Strange Habits

Who has a strange habit(s)? You know, that little thing you do, that is solely yours.

When I stop by the bar after work, I always order a draft beer. And I always have the bartender put a few cherries in my beer. The cherries don’t change the taste of the beer, nor does the beer change the taste of the cherries. I don’t know why or when I started this habit, but everyone at the bar knows the beer with the cherries belongs to me.

Does anyone else have any strange habits? (that they are not ashamed to mention here)

I play rhythms on my fingers with my other hand, and tap my teeth to songs.

Bull, is that you?

Whenever I eat a sandwhich that’s been wrapped in tin foil or wax paper, I fold all four sides of the paper forming a square before I take the first bite.

When I eat a “Joe Louis” I first take three bites evenly spaced apart, so that it looks like the Bat Signal.

The Great Santini I am.

I put mayonnaise on corn on the cob instead of butter. Everyone in my family of origin has done that.

Funny thing, this internet. I grew up in Beaufort, SC, where that was filmed. I was in 8th grade at the time, and I was friends with Pat Conroy’s younger brother, Tom, who later committed suicide. Know the family. “Met” Gweneth Paltrow as she was there with her mom. My dad was also a jarhead, as was I.

I’m constantly making expanding chiasmic rhythms with my toes, teeth (side to side), fingers, eyes, etc.

Chiasmus: a b b a

Expanded:

a b b a
b a a b
b a a b
a b b a

And then you can expand it even farther, taking the quatrain above as a unit, and so on ad infinitum, of course. I’ve been doing this as long as I can remember. I recall several specific instances of doing it in kindergarten (25 years ago).

Inquiring minds (well me, anyway) want to know, what is a “Joe Louis”?

I drum my fingers of my right hand very quickly (it becomes a light rumble, no seperate hitting noises) in this pattern:

Thumb, pointer, middle, pointer, thumb

tpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpttpmpt.

It bothers the hell out of everyone.

I tend to repeat points that I want to drive home. I tend to repeat points that I want to drive home.

It’s from the same toxic junk food family as “Twinkies.”

It’s white Twinkie-like frosting between two thin chocolate cake layers all in a very thin chocolate coating. About 4-5" in diameter and 1/2" thick. (Not a recommeded food, really.)

Being a black, round disk, if you take three bites evenly spaced around it, it looks like the Bat Signal.

When I approach an automatic door, I subtly wave my fingers in a Jedi way pretending I use the force to open the door.

I don’t tend to use my ring and pinky fingers for much. When I’m grabbing things, I usually use only the thumb, forefinger and middle. I wave like that, too, with only the first two fingers. I don’t know why. I always feel a little ridiculous, too, once I’ve waved at someone and I realise that I didn’t use all my fingers.

As a pre-breakfast, I have eaten two Pop-Tarts every day for the last 20 years of my life.

Blueberry, NOT frosted.

I have no idea why I do this.

And of course, I eat the “crust” off all 4 sides first…

Hey! I got to ring the bells in the belltower of the Cathederal in St. David in Wales. They have ten bells and they do a pattern that’s something like that, I think. Anyway, if you’re in Britain, stop by St. David on the Pembroke Coast. Evidently it’s about the only place in the world where strangers are allowed to ring real cathederal bells.

My habit remains a secret.

I bang my thumb ring on things. I didn’t even realize it until I lost the ring, and…no noise! I had to get another ring to wear so I wouldn’t be so messed up.

I also sit on the floor in front of my locker and throw my lunch into the little cubby at the top. I almost always make it.

I throw things in the air and spin them around and catch them. I almost always catch them, anyway.

Spinning. Started with pens. Moved on to the remote, silverware. Now everything that’s larger one one side is a potential spin subject. Cell phone, watch, wallet, tennis shoes, anything that happens to be on my hands. Most people are amazed, then annoyed by it. I can’t help myself.

I eat hamburgers in a spiral. I can’t stand to eat the middle until the edges are gone. I started this sometime in high school, for what I’m sure was a very good reason.

I “blow” the doors open. It’s my Super Power- door opening breath.

Do you have a big hat and live in Rome? It just sounds a bit Pope-ish.
-Rue.