Tag

I have been tagged by cjblue. I am to list five peculiarities, quirks, or odd habits I have.
Just five? Are you kidding?

1. I clean when I am stressed. This does not mean I am a clean person by nature, according to my sister, I was something of a packrat as a child (I've gotten better since having to move every other year in grad school). But even then, I didn't like to have visible clutter around me, so it was confined to drawers, underbed areas, and closets. The stress induced cleaning is a very strong and enduring habit. Cjblue had to intervene the night before my wedding. I had gone to wash up for bed and I just couldn't help myself. I started cleaning the bathroom. I was cleaning the faucet of the sink when she knocked on the door. "Are you in there cleaning?" she asked amid the giggles and hoots of laughter of friends and family staying at my apartment that night.

2. I can wiggle my nose. Not in a cute Bewitched way (which is back and forth) but in a strange rabbitty up and down way. I discovered this once when my siblings were busy flaring their nostrils at each other. I can't flare my nostrils, not on command at least, it seems.

3. I can't look straight up without getting really dizzy. The last time I tried this, I was attempting to read the over the counter menu at a local coffee shop. I almost fell over. It was embarassing.

4. I pronounce the word "bathroom" strangely. It is the only truly noticable hold over from my native accent. I pronounce the first vowel as if it were the vowel in the word "cot". It's not even really a Boston-ism, as it turns out my father, sister, and brother do not say it this way. My mother, however, does. She is from rural Medway MA, which is practically Rhode Island. Or Connecticut. But it sure isn't Boston.

5. If I am out somewhere and loud frat boy like men settle near me, I am immediately unable to concentrate on anything else. This usually happens at restaurants, although I think that is just because you're sort of stuck where you're seated through the remainder of the meal. Their grunted conversations distract me to the point where I can't pay attention to the conversation immediately around me. I also get really annoyed.

Now that I've listed just a small sample of my quirks, I am supposed to ask "five bloggers to reveal 5 weird habits or peculiarities about themselves". Yeah, well I don't know five bloggers unless I can tag cjblue again and some of her friends. So um...here's the best I can do: Burning Fingers, Kate of Catbird Journal (who is taking a break from blogging but who maybe can get to this when she comes back), Rhiannon, and uh if I think of anyone else I can possibly tag I'll do it.