Do Quirky Habits Shape Our Friendships?

[Ivan Seeking]

What are your quirks?

I have a buddy who likes to play "gotcha". Any time we talk or correspond through email, he likes to start by taking some kind of shot [all in good fun]. I have noticed that when I get an email like this and I respond with a better gotcha, the phone rings in about thirty seconds! And it's not like he has anything to say. He just says something completely benign with no reference to the email. I don't think he even realizes what's happening; it is more like a reflex.

As for personal quirks, I don't know how common this is, but I like to brush my teeth in the shower.

I refuse to fold underwear. There is no reason for it.

I am constantly drinking coffee. When I was younger, I would even take a coffee cup to bed.

I make tacos so frequently that I could probably pass a time and motion efficiency test.

 

[Evo]

I make up songs all of the time and will break into dance any time. The evo child and my animals know not to pay any attention.

I like dim light and quite. I like to read at night. I am not a morning person. I don't like loud music. I like to be cold rather than warm, I keep the temperature at or below 65F in the winter.

 

[lisab]

Don't know where to start...

My coworkers laugh at me because I can talk about very goofy stuff and then, all of a sudden, switch to really scientific stuff in the same sentence. They say they can tell if I'm being a goof or a scientist because I look different as I speak. Not sure what they're talking about...but I bet that's not considered quirky in this crowd.

I'm a total morining person, usually awake before 4:00. I daydream about being on boats or in the water. Watching snow fall makes me incredibly sleepy. I am inordinately fond of steel-toed boots :!). I like flossing. Lima beans are like food of the Gods to me.

When I was a child my favorite meal was liver and spinach. Swimming at night is like heaven to me.

I'd do more but it's my bed time...

 

[Danger]

I have a buddy who likes to play "gotcha". Any time we talk or correspond through email, he likes to start by taking some kind of shot [all in good fun].

I like to think that you and I have the same relationship.

personal quirks, I don't know how common this is, but I like to brush my teeth in the shower.

What's a shower?

I refuse to fold underwear. There is no reason for it.

I refuse to wear underwear. There is no reason for it.

I am constantly drinking coffee. When I was younger, I would even take a coffee cup to bed.

I am constantly drinking beer. When I was younger, this occassionaly caused me to take an ugly woman to bed.

I make tacos so frequently that I could probably pass a time and motion efficiency test.

I eat tacos so frequently that I could probably pass more gas than the Alaska pipeline.

 

[JasonRox]

Those are barely called quirks. Sounds more like personal preferences.

For me, a quirk is that I always needs to know what kind of car is driving by, is behind me, in front of me. I need to know the brand and everything. I keep an eye on everything! Every little detail.

I remember driving on the highway, and there was a marathon on the other side, and again, I need to know what's going on. I spotted someone that looked familiar. Details on this person was walking, and held themself. I thought... I know who that is. I went to ask one of the profs. in the department, which I never had a class with, and I asked she was at the marathon, and she said "Yes." I got it bang on.

Note: It's not important to know the brands of cars while driving obviously, but it's my quick that I just HAVE to know.

It's not a personal preference to know because I really don't care. For some reason, I have to know.

 

[Santa1]

I constantly do divisibility tests on number signs on cars that are on the road when I am.

The funny thing being, I'm really bad at doing calculations in my head.

 

[Borek]

I constantly do divisibility tests on number signs on cars that are on the road when I am.

I am only checking if they are divisible by 3.

But I have to count everything. Windows, letters in the sign, floors, rods in the grill, books on the shelf, syllables in the word, you name it, I count it. Especially when driving it can be dangerous.

A friend of mine have to read everything backwards.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I read. I always have a book with me, at least in my car if not on my person. If I don't have a book and I'm bored I'll read signs or labels or what ever there is to read. After being released from jail for my DUI I had to wait hours for someone to come get me. I picked up and read an information pamphlet from the jail for the loved ones of persons who are jailed that outlined the rules for visitation, writing letters, and what have you. There were actually a couple interesting things I learned reading that.

 

[neu]

SOmeone I know doesn't eat tomatos, but he'll have ketchup. Nutter

 

[BobG]

I tend to live in an alternate universe that runs about 30 seconds behind this one. (Sometimes even longer )

Somebody says something in a conversation and I just kind of drop out of the conversation and think about it awhile. Suddenly I reply to what they said even though the topic has moved on to something completely different.

People that know me can see it coming. For awhile my coworkers would see my expression and say, "Uh oh, he's looping on level 16, again." (a reference to the software levels on the satellites we controlled)

I also tend to notice spelling errors and have a hard time not pointing them out. But, I'm almost improving at that.

And I roll my underwear. They fit in suitcases and backpacks better that way.

 

[quantumdude]

I close the bathroom door even when no one else is home. Sometimes I even lock it.

 

[alxm]

SOmeone I know doesn't eat tomatos, but he'll have ketchup. Nutter

I'm a bit like that. I eat tomatoes but I don't like them that much in their natural state. I just don't like the consistency.

 

[OAQfirst]

When I was a child my favorite meal was liver and spinach.

How is that possible?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I like saying "Daljit Dhaliwal". Don't know why.

When my brother was a kid, he refused to eat ice cream for years. He simply refused to try it! When he finally did it was a real DUH moment.

 

[lisab]

How is that possible?

Dunno. The texture of liver is pure heaven. I still think about it but I don't eat it, for health reasons.

But spinach...aaaaaaahhhhgggg...love me my spinach. Raw, cooked a little, cooked a lot...mmmm. And Brussels sprouts. And lima beans.

Yeah, I even like tofu.

 

[DaveC426913]

I constantly do divisibility tests on number signs on cars that are on the road when I am.

What is a "number sign on a car"? Do you mean a license plate?

But I have to count everything. Windows, letters in the sign, floors, rods in the grill, books on the shelf, syllables in the word, you name it, I count it.

That's pretty much textbook OCD.

 

[DaveC426913]

I cannot eat out of a metal bowl with a metal spoon. Swiss chalet serves their ice cream in metal bowls and I have to ask them to change it.

Just writing about now is giving me a nails-on-blackboard feeling.

 

[misgfool]

Throwing a coin in the air, continuously. There is elegance in randomness.

 

[DaveC426913]

Throwing a coin in the air, continuously. There is elegance in randomness.

This is only a quirky habit if you also wear a fedora and continually hum 'The minute you walked in the room (ba da da dum)...'

 

[Danger]

I like saying "Daljit Dhaliwal".

Gee, thanks... now that's going be be stuck in my head all night.

The texture of liver is pure heaven.

No kidding! A couple of slabs stuffed into a sock when the wife's away, and all is well.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Gee, thanks... now that's going be be stuck in my head all night.

My gift to you. Cyrus pointed out that Letterman likes the name too. I don't know why the name got stuck in my head, but I found it very interesting that Letterman actually made a point to mention it.

 

[Danger]

My gift to you.

Thank you too much.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'm a total morining person, usually awake before 4:00.

I am cursed as a night person. My theory is that my Finnish ancestry has me genetically programmed for the Finnish time zone.

Swimming at night is like heaven to me.

During my late teen years we lived in Northern California where, during the summer months, the midnight temp can easily be 80 degrees F. A few of my fondest memories are of nights at the lake during those years - when I was old enough to do everything that one is not supposed to do, and young enough to get away with it.

When I was a bit younger, at night we used to sneak down to an incredibly beautiful private beach in South Laguna, California. There is nothing like bodysurfing by moonlight. It was truly magical. It is pretty intense at times as once you catch the wave, you can't see where you're going or how the wave is breaking. But we knew the beach and the surf so well that we could anticipate things pretty well.

 

[Loren Booda]

I sometimes believe that, psychokinetically, others can hear my private thoughts or that others can impose thoughts on me.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I sometimes believe that, psychokinetically, others can hear my private thoughts or that others can impose thoughts on me.

I knew that you were going to say that.

You will send Ivan money. You will send Ivan money. You will send Ivan money.

 

[[Quadratic]]

As for personal quirks, I don't know how common this is, but I like to brush my teeth in the shower.

I do this a lot. I have a friend that shaves in the shower, and I think that is completely nuts!

I pace a lot, and I'm also an insomniac. I am regularly outside at 3 or 4 AM, pacing up and down my driveway while I think and smoke. Cop cars used to slow down when they'd pass, but they're used to me now. My neighbors think I'm crazy. I suppose I am

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I am cursed as a night person. My theory is that my Finnish ancestry has me genetically programmed for the Finnish time zone.



During my late teen years we lived in Northern California where, during the summer months, the midnight temp can easily be 80 degrees F. A few of my fondest memories are of nights at the lake during those years - when I was old enough to do everything that one is not supposed to do, and young enough to get away with it.

When I was a bit younger, at night we used to sneak down to an incredibly beautiful private beach in South Laguna, California. There is nothing like bodysurfing by moonlight. It was truly magical. It is pretty intense at times as once you catch the wave, you can't see where you're going or how the wave is breaking. But we knew the beach and the surf so well that we could anticipate things pretty well.

I'm a night person too. And I'm glad that I live in a place like California where there are places open late at night or I would go nuts! My nocturnal preference seems to be biological, or at least my body has become programmed for it. I tend to have a really hard time getting out of bed early in the morning and will often even feel ill whether I've had plenty of sleep or not. If I eat early I definitely feel ill. I also don't like the sun. It hurts my eyes and my skin (I'm not albino by the way) and makes me feel sleepy and lazy. At night I have a very hard time getting to sleep unless I am very tired. I always feel invigorated by cool darkness compared to the way a sunny day makes me feel. I'm pretty sure I'm not a vampire. :-/

 

[S_Happens]

But I have to count everything. Windows, letters in the sign, floors, rods in the grill, books on the shelf, syllables in the word, you name it, I count it. Especially when driving it can be dangerous.

I don't HAVE to count everything, but unless it's problematic such as while driving or impeding something else important, I usually do. As a child I had a thing for the number 4. I'd try to do things in fours, and usually 4 sets of 4s, such as touching each one of my finger tips with my thumbs and repeating that four times. I started forcing myself to defer from this behavior and I'm glad I did, because looking back it seems to have been the beginnings of OCD (but I wonder what cool ways it would have manifested).

I HATE it when digial microwave displays are left on the timer instead of the clock and even at work where we have four together, if one is left on a timer I have to clear it.

I eat my meals by saving the best parts for last. If it's a sandwich or burger, then the middle is last. If it's say meat and vegetables or such, I'll always save the meat for last. Although you can't save fast food fries for last because then they'd be cold

I don't care where things are placed (meaning there's no set location for anything initially), but if I'm drinking something and it leaves a precipitation ring (or depression in a napkin) then I'll try to put it back exactly where it was. This was more prominent as a kid. Back then, but not now I would try to drink from the same part of the glass as well.

C'mon people, there's got to be some good quirks here.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I like to think that you and I have the same relationship.

I'm sorry, what is it you do around here again; are you the butler?

 

[moose]

As for personal quirks, I don't know how common this is, but I like to brush my teeth in the shower.

I also do that.

I can't think of any quirks right now, but I know I have some odd ones...

 

[Danger]

are you the butler?

I'll have you know, sir, that I haven't butled since my teen years, and even then not for the likes of you. I'm merely pretending to be your butler in furtherance of my attempt to begin an affair with your wife. That would, after all, cut down on the cost of liver.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

I tried hard to think of quirks, and I really couldn't come up with very much. There are some foods I don't like, like mushrooms and cheese, but everybody has foods they don't like. The only real quirk I have is this:

I usually refuse to enter nice round numbers on a microwave. I'll heat something for 0:23, 1:47, 2:12, etc., but never 1:30 or 2:00. I guess my thought process is that any recommended heating time is approximate anyway, so I insist on only entering "approximate numbers". I'm not usually very discriminate as to exactly which buttons I press, and occasionally I'll enter a multiple of 5 by mistake.

 

[Borek]

As a child I had a thing for the number 4. I'd try to do things in fours, and usually 4 sets of 4s, such as touching each one of my finger tips with my thumbs and repeating that four times.

Why am I not surprised?

My Dad spend almost a year in US at Dumbarton Oaks back in early seventies. Any chances we are half brothers?

 

[S_Happens]

Why am I not surprised?

My Dad spend almost a year in US at Dumbarton Oaks back in early seventies. Any chances we are half brothers?

Not unless he made a return trip in 1983.

I thought of another one too. I like to go up stairs two steps at a time. My quirk is how I take my last step up the stairs. I prefer to end the stairs with the very top being one that I would use when skipping steps (I know what I mean, but it seems hard to phrase correctly). So if there are an odd number of steps I use the very first one and then begin skipping steps (1,3,5...top). It's not bad enough that I count the steps before going up them, so the odd number stair thing only applies to stairs I frequent.

I just assume every set of stairs to be even until proven odd.

 

[Danger]

I also tend to count steps on a stairway, but it's just a habit from home which resulted from me not bothering to put lights on.