A few days ago, while I was in the middle of my struggle with Accelerated Learning, Overlyconscious tagged me with a set of questions concerning weird habits. At the time, I was too involved with my marathon classroom sessions to muse on the forms of my own eccentricity. But now that I've completed my time in the classroom, played some rugby, and taken a couple days off strenuous thinking, I feel up to the challenge (though OC's weird habits, at least from my standpoint, seem untouchable).
Five of my Weird Habits
- I've started talking/chirping to our canary, Cricket. But it's not a one-sided conversation, ok? He does talk back.
- When I'm reading a book that has earned the highly-desirable right of annotation, my check marks have to be in pencil, and they need to look precise. If the check mark ends up blurry, or too fat, I erase and get it right.
- Did you know there are mathematics involved in drinking coffee? I've coined a name for one particular theorem, the "Half-and-half to Pure Coffee Ratio" (or HHPCR for short). As would be expected, this particular law regulates how much half-and-half can be added to coffee before it ceases to be coffee. It would take too much time for me to draw and explain the various diagrams and equations involved; but I adhere to the HHPCR relentlessly.
- After I write something, almost anything, I shake my head wistfully. This gesture expresses my disappointment over the shortcomings of the written work, that it has turned out like this, in contrast to what it should have been like. It also reminds me that everything I've said in the preceding paragraphs has almost certainly been said, previously and better, by someone else. In theory, this is a helpful way to keep ridiculous authorial pride in check.
- Think basketball. After I cut to the hoop for a crafty lay-up or hit the outside shot that serves as that game-ending dagger in the heart, I yell something that sounds sort of like "Ha-HAA!" (Sorry, I can't really reproduce the nuanced enunciation here.) As I think about it, I'm not convinced this is especially weird. Unless it's weird to think that basketball is one of the food groups? Surely not.
It's customary to tag a few more people to participate in these things. As usual, you're under no obligation. But, in honor of their supreme eccentricity, I nominate:
Brood Mode at Thought Safari
Camille at 327 Market
John B. at BlogMeridian
Paula at Ultrablog
Tim at Infinite Regression
UPDATE!
Because Paula has already completed this assignment, I'm adding two more call-outs (don't ask for the precise logic):
Andy at A Mile from the Beach
Belinda at Ninja Poodles
More substantial posts are one the way.
Peace, I'm out.
13 comments:
Already done!
http://paulalight.blogspot.com/2005/12/five-on-weird-side.html
And I don't think it's at all weird to chirp at the canary cuz I mrrow at my cats.
I like the HHPCR. There does seem to be a ratio, I would suppose that the math involves some Calculus (i.e., the limit of coffee as posited by cup size as it approaches half or something like that.) Good stuff.
But what are your free throw rituals? Much like fingerprints, they serve to identify the shooter, because they are different for everyone.
Cheers.
I do #2 and #4 relentlessly too. About the annotation thing, I often wind up rubbing a bit of the ink off my pages with my eraser, because I am so concerned with getting underlines, etc. perfectly straight!
I forgot to mention I'm obsessed with numbers, for example oh, let's see: 89 - 86. Or zero for two from the line to win outright in regulation.
I must ponder this some more.
Cheers. :)
Very perceptive, OC, to note that there's Calculus involved in the HHPCR. You may be close to discovering this golden mean yourself.
Meanwhile, Paula and J are discrediting my "weird" habits. I already feel less eccentric.
Darn you, R. Sherman.
;)
I think you have the wrong approach. I spent 25 years with my mind blank--though sometimes reading--with wonderful results.
Nietzsche said to contemplate a big subject, get in and get out, like taking a bath, which like his masturbations were brief, I think.
A contrary opinion from another eccentric.
I also *never* shake my head after I've written something, as I know that though it may have misspellings, grammatical errors and be badly expressed, it is nevertheless perfect because *I* wrote it.
Rob
In terms of 'wonderful results,' the rubber has to meet the road somewhere; in Nietzsche's case, the dénouement of his life leaves something to be desired.
Likewise, if I'm going to read, I'd just as soon learn something valuable at the same time.
Writing is similar. 'Perfection' in writing doesn't allow for my learning anything else in the next several decades, which would be a sad fate, to say the least.
Close but still very far as my Calculus is as rusty as my Latin (that means really bad). And, if the HHPCR actually relates to the Golden Mean Itself, then I am forced to return to Euclid. This makes me scared, and very, very sad. I spent far too many hours brooding over goemetrical claims in hopes of never seeing them again. Alas, good coffee maybe so close...
Okay Ariel...I'm in. My odd eccentric stuff is up.
Although I consider myself fairly normal. ;-)
I've done mine, and tagged some others who if comply may prove most fascinating.
My list can be found here. Warning: it is soporific.
OK, for you, I completed the task. Could've gone on quite a bit, too. Your coffee thing is a bit like my Coca-Cola:ice cube ratio. No one, and I mean NO ONE, can prepare for me a Coke on ice properly, except myself. Then one forceful tap on the table to bring up the excess bubbles, and then NO shaking of the glass whatsoever is allowed after that. Why is this so hard to understand? ;-)
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