Six Weird Things

So I got tagged for this meme a while back by Mary over at No Polar Coordinates, and I'm just getting around to it now. Memes are supposed to be easy posts, sort of filler, mostly content-free, right? But, I struggled with this one. It should not have been difficult; many people consider me to be a little odd. I finally came up with six things. I hope they are weird enough for you.

1. I vastly prefer restaurant-style cola to that from a can or bottle. To soda connoisseurs everywhere, this is enormous blasphemy, because restaurant-style colas tend to be somewhat watery and flat, which might actually be what I like. By restaurant-style, I mean that the soda is on tap, served with ice and a straw, and preferably with rapid-fire free refills. I always handsomely reward wait staff who are mindful of such details.

2. I can only drink carbonated beverages while I am eating. Otherwise the carbonation freaks me out too much. Growing up, I wasn’t allowed much soda due to hyperactive tendencies, and never became accustomed to “the bees.” Bees were our in-family kiddie lingo for carbonation, apparently because Sis and I thought the bubbles stung. Somehow eating neutralizes the stinging action, don’t ask me how. This meme is for weird things, remember. They don’t have to make sense.

3. I think it is rude when people turn around in my driveway, especially when there is unshoveled snow on the ground. We are perhaps 8 houses away from intersections in either direction. Would it really be such an inconvenience to people to drive half a block and turn around in the public roadway? It’s not like they are major intersections with a lot of traffic. Snow that has been driven on is much harder to shovel. Some days we will get three or four cars turning around down there before we get the snow cleaned up. I suspect the neighbors. Grrr.

4. I got my bachelor’s degree before I got my drivers license. I did get a learner’s permit in high school, but I completely lacked the strong desire to drive that most teens have. We didn’t have extra cars or extra money, and I was totally unmotivated. My parents never really pushed the issue, and continued schlepping me around. In college, I could walk or bike anywhere I needed to go. I finally got the license when I got an out-of-state job that required it, and within the month bought my first car and drove off into the sunset. Figuratively, that is. I was really driving off into the sunrise.

5. I have only owned two cars in my life. My first car was a Geo Metro, with 3 cylinders and a manual transmission. I truly loved that little car. It was a hatchback, and I could fold down the back seat and put most everything I owned in there. I could do a u-turn on a dime, and parallel park anywhere. It didn’t have a lot of forward momentum on hills; even the modest Berkshires could reduce me to the truck lane, but what did I care? It got killer mileage. I drove that car for 9+ years, but I live in the Rust Belt, a term that has more than one meaning. It was the rust that did in my beloved Metro.

6. I seem to be predisposed towards the enjoyment of minorly compulsive behaviors and rituals. For example, I bought a bag of baby carrots to take in my lunches. Out of simple curiosity, I read all the label information, and discovered that a serving size is exactly 14 carrots. I wanted to know what 14 baby carrots looked like, so I counted them out, and have continued to do so every day since. It is absurd: I am not on diet, and a few extra carrots would be utterly harmless even if I was. Why am I still counting carrots? It amuses me every time.

The rules of the meme dictate that I am supposed to tag six people, but I am much too shy for that. Although I would love to read six weird things about all of you who haven't already completed this meme. So please, if you read this, consider yourself tagged.

Yes, YOU.