43 weird facts about myself

I didn’t have anyplace else to list this, and it’s kinda important.

As some of you may have figured out (from that little mood-meter thing, which I couldn’t figure out how to lie to), the last week or so has been kind of rough. I won’t go into it, ‘cause it’s private family stuff, but it’s getting better, I think.

One of the things that’s helping is that my company just got its first contract. Now I’m not doing cartwheels because it’s a very temporary, one-task gig; it’s only 50 hours or so of work. But it’s a real contract for the company that I incorporated myself…which is pretty good and it’s a real, actual accomplishment that I did. It gives my company a past performance and makes it more attractive for clients – plus all of the paperwork and accounting for having employees will be established, so I won’t screw anything up later when it might matter more.

34. I am an engineer, and enjoy all manner of electronic devices, except that I detest remote controls, particularly for the TV. I live in fear of the day that mankind will remain permanently on the couch because they can’t get up and change the damn channel themselves. Mostly, I prefer turning the thing off.

I also dislike power windows in cars. I’ll crank the window myself. I’ve thrown fits in car showrooms because they kept trying to install power windows in my car. My car currently has them, but that’s because we bought it used. They come standard on just about everything now, and that’s just silly. I’ve gone nuts in the dark trying to figure out which button goes to which window, and watched them roll right past where I want them due to some “helpful” feature that causes them to open all the way down if I look at them funny.

And if I buy a computer, the first thing I do is throw out all those “helpful” little offers. “If you act now, we’ll connect you to the Internet through…!” NO. Screw you and get off my computer. Nowadays, it takes me something like two hours to assassinate all the damn little doohickeys that they contaminate my computer with. Pfeh.

33. It only occurred to me somewhat recently that this habit of mine might be considered a bit, emmm, unusual after reading the Crazy Prepared trope on the TV Tropes Web page. Warning! For those who have not visited that page, it can turn into a tremendous time sink!

My lovely wife should have gotten the clue about me when she remarked one day when I was in my first year at college that I’d missed a spot shaving that morning…and I reached into my book bag, pulled out my electric razor, and headed off to the bathroom for an outlet and a touch-up on my chin.

Fast-forward to today, when I take my computer case to work with me. It has, of course, my computer, as well as about a dozen or so cables and adapters and some tools – that sort of stands to reason, given my job.

It also has (reciting from memory) my planner journal, my separate engineering journal, napkins, my map case (with maps of several major cities on the East Coast and at least one on the West, bus schedules, Metro, commuter rail and Amtrak schedules, plus pre-purchased tickets to multiple common destinations, just in case), a first aid kit (containing band-aids, antibiotic cream, ibuprofen and other analgesics, antacids, gauze, dental floss picks, vitamins, cold sore cream, medical tape…), a nail care kit (with tweezers, clippers, nail scissors and a file), business card case, brochures for my company, book of New York Times crossword puzzles and/or what paperback I’m reading at the time, USB flash drive, collapsible umbrella, a second wallet (mostly with store-specific discount and membership cards), blank CD-ROMs, pens, flashlight, key fob, bottle opener, stapler, small book of mathematical and measurement conversion factors, mp3 player with an earphone case, moisturizing cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, checkbook, facial tissues, lighter (I don’t smoke), pocketknife, a few dollars in change for emergency parking meter feedage, and a shot of Scotch in a small flask. I think that’s it. (My cel phone is at my belt, my work ID is around my neck, and my keys are in my pocket.)

I purchased a foldable luggage trolley to roll it all around with.

(Shucks, now that I think of it, I used to carry a packet of peanuts or trail mix and a bottle of water with me in there as well. I need to start doing that again.)

31. My nose is ticklish.

32. Paul Lynde, the actor and comedian from Hollywood Squares, once met me and said that I had “a lovely voice”.

30. I am a warm weather person to a large degree. I am never prepared for winter and dislike being cold pretty intensely. Paradoxically, I often wear warm weather clothing long into the winter season, or at least the fall…because I don’t want to surrender my summer. The hair on my arms, probably as a consequence, ends right at the point where the t-shirt begins.

29. I was doing fantasy sports before they were popular, often inventing my own rules for doing them, including for really obscure sports…and I’m good at them, as I’m poised to win both baseball leagues I’m in…but I rarely played any sports growing up, except for track.

28. If you want to get me calm and introspective, put me on a shoreline. The ocean is something I feel an immediate…rightness with? I would guess “kinship” is the word. The sea is someplace I’m supposed to be. I don’t know why that is, because I didn’t grow up on a shore, exactly…whatever the case, I can sit on a beach or a breaker and stare at the sea for hours. My soul feels completely at rest there.

25. I’m a believing Christian, which is fairly unusual only for the Internet and the places I hang out thereon…although I have a great deal of difficulty relating to most mainstream Christians. Perhaps as a result, I’m drawn to some of the more esoteric parts of Christianity such as Gnosticism, which I’m studying and praying about, and trying to synthesize into my belief system.

26. Particularly when I’m working, I listen to a lot of spacy, instrumental music – ambient stuff, electronic stuff, and such. My most recent kick has been to discover old Krautrock bands from the 1970s, like NEU! and Cluster. I’ve been a fan of Tangerine Dream since that time, and Kraftwerk for almost as long.

That must be pretty weird, because I get some seriously weird looks from people when I play it out loud.

27. I’m one of the foremost authorities on flags in the world (say, within the top 100). I’m a contributor to the Flags of the World Website, and once ran its mailing list. I’m familiar with all of the major writers on the subject and own most of their reference works. And yes, I’ve even designed my own personal flag, though I’ve never had it physically made.

23. As I noticed today: I use the English pronunciation of the word “scone” (which sounds more like “sconn” or “scunn”), as opposed to the Scottish and American way (long “o”).

24. I have a poor idea of how I do many things; I just sort of do them. I don’t know whether I’m a good singer or actor – I have to rely on someone else to tell me when I’m doing it right. (Computers are a bit easier because you have an empirical test: does it work? Okay, good, I did it.)

22. I now have a mustache. This isn’t all that weird unless you know me; I haven’t worn a mustache in about 12 years.

I don’t know how long I’ll keep it; it’s a bit of a bother. Everyone seems to either love it or hate it…