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Question of the Month: Annoying Habits

By Posted on 81 1 m read 2.1K views

I can’t wait to read your answers to this one: Name five of your most annoying habits.

litpark habits

I’ll post mine on Friday… if I can come up with any.

litpark habits

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Wednesday, you’re the interviewer, so please stop by.

*

Promised I’d post something from my kids’ Clapton tribute concert. It was kind of a train wreck, as you’ll see. I’ve got one on keyboards and the other is the littlest guitar player. He’s just learning to solo. Be nice.

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81 Comments
  • Heather_Fowler
    July 7, 2008

    Only five? 😉

    Let’s see…

    1. I always take on too many projects at once and then stress myself out to meet even joyful, happy obligations. Imagine the Alice In Wonderland rabbit, almost always fearing to be late, so late, for a very important date (on a schedule I myself designed as torturous and near impossible to satisfy).
    2. When I talk on the phone, I try to multi-task–much to the annoyance of my mother who says she can tell the doing- something-else “hmmmhmmmm” a mile away.
    3. I am compulsive about making lists and deciding on some bizarre thing absolutely must land at the top to happen right this instant–and then sit around overanalyzing why and my own rationale–going: forest? trees, trees… Trees? Forest! Forest, now. Onward! Forest, for g-d’s sake!
    4. When I am reading a book, I put it down only for the briefest possible interludes and my husband threatens book burnings *gasp* if I don’t stop reading it obsessively and provide more than perfunctory responses; but it’s a book. You understand, right Susan? *grins*
    5. I must hold the railing everytime I go down a flight of stairs. I must have the railing at all times, or I am deathly afraid I will fall due to a combination of drag-queen shoes (which I prefer) and absolute clumsiness (which is genetic–oh, and add daydream prone walking and you can see why this must happen, this frantic railing clutching, but it is embarassing if I’m traveling with anyone who just naturally lands on the railing side and watches me duck behind them for a single file walk. I mean, really, that whole explanation could be rather tiresome, so I usually just say, “I fell down a flight of stairs once,” which is true and seems to explain things–odd though it may seem.

    Cute pics, gorgeous Ms. S! xo, as always,
    H

  • troutbum70
    July 7, 2008

    1. I know everything. That apperantly is very annoying.
    2. I like to tease people. Only those I like.
    3. I procrastinate. That annoys me.
    4. I am confident. So that makes me arrogant to some.
    5. I can think of no rule that applies to me. No telling what this one has cost me.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 7, 2008

    Wow, Michael. Can I have some of that confidence?

  • SusanHenderson
    July 7, 2008

    Ha! I am so with you on the handrail thing. Add that to my phobia of touching handrails in subways, and things get very exciting!

  • EkEkEkEk07
    July 7, 2008

    1. nail biting.
    2. i am a su do ku master and can sit on my lawn and play from sunrise to sunset. and i do not share my su do ku books.
    3. i always find something to worry about…school, my cat, the rent, centipedes.
    4. i am not satisfied unless i read between 75 and 150 pages of a book before bed.
    5. mastu…er…uh. i drink at least twenty glasses of water a day.

  • Heather_Fowler
    July 7, 2008

    Sweet. So, should we ever travel together, for any reason, we will just know the other also needs the handrail and happily traipse along alternating side by side walks with those well-aligned with the walll and rail– And, as an extra measure of good will, I will also bring a stash of handkerchiefs with me for you to use on the railings (and anti-bacterial foam for later, just in case). *smile*

    It is so much nicer to have worked out these agreements in advance, don’t you think?

    xo, warmest,
    H

  • aimeepalooza
    July 7, 2008

    I already wrote this so sorry if it pops up twice…
    1.smoking
    2. half empty diet coke cans everywhere
    3. singing loud and out of tune in public
    4. unusually cheerful in the morning
    5. lighter, pen, small useful object thief

  • aimeepalooza
    July 7, 2008

    you and I must be related…I just thought these were qualities not annoying things….must be because of how confident I am!

  • aimeepalooza
    July 7, 2008

    I fell down the stairs…like flew down from the top and crash landed into a cement wall at the bottom, cracked skull, hole in hand, and leg in cast…I too must hold the rail. And then I freak out and have to wash my hands because who knows who else was holding that rail.

  • Heather_Fowler
    July 7, 2008

    Why is it that I seem to share everybody’s annoying habits so far–and don’t find any of them annoying or particularly abnormal???

    Aimee, I do all of the above. Seriously. You are my twin.

    But I also this last week, like a crazy monkey (with hardly any previous musical experience), sang and recorded my own song– with my dad’s music behind me– and now play it through my myspace page. Whoever told me I had enough talent to torture my friends this way? No one. But no one told me not to, either, right? *grins*

    I love writers. I love LitPark. *going off to the corner to autistically chant this*

    xxoo!

  • troutbum70
    July 7, 2008

    Me too. But my ex didn’t think so.

  • RJLOONEY
    July 7, 2008

    The 5 most annoying things are practiced by the guy in the cubicle next to me that I have occupied for nearly 8 years:

    1. Coughing up nasty stuff
    2. Spitting nasty stuff into cubicle trash can
    3. Clipping nails at desk
    4. When conversing subject uses the word “man” approximately every 5.73 words. This person is from Mississippi and it is akin to what I imagine a simultaneous conversation with Foghorn Leghorn and Tommy Chong would be.
    5. When subject is asked by the question “how are you?” the person always replies, “Man if I was any better I just don’t think I could stand it”.

    I am looking for a new job. Any leads?? – RJ

  • Carolyn_Burns_Bass
    July 7, 2008

    This is what I think are my annoying habits–if you ask my husby and kids, you would probably get a completely different set of answers.

    <1> I am a clutter magnet. I have a beautiful, roomy office with several storage cabinets and cubbies, but my desk always looks like someone dumped a box of assorted business materials, files, pens, and other unusual items all over it. As I gaze over at it, I can see the following:

    >>> A small can of Play-Doh (orange)
    >>> Broken things: two broken digital cameras, a cell phone, a watch, and a light bulb.
    >>> A flying fish car intenna flag from Catalina Island
    >>> My cartoon mentors: Gumby (flexibility); Felix-the-cat (resourcefulness) Rafiki (wisdom), and Sponge Bob (humor).

    <2> I am a compulsive reader, especially when dining alone. I will read anything within eyesight and will get fidgety if there is nothing to read. When I am reading a novel, I slip out of this world and into the author’s world so completely I lose interest in my own world–even my own writing, which is why I seldom allow myself to read novels when I am working on my own.

    <3> I am a crackberry addict, who has been known to check email in business meetings, read blogs while dining alone (see number 2, re: compulsive reader) or write notes about the coming week during church.

    <4> I am a computer geek to the detriment of my physical wellbeing. I would rather play at my computer than go to the gym with my husby. Because I also love to eat, this annoying habit is very noticeable to everyone who sees the extra fluff around my face and body.

    <5> I accelerate fast, stop fast, and generally push my car and myself to the limit whether or not it’s a hop across town or a long road trip.

    <5-and-a-half> I spend WAY TOO LONG answering LitPark questions.

  • Carolyn_Burns_Bass
    July 7, 2008

    Yes! Should you change number five from rail holding compulsion, to avoidance of walking across grates, you and I could be cosmic cousins.

    Loved the part about the drag queen shoes. I have a closet full of them.

  • Carolyn_Burns_Bass
    July 7, 2008

    I’m going right over to your MySpace page to hear this. Meet me there.

  • 5speener0
    July 7, 2008

    Wow, Susan! These boys of yours–they don’t suffer from lack of confidence, right? 🙂 I admire them. I suffer when I get up to read my poetry, even after two beers and having being coached for 30 minutes.

    So…Five of my most annoying habits? You’d have to ask my husband…he seems to be pretty good at communicating to me what they are (cat claws are out, yes). 🙂 Okay, only from what he tells me, and I must point out that I’ve never noticed any of them:

    1. Finishing the other person’s sentence…well, when they’re moving so slowly, and I already know the ending…I’m just being helpful.
    2. Starting several projects at the same time. I must say, when there’s no one else around, I get them all done. It’s amazing, however, when other people are around (I’m not naming names), how poorly I do!
    3. Starting too many books at the same time. It’s like a menu–everything sounds so good–and it’s difficult to decide on just one!
    4. SOMEone (again, no names) says that I’m too critical. Wellllll!!!!! SOMEone may just be a bit too sensitive, perhaps?
    5. I underestimate the time that a project requires.

    While there may be some truth to number five, I’ve got to remind everyone that this list is made up of just hearsay…from my beloved. I’ve always found my own company profoundly pleasant and intelligent. Me, myself and I, we get along so well with never a complaint from any of us. I ask you, who are you to believe, my spouse (who has known me for about 17 years) or ME. It’s easy–I’ve known myself for 50 years now. 🙂

  • barry
    July 7, 2008

    1. waiting too long to take a shit then a little bit flops down my leg on my way to the bathroom.
    2. arguing points i dont even believe in whether i know im right or not.
    3. not acting “serious” when “seriousness” is expected.
    4. three, that’s all i got, the rest of me is perfect.

  • Carolyn_Burns_Bass
    July 7, 2008

    Been there and back and hoping the rest of the gang stops by Heather’s page for a listen of this singing poet.

  • Nathalie
    July 7, 2008

    How would I know what is annoying in me? I am perfect. Just misunderstood, that’s all.

    I know that my love for silence is unsettling for loads of people. My friends are usually chatterboxes, saves me from having to make the effort of maintaining a discussion.

    I tend to keep my things in cahotic order. It is an order. To me. To others, it just looks like mess. Lots of it.

    Thanks to my blogs I have become an internetholic. Real life does throw hissy fits everynow and then to see if I am paying attention, but I have my fingers in my ears and I am singing lalalalalala…

    I tend to think everybody must know the same things that I do. Come out as pompous whereas it is just ingenuity (if I know it then surely everybody else must do as well).

    When I read (or write) – for pleasure – the world around me disappears.

  • kategray
    July 7, 2008

    I guess I’ll have to pretend to be my husband here…
    I’m defensive, almost as a unconscious thing, even when I don’t need to be.

    Clutter doesn’t bother me, only dirt and unsanitary things, while my husband is the opposite; there are many heated debates over this topic.

    I get stressed out about things that most people would probably be able to have a sense of humor about, and then I get mad at myself for not having a better sense of humor.

    I am forgetful to the point that I must list everything, and carry my list in my pocket, but it doesn’t prevent me from forgetting sometimes important things…

    I am not as confident as I could be, which bothers my husband a lot. For my own part, it sometimes means that I’m being so shy and withdrawn that I forget to be grateful for what I have around me.

  • Heather_Fowler
    July 7, 2008

    Ha! I did not intend to drive more discerning traffic to my wee amateur effort at singing and songwriting… 🙂

    But, you are too sweet, Carolyn! xo! xo!

  • Aurelio
    July 7, 2008

    I’m not sure if the question is clear as to whom my habits must annoy, myself or others, so I’ll tackle both:

    HABITS WITH WHICH I ANNOY MYSELF

    I pick on myself for not being right all the time
    I chew and mutilate my cuticles
    I put important things away for “safe keeping” and then don’t remember where
    I bookmark lots of websites and never organize or label them
    I check my book on Amazon, B&N, and Borders every day

    HABITS WITH WHICH I ANNOY OTHERS

    I use reference books to support even my most trivial arguments
    When people ask me rhetorical questions, I answer them
    I’m a sore loser and a worse winner
    I repeat the same stories over and over to people who’ve heard them
    I repeat the same stories over and over to people who’ve heard them

    My longer list would be those habits of others that annoy me. 😀

  • Aurelio
    July 7, 2008

    Try combining a germ phobia with chronic nail-biting.

  • Aurelio
    July 7, 2008

    I like and approve of your cartoon mentors.

  • Aurelio
    July 7, 2008

    I make lists and then forget to bring them with me, or misplace them (I forgot to put this one on my list.)

  • Heather_Fowler
    July 7, 2008

    You are great, Aurelio! Again, these traits strike me as perfectly normal. 🙂

    So fun you popped in on Poem A Day. You going to play again? I enjoy your poetry very much. xo! H

  • MickeyDiamond
    July 7, 2008

    1) Everything is a competition.
    2) I can never win.
    3) I can’t keep my tongue out of this broken tooth.
    4) I lie to keep from having to go out with friends.
    5) I regret everything I write.

  • Aurelio
    July 8, 2008

    I don’t feel like much of a poet, but thanks! Until I get my novel out I’ll be hit and miss–your MySpace gets a lot of traffic! Seems like there’s always fun stuff going on there.

    I couldn’t get your song to play on my computer, so I imagined you sounding like a cross between Carly Simon and Bonnie Raitt. Am I close?

  • Dennis Mahagin
    July 8, 2008

    Thank you Susan, for letting me get this stuff
    off my chest! I’m sorry, but I had to go over five,
    as I’m a pretty self-critical guy.

    “A Few Of Dennis Mahagin’s Annoying Habits”

    1. Checking my e mail, like, 8 times in a day

    2. Sending out unfinished poems to overworked editors

    3. Feeling thumb-twitteringly self-conscious, in the presence of impossibly-cute infants

    4. Finishing a plate of excellent food in, like, 95 seconds

    5. Commenting on the weather, especially in the presence
    of the parents of impossibly cute infants

    6. Trying to impress people with my freakish talent for knowing, within five seconds, which celebrities do the Commercial Voice Overs–such as Tom Selleck and Donald Sutherland, who’ve lately been reduced to hawking Orange Juice, Gene Hackman doing the Lowes, Forest Whitaker for Citi Bank, and poor John Corbett, pathetically stumping for Appleby’s.

    7. Watching the Seattle Mariners play baseball,
    with unrealistically hopeful expectations

    8. Checking the look of other bald men, just to see
    how they “carry it.”

    9. Drinking four cups of morning coffee, to complement
    my full array of complex cardiac arrythmias

    10. Buying scratch-off lottery tickets, and not scratching them
    Immediately, but tucking them away, thereby creating
    “pockets of hope” that neither fill up, nor pan out (see #7)

    11. Being too self-critical

    🙂

  • Gail Siegel
    July 8, 2008

    Bummer, I can’t see any links to anything about the boys. Maybe on my home computer…

    I have so many annoying habits, it’s hard to narrow it down. Here are a few:

    Repeating questions because I haven’t listened to the answers.
    Spouting non-sequiturs.
    Leaving the a/c or radio on when I turn off the car.
    Losing things I need, like my shopping list, car keys, phone, glasses, shoes, jacket.
    Interrupting people.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 8, 2008

    Hey, everyone,

    Loving your answers! All my guys came back from vacation yesterday, so I will probably not be able to comment individually until tonight. Tomorrow at the latest. Keep ’em coming. You are an interesting bunch, and I’m glad you’re here.

  • maryannestahl
    July 8, 2008

    oh gawd. why did you have to ask? (and why do I have to answer? <--that counts as number 1.a. insisting on answering any question, survey or query that asks me to examine my most quotidian traits.) 1.b. I bite my nails. 2. I compulsively collect things. can't go to the beach without looking for shells. have you seen my garage? 3. I do everything else before the one thing I wake up wanting to do (write) and end up so exhausted (or late for something) that I don't get to it. 4. I dream non-stop to the point of mental and emotional exhaustion. this is annoying mostly to me and possibly to you if you wake up next to me. 4.b. I tell people my dreams or, in the absence of willing ears, draw them or write poems about them. 5, I don't mind cooking and love eating but I hate deciding what to eat and actually tearing myself away from whatever else I am doing in order to prepare a meal. consequently, when alone I eat a lot of nuts, cheese, fruit and ok, chocolate. with jim we often don't eat until quite late. the other night it was midnight. I told him if we waited a few minutes we could have breakfast. on the same plates.

  • Gail Siegel
    July 8, 2008

    We’re glad YOU’RE here, that you’ve brought us here.

  • Sbain
    July 8, 2008

    Oh, this would be much more FUN and easy if you had asked us to list the 5 annoying habits of our spouses or significant others. That being said, I’ll try to come up with 5 annoying habits of myself. Hmmmm.

    1) Biting my nails
    2) Losing my sunglasses (and my keys, and my purse, and my wallet, and the book I’m currently reading…)
    3) Saying “mmm hmmm” to my kids several times a day and then asking them to repeat what they were just talking about.
    4) Doing the “I won, I won” dance when we play board games and then pouting when I lose.
    5) Unbuckling my seat belt before I pull into our driveway and stopping the car. (THIS makes Terry crazy)

    Wow, okay, well that was so incredibly easy to come up with 5 that I wonder if I shouldn’t try for 10. Hmmm, well, I’ll stop and maybe come back later to post for Terry. Hee, hee.

  • Sbain
    July 8, 2008

    Dennis, being over here in Spokane, I gave up on the Mariners, oh, about 4 years ago. Now I just read the headlines and close the paper. When Lou left and there was no one kicking dirt down the third base line, it just stopped being entertaining for me.

  • Dennis Mahagin
    July 8, 2008

    Yes!

    Lou Pinella is a demi-god!

    I’m a total Cubs Fan now, too.

    :)–D

  • lance_reynald
    July 8, 2008

    ah crap….I didn’t login first before writing that one down.

    annoying to self or others…?
    I have more than 5. but we’ll keep it at 5.

    1) white cotton tshirts. way too many of them. they’re like a part of the LR uniform but I hate them dingy, so I have to buy a 5 pack every chance I get.
    2) sunglasses constantly…indoors even. sometimes even in the dark. it’s a security thing.
    3)given the opportunity I might rearrange your furniture and organize your stuff. Not that I dislike what you’ve done with the place, you just aren’t getting the best flow. I’m not aggressive about this one… just trust me…
    4) terrified in pubic places. especially if strangers already seem to have heard of me. (need to work on this one as it seems that the stakes just keep getting higher…yeah, I know…I’m kinda screwed)
    5) “um”… natural response to questions like “can I get you a drink”, “what are you having”… somehow when confronted with choices I just go blank.

  • Ric
    July 8, 2008

    Must be slowing down, Lance got here before me….

    1. Smoking – been too long, too late to give it up.
    2. When asked how I’m doing, I reply “I’m happier than a kitten under a leaky cow!”
    (I really need to get a new line)
    3. Never throw anything away. I think this is because I had Depression parents. Everything is too precious to toss out – you might need it if times get rough.
    4. Can convincingly lie about the progress of the WIP.
    5. I tend to assume everyone is as intelligent as I am. (Wait, that sounds conceited, well, actually, that is conceited – is that a habit?) In reality, this makes you friendly as you always approach everyone as an equal.
    6. I talk about my kids wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much. But, then, they are special. One of my customers asked about middle son away at college – when I told him about his latest mascot adventures, he looked, wistfully into the distance and said, “Damn, he must get laid alot. It’s not fair.”

    Okay, my damage here is done.

  • Carolyn_Burns_Bass
    July 8, 2008

    I continually lose the key to the safe deposit box in my memory. I hate that.

  • Carolyn_Burns_Bass
    July 8, 2008

    Another dreamer! My husby rolls his eyes when I tell him, “Last night I had the [funniest, scariest, weirdest, sexiest] dream…”

  • Carolyn_Burns_Bass
    July 8, 2008

    Lance, you’re welcome to organize my office anytime.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Wow, Aimee, have you ever written about this before? If you haven’t, please do.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Yeah, especially going across grates in heels that will jam in them.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    What book are you reading right now?

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Speaking of loud and out of tune, there’s this teenager who sits by himself one of the swings at a nearby park every night wearing his iPod headphones. He swings and sings Nirvana and rap songs, and I know he thinks he sounds like the guys he’s listening to, but he really doesn’t. I think it’s adorable.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. These are annoying habits?! I’ll show them annoying!

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Welcome, RJ. And I’m so glad I’ve never worked in a cubicle. Have you read Jeff Yamaguchi’s new book, Working for the Man: Inspiring and Subversive Projects for Residents of Cubicle Land?

    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399533710/workingfortheman/ref=nosim/

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    I have a lot of clutter, too, but none of it is as cool as Gumby and Play-Doh.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    I’ve met a lot of people who are multiple-starters. People who start a novel, start a screenplay, start a …. it’s a fascinating trait.

  • EkEkEkEk07
    July 9, 2008

    i’m reading stephen king’s MISERY…in small doses b/c it’s really messing with my head, but it’s awesome. i’ve just recently started reading king and so far i’ve devoured THE SHINING, PET SEMETARY, EVERYTHING’S EVENTUAL, and CARRIE. THE SHINING was the scariest reading experience of my life!! one night it was storming and i randomly put the JAWS score on my ipod, turned off the lights, grabbed a candle and read it. i’m not sure how my sheets aren’t yellow!! TERRIFYING!!

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    I have a neighbor who likes to argue points he knows nothing about. I think it’s hysterical. Although, maybe he’s not wanting me to laugh so hard when he does it. When I was a kid, I used to quote fake articles in Scientific American and National Geographic to back myself up when I was losing an argument.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Just to add to your blog addictions, my first reads of the day are Chuck Todd and Mark Halperin:

    http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/

    http://thepage.time.com/

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Kate, post the link to your book voting thingie here, and then post it again when I blog on Friday.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Mr. H says I’ve bookmarked the entire internet. And anyone who’s seen me during football season knows I’m the sorest loser and braggiest winner of them all.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    #3 sounds like something out of a Flannery O’Conner story. Love it. And welcome, Mickey.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    You send unfinished poems to editors? Ha! I love it. You have to write a story with that in it. And your #6 is brilliant. And your #10!

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Hmm. What you should see is a still YouTube video with a play button on it, and then you just click that arrow. But you can also see it here:

    http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=drmdzh&p=r

    I had linked the “Sweet Home Chicago” video.

    That is way too funny about repeating the questions because you forgot to listen to the answers. And I’m still hoping you can find a cheap flight to NY this weekend!

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Every one of your answers shows such a great childlike quality about you. That’s a good thing.

    I almost never dream. I’ll remember something every few years, and it usually features girls who hated me in junior high or a math test I haven’t studied for. But strangely enough, I remembered two dreams in the last two nights. One was someone was looking for size 11 pumps so I was trying to reach my friend, Josh, to see if he had any. And the other, last night, I dreamt I was in my parents basement because I’d brought my dogs to their house. And the dogs weren’t there and what I thought had been a screen door was actually just a door frame, and I woke up completely frantic and didn’t go back to sleep until I found both of them (crashed on my son’s bed).

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    When I win a board game, I tell my kids they have to call me Your Magesty for the rest of the day. I’m a terrible gloater.

    Can’t wait to see what you post for Terry!

  • kategray
    July 9, 2008

    Here it is: WEbook, which the people in charge are calling the “American Idol” of the literary world. Amazon did their own, similar, process, but this is entirely vote-driven, so that anyone, anywhere, can come and vote. I hope some of you might feel moved to vote for me and my book, and I’m also featured as their writer of the week. *supresses a squee*

    http://www.webook.com/project/sleep
    blog.webook.com

    Thanks, Susan!!!!

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    That is so funny about the furniture rearranging. Before I was married, I used to redecorate and move furniture every few days. Never had that instinct in other people’s houses, though.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 9, 2008

    Ric, don’t you know smoking is bad for you?! (I am such a smoking nag. You should ask my friend, Kesey.)

    http://www.myspace.com/roykesey

    Do you wash zip-lock bags out so you can re-use them? I want to know more about what you won’t throw out and where you store it!

  • Ric
    July 9, 2008

    Susan, of course I consider myself immune from whatever ‘bad’ might confront me. In 1985, I had a bad car wreck and broke most of my ribs. When I came out of intensive care, the first thing I asked for was a cigarette. I was smoking when the orthopedic surgeon walked in. “If I had known you were going to smoke, I wouldn’t have saved your life.”
    I said, “You’ve got hundreds of pictures of my lungs, if you tell me how long I’ve been smoking, if you’re even close, I’ll quit. By the way, how many broken bones?”
    “I didn’t count them, I didn’t think you were going to live.”
    Next morning. “How long have I been smoking?”
    “Six months.”
    “Not twenty years?”
    “No way. And I counted 34 broken bones.”

    So, you see, I still think the odds are in my favor.

    In answer to your other question. I do not save zip-lock bags. Nothing plastic. I do save old coffee cans, (solar project maybe), scraps of lumber, screws, bolts, scrap iron, old furniture, old clothes (well, I never outgrow anything – I can still wear the same things I wore in high school in the Sixties)
    I have a 16 x 32 Quonset hut that is bursting at the seams, storage in the garage, and a big attic.

    These things come in handy, if you can remember where you put them.

  • Ric
    July 9, 2008

    I’ve read all of King’s work. MISERY is the one that got me, though. Reading, sitting on the couch against the wall and I kept looking around to see if the wall had somehow disappeared and that woman was going to get me……

    I refuse to watch the movie – which some say is even scarier than the book!

  • Gail Siegel
    July 9, 2008

    I don’t know if someone disabled my ability to see videos on this computer, but I don’t even have a telltale empty box with a red x in it. Nothing. Just white space. And the link won’t work for me. I can’t ask the IT people to help since it’s not an authorized use. Crapola.

    The plane flight situation is not looking good. I’m bummed out and wrote you separately. But we’ll see. You are the best.

  • Aurelio
    July 9, 2008

    There are a lot of nail-biters here. I am not alone.

  • Aurelio
    July 9, 2008

    It bums me out that Kesey smokes, although living in Beijing, it probably makes no difference. Either way, his lungs are toast.

  • MickeyDiamond
    July 9, 2008

    Thanks, Susan. Glad to be here!

  • EkEkEkEk07
    July 10, 2008

    i just got to the part where the penguin falls. i’m guessing he didn’t position it right on the table??? scary. and upsetting. i know there’s an axe or a sledge hammer scene. someone hug me.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 10, 2008

    Get under the blanket, it’s going to get very freaky!

    It’s funny that we’ve all been going back to Misery lately. I just rented the movie of it, though I’d seen it, because it’s some of the best pacing I know, and it’s just such a moody and thrilling piece of work.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 10, 2008

    I can’t figure out how to vote??

  • SusanHenderson
    July 10, 2008

    Yeah, probably better not to ask the boss how you can horse around on the internet at work. 🙂

    I will miss you this weekend. Maybe I’ll have to get up to Chicago.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 10, 2008

    Ha! That’s a great story, and a great line from the doctor. When you build your great solar project with coffee cans, I’m posting a picture of it!

  • SusanHenderson
    July 10, 2008

    Oh, and happy birthday, Gail! xo

  • Gail Siegel
    July 10, 2008

    Well, the universe gave me a gift today and finally let me see this video! I think it’s great. Really. The boys got good flavah (someone just walked past my office — an older black woman who has worked here forever — and gave me a thumbs-up) good. The vocalist? Well, she’s brave. Courage takes you far. I could use more, myself.

    I applaud them all.

  • kategray
    July 10, 2008

    That figures, that I’d leave that one piece of info off.
    Right now is the submission phase, which ends at midnight, July 17th. As soon as the clock ticks 12:01am on the 18th, voting begins.
    As it’s now only a week away, I’m writing on the other things that I have up there, and am considering also submitting my poetry, and, if I can finish it, a story I wrote that is set in the 19th century, a “bodice-ripper”, I guess I’d call it.

  • terrybain
    July 10, 2008

    5 annoying habits…
    …though my lovely and adoring wife would really rather post these for me, I will post my own as if I knew what they were…

    1. long, rambling, nonsensical email messages and/or phone messages…
    2. always I wait until I am mr. scruffy-looking before I get my hair cut or trim my facial hair
    3. i do not care for pancakes
    4. often cannot take self seriously
    5. (okay, I’ll give Sarah this one) does not always close the container when removing and replacing items in the fridge…

    bonus annoying habit…

    6. does not always answer question of the month promptly

  • terrybain
    July 10, 2008

    she is not going to post anything for Terry.
    that would be grounds for a very long pout from Terry.
    especially in his birthday week.
    at least wait a few days.
    also? That list she made for herself? that is a very good list. Very much like this list I would have made for her if I thought any of her habits are even remotely annoying.
    which i obviously don’t.
    carry on.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 10, 2008

    T, you’ve got to stop doing #5.

  • BradleyParker
    July 30, 2008

    I’m sure my wife wishes she could answer this for me.

    1. On occasion, I’ve been known to correct my wife’s grammar.
    2. I tend to set my alarm for 5:00 a.m., and then hit the snooze button two or three times.
    3. I read my rough drafts before I finish them.
    4. I have the amazing ability to answer yes-or-no questions in 1,500 words.
    5. In 35 years I haven’t yet manage to check that my zippers up before leaving the house.

  • SusanHenderson
    July 31, 2008

    Ha! I absolutely love this list!

Susan Henderson