I won't cook on my stove if I have a shirt on. All that spattering butter messed up a good shirt back in 91' and I never forgot it.

When I grow out a goatee I put conditioner on it to make it silky smooth.

I refuse to eat at Wendies because they serve square hamburgers. In my America hamburgers are round darnit!

When I eat penut butter spoons in front of the TV I tuck the spoon into my watchband.

I will not use a shopping cart when I shop. If I can't carry the load I can't afford it is my motto.

I wear my watch on my right wrist, with the timepiece on the inside of my wrist. I always found it easier to read when riding a two-wheeled vehicle.

At the moment I have amost full beard except for two small clean-shaven bits between the sideburns and the beard (kind of like a large bushy goatee). Why, to be different from the rest. If guys start shaving that way, I will promptly change again.

If any others jump out at me, I will note them.

I used to wear a watch but since the band broke, I now carry it (broken bands and all) in my pocket.

I love to wear sandals because my feet get hot in normal shoes. I'll even wear sandals during the winter here in MN. Occasionally I'll wear water socks as well.

I have dyslexia. Oftentimes I catch my fingers typing the occasional word completely sdrawkcab.

I always set my screen resolution as high as my monitor and video card will support, even if it means having only 256 colors on old hardware. Sometimes I'll even deal with an interlaced screen to do it.

Occasionally, when I was doing workstation support for end users, I would move the white paper out of the users' trash cans into the recycle bin (usually right next to the trash can) for those too [lazy|stupid|clueless] to do it themselves.

I tuck all my shirts in.

I refuse to have my pots and pans cleaned by the dishwashing machine. They should be cleaned by hand (it's more thorough, and I can make sure my good non-stick pans don't get scratched up).

When I was little, I used to clean up mis-arranged shelves in stores, putting things back into their proper places (which is funny since I never kept my room clean).

I almost always act in a contradictory way to whoever I'm interacting with (e.g. I'll be conservative and quiet around a loud outgoing person, or I'll be rowdy and tomboyish around someone really effeminate).

I like kitsch, but not because I think it has any artistic value; I like it simply because it's utterly devoid of any value.

i write everything in dark-green pilot pen. i have a big box of them in my desk drawer.

when i hear a song that's been spoofed by weird al yankovic, i always sing the parody lyrics right over the song.

i'm uncomfortable at a neat desk. even if it's someone else's desk, i tend to take out a random toy/pen/cd case and plop it somewhere on the desk before getting to work.

i run around the house in my pajamas singing "sex bomb" by tom jones into a hairbrush when nobody's watching.

I like keeping odd toys and stuffed animals at work, especially the ones that cause other people to raise their eyebrows. Currently the sorta-working cardstock guillotine, complete with cardstock french nobleman/victim, from Madame Tussaud's is my favorite.

I juggle things.

When in a restaurant, I always unwrap the napkin from my flatware immediately after the server takes the order but never before.

I always want to browse the internet and chat if I'm watching TV. TV doesn't seem to be enough to hold my attention otherwise and I get too restless to watch. My attention span is amazingly short.

I can't stand people asking me for the time, so I always carry my wrist watch in my pocket.

I like to play around with electronic price check machines. I could have a store employee standing infront of me but I'll walk halfway across the store to check the price of the item using the price check machine.

I like to correct what other people say/write/do mentally. However, I can't edit my own work.

I collect robot toys. My room is full of robots. I want to buy one of those Sony AIBO Robot dogs.

I also keep my watch in my pocket. I used to take the wrist straps off the watches. But I learned to buy pocket watches, but I remove the chains from those.

When I'm walking down the street, I mentally point out people who I think I can beat in video games.

Until recently, I carried a paintbrush in my book bag all the time. Also a habit I picked up in High School (I went to an art/performing arts high school).

I carry a notebook everywhere. Everywhere.

I write in code at times when I get an idea. Other times, just a sketch.

Bars are great places to read.

I like going out alone to movies. In fact, I prefer it -- there's no one to cancel on you.

I don't like wearing a tie. I'll avoid it whenever possible and usually end up borrowing one. (In fact, I donated all of them to the Salvation Army at one point.)

I'll talk about how things are or came to be rather than the weather.

Ever since I was a kid, I couldn't stand the tan line that I got wearing a watch on my arm. Ergo, I stopped wearing one eight years ago. I find I can usually get the time without a problem.

I crack my knuckles and stretch at my workstation in the middle of coding runs and can't eat anything while I'm in the middle of one. Water and mints only. Once I have a meal, I'm done.

other:
I wear all my keys on a dog-tag chain around my neck, along with a watch.

I smoke Russian-style.

I haven't cut my hair or trimmed my beard in years.

I wear a black trench coat year-in and year-out. It's considerably dirty and ripped up.

I wait as long as I possibly can before cutting my nails or buying new shoes.

I bathe and wash my hair every night. If I don't I feel filthy - not physically but psychologically.

My circadian rhythms are way off. I usually go to sleep approx. 3am, get up to deliver papers at 6, go back to bed at 7, sleep till noon or later. I eat usually at 12, 6, and midnight.

I am incapable of staying in a job that bores me. I can't work more than about 3 hours a day unless it's something that interests me or I have plenty or time to read.

I pick up a book and read whenever things get boring or I have to wait for something.

I can't listen to music unless I'm also doing something else at the time.

I hate to see 'bits' of movies or TV shows. It's either all or nothing.

quote:

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Originally posted by Demosthenes:
i run around the house in my pajamas singing "sex bomb" by tom jones into a hairbrush when nobody's watching.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Blind Harper:
I bathe and wash my hair every night. If I don't I feel filthy - not physically but psychologically.

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Odd. Same with me. I've habitually taken a shower at night before bed for years simply because I'm too slow in the morning-- but also now because I have a hard time going to sleep unless I feel clean.

More that I thought of:

I like falling asleep on my stomach best, but I almost always wake up lying on my back.

If I'm in a good mood I make up nonsense songs about whatever I happen to be doing.

I feel guilty about giving away/throwing away childhood toys. As a result, I still own a lot of them.

When I'm writing poetry or a story, I usually can't concentrate on it well unless I'm in a fairly busy public place. It's like I need something to tune out in order to focus.

I didn't know this until someone pointed it out to me one day...when I eat, I eat one thing at a time.

I carry a notebook everywhere.

I have to have several things going on at once. I can read a book, watch TV, listen to the radio, eat, and hold a conversation all at the same time. If I don't have several things going on at once, I become bored very quickly.

I sleep sitting up. I hate sleeping in beds and love sleeping on the couch.

I like to read kids' books.

These are just a few that I know about...

i don't use capital letters in e-mails, postings, etc., unless the item is job or school-related. i don't remember why this started, but it's been the case for years. as much as i'd love to pass it off as an attempt to emulate e.e. cummings, it's really just habit at this point.

on a related note, one of my biggest pet peeves is that sort of chat-speak that uses numbers and single letters instead of words, e.g. "how r u? i m gr8!" argh.

i take notes with a blue pen on light green legal-ruled paper. notes are taken in an elaborate, highly codified outline structure using the legal rule as a basepoint.

the new york times crossword is done every morning, whether i have time to read the actual paper or not. it's always done in ink, more out of stubborn pride than anything else (and probably, too, because of a a tori amos lyric from 'happy phantom': "they say confucious does his crossword with a pen.") the habit started my freshman year of high school, when i was thoroughly addicted to that song.

i take food apart. this means that sandwiches, etc., are broken up into their constituent parts. bagels, muffins, etc. are peeled into layers, then eaten. if it can't be taken apart, it probably won't be eaten. related to this is the fact that i order food like sally from 'when harry met sally' (i.e., everything on the side, lots of substitutions; basically a waiter's worst nightmare. this does not mean that i fake orgasms at the table... well, unless asked.)

unless it's pouring rain, my car windows are always open when i drive. in the summer, this isn't terribly notable, as the top of my car's usually down, anyway. in the winter, i put the heat on full blast, but the windows stay open.

i always have music playing while i drive, and (yes, i'm fully aware of how annoying this is) i always sing along.

everyone i care about has a song assigned to them, and when i miss them i listen to it over and over.

my e-mail accounts are checked in a particular order: hotmail, regular, then school.

i'm always reading at least four books at once, and the latest new yorker is always in my gym locker. workout clothes are always all black (oh, and i never ever ever wear anything yellow. i hate yellow.), and my sneakers throughout the years have always been light blue.

... that's all for now. i'm also big on morning rituals (i hate, hate, hate making decisions in the morning), but those would be rather long to list here. actually, the one thing that comes to mind typing all this up is a wild desire to break free of some of these rules.

hmm... maybe i'll try a black pen tomorrow.

------------------
... not just a city in egypt.

ARJ, since you mentally proofread everything you read and I spell so poorly I just wanted to appolagize. Its a dyslexic thing for me. It looks right but its not.

At dinner I spin my plate from left to right when I eat one item at a time.

I tuck my left hand under my knee when I read a post.

Even in the dead of winter I sleep with a window open and I WILL NOT sleep with my head pointed toward a door.

When I'm talking to a gal and I do a subconcious "Clevage check" on them I invariably cross my arms immediatly afterward. (Did that tonight)

Acording to co-workers my "confused" face is the exact same one as my "almost furious" face.

For years I've tried to "pop" or shave off an odd colored indentation on my face that nobody else has ever noticed.

I sniff toenail clippings.

quote:

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Originally posted by Doc Holliday:
I sniff toenail clippings.

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i'm not entirely sure it's the sort of thing i really want to know, but i do feel compelled to ask: why?

I loath contractions in writing and I go out of my way to avoid them. Including re-writing a whole phrase or sentence to make sure that none are used. It is just something that I have picked up over the years (It has to do with the BattleTech books and the Clans).

The other writing quirks I have is that I find it virtually impossible to write profanity, yet I quite often use it in spoken language.
Spelling is one I try to be exact on. Quite often I find myself opening up a word processor to check with its dictionary to make sure that what I have just written in a post is spelt correctly.
(I just did it again to check 'correctly' )

I always fold my clothes in my gym bag, sometimes even the ones I've just used. My towel is always folded just so, and the soles of my running shoes are always toward the wet side of the bag. The wet end is always the same as well.

I tend to eat things one at a time. If it's a burger and fries, I will eat the fries first.

When surfing the web, I almost always open a page in a new window. I read these forums from the bottom of the page to the top, so I read the After Y2K...Comments on the Comic forum last, but I just follow that link in the same window.

A couple habits I've managed to break:

At buffets, I no longer feel compelled to finish everything on the plate. I quit filling the second plate to capacity, because I still hate to waste resources (a lot more effort went into preparing the food than washing another plate).

Other quirks: I'm terribly absent minded, particularly in the morning. If I have to make a decision before caffeine is absorbed, look out below.

I'm quite good at setting something aside and forgetting it. Usually takes me a minute or two to find my glasses in the morning or when I get up from the computer. Oh yeah, my desk is always a mess. AFAIK, I'm not really comfortable until it is....

quote:

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Originally posted by alexandria:
the new york times crossword is done every morning, whether i have time to read the actual paper or not. it's always done in ink...

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Oh, and I also shake my carbonated drinks when I drink them, cause I don't like them as carbonated as they come. A lil flatness is good.

When I order fast food, I take the vegetables out of the burger and eat them seperately; and I always eat the fries first.

When eating soup or stew, I need to have bread or biscuits of some sort to soak up the broth. I really HATE soups that are almost all broth; I mean how the hell am I supposed to eat them, use up a whole loaf of bread?

Here are some others:

I constantly check my watch, and get antsy if I have to go a while without checking the time.

I never put on my peace-sign pendant until I've left the house.

I tap my teeth when thinking.

I'm constantly running fingers through my hair, fixing my beard, adjusting my glasses, and playing with my keys.

quote:

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Originally posted by Eponine:
Oh, and I also shake my carbonated drinks when I drink them, cause I don't like them as carbonated as they come. A lil flatness is good.

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i do the same thing. it's also the reason i drink soda at room temperature, without ice; it seems flatter when it's a bit warm.

An invariant of my morning ritual since time immemorial has been to take a cup of coffee and a newspaper (or something else to read) to the bathroom to enjoy while I sit on the throne. (Sorry if that was more than you wanted to know.) I didn't think that was odd till I got married, and my wife was astounded by it. (Now she does the same thing.) (Oh, and even if I've finished the business at hand, I may still stay seated till I've finished reading the comics. Now I guess that's odd.)

Doing a crossword puzzle with a pen is not odd, and has nothing to do with self-confidence. Pencil just doesn't show up clearly. (You can't erase pencil from a newspaper anyway--it gunks up both the paper and the eraser.)

My newest odd quirk: checking out the ARJcam daily.

I keep using the "business only - don't waste bandwidth" email distribution lists at work to make wise cracks. They haven't fired me yet.

You wear a watch? I haven't in years. (On the other hand, I have been known to boot up the computer just to find out what time it is.)

When I say, "Confucius said such-and-such," I'm not making a lame joke, I'm really quoting Confucius.

quote:

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Originally posted by octothorp:
so that I read it back in a zigzag pattern, and I'm not as likely to lose my place.

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wait... so does this mean you can read backwards writing as well as you can read normal (forwards) writing? that's so cool. do you write the letters themselves backwards (i.e., like mirror writing), or just in reverse order?

quote:

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Originally posted by alexandria:
wait... so does this mean you can read backwards writing as well as you can read normal (forwards) writing? that's so cool. do you write the letters themselves backwards (i.e., like mirror writing), or just in reverse order?

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Yeah, it's entirely backwards (mirror writing), though I should clarify that I print rather than write. Reading it isn't that difficult, and most people who are left-handed seem to have a propensity for reading like this (something to do with the way we southpaws are wired--we're statistically more likely to be dislexic, too). It's not so hard to write except for a handful of letters like 'b' and 'd' which I mix up all the time. (Just trying it now, writing backwards (as opposed to printing) isn't that difficult either.) I can also write upside down, and upside down and backwards, but those require too much concentration to use on a practical basis.

#

quote:

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Originally posted by octothorp:
Yeah, it's entirely backwards (mirror writing), though I should clarify that I print rather than write. Reading it isn't that difficult, and most people who are left-handed seem to have a propensity for reading like this (something to do with the way we southpaws are wired--we're statistically more likely to be dislexic, too). It's not so hard to write except for a handful of letters like 'b' and 'd' which I mix up all the time. (Just trying it now, writing backwards (as opposed to printing) isn't that difficult either.) I can also write upside down, and upside down and backwards, but those require too much concentration to use on a practical basis.
#

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We're the only ones in out right minds...

I can back up the d/b thing as well.

-Vel

P.S. I should also mention my fascination with the ARJCam but most everyone already knows about that.

I tend to forget to shave, which can be awkward when you can grow a full beard in 2 days. I always look like I've been on an Arctic expedition for 6 months.

Also, I like writing in the Margins. I write my own notes and thoughts on anything that I'm allowed to when reading or taking notes for class. I don't do it to my own books though, but will keep a composition pad for thoughts.

I have my own non-linear pattern for taking notes too. I can't stand the linearness and "maximizing graphite per area space" on paper for my notes anymore. I cannot stand it. I now use a composition/stationary pad which does not use spiral ring or have the pages go right to left when done. The pages turn from bottom to top and then behind itself.
It is designed to flow on direction, but can flip through much faster than a left-right horizontal configuration. I like this vertical configuration, and using one side of the paper (graphite tends to smear without some preservative anyways). Oh that's enough about writing style.

quote:

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Originally posted by Drasca:
I write my own notes and thoughts on anything that I'm allowed to when reading or taking notes for class. I don't do it to my own books though, but will keep a composition pad for thoughts.

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this reminds me: if i like a book, i write all over it. in the margins, i mean... and i use different colored pens for reading and rereading. if the book's even halfway decent it'll provoke thoughts and rants and tangents, and i like to note them down so that upon rereadings i can see the differences in how i interact with the book.

one of my friends is absolutely horrified by this; he won't so much as bend the corner of a page as a placemark, but, rather, is the only person i know who actually purchases and uses bookmarks. books are meant to become worn and weathered-- it means they've been loved, and that the reader actually engaged with them on a meaningful level.

or so i like to think, anyway.

there are downsides to this, though: before i lend someone a book, i always have to check and see how much i've written in it and when. it can be somewhat embarassing to have someone read the thoughts you had a decade prior.

related to this is my propensity to purchase multiple copies of books i love and distribute them amongst friends and/or anyone i feel might benefit. i suppose this is my (atheistic) version of that religious group that leaves bibles in all hotel rooms. i first did this in sixth grade, with robert pirsig's zen and the art of motorcycle maintenace. i've been regressing a little, so the giveaway book of the moment is the butter battle book by dr. seuss. you'd be surprised how many people haven't read it, and with the newly elected fratboy-in-chief's delusions of an effective missile defense shield, the book's anti-militaristic message is particularly important. it's one of those books i feel should be required reading for all heads of state... and i think even shrub's up to its reading level.

(okay, anti-bush rant thus concluded. got a little carried away there... )

------------------
... not just a city in egypt.

quote:

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Originally posted by octothorp:
Oh, one I forgot: When I'm taking notes by hand, I usually write the first line in the traditional left-to-right way, and then reverse my hadwriting and write the second line right-to-left, and then continue to alternate, so that I read it back in a zigzag pattern, and I'm not as likely to lose my place.

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By the way, the word for that style of writing is "boustrophedon" -- honest. There are -- or at least there have been -- writing systems for which that is the norm.