Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Quirks

This post from the most fabulous Savannah started me thinking about quirks; my own in particular. When you walk into the Palais de Roses, you'd be forgiven for thinking I'm a lazy, good for nothing shite. There are piles of unopened post by my front door. It's generally messy. There are usually piles of unwashed dishes stacked in my kitchen. Housework is one of those things that I get around to eventually; and eventually hasn't quite happened yet.

However, there are somethings which I have to do, or have to have or Life suddenly becomes unbearable. Things that drive me nuts. I realise I'm not so lazy, laid back or accepting. I am prepared to go to war for these things.

I must have my smoking tin organised. The papers have to be a particular thickness, the brand of tobacco can not change and the filters must be the extra-slim. Additionally, I must have a particular brand of match to poke the tobacco down and I can't use anything other than the Poppell click brand of lighters (I prefer their blue and dark green lighters).

I must have one good cup of coffee to start my day. No suprise to you, I'm sure. I can cope with all the instant crap in the world, but if my day doesn't start with that first cup of ground, filtered coffee I might as well go back to bed.

Toilet paper must be positioned on the roll holder so the paper drapes over. I have been known to go to other peoples' houses and re-position their loo rolls for them. No, it's not negotiable. Yes, I do recognise peoples' rights to be wrong and misguided, but no, that's the only proper position for a loo roll.

I can't abide newspapers, books or miscellaneous items on sofas, chairs or futons. I collect them and put them on the floor or nearby table. Drives me nuts. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. I don't have a problem with a messy floor, I do with a messy couch.

I will straighten pictures hanging on the wall.

I am especially fussy about stationery. I will not write with anything other than a purple pilot V5 pen in my Moleskine journal. I will take into places of work, my own pens, mechanical pencils and eraser and God help the person that tries to walk off them. I nearly committed violence yesterday when I realised one of my clients walked off with a pen. Black ink for work, blue for personal correspondence.

I will only wear silver jewellry. I always wear my new moon. I will take it off for massages, but that's it. I don't wear a watch and don't like bracelts, they always feel like handcuffs to me. I wear one silver ring on my 'status' finger, even though I am neither married nor engaged. It confuses the hell out of people and I have no problem with that.

When I read books, I don't fold down corners to mark my place or bend the spine. I won't lend my books to people who do. Most of my books look like I've never read them, when in fact I've read and re-read them. I will only let go of text books or books that are so awful that I've never finished them, or would never read them again. Probably why I have 5 book shelves, double stacked in places. I'm still in mourning for the books I had to leave behind in Trinidad, I just didn't have any room for them. No doubt, Amazon will be getting another large order from me soon. When I find an author I like, I will buy up their entire list, credit card allowing. I have to read series in order from the first one. I don't borrow books from the library because I like to have the books sitting on my shelves waiting for me. Yes, it means I occasionally get caught with a complete dog, but I'm still not willing to change, even with my credit card moaning pathetically.

In my study, I have three corkboards upon which I pin lyrics from songs, poems, quotes, cards and mementos from good times: train and plane tickets, posters etc. They are pinned with ladybird pushpins (thumb tacks for you over the water). I can't not have the ladybirds. Every Samhain (31st of October), I strip the boards, put all of the bits and pieces away in a box file and start again.

I paused in my writing, to go over and edit. I'm going to stop now. I think I understand now why I'm single.

19 comments:

  1. I love books. I buy a lot from charity shops, but will never buy one with a broken spine. My own books, through loving reading, do I'm afraid get a bit worn.

    It may strike you as odd, then, that I've just ordered a Kindle. But there is no empty space anywhere for more bookeshelves, and it seems to me that a Kindle will let me carry lots of books (eg on holiday, but out into the garden, on the bus, etc) without much weight/bulk.

    Pictures must be straight. Objects in the room have their space and must stay there. Housework is a brutal necessity that must be tackled at least once a year.

    I will still keep all my books though.

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  2. YES! YES! YES! Pilot V5 Extra Fine is my only pen!

    Quick! Please marry me!

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  3. dave ~ apparently Kindle is the next best thing to sliced bread. Enjoy.

    xl ~ I'm free on Saturday.

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  4. Toilet Paper Nazi!

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  5. rog ~ you betcha. And proud of it.

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  6. i have many quirks too. Husband has even more. You just need to find one with compatible quirks.

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  7. goth mum ~ at the moment, it's all I can do to deal with my own quirks. The thought of dealing with other peoples' is a bit daunting.

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  8. Anonymous11:37 am

    Paying a visit to your house would be real fun! Someway I'd manage to give any painting on the wall a little tick, put books and things anywhere on sofa and chair ... and be assured that the loo rolls would look the other way round :)

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  9. I was just thinking the same thing Mago...A joint raid could be fun but I'd have to draw the line at the loo paper. I'm a bit like roses in that department...

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  10. Anonymous6:16 pm

    :)
    Sometimes redecorating is a must!

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  11. What other people do in their own houses is fine by me. They can even give me instant coffee. Reading this, I've realised how few hang-ups I have. Thank you.

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  12. mago and princess ~ evil, the pair of you.

    mago ~ that's far too neat a house for me.

    z ~ you're lovely. I always knew this.

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  13. While cataloguing a library a few years ago I attended a course on handling books and special collections. Fascinating! I learnt there is a correct way of taking a book from a shelf. It requires you to push back the books on either side of the book that you want and take the book out from either side of book block, not the spine or the tip of the spine (those ways are evil). I am sure you know this, I just felt compelled to share!

    AG

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  14. Good afternoon Roses,

    Your quirks, don't seem too bad. I'm right there with you, on dogearing a book. And It's always interesting to see how people celebrate my birthday.Its first time I've heard of putting away the year's worth of poems and starting over.

    By the way, I'd be willing to bet. You would look absolutely smashing in the cat suit and boots.

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  15. archivegirl ~ as precious as my books are to me, they aren't that precious. Mind you, if you're dealing with rare first editions etc, you really don't want to be hauling or mauling them about.

    Thanks for sharing.

    karl ~ sneaky. Now we know when your birthday is; I see your cunning plan.

    It's not just poems. My board has airline tickets, letters and cards, basically, anything that was a reminder of a lovely time or something that touched me.

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  16. I'm very glad to hear you remove your jewellery before a massage. I knew a circus acrobat who insisted on keeping her lucky pendant on, and having to avoid it really messed up my rhythm. Massaging you would surely be a far more agreeable experience.

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  17. gorilla ~ I wouldn't want anything to get in the way of my massage. I lurve massages.

    I freaked out an aromatherapist by stripping off and launching myself at the couch before she could close the door and begin the consultation.

    Apparently, that's not the done thing.

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  18. I am very lazy when it comes to housework. I think it's partly because my mother is obsessed with it and because you do it one day and a week later you can do it again.

    The reason why I buy books instead of going to the library: germs.

    I've never liked wearing rings but I got one in Vegas that I wear from time to time. On the status finger.

    I'm fussy about paintings hanging on the walls like you. I can't relax when they aren't hanging properly.

    When I have drinks, wine and champagne it must be serves in a proper glass. I could never drink champagne out of a wine glass or worse

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  19. cyberpete ~ aren't all mothers supposed to be obsessive about it? And with it the sneaky gin and valium habit. Shows what a failure I am. And I can't stand gin.

    You worry about germs and you hang out at Infomaniac? You're definitely bound to catch something over there.

    I'm happy swigging beer out the bottle, red in a chunky glass, but I do agree with you about proper champagne flutes (I prefer flutes to the tit glasses).

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