Weird Habits (Updated)

I've been tagged by Ms. Bond for the five weird habits meme. Like here, I don't know if I can fully recognize all my weirdnesses, but I'll do my best.

The first player of this game starts with the topic "five weird habits" and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don't forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says "You have been tagged" (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours.

1. I make a weird face whenever I have to do a physical activity in which I need to concentrate. I grit my teeth, so it either looks like I'm grinning fiercely or that I've got that permanent weird smile on my face like the Joker from Batman comics. This includes anything from lifting something heavy and trying to be careful with it, like moving furniture, as well as things like opening the lid of a glass jar that is stuck. I hate this face. It's horrible.

2. Before I sit down to write, I have to clean my room/apartment/house, wherever it is I'm living at the moment. It's not avoidance of writing either, because I sometimes get really upset with the cleaning because I want to go write and yet I *really* feel compelled to get everything in its place before I write. Messes will distract me for some reason.

3. If I leave to go somewhere and have to go back home because I forgot something etc., I sit down for five seconds before I get back in my car. There's nothing interesting about this other than it is a habit my grandfather made his children do, and which my mother made me and my brothers do as we grew up, but which I, if I ever have children, will *not* make them do, because it is stupid stupid stupid and I hate automatically doing it. I think the point of it originally was to make us slow down instead of being in a hurry. Actually, I've begun to break it in Japan as I don't have free chairs here in my little apartment, so when I cast about looking for one during these moments and can't find one, I can give up and just go.

4. I now say "Itadakimasu" before I eat and "Gochisousama deshita" after a meal if someone else has made it for me or treated.

5. I draw stars on scrap paper whenever I'm waiting on the phone for someone who has had to put me on hold to find out something or take another call etc.

And an additional oddity, though I'm not sure if it's odd on my part or on the part of those whose reactions I'm about to describe. I call my oldest brother Donnie John. Almost everyone in my family does. Whenever someone who knows me but hasn't spent anytime with me around my family hears me say this name for the first time they totally freak out and either say (if they can't control their mouth) or (from the looks on their shocked faces) are thinking "That is so The Waltons. Good night John Boy."

Who shall I tag? Let's see...Haddayr, Jody, Kristin, Elad, and Maureen.