Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Kirk Quirks...

Seems like Jen Mac tagged me to name six quirks about myself, and since this is the Year of Yes, here goes.

1. I like to say fake words.
I even have a list of them here at work!

Hungy: Hungry
Chippos: Chips (sometimes Hippos)
Hee-pohs: Hippos
Reeh-noh: Rhino
Yar: Yes
Exarctly: Exactly
Suxor: Sucks
Fug: F*ck
Wawa: Water
Frifri: Friday

Astute readers will recognize several Simpsons references. I don't know why I do it, maybe because I'm seven years old, but I do find it pleasurable to say these things.


2. I have difficulty sleeping without a fan (or other white noise).
When I was a kid, the air conditioning in my bedroom didn't work (it still doesn't, as far as I know). The Florida heat made this unlivable, so my parents bought me a fan. And over the years, I've become very reliant on that white noise.

If it isn't a fan, it's the humming of an air conditioner, but I find it very, very, very hard to fall asleep in a silent room. I don't see how people can do it.


3. I'm susceptible to static shocks.
I wish this wasn't true, but I'm ALWAYS getting shocked by something stupid. In the past, it's been my car. Here at work, sometimes it's my keyboard or mouse, usually the door to the elevators.

I often have to smack my hand on the door handle, because I feel I'm less likely to get a shock if I smack it suddenly, rather than reach out with my fingers. Sometimes I'll use the back of my hand, because I think that it's not as sensitive to electricity.

People have said this borderlines on compulsive behavior, and maybe it is, but it's necessary. I wish I could stop doing it... but then I'd get shocked.


4. I'm obsessed with the Haunted Mansion.
Not the movie (ugh, don't get me started on the movie), but the ride. It's one of the most frequently recurring locations in my dreams - I dreamed about it last night, in fact, so it's weighing heavily on my mind at the moment.

As a little kid, I was scared of the ride... or maybe I was only scared of it because my parents thought I would be afraid of the ride. I had read the old Haunted Mansion book & record (shown below), and the idea of a suit of armor that attacked you and a Hatbox Ghost terrified me. Of course, neither of these things exist on the actual ride - the suit of armor barely moves, and the Hatbox Ghost never made the final cut.


When I finally rode it, I was nervous... and that nervousness still remains with me to this day. Ridiculous, right? I keep expecting something bad to happen. But that's part of the fun, I guess. And I like the way the ride builds... at first it's empty, then isolated sightings, then a buttload of ghosts (buttload is a word I use, but I think it's pretty common, so it didn't make the list from Quirk #1).

I shouldn't start writing about the ride because I'll never stop.

But I dream about the Haunted Mansion all the time.


5. I have a hard time peeling bananas.
I just never really learned as a kid, I guess. I can do it if I have a knife or scissors to help me out, but just getting it going with the little stem at the end... it's hard!

Hand-in-hand with this quirk, whenever I peel a banana, I feel very proud of myself.


6. Bonus!
I'll be honest, I thought I only had to do five quirks. So I didn't come up with a sixth. Instead, here's a video of the newest Cakey! The Cake From Outer Space episode...



PS: I tag YOU, the reader, to list six quirks of your own and link back to it via comments. I'd be more specific as to who I'd tag, but I don't know 1) who reads this blog and 2) who would actually do it, other than maybe Heather.

Don't say no, say Year of Yes. Do it up!

Also, if you're lazy like me, you can list only five quirks and then embed the Cakey video for your sixth. That is acceptable.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I do not intend to post this in my own blog, because while I love filling out memes, I rarely share them with anyone else. For you, I'll halfway do it.

1. I like filling out forms of all kinds. As a kid, I'd fill out the reply cards in magazines, the little visitor cards in the pews at church, etc. This has not stopped. I LOVE TALKING ABOUT MYSELF, even if it's mundane stuff like my address. As a kid, I always picked "Ms." As an adult, I always pick "Miss." Figure that one out.

2. When I walk and listen to music on my Zen, I almost always have to walk in time to the music. Even if it's a little too slow or a little too fast, I will modulate my pace to match. This can be used to my advantage when I'm late, as I can put on a speedy track and get some extra hustle in my bustle. As a result, though, I go NUTS at crosswalks or when slow people jam up my ability to keep the rhythm.

3. I am COMPLETELY fine with changing clothes/showering/etc. in front of people (friends and strangers alike) and will halfway-strip in public (like changing clothes on a soccer field or riding the subway without pants), but I am extremely uncomfortable with the idea of wearing a swim suit in public. I have owned a bikini for a year now and it has never seen the light of day, partially for this reason.

4. I hate to let questions go unanswered. If someone muses about something in my presence and we can't figure out the answer, I will sometimes make notes in my notebook so I can look it up later. I will look things up days or even weeks later because having an unanswered question gnaws at me. This has driven at least one boyfriend batty, but I think it's an admirable trait.

5. In junior high, I subscribed to Martha Stewart Weddings and went so far as to have a wedding binder with everything picked out -- clothing for me (and the groom), bridesmaid dresses, Honeymoon, china and silver, rings, etc. Important note: I didn't date until I was in college.

6. Piggybacking off your banana one, I suck at peeling oranges. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that I ever ate an orange that wasn't just cut up into wedges (and then, I'd just suck on them to get out the juice and throw away the rind and flattened-out pulp). I usually use a knife to help get the peel going, and then I spend an excessively long time picking off as much pith as possible. I hate the stringy things.