Quirky.

I’ve been tagged again! What’s up with that? Perhaps I haven’t divulged enough about myself lately. Jeff at Esoteric Diversions tagged me this time, so away we go.

Here are the rules of the meme:

• Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
• Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
• Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
    I will violate this rule
• Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
    Violating this rule too, I’m such a rebel

Seven facts about myself, some random, some weird:

1. I was born at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday the 13th of July, 1968
2. I had a crush on a male teacher while I was in elementary school. Even though it’s been nearly 30 years, as recently as last week I Googled his name hoping to find a picture. I was unsuccessful.
3. My first sexual encounter that went all the way to home base was in March 1987.
4. I can recite the New York State Thruway interchanges and service areas in order in either direction. I can do the same for Interstate 81 in New York. This talent makes me the life of many parties.
5. I’ve kissed Ruth Buzzi. She didn’t slip me the tongue or anything.
6. I can be alarmingly candid about somewhat taboo subjects in relatively appropriate settings. This does not include the yearly family reunion.
7. Of all the jobs I’ve had over the years, one of the more recent groups of people I worked with were my favorite. I didn’t dig the job, but for the most part I loved the group. This kept me in the job longer than I probably should have been.

I’m not much of a tagger, so I’m going to let whomever wants to pick this up do it under their own free will.

I had a really witty blog entry to share but I ran it over with the snowblower.

I found one of my favorite scenes from the “I Dream of Jeannie” series. Enjoy Jeannie’s sister singing “Electric Nights”.

Larry Hagman’s comedic timing in this clip is fabulous.

It was over three years ago when I started my job at the local telephone company. Having never worked at a telephone company before, despite a strong interest in the field and a near obsession with “all things connected”, I was rather nervous about the new adventure I was about to embark on. I can still remember my first day with crystal clear accuracy. I had arrived early and subsequently couldn’t get into the guts of the building as I wasn’t really sure where I was suppose to go, plus the front desk attendant had not arrived yet. So I was standing out in the front lobby when someone came off the elevator and asked, “Can I help you?” I announced that my name was J.P. and that I was the new guy. The person helping me out asked me to wait where I was and went into the network operations center, where my arrival was announced with a hearty “New guy alert! The new guy is here!” Everyone greeted me warmly and welcomed me to the group. Though I left the position at the end of last year and have just recently returned on a part-time basis while I continue my education, I still really enjoy the people in that group and consider them my friends. We’re a team that works well together.

When I arrived at my desk that first day, aside from the unpopped bags of microwave popcorn at my station (as a gift from my co-workers that had obviously googled me a little bit), I noticed there was a large goose statue on top of the one of the filing cabinets. She was decked out in a two piece bikini because as I later learned, it was August and in August we swim. For the next couple of years, I learned that Goose had a full wardrobe to choose from and would be dressed appropriately for any occasion. She had a Santa outfit for the holidays, rabbit ears for Easter and a cap and gown for graduation time. Heck, she attended the wedding and reception of the team leader, complete with wedding gown and even had a black shawl that she draped over her face when folks were laid off (much to the chagrin of management). Goose was accompanied by several friends, including Duck, Egg, Chick and Cow. When I gave out cubicle name plates for Christmas one year, Goose received her own, denoting “Goose and Family”. I thought she deserved that special touch.

This week the company is moving it’s headquarters to a new building, so we have been packing up the Network Operations Center, throwing out tons of paperwork from back when Verizon was kind and called “New York Telephone” or “NYNEX”. I think I even threw out a manual on how to dial your own call without operator assistance (these people keep EVERYTHING). While Goose and Egg are moving with us, it was decided that the little ones, Duck, Chick and Cow (who also have a selection of cotture) should leave the nest and strike out on their own.

Earl and I are now the proud parents of Chick and Cow. While Earl finds the whole thing to be nuts, I look forward to carrying on the tradition of making sure they’re decked out properly for the season. Chick is in her gardening hat, Cow is doing her thing. I may buy her a mini-pasture with some grass to make her more comfortable.

How incredibly odd is it that I just hung my head out the back door and screamed “Shut Up!” at the loud crows in the backyard?

They did quiet down though.

Being somewhat obsessive-compulsive about most everything in the world, I am having a bit of a dilemna at lunch today. It’s no big thing really, but it has me completely thrown off my game.

I started my lunch hour at 1:53 p.m.

This means I have to be back at my desk by 2:53 p.m.

This has me utterly befuddled. I must leave our home precisely 15 minutes before the end of my lunch hour so that I can be at my desk at the proper time utilizing a comfortable pace to get there. I can’t leave 16 minutes before because then I get there a minute too early, I can’t leave 14 minutes before because then I have to rush due to the fact that I absolutely hate being late.

“So? Leave at 1:38 p.m.”, you say to yourself.

You see, that doesn’t fit right with me because I like to do things on an “even” time. If it’s not divisible by five, it’s not happening. I don’t know why I’m like this when it comes to time, but I am.

I set my alarm for x:30. I lie in bed until x:35. (The ‘x’ is variable due to my rotating shift at work). I take a shower at x:00. I leave for work at the following x:40. It’s all on the mark when looking at a clock. I once dated a guy that told me he sets his alarm for 6:33. I didn’t see him again after I found that out.

I used to shriek at my sister when we were kids that she had “five minutes” to get out to my car if she didn’t want to ride the bus to school. I declared this threat at precisely 7:30 a.m. every school morning and I had all the clocks in the house synchronized. (By the way, this threat was worth something as she apparently felt much ‘cooler’ in a ’74 Vega.) Thinking back, it’s a wonder I made it through school following a bell schedule constructed so that 5th period went from 11:37 to 12:18. In fact, all eight periods were off-time like that and I won’t bore you with the entire schedule though I could recite it from memory if prompted to.

I’d like to say that all this is probably due to the fact that I have a very organized, regimented mind and that I need structure.

Nah, I’m just odd. (And proud of it!)