to sleep on the other side because it’s closer to the door but I realised I wasn’t sleeping as well because it felt weird having Tom on my right. It’s strange how used to these thing you get. Although, when I’m in the bed on my own I tend to be smack bang in the middle 🙂

Question 8. What was your first stuffed animal and what was its name?

I’m not sure if Fred was my first but he’s the one I remember having the longest. He’s a pink rabbit that I got as a present when I was really young from a friend of my mum’s I think. I still have him. He lives on a chair in the corner of our spare bedroom with his friends Little Fred (a smaller pink rabbit) and Pinky (a long skinny pink and white rabbit) that I’ve had almost as long. I always remember them being together, even though Fred was the chosen one.

Question 9. What’s the drink you always order at Starbucks?

I don’t really go to Starbucks any more. I do like their salted caramel mocha’s at Christmas though and the red cups are iconic around that time. Other than that though I don’t really go. I’ve had a few work meetings in there though because my line manager loves the place. So, I guess the thing I’ve probably ordered most often is a skinny, sugar-free, vanilla latte.

Question 10. What’s the beauty rule you preach but never practice?

I’m really bad at taking my make up off at night and when I do, more often than not I use face wipes. I know, I know! How horrendous of me. My skin has been really suffering because of it all recently too and I have been trying to make an effort to exfoliate and clean my face more thoroughly. I have loads of products and am just really lazy. I need to get into better beauty habits.

Question 11. Which way do you face in the shower?

It depends which part of me I’m washing I suppose. I move around a lot in the shower. I’ve never really thought about it.

Question 12. Do you have any weird body skills?

My weird monkey toes tend to freak Tom out a lot. They’re quite long and I can pick things up with them.  I’m not sure if i started doing it because I was too lazy to bend down or if it was just  to see if I could. Now though, it’s just second nature. I don’t even think twice about picking stuff up with my toes. If it’s closer to my foot than my hand I’ll probably pick it up with my toes.

Question 13. What is your favourite comfort food that you know is bad but you eat it anyway?

Cheese slices. I love cheese but my guilty pleasure is those bright yellow, plastic wrapped cheese slices. I know they have zero nutritional value but I can easily put away an entire packet of them in one sitting. So comforting, so bland, but so good.

Question 14. A phrase or exclamation that you say a lot.

I do swear an awful lot. It’s actually something I keep meaning to try harder to stop doing but sometimes it’s just so difficult. Other than that though I don’t think there’s anything I say a lot, if I do I must say it so often that I don’t even notice it any more. Can anyone tell me if they’ve noticed something I say a lot?

Question 15. Time to sleep. What are you actually wearing?

I love my pyjamas. I have quite a few pairs. I hate being too hot when I sleep so I prefer them to have vests or t-shirt tops unless they’re a nice light material. I do have a pair of really fleecy pj bottoms that I love but I wear an oversize t-shirt with them. I had to ditch the matching top because I used to melt when I wore them together. I don’t like my pyjamas to be too snug either. A size or two too big is nice.

There we have it; 15 random questions. As it is a tag post, I now tag any of you reading this that have a blog or You Tube channel that fancy tackling them. Leave me your links below so I can have a nosey at your answers.

Kisses,