Weird Habits

Thanks again to the foma master for giving me something to write about. Yellojkt, I guess I should apply for membership to your SAO-15. [uh-oh, Achenblog in-joke]

I am not really a big "habit" person. I like to do things differently every time. Of course, I don't succeed, but if I notice I've done something the same way a few times I will make a conscious effort to change it. My next-desk-neighbor at work is just the opposite. She eats exactly the same food for lunch every day, at exactly the same time. She does her weekly shopping, cleans her house, puts gas in her car, calls her mother, and so on, the same way every time. I tell her I'm going to lunch at a different time every day to convince her I'm a Wild and Crazy Gal. You know me, I say, I'm crazy, you never know what I'll do! Lunch at 11:45, at 12:10, at 12:17--whew, I really live life on the wild side.

So I don't know if I have five weird habits. But I know I have one, so we'll start there.

1. When my daughter was a baby, I never gave her a pacifier or a bottle without putting in my mouth first, to "clean" it. When she got older and started drinking out of cups, I continued the practice by taking a sip out of her drink before I gave it to her. She complains, but I still do it, and she's 18 now. I think it's a healthy practice, that I'm giving her antibodies. She has enjoyed good health all her life, so I feel vindicated.

2. Whenever I pass by a house, I imagine what it would be like to live there. What would the world look like from that porch? How big are the bedrooms? Would I change the landscaping? I'm kind of obsessive about it. It's a remnant of the days when I believed home ownership was forever out of reach for me, but now I do own a house, so the fantasizing is less poignant.

3. A habit I had when I was in college: I used to go to movies all the time, and I would always watch the movie through twice. Sometimes I would go to a multiscreen theater, watch one movie twice and then go to another screen and watch another movie twice. Harvard Square Theater used to have "A Different Double Feature Every Day"--I think it cost $1.00. I went there a lot, and I always watched both features, sometimes I watched both features twice. Now, I don't have time to do it anymore, but on the rare occasions that I am home alone on a weekend, I have been known to get three or four movies and watch them straight through.

4. When I punch out at work, the time clock says, "Beep, beep." And I always say, "Beep, beep." in reply, whether or not there is anybody nearby to hear me.

5. I like to eat my dinner one food at a time. Last night I ate all my fish, then all my potato and then all my green beans.