# Things that are essentially you. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582 "2003-02-12T15:46:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/21 "2003-02-12T23:35:20Z")
Piles of paper and assorted folders/notebooks/binders assorted according to my whim with random ideas, writings and quotes strewn throughout. Casual clothes that you can run around in or just relax. Messy hair that doesn’t need high maintenence. Just wash and go. No makeup, except lipbalm. Books piled around in various stages of being read. A hugely messy computer desk that gets straightened once in a blue moon, only to instantly accumulate a new mess. Unmade bed. Plants in various stages of life and death. Can sleep almost anywhere in the oddest positions, much like a cat. Same with finding the warm spots and staying there. Especially when sharing a bed with someone else. I _always_ end up snuggled close to absorb body heat. ---
**Author:** ![petcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@petcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/petcat)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/22 "2003-02-12T23:50:10Z")
Guitars Hiking boots Computers Long Hair Did I mention guitars? ---
**Author:** ![maralinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@maralinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maralinn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/23 "2003-02-12T23:51:48Z")
Chapstick (gotta be Burt’s Beeswax) wearing athletic socks and fluffy slippers (both) whenever in the house, all year round often fleeting enthusiasms that border on obsession an interest in art deco/streamlined/depression moderne design having dogs or cats or both a very narrow “comfort range,” temperature-wise, and a general dislike of air conditioning pervading laziness and lack of ambition Casual, inexpensive clothes and little or no make-up Rarely wearing a belt or a watch Rarely knowing what the date is; in fact, a poor memory for anything involving numbers (prices, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/24 "2003-02-13T03:31:46Z")
Telling people, “Well, you _know_, if you’d just…” when they’re bitching about something that was their fault to begin with. Purple shoes (I own three pairs!) Interesting socks and tights. I don’t even own any white socks. Cleaning my glasses constantly. Reading everything I can get my hands on. Wearing light jackets. I have three jean jackets and a silk jacket, and I love them all. Having an instant rapport with all cats. I have never met a cat I didn’t like, and vice versa. I always must be wearing the following: my glasses, earrings in all four of my ear piercings (if one earring breaks/gets lost/whatever, they all have to go), my watch on my left wrist, a bracelet of some description on my right wrist, a necklace of some sort, a little silver ring with a quartz crystal in it on my left middle finger, and a big silver ring with six amythests in it on my right thumb. The necklace, glasses, and bracelet get taken off when I sleep, and put on again the the morning. Not dyeing the blue streak in my hair until it’s an awful faded color. Never wearing any makeup. Wearing a black sweater/shirt over whatever I’m currently wearing. Sitting on the hot air vent in the kitchen while I eat my breakfast. Listening to the radio on my headphones all the time. Having a deep love of beads, yarns, fabrics, especially if they’re a nice color and texture. And I love making things with them. Wearing the things I make. ---
**Author:** ![ghandi5569](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@ghandi5569](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ghandi5569)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/25 "2003-02-13T05:26:09Z")
\*iced tea \*having animals with weird names \*lilacs \*iced hazelnut cappuchinos \*wearing weird colors of nailpolish and not taking off the old polish before repainting my nails \*snugglerolls \*weird music \*Barbie doll hanging by a noose in the rearview mirror ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/26 "2003-02-13T07:46:36Z")
Obsessed with old-fashioned nautical stuff. (See also: attempting to read all of Patrick O’Brien’s books.) Afraid of strong winds. Correcting misspellings and erroneous punctuation on signs in public places. Correcting other people’s grammar and spelling. Riding an exercise bike. Doing yoga, balance ball and Pilates. Finding cool clothes on clearance, especially purple clothes. Coloring my hair every few months. Eating Thai food on a regular basis. All things **Trek**. Tim Burton movies. Enjoying my alone time. Quoting entire chunks of movie dialogue, in the appropriate accents. Dislike wind chimes. Amazing memory when it comes to addresses, emails and phone numbers. Big, noisy American cars. Saltwater taffy fiend. Keeping careful track of birthdays and anniversaries and preparing all cards ahead of time. Brown thumb when it comes to gardening. Vegas hotel/casino maven. San Diego addict. Root beer. ---
**Author:** ![lamafish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@lamafish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lamafish)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/27 "2003-02-13T11:44:24Z")
I fall down a lot ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/28 "2003-02-13T18:02:47Z")
Stuff that is “essentially me”: \*good coffee \*broadband, broadband, broadband \*spending hours with my computer \*irrational fears and trying to explain them rationally \*NO SOCKS IN BED \*Trek! \*books, books, and more books \*making fun of movies/TV/commercials \*my short attention span \*nervous talking \*spending hours talking about nothing to someone \*chamomile tea and fuzzy socks ---
**Author:** ![beegirl13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@beegirl13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beegirl13)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/29 "2003-02-13T21:26:24Z")
Love of animals, especially cats, llamas, and honeybees Music- from classical to Rob Zombie Long blond hair Turning EVERYTHING into a “your mom” joke Refusal to eat vegetables Compulsion to take landscape photos whenever possible Collages Dirty clothes on the floor Tendency to think anything remotely dangerous will cause my death- sometimes for real, sometimes jokingly That’s all I can think of for now, but there’s probably a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/30 "2003-02-13T21:38:30Z")
A list of me you ask? Sure, I’ll give it a shot: - Spending three hours to clean my room, only to have it utterly and completly messy the next day - Rootbeer and raspberry iced tea - Playing air guitar to any song playing if my hands aren’t occupied - Watch on the right hand (and I’m right handed, BTW) - Always taking said watch off when I’m at the computer - Making absurd, off-the-wall comments with little or no relevance to the current conversation - Being a cheese snob - Mooching, mooching, and yet more mooching ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/31 "2003-02-14T01:23:08Z")
Using old pre-electronic photographic equipment. Staying up til 2:00am to finish that damn book! Can carry on a consersation using nothing but song, movie, and Bible quotes. Knowing the names of stars and constellations when we’re all out at night. Pretending like I’m not paying attention, then repeating the last 5 minutes of our conversation in a fast, nasal toned, irritating way. Remembering the most obscure of facts learned years ago, but being unable (at the moment) to say your name. Dyslexia. In speech and writing. Perfect speller. Lies at the drop of a hat. Dropping hats. Injuries that no one else ever gets. Must have peppers with almost anything I eat for lunch or dinner. Sci-Fi nut. Esp Star Trek. Bad abbreviations. New GF every six months to two years. Surrealism in real life. Can’t resist lists. I had an English (Cockney, actually) friend with an Eodipus complex, or so I thought. Turns out, he just didn’t like cats. ---
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/32 "2003-02-14T04:14:15Z")
-must have water bottle in easy reach AT ALL TIMES -long hair -a secret language with SO consisting entirely of random allusions to Spalding Gray, Monty Python, Red Dwarf, HH Guide to the Galaxy, and various other geeky entertainments -Jane Austen -Doritos -wide feet -always aware of the worst case scenario -lack of ambition -bursts of song and dance ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/33 "2003-02-14T04:26:16Z")
Huh. Just from looking briefly over other people’s responses, there are a lot I could say “me too” to. But I’ll attempt to be original. If I mention something someone already did, it’s unintentional. Drinking beer and watching “That '70’s Show” Swing dancing, especially to local country-swing bands Aggressive downhill skiing Listening to music every waking minute of every day, except (possibly) while working, watching TV, or watching a movie. Big furry dogs (I love my Kirby-boy) Semi-gourmet (or semi-exotic) cooking (while still retaining a sincere appreciation for things like chili dogs and Frito pie) ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/34 "2003-02-14T07:40:07Z")
[Right here](http://www.shoestoboot.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=199&Category=105), damn near every day, except in the summer when it’s [these](http://sneakers.pair.com/jpg/chuck9h.jpg). Even with suits. Take off watch at the keyboard. Never leave home without it. Shave head. 2 to 3 times a week, but never two days straight. Flannel sheets. Oh yeah. Cheesits & peanuts. Quoting _Apocalypse Now, Scarface, Fight Club, and Office Space_. Calling my pit bull, Genghis “my boy”. Asking my friends if they’d like to meet my boy. Alternating between Extreme cleanliness in the kitchen & bathroom and disgusting filth there monthly. White socks [This jacket](http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/ikejack.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/35 "2003-02-14T13:44:25Z")
Second hand thrift store shopping. Purple ANYTHING. Walking every day of my life. My Andrew Lloyd Webber cast CD collection. I will buy any ALW cast CD anywhere, anytime, any place. I haunt ebay. I have a standing order with NYC’s Footlight Records to save me any ALW cast CD, and they call me when they get the good stuff. I have 15 of his shows in 17 languages. My Julian Lloyd Webber CD and book collection. I mean, ANYONE can collect Andrew. Who knows he has a brother who is a famous cellist? ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/36 "2003-02-14T13:45:09Z")
Me? what makes me ME? Long hair - worn loose Fat - No chairs with arms Chronic Hives - and take 6 antihistamines EVERY DAY Being semi-catatonic, everything is simplyfied… Good Perfume Simple makeup (powder, blush, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick) No shoes but Sneakers Jewelry - 4 rings, 4 earrings, 1 watch, 1 necklace, 1 charm bracelet Cell phone and Epi-pen with me at all times A Dress (preferably with pockets) Shower at night Carmex ---
**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/37 "2003-02-15T14:48:33Z")
Hrm… I’m not seeing anything jump out as something we all do yet… keep’em comin 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/38 "2003-02-15T21:52:47Z")
Classical music. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > My Julian Lloyd Webber CD and book collection. I mean, ANYONE can collect Andrew. Who knows he has a brother who is a famous cellist? Yogi Berra - “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/39 "2003-02-15T23:38:32Z")
I am Pragmatic, yet lazy, Motivated towards goals but apathetic, Loud at times yet quiet mostly. Love to travel yet never do. Enjoy the art of propaganda posters. My life is sometimes a contradiction. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582/40 "2003-02-16T01:10:45Z")
Needlessly complex cooking, which often requires a trip to Lowe’s. Diet Pepsi. CD-Rs. Phish on CD-R, in quanities that dwarf a lot of people’s entire CD collections. Obscure bands. Good beer. Playing cards, and books about doing things with them. Clothes on the floor. Stuff emblazoned with brand names for drugs. Drunken guitar playing. Clothes from L.L. Bean. Plastic Birkenstock clogs, with Birk sandals for the summertime and Doc Martens boots for more formal occasions. Hair that really should be cut. Never standing and talking when the patient is sitting. My necklace that contains the keys to the office and the call rooms, my pager, my nametag, and the Turkish “eye” good luck charm given to me by a patient’s daughter. (I call it my collar.) Three open web browsers. Quiet intensity. Curiosity. More moods than days in the week. Overreaction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-essentially-you/154582.md?page=3)