Tags, Memes and Idiosyncrasies

In a comment from hannah I was notified that I'd been tagged in her blog.

I kind of understood what this meant, but I was not sure about the terms. I know what idiosyncrasies are, but wasn't sure about tags and memes. Hannah cleared it up for me a bit by confirming my hunches. Wikipedia helped out too. Here's what I am working with:

1. I have been tagged. This is kind of like the old schoolyard game of tag. I'm it. It's my turn. Tag and tagging have other uses in the blogosphere, but they are not what's going on here.

2. I have been tagged to participate in a meme. Hannah was not sure what a meme is (she cleverly guessed it had something to do with lists about the self (Me! Me!). Wikipedia says most people generally agree "that a meme consists of some sort of a self-propagating unit of cultural evolution." Kind of like a chain-letter, catch-phrase or a host of other things.

3. I have been tagged to participate in a meme about five idiosyncrasies, which is defined as "a way of behaving or thinking that is characteristic of a person."

Without further ado, five idiosyncrasies of mine:

1. I like to have as much information as possible and I want terms clearly defined. Often this devolves into a mastery of the trivial, but it comes in handy when teaching Greek.

2. I need two pillows to sleep well, and here's why. I sleep on my stomach and I like fluffy pillows. These two things are not good for my neck. Lying flat on my stomach with my head on a big fluffy pillow really strains my neck. To alleviate the strain my body needs to turn just slightly (not completely on my side; I would then not be sleeping on my stomach and plus this always puts my arm to sleep). So I need something to prop me up just a bit. My wife is a good prop sometimes, but she has tendency to squirm and I have a tendency to need to turn during the night (if only I could sleep between two beautiful women who slept completely still! Just kidding.) Therefore, the need for a second pillow. It is my prop. Gail would say it is my cuddling object, but really its just a prop...for my neck's sake...really it is!

3. I sit with my legs crossed like a girl - one knee over the other. I remember seeing my Papaw sitting like this and now I notice my dad sits like this. It is the most comfortable position. Sitting normally eventually gives me a back ache. Maybe its something to do with being tall and skinny.

4. I tend to precede sentences with the word "Well,..." No explantion, but it is something that I have noticed in other Spinks family members. I think it is our way of moving conversation along, or changing subjects, or wrapping up.

5. I don't like staying in bed once I'm awake. If I can go back to sleep, great. But if I am awake for good, I must get out of bed immediately. Similar thing with cars. Once I'm parked, I get out. No dilly-dallying. Open the door and go. I guess it is all really a matter of me moving quickly when I am done with the prior activity. Finished sleeping? Get out of bed. Finished driving? Get out of the car. Finished standing? Walk quickly to the next place. Inevitably Gail is always a step or two behind. I usually have to stop, let her catch up, and then move along again, only to repeat this process until we've reached our destination. Holding hands is usually a matter of me pulling her along. If we have no destination my engines usually slow down. But that is another related idiosyncrasy - I don't like walks unless we are going somewhere. I don't like games unless someone can win. I need purpose and I need to work toward it swiftly.

Well, that's about enough. I don't have anyone to tag. If you are reading this and have not been tagged for this meme, consider yourself now tagged. Get to it.

Filed in: idiosyncrasies tags memes blogs