Your habits and quirks

About a year ago, some woman seated next to me at a movie theater answered her cell during the movie and proceded to have a conversation! After waiting a few moments to see what she was going to do, I told her that she needed to go outside if she was going to keep talking on the phone.

She looked at me as if I were insane, or speaking in tongues.

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A couple of years ago I was in a KMart store and there was a power blackout. It was pitch dark and quite eerie. My imagination went into overdrive and I thought this was a great scenario for a gruesome murder, etc etc and I very carefully and slowly felt my way to where the exit was. There was dead quiet, except for this female voice talking on her cell phone. She was describing how scary it was. Pitching my voice as low as I could I said, very loudly - 'I am making my way towards the sound of your voice and I have a big decision to make; whether to shove that phone down your throat or up your arse.' The silence that followed was broken by the sound of clapping by other shoppers in the store. Gradually everyone made their way to the illuminated EXIT sign and after a few minutes the power came back on. Nobody said a word. :wink:

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shewolfnm wrote:

I love to wear my small blanket for 'clothing' at home.

Nothing else, just my blanket wrapped around me held up by a clothes pin.

And I am freakishly addicted to it. I HAVE to wear my blanket at least once a day almost! if not more..

That presents a rather interesting mental picture.

I have to straighten the carts at the grocery store.
Those cart corrals that they have outside to put your cart in, I have to straighten them so that there is room for more carts.
I dont know why, I just do.

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lezzles wrote:

A couple of years ago I was in a KMart store and there was a power blackout. It was pitch dark and quite eerie. My imagination went into overdrive and I thought this was a great scenario for a gruesome murder, etc etc and I very carefully and slowly felt my way to where the exit was. There was dead quiet, except for this female voice talking on her cell phone. She was describing how scary it was. Pitching my voice as low as I could I said, very loudly - 'I am making my way towards the sound of your voice and I have a big decision to make; whether to shove that phone down your throat or up your arse.' The silence that followed was broken by the sound of clapping by other shoppers in the store. Gradually everyone made their way to the illuminated EXIT sign and after a few minutes the power came back on. Nobody said a word. :wink:

well done, lezzles! Laughing

I was in Victoria's Secret when the fire alarm went off. But us women are weird. Almost nobody left, even though it was excruciatingly (to a point of being painful) loud. It helped me spend much less time there (I still managed to buy two sets of underwear though).

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mysteryman wrote:

I have to straighten the carts at the grocery store.
Those cart corrals that they have outside to put your cart in, I have to straighten them so that there is room for more carts.
I dont know why, I just do.

You've reminded me of something-- when I was a kid my mother had this thing about returning the cart instead of leaving it in the parking lot. for years, I grew up thinking this was a moral issue.

Once I became an adult and shopped for food I realized it's much better to leave the cart in the lot, as long as it's not blocking a parking space.

I figure, the kids who are hired to retrieve them welcome any chance to be outside, away from their managers, pushing things with wheels--vroom, vroom.

As for straightening them, wow, that's vigilant of you mysteryman.

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It took me a long long time to get even remotely used to the idea of, and to ignore a physical urge to do something about, people leaving trash about in this country. Everywhere! On the subway (! unheard of where I come from), buses, restaurants (those where you're supposed to clear table after yourself), classrooms, and (gasp! worst of all) movie theaters. For the longest time, I used to pick up strewn about bottles and papers near me at least on public transportation or in classrooms (sometimes after my own students, though they would get the message soon enough), but movie theaters are beyond my capabilities. And in the meantime it invaded Slovakia, too. What godawful habit, the popcorn/soda/leave all the mess behind culture. Ewww.

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Gala wrote:

mysteryman wrote:
I have to straighten the carts at the grocery store.
Those cart corrals that they have outside to put your cart in, I have to straighten them so that there is room for more carts.
I dont know why, I just do.

You've reminded me of something-- when I was a kid my mother had this thing about returning the cart instead of leaving it in the parking lot. for years, I grew up thinking this was a moral issue.

Once I became an adult and shopped for food I realized it's much better to leave the cart in the lot, as long as it's not blocking a parking space.

I figure, the kids who are hired to retrieve them welcome any chance to be outside, away from their managers, pushing things with wheels--vroom, vroom.

As for straightening them, wow, that's vigilant of you mysteryman.

I almost always return my shopping carts.

You can damage a car with one of those - all it takes is a bit of wind and it can go sailing across the parking lot and give a good scratch and/or dent to a car.

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Biyclists!!! I know, I am one of them, but that's why some of the others drive me bonkers.
So....red light. I stop, because I'm mostly an obnoxious rule follower. If the intersection is small and totally clear, I'll go, but not through places like Central or Inman Square.
Now there's more and more bikers every month. They're like moths flying out of cubpoards right after the mating season.... So.... red light. I stop, 4 or 5 pass me. One goes through the red light (whatever, his life)... but the others just pull up in front of me and wait there... and that's just effin' rude.
I bike fast, so I have to pass them all, including the asshole that ran the red light. Next light... we do it again! They all pass and hover in front of me. I could scream... I have to pass them again, and what do you know, next light (luckily there were only three before my destination), again..... And where they hover, that's a crosswalk! I want some policeman slap a $200 fine on every last one of them, grrrrr.

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Linkat wrote:

shewolfnm wrote:
I love to wear my small blanket for 'clothing' at home.

Nothing else, just my blanket wrapped around me held up by a clothes pin.

And I am freakishly addicted to it. I HAVE to wear my blanket at least once a day almost! if not more..

Now that's weird!

that was exactly my reaction - those exact words, and timing!

Lezzles wrote:

Quote:

I loathe cell phones being used in big stores or supermarkets, especially at the check-outs. I don't want to hear someone else's mindless conversation. It affects me like road rage seems to affect some drivers. I get this almost uncontrollable urge to aim my trolley at the perpetrator and charge. So far I have succeeded in stifling this urge, but I fear one day I will just snap! Rolling Eyes

Supermarket trolleys are notoriously unreliable. You could just ram someone - then apologise profusely - along the lines of - my trolley just took off - I don't know what got into it! Twisted Evil

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Linkat wrote:

I almost always return my shopping carts.

You can damage a car with one of those - all it takes is a bit of wind and it can go sailing across the parking lot and give a good scratch and/or dent to a car.

I'm not talking about leaving the cart randomly-- I always make sure it's hitched to a curb and not on an incline. I am a vigialnt cart-leaver in the parking lot.

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I never step on sidewalk joints. No matter how long I have to walk, or how quickly - I will break my rhythm if the slabs change their size suddenly and so the joints come earlier or later. But, I won't step on the joint. The whole foot has to land before or after. Not sure why...

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When under stress, it is my habit to half-consciously mumble English obscenities under my breath. In Germany, that used to work very well -- I got to let off steam, and the people around me didn't understand me. Or at least, they could credibly pretend they didn't understand me; I was, after all, speaking a foreign language.

Since I've come to America, public reception has become somewhat more perplexed and taken aback -- sometimes masked with panicky smiles.

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Now, that's funny.

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dagmaraka wrote:

So....red light. I stop, because I'm mostly an obnoxious rule follower.

I couldn't read on past this, because I just had a traumatic experience walking through Boston with three Bostonians. In all other regards, the lady and the gentlemen were perfectly sweet and cultivated. But their walking across streets was chaos and anarchy. I get goosebumps just thinking about it -- the bad kind, not the good -- and commiserate with you, my fellow traumatized European.

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Thomas wrote:

dagmaraka wrote:
So....red light. I stop, because I'm mostly an obnoxious rule follower.

I couldn't read on past this, because I just had a traumatic experience walking through Boston with three Bostonians. In all other regards, the lady and the gentlemen were perfectly sweet and cultivated. But their walking across streets was chaos and anarchy. I get goosebumps just thinking about it -- the bad kind, not the good -- and commiserate with you, my fellow traumatized European.

Don't come to Australia.

We found Americans frighteningly anal about obeying signs/lights etc when crossing roads.

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margo wrote:

Supermarket trolleys are notoriously unreliable. You could just ram someone - then apologise profusely - along the lines of - my trolley just took off - I don't know what got into it!

You guys call shopping carts trolleys? i think I might start a new thread with this...

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dlowan wrote:

Thomas wrote:
dagmaraka wrote:
So....red light. I stop, because I'm mostly an obnoxious rule follower.

I couldn't read on past this, because I just had a traumatic experience walking through Boston with three Bostonians. In all other regards, the lady and the gentlemen were perfectly sweet and cultivated. But their walking across streets was chaos and anarchy. I get goosebumps just thinking about it -- the bad kind, not the good -- and commiserate with you, my fellow traumatized European.

Don't come to Australia.

We found Americans frighteningly anal about obeying signs/lights etc when crossing roads.

But you know what? Dagmarka is an exception to the rule in a city like Boston. Most people in New England are not obsessive rule followers about traffic laws. I'm from new England and we are bunch of reckless, law breaking jaywalkers.

I recall the first time I visited California. I started to jaywalk and some cop came out of nowhere and blew his whistle so loud I was temporarily deafened-- I felt total shame and sorrow for my horrific behaviour.

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I am also a phone cord detangler and I also avoid sidewalk joints. As an added feature, I tend to count my steps to see if the sidewalk is a 2 stepper, a 2-3-2 stepper or a 3 stepper...

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Gala wrote:

margo wrote:
Supermarket trolleys are notoriously unreliable. You could just ram someone - then apologise profusely - along the lines of - my trolley just took off - I don't know what got into it!

You guys call shopping carts trolleys? i think I might start a new thread with this...

Oh my yes. AND what you call "trunks" we call "boots".

And just don't ASK about "fanny".

"Sidewalks" are footpaths.

Purses are things that go in handbags...which you call purses. I have no idea what you call a purse.

I had a diabolical trolley tonight. Grrrrrrrrr....

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Gala wrote:

Most people in New England are not obsessive rule followers about traffic laws. I'm from new England and we are bunch of reckless, law breaking jaywalkers.

Amen to that, sister!

Gala wrote:

I recall the first time I visited California. I started to jaywalk and some cop came out of nowhere and blew his whistle so loud I was temporarily deafened-- I felt total shame and sorrow for my horrific behaviour.

Well good. You had it coming, anarchist! Smile

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