Weird Title With An Even Weirder Reality Behind It...
So this post is a response to the weekly or should that be 'weekendly', call to action from that indomitable antipodean Mr @galenkp esquire.
I'm sure you have heard heard about the weekend engagement posting topic initiative many times by now, unless you've been living in an isolated hayloft for the last 90 weeks! Yup, that's how long it's been running now, how bloody cool is that, right?
This week G-dog asks about our personally foibles, habitual oddities and quirks that embarrassingly enough (or not) define the unique (some may say weird), individual we spy in the mirror each morning.
I am not going to explain all of mine as I do not want this to be a 37,000 word post, but there are a couple of classic 'Stevenisms' that my work colleagues comment on every single day and why wouldn't they? I'm a bloody oddball!!!
The first bizarre habit, most of the people who know me well are almost immune to but it still takes new people by surprise, and as we have a revolving door of temps/agency workers so there is always someone new around to ask others about that weird Steven guy.
OK here goes... When I'm work, I talk to myself...
I know what you're thinking Dear Reader, 'oh we all do that!'
Nope! Sorry, I have to disagree, in 35 yearsd of my working life I have never, I mean ever stumbled across someone like Moi, I mean full volume, rambling questions and answers, yup, I answer myself!!! The bit that freaks people out though is that I can be looking directly at them and talking loudly and expressively and they look to me quizzically and I don't even realise I'm doing it.
I should point out that we wear ear defenders or earplugs and work in an incredibly loud factory environment and it can be difficult enough to realise if someone is speaking directly to you at the best of times. Because of this fact people constant say thinks like "Sorry?", "What?", "I beg your pardon?", "Are you talking to me mate?"
To which I simply respond the same way every time... "Nope, I'm talking to me!"
The topic comes up at breaktime often, the newbies always ask somebody else about it before they ask me. Then they say things like "OMG you have full on conversations with yourself about the job don't you?"
To which I answer that the 'self conversations' are usually not about the job but about things that happened last week at home or about something I heard on the news yesterday or I am answering myself about who had a number 1 single with whichever song has been running through my mind all in 1987...
I'm not remotely embarrassed about it, several years of lone working peppered throughout my work history have made this habit more and more pronounced as time has passed. When I started working in a busy factory environment it was too difficult to shake the habit.
Often I am forming a philosophical point about topics that interest me and sometimes even play 'devils advocate' with myself, debating both sides of an argument that fascinates me. Other times I am simply singing along to myself to ease the monotony of work.
There's one other habit I should mention, sometimes it goes 'hand in hand' with the self-talk...
I have the weirdest foible that makes many compare me to a mad professor, evil genius or simply an oddball with hands that exist independent of my body...
When I am deeply contemplating something or have an idea I am thinking through my hand comes up beside my head and my fingers wiggle... Oh dear! Stay with me here, maybe there's a way to make myself sound slightly less weird than I sound already...
You may need to go through the motions to understand exactly what I mean...
1 Raise hand, fingers pointed to the ceiling and place a few inches from ear.
2 Wiggle fingers manicly or should that be maniacally?
3 Act as though said fingers are being electrocuted and wiggle faster whilst widening your eyes like an 'end-is-nigher'.
4 Make people wonder if like Joan of Arc, you are hearing/responding to a hidden voice from on high.
5 Realise you will never be normal like the other boys!!!
Oh I am sure I should be hanging my head in shame or going back to my special cupboard under the stairs to remove myself from the view of the normal folks but I have long since embraced my quirkiness and accept that it all makes up the bundle of neuroses and weird reality that is Steven!
Hmmm I feel like I should go check out the other entries to this weeks posting prompts and try and find someone who makes me feel like a regular human with their shocking tales of bizarre habits and quirks that would make your hair stand on end.
Thank YOU for taking the time to read my post and if you're one of those amazing people who like to hit the comments section... Then I doubly thank YOU!
Either way I want you to know that you are appreciated!
Keep taking the time to connect with each-other both here and in the 'so-called' real world and try and look after each-other, because as you already know...
