Tuesday, January 03, 2006

quirkiness? oddities?

We all have 'em. . unique traits, foibles, penchants, tendencies, propensities -- they're interesting, they're hilarious, they're borderline?! I kinda like observing them in myself and in others. . it amuses me, I like it, it makes me laugh sometimes, other times makes me wonder how they got there. I couldn't figure out tonight what i felt like talking about. . i'm kinda sick about talking about sickness and hivey rashes. . which i'm still having a bit of trouble with!! *rolling my eyes with impatience* Maybe its this chair? This is the second time I sat here to blog and started with itching on the back of my legs! Good Lord, maybe I'm allergic to the computer chair!! I just went into the bathroom to haul down my pants again. .geez, that sounds bad!!! *just checking my legs for MORE stupid hives! * and yeah, there are some there now that weren't declaring themselves this morning! D'OH!!! Make it stop!!!! I verbalized my disgust and dismay to my faithful, fellow sickie Robbie. . and he just said "Take a Benadryl". . BAH!! I feel like an antihistamine junkie!! I can hear the strains of Jefferson Airplanes' "Go Ask Alice". . . 'one pill makes you smaller, and one pill makes you tall. . '

So, yeah, like I said. . I'm sick of sick. . and itchy skin and winter and grey skies . . so. . back to the quirks! I feel like making a list. . since my other blogpatriots (the blog version of compatriots) are listing stuff. . .. here goes mine. . and i just might mention some of my dear family's little flakies!!! *okay, so I will. . hee hee!*

* I can do 'double' sneezes. . in which i seem to do 2 sneezes within 1 sneeze. . i can't explain it. *I have this bizarre habit of uttering a word, a phrase, whatever and immediately after, the
very same thing will be said on a tv commercial, or by a television host, or on the car radio,
or some entirely random source - which simultaneous amazes my family and weirds
them/us out! * I hate the sound of people eating with their mouths open. . and this is to a point that I think its like a mental pathology than a quirk. . It makes me almost furious and if its bad i have to plug my ears or leave the area. If i can't do either. . i suffer and fight the urge to tell the
person, or to close their mouth with my fingers. This originated from sleepovers at Pammy Packer's house, whose mother, Georgina, scared and scarred me by screaming at my little friend. . "DON'T EAT WITH YOUR MOUTH OPEN, YOU SOUND LIKE A PIG AT THE TROUGH!!!!" I was so afraid of that woman. . . I literally shook when i had to eat at her table. To this day I'm the master of closed-mouth eating!!! *I have to smell things all the time! I smell the dishwasher tablets. . often repeatedly. I smell the Downy and the Purex soap. . i smell the laundered clothes, sometimes repeatedly!!! I always feel fabulous when I smell good smells. I have to smell every product in the store before i'll buy it! It takes a while to shop! * I have to have notebooks and pens everywhere i might be in the house in case something cool needs to be written down. *I hate it when the sheets or blankets are not straight - can't sleep if they're all askew. . . *When I shower, I always wash my stomach first, without fail.

Here's just a few family quirks:

*My daughter, Lindsay constantly leaves things behind, especially her purse! She's been
like this since kindergarten: in the middle of winter she would come out of school without
her boots and not know where she had put them. . or her back pack, or her mittens. Remember "Forgetful Jones" from Sesame Street? They modeled that character after her!
* My grandson, James quotes Spongebob dialogue verbatim, with accompanying physical
movements of the characters. *My granddaughter, Eri always wants me to hold her up to the food cupboards and show her all the foods contained within! *My daughter, Kalyn has 2 favourite words: 1. Obviously. 2. Clearly. She also has a tendency to add extra vowels to words: "No" becomes "NO-AH!" This becomes more pronounced when she's riled up.
* My husband, Rob likes to eat the same things all the time because then he knows what
he's getting. BORING!!! He also must have long, 3-hour soaks in a hot bathtub every
Friday night!! During said baths he reads magazines and newspapers, which slide into the
water and get all puffed up to like 10 times their original size upon drying overnight! We can
always tell next morning whether he's fallen asleep! *My mother in law has a habit of tying her wickedly L O N G purse straps around the shopping cart handle in a complex series of twists and loops that would rival a Chinese puzzle. . AND. . . whomever is taking her to the grocery store, hears these words EVERY BLESSED TIME!!!: "See how I tie my purse straps, so that nobody can take my purse?" This gets HILARIOUS among those of us in the family who escort her every week, to the point where my family members will say to me: "I'll bet you a chocolate chip banana cake that she's gonna say that again." Originally I was stupid enough to take the bet. . . cuz i'm not usually the one who takes her. .and i thought "oh, come on! she doesn't say that every time?" yes, they were taking advantage of my ignorance and I didn't know what kinda of rigged bet i was making!! But after owing a couple of cakes to my family, i got wise to their shenanigans!! We all just know she's gonna say it. . and we LAUGH!!! just not in front of Mom!!!

All righty then!!! Now its your turn. I wanna hear all about your little 'things'. . .that is if you feel like sharing?! *which I hope you do!!! * I bet between us all we could come up with a book's worth of oddities and sillies!!! Or maybe something to post in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatric Medicine?!!! Nah. . i think everyone has their froot loopiness!! harmless fun at each others' expense?!!!! *wink!*

17 comments:

kathryn said...

My apologies for that bizarre format problems!!! I tried to correct them - to no avail - so it looks weird, but then again its a weird post, so it even seems apropos!!!

Tee/Tracy said...

LOL - I also LOVE quirks. It endears people to me that much more.

We have some in common. I also smell things and HATE chewing sounds. If I'm PMS it's a million times worse and I've come so close to reaching out and smacking the chewing mouth. LOL.

I have a nephew that does SpongeBob a lot. Weirdos.

The TV thing has happend to me a few times - but I wouldn't say often. Don't you feel magic when that happens? LOL.

LMAO about your MIL. Someone could still unzip it and reach in and steal the wallet. I try to keep mine on my shoulder. If I get tired of that I put one of the kids in charge of guarding it in the cart. LOL.

supersimbo said...

mmmmmm, heres a few
My soon to be brother in law always boils the kettle twice when he is making tea, he doesnt trust the first one!!
My dad has a compulsive desire to switch off lights..........i will step out my room for 2 secs and bam hes in to switch the light out!!!
i like things to be at right angles.......its a bit strange but true...........

kathryn said...

Tee! You're so right. . quirks are endearing sometimes! yep. . i feel magic when that tv/radio thing happens! it happens a LOT, so i also feel weird!

ooh, the lip smacking. .i was gonna say that i feel like i must keep my hands from going up to their throats!! but that makes me sound homicidal!!! Not that I would. . of course not! but the thought gets in my head!!!

of course, someone could unzip my MIL's purse! oh well. . she wants to do it that way. . I put my purse on the bottom of the cart and pile the food on top of it.

Ally! those are good ones, man! double boiling the kettle?! Sometimes Rob double boils the kettle - if he doesn't get it right away and it sits. .he reboils it cuz he says he likes it at the peak of hotness! your dad and the lights. . he sounds like me!!!! LOL! what sorts of things must be at right angles? just curious!!

supersimbo said...

like cd cases and stuff on my desk or sometimes my shoes

kathryn said...

you wouldn't like to see my desk then!! its all willy nilly.

emmsy said...

actually gotta agree with ally, i really have to have my desk tidy. One of my 'quirks' is my CDs... I have a big CD storage tower, and I HATE it when people flick through it and then leave CDs in the wrong place... its not in any particular order, but I know where everything is! Then next time I go looking for a CD i cant find it because someone has moved it! argh!

kathryn said...

yeah, we all have our 'things', eh? I tend to feel anxious and strange if details don't get taken care of, or if things are too unorganized. . i don't feel better until the details are ironed out.

kathryn said...

this is Lindsay-my stupid bank stopped authorizing my internet payments so my service is suspended at the moment. I should have it back by tomorrow, though! I hate bad grammar, like when people say things like 'more better'. I know someone who actually says'more gooder' quite frequently, and it makes me want to throttle said person every time! I hate crumbs or stains on the floor, therefore I sweep about 10 times a day. I hate the feel of wet fingers touching each other(and wet toes), I hate the squeaking noise/feeling that you get when eating cucumber rinds, green beans and apple peels - green beans are so bad for this that I refuse to eat them anymore just because of the squeaking! I hate soup slurping, coffee rings left on the kitchen counter, people splashing water all over the kitchen counter, and various other things involving the kitchen counter! I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now.

kathryn said...

heh heh. . good ones, Linds!!! as you know, i too cringe inwardly when bad grammar is used. . GAH!!! i'm not too aware of food 'squeaking' when i eat it?! but you with your 'squeaking' and your sister with apples feeling 'gritty'?! part of your charm, eh?!

emmsy said...

Ha! I have a friend who really hates bad grammer, but me, I havent a clue about english, so i make it up as i go along! I'm sooo a maths person.

kathryn said...

smart girl, Emma! I've never been a fan of math. . i make that up as i go along!! LOL.

Jenn said...

kathryn,

Just came across your blog through Tee's Spilt Milk. That is hilarious about your MIL. I keep a short strap, underarm purse so I always know where it is..and I don't leave it behind. Hubby calls it my pit purse. lol!

I am now in school finishing my Medical Transcription classes. My sister in law and bro in law used to do transcription and my MIL is now full-time. Do you like the work?

kathryn said...

hey 'bee'!!! I've seen your comments on Tee's blog! Nice of you to stop by. I'll have to do the same on yours!!!

So, you have a pit purse, eh?!! heh heh. . love it!!! that certainly won't be stolen!

As for the medical transcription -- good for you for pursuing this career. Working for a busy hospital is ever challenging. . i've been doing this job for oh, 25 years now. Its been such a great job to have when i was raising my family. . i was part time when the kids were small. . went full time once they got into their late teens. i could use a change. . but you know i learn something (many things) new every day. . medical technology is always advancing. Its a bit tedious staring at the computer for hours on end, but as long as you take your breaks (which you NEED) you're fine! All the best to you in your endeavours!

kathryn said...

ah, math! blech. . i know enough to get by. .

wow. . i think you should wear a company back pack!!! heh heh. .

I hate hairs on any surface. . including my wet skin! and that scraping sound of plastic against styro. . eewww!! I remember TCBY well and the bottom of the cup sound.

emmsy said...

heehee... you know, im going to do mathematics and computer science at university in october! oh so much fun!! sad thing is, i'm not joking! Im really gonna love it! oh well... someone has to!

kathryn said...

bless your cotton socks, Emma! yes, somebody does have to love that stuff! heh heh. . You're a smart cookie. . I bet you'll love uni!