What is your "quirk"...what makes you different that others might not understand?

[hiaasenrocks]

I'm kind of a loner. I love to read and write, and I enjoy my "me time" for those reasons. There are times when I feel like I want some human interaction, and at those times I simply find something to do.

Other people have told me such things as, "You need to get out more," or "Why don't you (here's where they say something they like to do)?"

Well, I do get out (when I want to) and I do things that I like to do. Isn't that how we all live our lives? What is it with people who think that their way is THE way?

Having recognized that I have my own way of living has opened my eyes to diversity. People like what they like, like whom they like, etc. And it's nobody's business but theirs. This subject spans everything from preference of ice cream flavor to selection of life partners. It has no bounds.

I guess this all boils down to the notion that we have a set amount of time here, and we don't know what it is, so why not do what makes us happy while we're here? As long as it doesn't impede upon the happiness and freedom of others, of course.

I just don't get it.

[LibraLiz1973]

1. I HATE the telephone

I love to talk to people face to face.
I like email.
I like IM's.

When I was a teen, I loved the phone.
Now, I feel shackled by it!

[MysticalChicken]

6. So do I

I'd much, much rather email or text-message someone than actually call them. I never know if it's a "bad time" or not. With email they can check it on their own time.

[The Straight Story]

2. It seems to be a natural inclination to want to make people do what think they should

Especially when it is family.

"How can you be happy doing X all the time, there is more to life than that, you should do X/Y/Z"

One of these days I am gonna go off on some people :)

And the old saying (as you noted) "You need to get out more"

Shit. I am 41. Traveled across country many times, lived in more places I can recall, been married, divorced, married again (happily I might add) and I just want to F'ing sit back for a while and chill until I get bored of it - cause life has been a fast coaster from hell for about 20 years and I chose to get off that damn ride and sit my ass tight for a spell.

Should I get out more? I dunno, but I think I am the judge of that :)

Good rant by you btw!

[hiaasenrocks]

13. Sounds like you have the right idea.

With all of those experiences that you listed, it's amazing that people conveniently forget all those things and judge your life only on what you happen to be doing at this point.

And it's funny -- they're telling you how to live your life when they are spending their time telling you what to do! Ha ha. Irony.

[JTG of the PRB]

3. I suppose I have a couple "quirks..."

I enjoy my alone time when I can get it - sometimes I'd rather hang out at home doing next to nothing than going out with friends. I like having some "me" time, especially if I've had a rough day at work - which are becoming all too frequent.

I like watching cartoons - I'm watching SpongeBob as I write this.

There are times when I can be loud and outspoken, but more often than not I'm quiet and i tend to listen and take in as much as I can about people.

I have issues with the phone. I'm not terribly fond of calling people, or answering calls of people I don't know. For some reason, I prefer IMs or e-mail over talking on the phone. It's become a little easier now that I have to answer the phone at times for me job, AND because I now have a cell phone, but still.

I'm working on a comic series entitled "Adventures of the Giant Head" starring Bill O'Reilly and his adventures in the No Spin Zone with all his No Spin Zone friends as he meets his greatest foe, Kieth Olbermann.

Okay, that's not really a personality quirk - it's just quirky. It's a good series though!

[hiaasenrocks]

17. Good luck w/the cartoon!

Creative endeavors are honorable and worth every minute of your time.

[JTG of the PRB]

26. Thanks!

It's not actually published anywhere except Facebook. There's also a story, dialogue, and a plot to go along with it. I'd say it distracts me from all other worldly worries and responsibilities fairly well.

[Deja Q]

4. Asperger's Syndrome

Though I do believe in proper hygiene, not all Aspies do... :)

[idgiehkt]

9. same here

typical misunderstandings of things. For instance I just typed a long thought out reply to someone here and at the end realized that they were using a figure of speech and speaking metaphorically and I had interpreted it at face value, which made me feel like an idiot. Don't hav the proper facial expression on a lot of the time, or right tone of voice, lots of things fly over my head, etc, etc.

:hi:

[lost-in-nj]

10. I have seen this posted alot here

can you link me to something that will ezplain it???

:hug: :hi: :hi:

lost

listening to
Puff the Magic Dragon!!!

[Deja Q]

16. Okey dokey - two links

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6768512

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome



:)

:hi:

[hiaasenrocks]

32. I just finished reading up on it.

Thanks for educating me. I had no idea what it was.

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. I've got three cheeks

[MysticalChicken]

7. Exactly.

That's how I am too.

[JackBeck]

8. I watch C-SPAN and baseball.

Not that both can't be unequivocally enjoyed by the same person at any given point in time, but as a gay man, many of my gay male friends don't understand my love of baseball, while NO ONE, gay or straight, understands why I'm fascinated watching Congress on C-SPAN.

[hiaasenrocks]

14. I watch C-SPAN, but very little baseball.

As I've gotten older, my interest in sports has diminished somewhat. I'm still into college football, but that's about it.

Just curious...what's the reasoning behind your gay male friends wondering why you like baseball? If you don't mind me asking.

[JackBeck]

23. If I were to take a guess

it would have to be them holding onto old, outdated community mores.

I used to joke with people that after I came out, I went back into the closet as a sports fan, since gay men aren't "supposed" to like sports. But then when the Mets and Yankees were playing in the World Series years ago, and I played it on the TV at the bar I was tending, and saw how many boys were hanging out watching the game, I came out of the closet as a sports fan. :rofl:

The guys who questioned me tended to be more old-school queer. But anyone looking at the LGBT community nowadays can clearly see how diverse it has become. And that includes sports enthusiasts.

:thumbsup:

[fizzgig]

11. it really isn't a quirk but other people don't understand

i have a very small appetite. i eat when i'm hungry and stop when i'm full. i usually do so only twice a day and it doesn't take much to fill me up (an entre from a restaurant is usually enough for three meals for me).

i get so damn sick of hearing that i don't eat enough. i'm not exactly wasting away here, folks. not by a long shot. if i'm not hungry, i'm not going to eat. nor am i going to continue to eat when i'm full.

i hope that, at some point, people will realize i do know how to feed myself :eyes:

[hiaasenrocks]

18. Well, we have something in common! Sort of...

I eat when I'm hungry, regardless of the socially mandated schedule of breakfast, lunch and dinner times.

You know, I think it's an American thing -- eating, eating, eating everything in front of you. We're animals, and animals eat when they need to, not when they're supposed to.

[fizzgig]

20. my eating has no set schedule

true, there are certain times of day that i get hungry, but they are not at normally designated eating times

[lost-in-nj]

12. I don't drive on major highways.....

to afraid...
I was in a horrible accident, I was not driving but it
taught me that other people don't give a shit....


:hi:


lost

[hiaasenrocks]

19. I don't like to drive at all.

I do, because I have to, but I don't go far. I have anxiety/panic disorder. I take medication which allows me to live a somewhat "normal" life, but I don't go far. (And this has a little to do with the main subject in my OP.)

[SPKrazy]

22. just be careful lost...

:hug:

:hi:

[applegrove]

15. I hear with my eyes and am not good at one on one conversation

unless I'm with and active listener. Then I really let loose and am funny. Means I need to spend alot of time alone to relax and be myself instead of working so hard to hear.

[SPKrazy]

21. I have trouble acting normal when I'm nervous...

seriously that line from a song describes me to at least a lower case t

anxiety and panic have been problems I've struggled with for some time and it is very hard to deal with. I'm feeling rather anxious right now and can't explain it away to anything in particular.

I haven't had a panic attack in a long time

When i was a teenager i had nervous tics and my parents made fun of me for having them. I think I still get them sometimes but I hide them.

[mzteris]

39. pfffffffft - "normal" is highly over-rated.

Besides, just who is "normal" anyway? And who decided what was "normal" and what wasn't?

I think you act just fine, SPK - better than fine, actually.

:loveya:

[SPKrazy]

52. aww thanks mzteris

:hug:

:loveya: too

[NewWaveChick1981]

24. Here goes....

I enjoy spending time by myself. I don't mind eating in restaurants by myself or going to movies alone. My husband simply does not understand that, even though I've tried to explain it many times over the years.

I'm a very independent person. It's not that I don't need other people---I'm just not a "needy" person. I make my own decisions and expect other people to make their own decisions too. That doesn't happen as often as it should, but there's always hope. :P

I have an offbeat sense of humor, and only a few people around me "get" it. :P

I also have.....uh......certain "needs" on a very regular basis. :evilgrin: Few people anywhere would completely understand the magnitude of these "needs"---but I've met at least one person who does. ;)

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

25. No real quirk- I'm just better than everybody else.

But I AM extremely modest about it. :shrug:

[cobalt1999]

27. I'm a loner who is never alone.

Give me some books and solitary confinement would be a breeze for me. Somehow in real life though, I have the family, tons of friends always over, and many get togethers. :shrug: You'd never guess I'm a loner.

[Ava]

28. the fact that i am so outspoken

and the fact that i've never been into small town politics and popularity. i've never tried to fit in, but rather i've just stayed true to myself and my own personal quirkiness of being outspoken and nonchalant to the silly teen drama going on around me.

it's gained me friends and foes, but hell - i don't care as long as I'm happy. ;) :hi:

[Skittles]

29. I am with you hiaasenrocks

I don't feel the need for much human interaction at all. I am alone much of the time but I never feel lonely.

[Wapsie B]

30. I'm a very independent person

who enjoys my alone time a great deal. The times I've felt lonely have been when I'm by myself in a crowd, rarely if ever when at my place in my peaceful solitude. I project this image of being aloof and standoffish. But that's not at all what I'm feeling inside. I've not had a job where I truly felt I was in my right place in the world. I've not had a relationship where all my needs for companionship and other things :evilgrin: were met on a regular basis. I like being alone but I hate this feeling of never being anything but alone. If that makes any sense.

[flying rabbit]

50. The times I've felt lonely have been when I'm by myself in a crowd

Yep, I can relate to that.:hi:

[Wapsie B]

51. Hello to you too!

:hi:

[hiaasenrocks]

31. I thought of another one. I MUST have a fan going while I sleep.

If there's no fan going in the room, I have an extremely hard time falling asleep.

Sometimes I fall asleep to the TV, too, but it's not as important as the "white noise" of the fan.

[Seashell Eyes]

40. me too

I need either white noise or silence in order to sleep. It wasn't so fun living in the dorms.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

33. Mine's a lot like yours.

[Writer]

34. That my baggage may make me react to social situations a little different than you'd expect.

[hiaasenrocks]

35. Hence the writing, I'm guessing.

It's great therapy, isn't it?

[Writer]

37. I keep a lengthy electronic journal.

It's now two years and fifty-five pages long. My previous was three years and one hundred and fifty pages long.



I'll never forget an encounter thirteen years ago as I worked a summer job as a food checker at a grocery store in North Dallas.

A woman came through my line who looked at me and said, "I can tell you've had a good life. I can see it in your eyes."

Taken aback, I said, "But you don't even know me!"

She fidgeted with her purse. "Well I've had many conversations with friends about difficulties in our past," she said, "and I've always topped them!"

I decided not to duel her on bad childhood memories. "Ah," I said, and continued sliding food across the scanner.

[elshiva]

36. I drink pickle juice.

[femmocrat]

38. I don't like crowds.

I never go to places that are crowded, like movies, festivals, or sporting events. I hate walking into a crowded room where everyone is talking to other people. I always feel like a wallflower, and I'm not good at joining in. I also hate pretending to be interested in whatever it is they are talking about.

Strange quirk for someone who enjoys the Lounge, now that I think about it!

I also have a terrible fear of heights, but that is a phobia, not a quirk.

[u4ic]

41. My concept of time is different than most people's

to put it diplomatically.

I've always had problems with time, and gauging it. If I'm late, it isn't a power trip, or rudeness - I really can't judge it very well, yet I also don't deal with schedules well, either. I think I've tried to compensate by being a 'crammer'.

Also, I have a terrible memory. When people ask me questions, it often feels like I'm diving into a black abyss, trying to retrieve something that I'm not sure is even there. I think I can sometimes come across as being a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but it has nothing to do with intelligence.

[Oeditpus Rex]

42. What kinda sammiches?

:9

[u4ic]

45. Bologna, of course!

That's why I could never be a politician. :7

[Oeditpus Rex]

47. If they were turkey 'n' swiss

you could dive into a dijon mustard abyss. :9









I made a rhyme.

[u4ic]

48. .

[Oeditpus Rex]

49. MINE!

I SO stole that smilie!

[HEyHEY]

43. I have OCD - when I'm off my meds, I'm chalked full of quirky goodness

Everything from balancing things that don't need to be balanced to counting over and over to refusing to eat club sandwiches that don't come cut in quarters.

[mzteris]

44. everything -

just everything. (don't know whether to :rofl: or :cry: )

I can sometimes pass for not-too-quirky. Lots of training by a strict mom as to how to behave/act. But it's hard to do. I have to either really work at it, or sometimes - if I'm "not thinking" about it at all and just reacting (auto-pilot) - I might get it right.

I have a very logical way of looking at things. Only it seems "my logic" doesn't necessarily make much sense to other people and - in fact - it seems to frequently annoy them! It's not a straight-line type of logic, more of a quantum leap logic. (Not A-B-C, but more like J-74-roses-pi-block-C-fish) Disparate bits and pieces of information that, when manipulated and looked at (at just the right angle), give you a ta-da! Only I'm standing there ta-da-ing and everyone else is looking at me like I'm crazy. So now I frequently just murmur tada in my head and just keep my mouth shut.

hmmm - I have to look at things six ways from Sunday and extrapolate (nearly) all potentialities. Can't do all because they are infinite possibilities, n'est pas? It makes for - um - untimely decision-making sometimes, but usally a pretty good one. Though as I seldom am allowed to fully review everything as I'm wont, I frequently "just pick one" to alleviate the anxiety of others who are waiting for me to DECIDE DAMMIT! Or else I say - "oh it doesn't matter" - you pick. (But it DOES matter, doesn't it?)


Guess that's enough for now. lol


Oh - and I heartily dislike mayonnaise, milk, and vanilla ice cream. (I used to hate sour cream and cream cheese, too, but I got over those.)

[Pushed To The Left]

46. Everything about me is odd!

I'm 34 and I still live at home due to economic reasons, which makes me an awful person according to some people. Hours of talk radio are dedicated to viciously bashing people like me.

I'm a Democrat in Orange County, but that's becoming more common!

I have an addiction to broken rubber bands.

I'm still a huge fan of pro-wrestling, even though I sometimes enjoy the behind-the-scenes wrestling radio shows more than the actual wrestling! I also enjoy mixed martial arts (like UFC) and train in MMA and submission grappling.

I exercise by doing isometrics and bodyweight exercises, which is considered odd by some people. It seems to work really well for grappling strength. One person I grappled with asked if I was a powerlifter, so it must be working.

I call cats "dawgs" when I pet them, which is a habit I inherited from my dad.

when I eat a meal, I eat one food at a time. I'm not the only one, but I think it's rare.

I am also a hardcore introvert, and enjoy being by myself a lot of the time.

[Lyric]

53. If I'm in a loving relationship with someone, I really don't need

very much social contact beyond that. A little yes, but I *enjoy* being wrapped up in someone else, and having them wrapped up in me. ThinkBlue1966 and I are like that. We rarely see other people socially. Pretty much all of our "outside the relationship" social interaction is done online. And we're fine with that. :)

[SarahB]

54. I am extremely professional, calm, and collected in my worklife.

I can handle the most stressful of situations (death, someone in the middle of losing their baby, i.e. the tough stuff in life) as a nurse with empathy, a sense of calm, and ability to pay attention to necessary details. In my private life though, I'm far more spontaneous, unplanned, and have a pretty depraved sense of humor.

My husband says that everyone who knows me a little would see me as the quintessential "nice girl", but people who know me well know there's a lot more to that. :evilgrin:

[GenDem]

55. I'm known for being quirky

and don't know how to be anything different.

I'm sure that some would call me an air head -- not bubble headed type, just not your cookie cutter human being -- but my friends and most of my relatives accept my eccentricities.

I like the way you put it all in context. "Live and let live" is one of my favorite sayings.

Happy reading, writing, and "me" time to you!

[Karenina]

56. I play the oboe.

[sakabatou]

57. I have ADEM