Quirks

I got quirks. Simple as that.

Here's some you probably knew about (and maybe some that you didn't):

• Hoosier accent: I break into a southern Indiana accent when I'm angry. I've always done this (even though I didn't grow up there) and I never knew why. Maybe it's the Bloomington that was always inside of me. And recently I have begun using the word "ain't" a lot. It's probably because my patients say "ain't" all the time.
• Handedness: I'm a southpaw. I always put my left sock/shoe on first. But I brush my teeth with my right hand. I throw left-handed, bat right-handed. I use right-handed scissors. When I fold my hands, my left thumb is always on top, but when I fold my arms, my right arm is always on top. I answer the phone with my left hand, but my hands-free device is always in my right ear.
• Eating habits: I eat dry cereal. But I'll always drink a glass of milk with it on the side. I just don't like the milk in my cereal. Sogs it up. Ick. I also like my pancakes/waffles with no syrup, just a little butter. Again, syrup is the sog factor. Ick.
• Clothing: My preferred outfit is comfy stuff - I am happiest in my Colts t-shirt and work-out shorts, topped off with a sports cap (probably my Colts hat). And I really like my old overalls. No one seems to get this. City people. Pssh.
• Hair: Short. Long. Curly. Straight. FRO. I've done 'em all. And I can't seem to keep one hairstyle for more than two years. The only thing I haven't done is dye my hair or get highlights of any sort. I like my natural hair color. And I like my hair up and out of my face - very rarely do I leave it down.
• Sports teams: I've always been a fan of Indiana Hoosier basketball, Michigan Wolverine football, the Detroit Pistons, and the Detroit Tigers. I really wasn't huge about the NFL (I mean, come on... I grew up with the Lions) until I become a Colts/Peyton Manning fan in 2004. (That was the season that Peyton had 49 TD passes.) And then I actually moved to Indy... and they won the Superbowl. My first time living in a GOOD football town! (Believe me, I had my share of poor football towns... the Lions, the Browns, the Redskins...) I don't watch that much hockey, but I root for the Red Wings if I do.
• Cleveland: Oh no, you're really gonna hate me now because I'm really gonna say it. I can't stand Cleveland. I don't miss it AT ALL. Never did I feel like I belonged in that city. While I loved Case, I did not love Cleveland. The place is depressing. The folks who work in the service sector (office people, fast food people, post office people, etc.) are rude and bureaucratic. And people will hate on you solely based on the fact you're from Michigan, even if you're not a UofM fan. (Believe me, you OSU fans do not get the same treatment in Michigan - we'll only hate on people who like Michigan State. Oh snap!) I usually refer to Cleveland as the "city that lets you down". They're always just one sandwich short of a picnic. Every single sporting event I went to in Cleveland, the Cleveland team (Indians, Cavs, Barons) started off ahead but eventually lost. EVERY FREAKIN' TIME. It's hard to root for a team that loses every game you attend. Of course they got better (but still not quite good enough to win the big ones) when I left. Maybe if I move even farther away they'll get even better. Haha!
• Driving habits: Those of you who know me well know I how I like to drive. We'll leave that one alone. :-D Since I do drive a lot for work, you'll usually find me listening to the radio or my CDs - and when I do listen to anything, 90% of the time it's music. (I don't do talk radio except for the occasional morning show... can't do books on tape either.) I think it's because by the time I'm done for the day I'm sick of hearing people talk. Oh, and it's great stress relief singing at the top of my lungs during the long drives home.
• Punctuation: You can tell my current mood from my punctuation. ! is for a statement, usually at the end of a joke. !! is for some real emphasis, be it positive or negative. !!! is rarely used, but when it is, it's for incredulousness. (Not a real word. Maybe incredulosity is better?) My eyes are usually buggin' out if I have to use !!!. ?? means disbelief (i.e., are you kidding me??). ?! is for exasperation (i.e., what's wrong with you?!).
• Blog: Apparently I use the phrase "don't get me wrong" A LOT. (I noticed this while going back through previous blog entries.) Why am I always trying to explain myself? Because too many of you people take what I say the wrong way!! So it's not me, it's you!! But don't get me wrong... :-D

So there - you finally have a shallow, light-hearted post. Can you dig it?