On Friday I was at a going away pub-party for a professor who is moving to Germany, and for some reason I started remembering some things I liked when I was a kid, but as of late paid no attention to (not surprisingly). I know everyone is quirky, but I seldom even notice my own quirks, I usually only find out about them when other people point them out to me. Like how I can’t sit still – which I am now very aware of, but didn’t notice at all until my friend told me in 3rd year and I confirmed the fact with many other friends shortly thereafter. My office mate told me that I sometimes click my tongue when I’m thinking.
What made me think of this is that at the pub the nachos came out with some moist towelettes. I used to collect them when I was really little and dry them out and fold them back together exactly as they were folded in the package. I put them in my little teapot and pretended they were tea bags, I think I liked the lemony smell. And then I realized today that I love to use of all the ink in pens. I have several pens in my pencil case, but I almost always use the same one b/c I want it to be completely used before I go onto the next one. I’m also like this with paper. I have several different kinds of lined paper in my binder. You can tell they’re different b/c some says Hilroy and some doesn’t, some have thicker, blurry lines, some have greeny rather than bluey lines, and some is more see-through than other. They all come from different packages. I have an idea of which paper is better and which is worse, and I always try to use the worse paper and save the good paper. Not like it makes a big difference. I’m the same way with candy. If I have a package of Smarties I’ll save the green and blue ones (not the red ones) till the end b/c they’re the colour I like the most, and I always eat my favourite candies last. Like the red and white gummy bears come last, and the bananas and strawberries in a box of Runts.
I also really like colouring things in, especially with gel pens where the ink flows out in a very satisfying manner. When doodling in class (when I’m not drawing different geometric patterns) I’ll often draw plains squares or block letters just to colour them in. My mom sometimes buys me these paint things that you can make window decorations with and I love just drawing outlines and then filling them in. I know they’re for 5 year olds, but it doesn’t matter.
A few other things. When taking notes in class I always take out at least 2 (and sometimes 3, but not more) sheets of paper and write on the outside of my binder. One piece is not thick enough and makes the writing look scratchy. 4 pieces is too thick and squishy to write on.
I also have a mild fear of getting stuck. Some people might call it claustrophobia, but that’s not what it is, I’m fine with small spaces as long as I know I can get out. But if I’m in an elevator and a bunch of people get on after me and I get stuck at the back of the elevator, I get nervous that I won’t be able to get out at my floor b/c there’s too many people to weave through. Same thing with the subway or the bus and trying to get out at my stop, it stresses me out. I also get nervous if I’m somewhere, out with people, or at someone’s house and I feel like I will not be able to make my way home whenever I want to, or that I won’t have a ride and I’ll be stuck there. I similarly don’t like getting stuck in social situations, like someone comes and talks to me and I quickly find out that I’d really like an escape plan from such a person but I have no way of getting away without a serious social faux pas. I just don’t like getting stuck.
I get nervous in new situations when I don’t have really specific directions/instructions. If you tell me, “Meet me at such a place at approximately such a time,” and I get there and figure out that the place is bigger or more complicated than anticipated, I will probably start to worry that we won’t find each other b/c we’ll be waiting in two different places. Or when people tell you how to get somewhere, but they give directions using landmarks instead of street names and exact addresses. I hate landmark instructions, b/c if you get lost you can’t be like, “Do you know where the McDonald’s with the big oak tree out front is? There’s a produce store next to it? I need to turn left there.” Its better if I can ask the exact street and address b/c its much more universal. I know people think girls do better with descriptive instructions, but I am not one of those girls.
Anyway, you knew I was quirky and weird already.
