Sweet Sixteen

While pursuing membership in the ultra-secret society known as "MOB" (the Minnesota Organization of Bloggers) I was tagged with the task of creating a posting on my blog - "listing five weird habits you have or things that you do" to help the MOB members get to know me better.

Weird habits or things I do? Since I was at a complete loss for writing material I surveyed a select group of friends and family in search of just five (5) items but apparently I will be listing several more based on the survey responses plus my own additions although I believe my own observations/practices are merely logical not weird but then again I am young so I can wait for society to come around to my way of thinking :) Yes -- excessive EMOTICON use -- get used to it baby!!! Yes, excessive use of punctuation marks.

WEIRD HABITS OF TODD, THE HOST OF "SPACE BEAGLE NOTES" BLOG FORUM

(Sources -- survey results of friends and family, high paid therapists, and myself)

1.) Squaring: Todd "squares" everything. Meaning, the way I figured out you had left me, eh em, a present on my desk whenever that was, was because I noticed that all four corners were square to my laptop corners. I noticed the next day that whenever Todd sits with something in front of you (folders, a book, newspapers, your sketchy computer bag, etc.) Todd constantly squares off the corners with whatever else it is on top of.

2.) Clothing: Todd refuses to wear jeans (Editor's Note -- this is not 100% true, it is just a rare event)

3.) Handwriting: Todd's "serial-killer-so-obviously-left-handed handwriting" (and let's make it worse by writing in red pen, no less)

4.) Time Limits: how Todd lets people know at the beginning of conversations exactly how long they have (and then you inevitably deny you gave a time limit), so that conversations go something like this:
Stacey: hi Todd, good day to you
Todd: hi, how are you?
Stacey: good, I was wondering what you think about X situation
Todd: well, I have a lunch meeting in 12 minutes, so what I think is X, Y, Z
Stacey: thanks for giving me a time limit, that makes me feel great
Todd: what are you talking about I didn't didn't give you a time limit?!?!

5.) Punctuation: Todd's overuse of the exclamation point, question mark, and dot, dot, dot are weird, although totally consistent, and I enjoy them.

6.) Discussing "politics" at my parents' home (Editor's Note -- I blame this on my father who took me to city council meetings when I was a child!!)

7.) "Todd is a 'networking Nazi' " (Editor's Note -- not true but I am happy to introduce my readers via email to my buddy Steve who provided this comment :)

8.) Todd organizes/re-arranges things at friends' homes in "logical order" :)

9.) Todd often ends sentences with the smiley emoticon

10.) Todd mixes quotes of Nietzsche and Homer Simpson in a Dennis Miller-esque manner

11.) Todd frequently has Autobahn flashbacks on Interstate 35 and practices "irregular traffic lane changes"

12.) Todd continues to attempt to convert elephants and asses into rational people "of Principle"
13.) Todd "posts on his blog regularly" -- Editor's Note -- I don't play video games, I blog instead plus my venture capital providers want my blog traffic to increase ;)

14.) Todd writes haiku poetry (Editor's Note -- clearly this contributor needs a haiku to consider. Also, I write in "choka" style - with the 5-7-5 structure -- if you want to try it yourself)

Haiku is high art
Piglet was Pooh's friend not dunch
Eat more bananas

15.) I create my own vocabulary words such as "dunch"

16.) I collect the lint from my clothes dryer for use as campfire kindling when I go camping but of course that is not weird -- it is frugal, pro-environment (it reduces our need for more landfills) , and the ultimate Boy Scout trick!!!

I think this list will be closed at a "Sweet Sixteen" because I sense many people will be converted to my way of thinking eventually thus what is "weird today" will be common practice in the future.

I have a dream,

Todd