Just Don’t Call Me Crazy – Quirks, Habits and Superstitions

Hello world, it’s me again.

I was looking at a list I made a while ago of things that I’ve always thought about but never written about. And when I looked at said list 1 item jumped at me so quickly that I couldn’t ignore it any longer. So today I open myself to ridicule from the masses by confessing to you some of my quirks, habits and superstitions.

I’ll start with probably my most famous quirk, my elastic band. Most people who have met me or have known me for any extended period of time are aware of the fact that at all times I wear an elastic band on my right wrist. This is something that I started in the 11th grade while I was the teacher’s assistant in a 9th grade Math class. Long story short, I was confiscating the elastics from students who were using them as weapons and I started putting them on my wrist for safe keeping. That was 11 years ago.

Since then I have gone to proms, weddings, funerals, work and play and I have continuously had an elastic on my person. At most I believe I took it off and wrapped it around my wallet for photos to be taken.

I did try to kick the habit one fall a couple of years ago, but it was a short lived experiment. You see here’s the thing. While I may have started wearing the elastic nonchalantly I quickly found that it was bad luck not to have it on.

Here are some of the things that have happened when I haven’t had an elastic on; had my shorts actually come down when gently pulled in a gym full of people, been dropped while crowd surfing, same day had an alarm clock fall on my head and I have also received calls telling me that loved ones have been hurt or sick while I’ve been sans-elastique.

Now, I will admit that my life hasn’t been all roses for 11 years otherwise, there have been ups and downs of course, but why chance it?!

Some people call it a superstition, that’s what I’ve always thought of it as. My mother, a psych major, once told me that I was trying to hold on to a feeling of control that didn’t exist. And while she’s probably right, I don’t plan on taking it off. Sorry mom.

Next is probably the most recognizable of my habits among my karaoke friends in Ottawa. I have an unreasonable need for photos that are hung on walls to be straight. In fact, at times it has been distracting enough that I have straightened photos in people’s homes. However, where this habit has been most exposed is the stage of a bar.

On the walls behind and on both sides of the stage there are photos and plaques of various sizes hanging for display. All of these pieces move and have a tendency to become crooked. So, what started out as me straightening them when my turn to sing came along became a nightmare. My friends, whom I love, picked up on this OCD like behaviour and began exploiting it. When they went to sing they would tilt a frame, while I was singing they would tilt a frame. Even if I wasn’t there they would tilt a frame so that I would notice the next time I was in the bar.

It became a memorable enough characteristic that I passed birthday wishes to one of my favourite karaoke hosts through a friend recently and the message I was relayed back included the fact that Dani straightens the photos for me when they find themselves off kilter. And for that I thank her.

Other related ticks to this one include, straightening and organizing beer coasters at another bar. As well as straightening cutlery in restaurants (which I’m trying to get better about) and having a terrible need for symmetry, among others.

I am trying very hard not to notice these things any more, but mostly I just try to find something else to distract me.

The bizarre habit that Caitlin makes fun of most revolves around my alarm clock. I have this thing where the time I set has to end in a 3 or a 7. I don’t know why. It doesn’t matter if it’s super early, late, to wake up from a nap, a weekday or weekend. It’s always a 3 or a 7. Usually a 7. I don’t even know when this started. If I could remember that maybe I could figure out why I do it. But alas, it is just another great mystery.

Other superstitions that I’ve had in my life have mostly revolved around sports. Whether it was avoiding chalked lines on the way on and off the baseball field, a certain number of bounces/ dribbles before a volleyball serve or basketball free throw, a particular routine in the batter’s box or always picking the 2nd ball in the rack when it’s my turn to bowl (Wii bowling excepted). Those little things have always been there. Because I’m not as athletically active as I once was (read: not at all) these habits have subsided. Maybe that’s where the other one’s came from. Filling the void. Who knows. Not me.

Anyhow, regardless of how or where or when I developed these little bits of weirdness/ individuality, they are now mine. I own them. And the goal is continually not to let them own me.

So, there you have it a small sample of my quirks, habits and superstitions. I now consider myself open for ridicule and questions.

But I’ll offer this trade, if you’re going to make fun of me (and please feel free) tell us all something that you do as a superstition or unexplainable habit.

I look forward to the sharing!

Author profile

Joshua Murray

creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.