The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: AgentCooper on November 17, 2015, 11:40:35 AM
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I’m very curious about all you other Mustachians. Being a disciple of MMM means being a little, well, odd. But in a good way! We’re the ones bagging our lunch to work instead of going out to eat every day. We’re that dude who shows up on a bicycle. Our friends’ eyes pop out of their heads every time we say, “Let’s walk there instead of driving.” We change our own oil and mow our own lawns. We’d never, ever buy a $40,000 automobile.
I bet there are a lot of other surprising characteristics and similarities that a bunch of us share. I can glean some of this from reading posts, but wanted to get it all consolidated into a survey. Some of the things that make you different might be shared by a surprising number of the forum readers.
My survey question for this thread is: besides Mustachianism, what other things do you do, what other things are you into, and what other things do you avoid, that also make you stand out from the crowd of normalcy?
A few possible examples… Do we as a group weigh heavily towards having a lot of Survivalists? Doomsday Preppers? Urban Farmers? Hippies? Libertarians? Health Nuts? Paleos? Homesteaders? Ultramarathoners? Fruitarians? Do you avoid certain things, like plastics, sugars, artificial sweeteners, meat, non-organic food, fake food, fast food, bread or grains? Are you covered in tribal tattoos, facial hair, and piercings? Do you not own a TV, microwave, or cell phone? Have you spent a considerable amount of time thinking about what you would do in the event of a pandemic? Would you consider a 1-room cabin an ideal home?
And does your unique/weird/odd/bizzare personal trait help, or hinder, your Mustachian efforts to retire early?
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I've never owned a cellphone or an apple device (although my wife has an iPad that I occasionally use). Some people think that this is weird.
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This is an interesting thread topic, I'll play along.
-Musical taste: I listen to pretty much everything, but there is A LOT of it that has no lyrics. This is a holdover from late night digital rendering sessions at the design studio in college, as it's great to not have any lyrical input to derail your train of thought. Lots of psytrance, among other things (hence my username, Vertical Mode), but also a fair amount of ambient stuff and world music. This probably makes me weird.
-I also have an interest in Urban Exploration (UrbEx for short). The oft-forgotten bones of our civilization are just fascinating to me. It's sort of like that scene from The Matrix: Revolutions where Neo and the Senator are down on the Engineering level. The explorer in me wonders at the fact that there are literally hundreds of miles of largely unmapped tunnels under the city of Paris...
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/travel/paris.html (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/travel/paris.html)
Not that I would advocate doing any of this, especially in a post-9/11 world where people might be quick to assume you might have malicious intent if you were found, but this video captures some of the passion of it all:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWF3IDk9Gek (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWF3IDk9Gek)
In response to the last prompt, these probably have little to no effect on FIRE, except that they allow me to keep my sanity and continue to deliver for The Corporation in the short run.
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Hm. I don't have cable, and don't really watch TV other than movies we stream.
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Ooh I like this idea. I look forward to the diversity of answers that might pop up.
I think I'm "weird" because I'm split between a couple different sub-groups in weird ways. As in, depending on what context you meet me, you might expect I drive a prius, or you might expect me to be a super conservative christian... both of these are quite incorrect.
Let's see. I'm a hippy:
No plastics
No antibacterial soap (except at work- I'm a nurse)
No "artificial" body products- no phlatates or parabens
Until I moved to The City, I grew a lot of my own food organically, including raising and butchering my own meat (this could be counted as country, I guess)
I eat "paleo-ish" (more primal, I do fermented dairy) and avoid most grains
Shop at farmer's markets
Make many of my own cleaning products
I'm an athiest
I use reusable grocery bags and sewed my own produce bags
I (used to) bring and fill glass mason jars from the bulk section (note--> where we moved, our grocery store doesn't have any bulk)
I avoid driving, and have walked for every grocery trip for 3 years now
I have converted many a friend to the menstrual cup ;)
But I'm also country:
I drive a truck
I hunt and fish
Grew up relatively rural
I have a concealed carry permit, and I carry often
Summer job growing up involved driving a tractor to harvest rye and stacking the bales in our and our neighbor's barn
I have helped deliver the babies of numerous farm animals
I am firmly pro-vaccination
Registered republican, although I regret that the last few year... much more libertarian or even (GASP) democrat leaning now.
And not sure where this one fits, but I'm a woman and I do olympic lifting, which people seem to think is weird.
As far as just plain ol' weird? I like doing laundry =P
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I've been vegan for 20 year, and vegetarian for my entire life. My partner has also been vegetarian for their entire life. In America, people find this really, really weird. In India, not so much.
I've never owned a car (I suspect that's normal for many people here, though). I've only driven once since I got my license at 19, ironically to carry kegs for a bike event.
As a child I used to dress only in historical clothing I sewed.
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I am a hippy. I am going to buy a pot farm and live there when I save up enough $$. All I want to do is sit around and play music and grow plants.
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Ooh I like this idea. I look forward to the diversity of answers that might pop up.
I think I'm "weird" because I'm split between a couple different sub-groups in weird ways. As in, depending on what context you meet me, you might expect I drive a prius, or you might expect me to be a super conservative christian... both of these are quite incorrect.
Let's see. I'm a hippy:
No plastics
No antibacterial soap (except at work- I'm a nurse)
No "artificial" body products- no phlatates or parabens
Until I moved to The City, I grew a lot of my own food organically, including raising and butchering my own meat (this could be counted as country, I guess)
I eat "paleo-ish" (more primal, I do fermented dairy) and avoid most grains
Shop at farmer's markets
Make many of my own cleaning products
I'm an athiest
I use reusable grocery bags and sewed my own produce bags
I (used to) bring and fill glass mason jars from the bulk section (note--> where we moved, our grocery store doesn't have any bulk)
I avoid driving, and have walked for every grocery trip for 3 years now
I have converted many a friend to the menstrual cup ;)
But I'm also country:
I drive a truck
I hunt and fish
Grew up relatively rural
I have a concealed carry permit, and I carry often
Summer job growing up involved driving a tractor to harvest rye and stacking the bales in our and our neighbor's barn
I have helped deliver the babies of numerous farm animals
I am firmly pro-vaccination
Registered republican, although I regret that the last few year... much more libertarian or even (GASP) democrat leaning now.
And not sure where this one fits, but I'm a woman and I do olympic lifting, which people seem to think is weird.
As far as just plain ol' weird? I like doing laundry =P
Scarily similar to me...minus the menstrual cup :) lol
i got a little of a lot of the traits in your OP...which is the Libertarian in me i suppose. Self-sufficiency interests me. Part hippie, prepper, wanna be gardener, handyman, big time introvert. I kind of consider myself odd....the gun toting small government guy who is kind of anti-war with social/environmental leanings towards the left.
- I'd prefer organic everything for food, although i have stopped doing that recently.
- I honestly do not recall the last piece of clothing i bought for myself...i seriously think it was a pair of wool socks last christmas....1 pair of socks in almost 12 months.
- I don't eat out/go out much...but i do drink quite a bit.
- Being a homebody is cheap...wanting to be a semi-health nut is not.
- I have expensive interests that i can't fully dive into due to their prohibitive costs....woodworking, golf, guns.
- Grew up fishing, have lost that in my life and want it back
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Mostly the lack of pants...
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No real need/urge for society on a social level.
I am fairly content talking with my wife and family. Neighbors are alright to drink with every now and then, but overall, bunch of morons.
I find that people bitch and moan about themselves and their problems far too much for me too care conversing with them. It is astonishing the amount of husbands who refuse to "hang out" socially with their wives, it has to be an all boys thing. I don't understand why they got married if they can't stand their company...
The only thing worse is the neighborhood "Jones" who showboats about redoing his bathroom in a house he just purchased 12 months ago. Complete jackass.
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Oh, fun thread!
I'm different in lots and lots of ways. I like OLD things, not new and shiny (and likely plastic) - we have a house from the 1840s, filled with secondhand things.
I prefer to do things the hard way, by hand, just because (knead dough, knit socks, make mozzarella cheese for pizza, line dry clothes).
I prefer hand tools over power tools, too.
I'm not interested in status symbols - expensive cars, designer clothes, jewelry.
Not terribly interested in makeup, coloring my hair, doing my nails.
Dislike restaurant dining, drinking, most common "entertainment" stuff (amusement parks, pro sports, etc.).
I'm a math nerd - figuring out problems is fun, so taxes and financial aid optimization are interesting to me.
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I know how to ride a unicycle and sing in the operatic style. I can do both simultaneously, if asked nicely.
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We're completely normal, why do you ask? (Bwahaha!)
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Fun! Cable-less, mobile-plan-less, low-ish carb, paleo-ish, atheist, childfree, freelancing/small business-owning, non-stylish, natural hair-colored, non-makeuped, walking/public transportation-ing, frugal, minimalist-ish, liberal arts/STEM combo-ing, smallish-home-loving renter here. As for the help or hinder question: All but the eating habits help the FIRE goals. (Grains are crazy frugal; they just don't work well for me.)
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Threads where you ask people to talk about themselves always get a big response. I bet most people who post here won't even read the previous posts, in their hurry to talk rather than listen.
I know how to ride a unicycle
I am also an accomplished unicyclist. And juggler. While I have been paid for these skills in the past, I have never considered either one to be a profession or viable long-term income source, so I posit no impact on my financial life.
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I think baseball is an extremely boring sport but somehow got invited and convinced (with free beer, and a free ticket, and free food) after saying no 3 times to go to a Giants game. Just so happened to be Matt Cain's perfect game. That is now my excuse when people ask me to go "Nope, already been to a perfect game, can't top that" :)
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Fun! Cable-less, mobile-plan-less, low-ish carb, paleo-ish, atheist, childfree, freelancing/small business-owning, non-stylish, natural hair-colored, non-makeuped, walking/public transportation-ing, frugal, minimalist-ish, liberal arts/STEM combo-ing, smallish-home-loving renter here. As for the help or hinder question: All but the eating habits help the FIRE goals. (Grains are crazy frugal; they just don't work well for me.)
I'm with you on the food expense, but I still loved the term Pigeon came up with in the tithing thread:
I find a lot of things that people say are "non-negotiable" in their budgets to be baffling. "We have hair on fire debt and are in danger of being homeless, but a 100% organic paleo diet rich in unicorn and phoenix meat is non-negotiable."
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Mostly the lack of pants...
Ah, a fellow cyclist!
Pants are not for us, my friend. Our shapely thighs and ass simply waste away hidden behind those poorly designed collections of fabric.
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Fun! Cable-less, mobile-plan-less, low-ish carb, paleo-ish, atheist, childfree, freelancing/small business-owning, non-stylish, natural hair-colored, non-makeuped, walking/public transportation-ing, frugal, minimalist-ish, liberal arts/STEM combo-ing, smallish-home-loving renter here. As for the help or hinder question: All but the eating habits help the FIRE goals. (Grains are crazy frugal; they just don't work well for me.)
I'm with you on the food expense, but I still loved the term Pigeon came up with in the tithing thread:
I find a lot of things that people say are "non-negotiable" in their budgets to be baffling. "We have hair on fire debt and are in danger of being homeless, but a 100% organic paleo diet rich in unicorn and phoenix meat is non-negotiable."
HAHAHA, love it!
[Now where to find organic, locally grown, sustainable phoenix meat... *rubs hands together*]
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I would admit to a few "quirks"..
I'm an engineer (I am FI, RE'd sort of) and probably on the high functioning end of the Autism spectrum. I have learned over a 30 year career how to become a very effective manager. people used to confuse me.. But I love them now even if sometimes I have to get passed myself to the light of the party..:)
I have built two airplanes.. the last one cruised at about 200mph and was equipped to fly in clouds... It also cost close to $100,000, but sold for the same.
I am an instrument rated pilot
My Wife and I doubled the sized of our house with our bare hands
I can weld, spray paint cars (and airplanes), do bodywork etc.
I can fix almost anything, especially if it saves money.
I love power tools naturally.
I have never sent a car to a mechanic or hired any trades person (except wheel alignments and to pour the concrete foundation to the house extension).
I love numbers.. If I can calculate something about almost anything I will.
Life is full of sub optimized systems and devices and are rich sources of entertainment to make them better... This is why I have always optimized spending.. max value for the least amount of outlay.
My powers of concentration are legendary. Sometimes I can go days without food or hygiene when there is a problem to be worked on..:)
Don't have cable.
Pretty much despise watching sports.
No kids
I have over-saved and find it very difficult to spend money.
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Already the responses here are fun!
Asexual menstrual cup user who doesn't cook meat and is experimenting with not eating refined sugar at all. Between us my gf and I have 3 cats.
I read hundreds and hundreds of thousands of words of fanfic a year, and write a fair bit too. ;)
I'm on book 14 of the 21-long book Aubreyad series by Patrick O'Brian (Damnit I wanted to finish by January. Unlikely to happen.)
I'm attempting to paint a series of queer fairy tail retellings.
I don't clean enough.
Half of my socks were knitted by my mother.
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Well I don't think I'm weird:) but these are things that get me looks from my mainstream friends sometimes...
Vegan for 4 years, vegetarian my whole life
Anti-plastic water bottle. Seriously, how hard is it to keep a reusable around??
No plastic in the microwave or freezer (wide mouth masons are great for freezing)
I hate packaging, and will sometimes pay a little more for products with less packaging
If I go to the store and don't have a bag with me I often just carry items out. This seems to really confuse the cashiers
I bring my own containers to fill at the bulk section of grocery store
I like to can, freeze, dehydrate my own food
I belong to a CSA (community supported agriculture)
I make my own laundry detergent and household cleaners
I only shampoo my hair once a week
I get my hair cut once every year or two
I hate perfumes or highly scented products
We haven't had cable or any TV channels in a VERY long time
I never seem to have my cell phone on me and charged, so it can be days before I respond to a text
I like foreign music and films
The kids and I get almost all of our clothes from thrift stores
My biggest weakness is a used book sale
I've only had 2 auto loans in my life and they were both paid off in less than a year
I keep the upstairs temp at 55 in the winter
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Threads where you ask people to talk about themselves always get a big response. I bet most people who post here won't even read the previous posts, in their hurry to talk rather than listen.
I know how to ride a unicycle
I am also an accomplished unicyclist. And juggler. While I have been paid for these skills in the past, I have never considered either one to be a profession or viable long-term income source, so I posit no impact on my financial life.
I read the responses before I replied. I think having uncommon hobbies likely makes me more willing to be outside-of-the-box in other ways, including with money. Since my interests already put me somewhat outside of the norm, I am open to whatever ideas strike me as interesting, with fewer cares about how I am perceived. And I have things outside of work that are interesting and enrich my life, so I work to live/save/invest and definitely don't live to work. Is that a better answer? :)
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I find most popular ways of socializing really unappealing. Things like going to restaurants or bars, drinking in general, partying, and most large group things. I much prefer hosting dinner parties or organizing a small group hike or bike ride somewhere beautiful.
I've been a vegan for almost 17 years, but oddly enough that's not considered to strange anymore. It definitely used to be weird before it became trendy in the last couple of years.
Lifelong childfree person as well.
I don't wear makeup or use any kinds of beauty things. I just couldn't be bothered. Apparently I was supposed to grow out of that as a teenager and start caring about my appearance enough to start doing more than comb my hair. Never happened.
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Childfree, athiest, crossfitter who has 0 career ambition and would be completely happy spending my days eating, drinking, exercising, playing video games, watching tv/movies, and spending time with my wife. Voted for McCain in 2008, Gary Johnson in 2012, and pulling for Bernie in 2016.
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I enjoy music and sports, but not nearly as much as many people. Maybe call it passive enjoyment? I probably couldn't tell you the lyrics to more than a few songs or the names of a few athletes.
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Ooh I like this idea. I look forward to the diversity of answers that might pop up.
I think I'm "weird" because I'm split between a couple different sub-groups in weird ways. As in, depending on what context you meet me, you might expect I drive a prius, or you might expect me to be a super conservative christian... both of these are quite incorrect.
Scarily similar to me...minus the menstrual cup :) lol
i got a little of a lot of the traits in your OP...which is the Libertarian in me i suppose. Self-sufficiency interests me. Part hippie, prepper, wanna be gardener, handyman, big time introvert. I kind of consider myself odd....the gun toting small government guy who is kind of anti-war with social/environmental leanings towards the left.
I'm weird in the same way: I agree with the entire Bill of Rights, including not only the 1st (which the Republicans disregard) or the 2nd (which the Democrats hate), but also the 9th and 10th (which the entire Federal government has completely ignored since at least the Civil War, if not earlier).
Moreover, I'm not convinced that's actually weird. I suspect people like us are actually a majority of Americans; it's just that the two halves of the authoritarian party have colluded with the media to use wedge issues to force us to choose sides, resulting in a whole bunch of people who think they're "liberal" or "conservative" but who actually only agree with 51% of the "liberal" or "conservative" party's platform, respectively.
Other ways that I'm weird:
- I'm an unusual combination of two kinds of engineer (civil and software), and thus one of the very few "software engineers" that's actually on-track for a PE license.
- I'm introverted and a huge nerd, yet also politically active (at the local level)
- Most people drive to get places, and sometimes cycle for recreation. I race cars (if autocross counts as racing) as a hobby, but ride my bike to work and other "utility cycling" trips.
- As a child, I enjoyed watching home-improvement and cooking shows on TV more than cartoons or sitcoms.
- I couldn't care less about professional or college sports in general, and football in particular.
- I refuse to use Facebook and other social media because it's evil (I care about privacy).
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I dunno. I am open-minded but have a hard time keeping my mouth shut, which is why I am drawn to forums in general as an outlet so I don't upset people around me in real life. I enjoy a good debate. I am fairly flexible on where I live, what I do, etc. People seem to be impressed that I can fit into random social settings, but I feel like I am pretty normal. I am comfortable with and enjoy new physical, geographical, and social experiences, but I am also content to stay at home and enjoy being by myself when I have the luxury.
Life is good.
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I would admit to a few "quirks"..
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I have over-saved and find it very difficult to spend money.
I can help you with that problem...
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Enjoying the posts, which remind me that people who are different from me are just like me. Being mustachian helps me to get away with weirdness, I find... there's more wiggle room for swimming against the popular current (is that a mixed metaphor?).
Me:
*no soap or shampoo, for the past four years
*never had a driver's license, rarely drove
*spent my 20s playing guitar in a vaguely punk band, lived on $400 a month
*pretty nerdy, but not a fan of much contemporary nerd culture (comix, fantasy, sci-fi)
*used to live in a store
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Fun thread idea--thanks. I live in ND and don't have AC and use heat in winter to keep the house at 50 degrees max. Only seems to bother my kombucha. I am an ultrarunner and gravel grinder, vegan, fermenter, scavenger, dumpster-diver, dirtbag. I like rubbing whiskers with my cat. Give me a desert sky or northern lights over city lights any day of the week. I love bats and dragonflies. I am single and have no offspring and want to stay that way.
Because I haven't accomplished barefoot running and since I put so many miles on the bike, neither sport is great for the wallet but I justify the shoes and tubes and stuff as mental and physical health expenses. Everything else seems to work good in the simple frugal life.
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I dunno. I am open-minded but have a hard time keeping my mouth shut, which is why I am drawn to forums in general as an outlet so I don't upset people around me in real life. I enjoy a good debate. I am fairly flexible on where I live, what I do, etc. People seem to be impressed that I can fit into random social settings, but I feel like I am pretty normal. I am comfortable with and enjoy new physical, geographical, and social experiences, but I am also content to stay at home and enjoy being by myself when I have the luxury.
Life is good.
OMG I could write this about myself word for word. Now I don't have to.
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Libertarian
low-carber (though not terribly strict)
I worked for a company that made cell phones, but was never really intereted in cell phones. (I got my first smart phone when my 10 year old brick died a few months back)
I worked for a cable company but don't have cable TV.
Objectivist
Atheist
Linux/unix guy going back to about SunOS4.0
My wife has bred into me a love of old stoves
Introvert
Child free
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Well first, I'm an engineer (and female)
I was in the military (which is weird for my area of California)
I don't wear makeup. Okay, maybe 2x a year.
I'm definitely a health nut, normal in CA, maybe not so much elsewhere.
Hobbies: I like crafts, like quilting, crocheting, knitting (when I have time!)
We do not have cable TV
We do not eat out very often.
My husband likes to build stuff, like furniture.
I'm into frugal cooking, and have a frugal food blog, which my friends think is weird. (That at times I've calculated the cost per serving).
I hate shopping
Atheist
Liberal tree hugger but not anti-gun
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I firmly believe that Bluegrass music is the best music. Probably lots of other things too, but people find this to be the weirdest thing.
I also have literally no idea what I'm going to do when I FIRE. And it doesn't really bother me. People around here find that strange as well.
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I drive race cars..
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This should have American in the title because so much of this is cultural. It's weird for me to see so many people in this thread highlight that being atheist is weird. Nearly all of my friends and acquaintances are atheist/non religious. I can only think of 3 or 4 people I know who regularly go to church.
I line dry clothes and have never owned a dryer, but again so does everyone else I know (I have one friend who has a dryer).
In terms of what makes me weird in my social circles, meta cognition is my favourite thing. I always want to know why something is the way it is. I'm very much aware of cultural and moral relativism.
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This should have American in the title because so much of this is cultural. It's weird for me to see so many people in this thread highlight that being atheist is weird. Nearly all of my friends and acquaintances are atheist/non religious. I can only think of 3 or 4 people I know who regularly go to church.
I line dry clothes and have never owned a dryer, but again so does everyone else I know (I have one friend who has a dryer).
In terms of what makes me weird in my social circles, meta cognition is my favourite thing. I always want to know why something is the way it is. I'm very much aware of cultural and moral relativism.
The vast majority of my social circle is also non-religious. I don't feel that it's weird, though there are certainly parts of the country where it might be.
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This should have American in the title because so much of this is cultural. It's weird for me to see so many people in this thread highlight that being atheist is weird. Nearly all of my friends and acquaintances are atheist/non religious. I can only think of 3 or 4 people I know who regularly go to church.
I line dry clothes and have never owned a dryer, but again so does everyone else I know (I have one friend who has a dryer).
In terms of what makes me weird in my social circles, meta cognition is my favourite thing. I always want to know why something is the way it is. I'm very much aware of cultural and moral relativism.
The vast majority of my social circle is also non-religious. I don't feel that it's weird, though there are certainly parts of the country where it might be.
The vast majority of my social circle is non-religious, too. Where I live: That's REALLY weird. Around here, there is a church on every corner and when a new person meets you you get "Hi, my name is John. Where do you go to church?"
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This should have American in the title because so much of this is cultural. It's weird for me to see so many people in this thread highlight that being atheist is weird. Nearly all of my friends and acquaintances are atheist/non religious. I can only think of 3 or 4 people I know who regularly go to church.
I line dry clothes and have never owned a dryer, but again so does everyone else I know (I have one friend who has a dryer).
In terms of what makes me weird in my social circles, meta cognition is my favourite thing. I always want to know why something is the way it is. I'm very much aware of cultural and moral relativism.
The vast majority of my social circle is also non-religious. I don't feel that it's weird, though there are certainly parts of the country where it might be.
The vast majority of my social circle is non-religious, too. Where I live: That's REALLY weird. Around here, there is a church on every corner and when a new person meets you you get "Hi, my name is John. Where do you go to church?"
I have a non-religious friend who's hobby/passion is cars/driving...on Sunday morning, it's not unusual to see a social media post of her fun car out on a beautiful road somewhere with a comment like 'Church was wonderful this morning.' :D
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I'm into frugal cooking, and have a frugal food blog, which my friends think is weird. (That at times I've calculated the cost per serving).
Can you share the blog site please?!
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It's hard for me to judge. This forum confuses my ideas of normalcy.
Is it really that weird not to have cable? Not in this thread full of weirdos!
I thought it was weird that I don't like watching sports... but then all you people came along and admitted it, too.
Being Pescatarian is a little weird, but so many vegans and vegetarians frequent this forum, that throwing fish into the mix doesn't seem so strange!
I -love- doing tax returns. I have many kindred spirits here, though.
My husband I play in a weekly tabletop roleplaying game (Dungeons and Dragons, etc). That might be weird!
We also play video games, but it's hard for me to detect weirdness there, because so does almost everyone else I know.
But I still use soap - so that feels normal.
Edited to add: I know! I know! My yard/garden is a registered Monarch Waystation.
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* Prefer used over new in most cases. The vast majority of our furniture was thrifted or picked up on the side of the road. (Mattress and couch were bought new, because bedbugs.)
* We have backyard chickens.
* I guerrilla garden unsupervised wedges of land in our neighborhood.
* I forage public spaces for purslane and other edibles.
* I’m an atheist, DH is spiritual. We have a mediation practice.
* #zerowastehome has been a personal goal since I read Bea’s book, although DH probably wouldn’t even know this is a thing that is happening.
* We don’t follow sports.
* I abhor the shopping mall, DH abhors driving in general and paying to park in particular.
* I don’t color my gray hair.
* I own one lipstick.
* I own one pair of jeans.
* I don’t like wearing shoes.
* Menstrual cup.
* Roast green coffee beans at home.
* I believe the Kumon math program is awesome for kids.
* We have 4,000+ used children’s books in our home library.
* I have a constellation of food allergies including wheat, eggs, cow’s milk, yeast, chocolate, green bell peppers, trout and about 25 other things. I also have eczema, but no asthma, therefore presenting as an incomplete allergic triad.
* I think astrology is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of.
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I have five strange things in my apartment that apparently nobody has ever seen before, based on people's reactions.
1. A bed that folds into the wall when I want to vacuum, and makes living in a small space so much easier
2. A neon pink cat stroller for grocery shopping and trips to Costco
3. A framed surgical report of my tubal ligation
4. An indoor drying rack that can fold out into a bunch of different sizes and configurations depending what I'm drying
5. A worm bin
Every one of them has earned me at least a few "Holy shit!"s. I also get to use "I feed it to my worms" in everyday conversation.
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I firmly believe that Bluegrass music is the best music. Probably lots of other things too, but people find this to be the weirdest thing.
I also have literally no idea what I'm going to do when I FIRE. And it doesn't really bother me. People around here find that strange as well.
(http://49.media.tumblr.com/38338b3e5438489cf71c1d0d9068bb84/tumblr_mmey2thCrL1r93xiko1_500.gif)
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4. An indoor drying rack that can fold out into a bunch of different sizes and configurations depending what I'm drying
Please share. I've yet to meet a drying rack I didn't hate. (I've got 2 hated ones right now.) A configurable one is like the Holy Grail to me.
And I love Murphy Beds! We've actually been in search of a good Murphy table forever.
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This should have American in the title because so much of this is cultural. It's weird for me to see so many people in this thread highlight that being atheist is weird. Nearly all of my friends and acquaintances are atheist/non religious. I can only think of 3 or 4 people I know who regularly go to church.
I line dry clothes and have never owned a dryer, but again so does everyone else I know (I have one friend who has a dryer).
In terms of what makes me weird in my social circles, meta cognition is my favourite thing. I always want to know why something is the way it is. I'm very much aware of cultural and moral relativism.
The vast majority of my social circle is also non-religious. I don't feel that it's weird, though there are certainly parts of the country where it might be.
The vast majority of my social circle is non-religious, too. Where I live: That's REALLY weird. Around here, there is a church on every corner and when a new person meets you you get "Hi, my name is John. Where do you go to church?"
I would not be able to cope living somewhere like that. Or if I did, it would be by saying very inappropriate and sarcastic things about religion to people who said stuff like that to me. I imagine it would be a very stifling place to live if one was not devoutly religious.
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4. An indoor drying rack that can fold out into a bunch of different sizes and configurations depending what I'm drying
Please share. I've yet to meet a drying rack I didn't hate. (I've got 2 hated ones right now.) A configurable one is like the Holy Grail to me.
And I love Murphy Beds! We've actually been in search of a good Murphy table forever.
Seconding all of this. Please share your secrets! :D
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*warning* most of these are from my pre-Mustachian days and have sort of been 'inherited' as old baggage more or less:
- I try to see if there's a way to fix something even if I may not necessarily be able to fix it (my success rate isn't great here)
- I got into building a kit guitar and quit. I also had G.A.S. (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) for a period of time. Currently own 3 higher-end boutique guitars (Goodall, Collings and Bourgeois).
- I love fishing and own a lot of gear. Have slimmed down a good amount but still have more to go.
- I'm a semi-hoarder and it's not uncommon for me to be tempted to buy in bulk when there's a good deal.
- Our garage is full of Amazon and other shipping boxes from many past purchases.
- I frequent Fatwallet and Slickdeals, although now that I've gained a Mustachian perspective, I've gotten much better about not buying the first hot deal I see LOL.
- I enjoy cooking, except for when I screw up (I posted not too long ago about some rubbery chicken breast I cooked.... blech)
- I have a newt (not even sure what species but I think it's a fire bellied newt) as a pet. His two hind legs are disabled from previous poor care.
- There are probably a ton more things I could share but I'll stop...
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This should have American in the title because so much of this is cultural. It's weird for me to see so many people in this thread highlight that being atheist is weird. Nearly all of my friends and acquaintances are atheist/non religious. I can only think of 3 or 4 people I know who regularly go to church.
I line dry clothes and have never owned a dryer, but again so does everyone else I know (I have one friend who has a dryer).
In terms of what makes me weird in my social circles, meta cognition is my favourite thing. I always want to know why something is the way it is. I'm very much aware of cultural and moral relativism.
The vast majority of my social circle is also non-religious. I don't feel that it's weird, though there are certainly parts of the country where it might be.
The vast majority of my social circle is non-religious, too. Where I live: That's REALLY weird. Around here, there is a church on every corner and when a new person meets you you get "Hi, my name is John. Where do you go to church?"
I would not be able to cope living somewhere like that. Or if I did, it would be by saying very inappropriate and sarcastic things about religion to people who said stuff like that to me. I imagine it would be a very stifling place to live if one was not devoutly religious.
Growing up, all I wanted to do was get out. I left ASAP and was gone for 20ish years. Aging families brought us back. I definitely went through phases of very inappropriate/sarcastic things and I still fall back in to it, though I have really tried to just let it go more lately. I must admit that the place has mellowed A LOT since my childhood -- though is still pretty darn religious.
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Edited to add: I know! I know! My yard/garden is a registered Monarch Waystation.
Okay, that is awesome. Course I am also the gal who ripped out all the grass in her front yard and planted a flower garden instead so I might be a tad biased. (And no, I don't think that's weird and judging by the number of neighbors doing something similar, many others don't either).
Hmmm....I considered buying a dryer a waste of money so I only line dry and hang dry all of my wash. Line drying doesn't seem weird to people but not even owning a dryer seems to throw them.
I am not a vegetarian but I have been asked by almost every new coworker I have ever had if I am because of the things I eat.
I am such a decisive walker that I have had lots of people try to follow me to their car that they parked when I don't know where it is (I usually stop partway out and ask them where it is to hint that they should probably take the lead instead of following behind me).
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I'll skip the ones the general public may think are weird (and have already been well documented here).
I love to exercise! I have taught fitness classes as my "fun" job for over 10 years.
Further to exercise, I am enamored with human movement. I am a high level sport official, and "waste" virtually all of my holidays from work volunteering for competitions.
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I thought of more!
I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
When I read, I get incredibly absorbed. Once, when I was young, I didn't notice an (admittedly small) earthquake because I was reading.
I was heavily addicted to world of warcraft for 4 years.
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
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I thought of more!
I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
When I read, I get incredibly absorbed. Once, when I was young, I didn't notice an (admittedly small) earthquake because I was reading.
I was heavily addicted to world of warcraft for 4 years.
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Have you played anything in the Bioshock series?
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Most (if not all) people who know me would name my obsessive live music attendance as my weirdest trait. Mostly modern jazz, new music/contemporary classical, and experimental/avant garde, which makes it all the weirder. I will end up seeing over 200 live sets this year. Combine this with my ability to easily start conversations with whoever happens to be next to me, and I've ended up with a very eclectic circle of friends and acquaintances. (Bonus: When you hang out with avant garde musicians and their fans, things like not having cable TV don't even place on the continuum of things that are considered weird.)
It certainly doesn't help my savings rate, but luckily when you are a fan of peculiar/unpopular music it doesn't tend to cost all that much. About 8% of my spending.
Being Pescatarian is a little weird
Coming after the posts about religion/atheism, I wondered for a moment if Pescatarian was related to Episcopalian somehow. The only Episcopal church I ever went to had fish symbols on the doors and for some reason that has always stuck in my head... and the words are vaguely similar, pesca/pisco. My poor little brain got some signals crossed :-)
I am such a decisive walker that I have had lots of people try to follow me to their car that they parked when I don't know where it is (I usually stop partway out and ask them where it is to hint that they should probably take the lead instead of following behind me).
I've had issues with this too. I have spent enough time in slightly sketchy urban areas alone at night that if I ever get lost or feel unsure of myself, I go into "confident walking" mode so that I don't look vulnerable. The result is that whenever I'm traveling and I get lost in any touristy place, I constantly get stopped for directions. While I'm lost. It's awkward.
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I really would not consider myself a hippie, but some others have described me as one. I do use a menstrual cup - it's better for the environment and for my budget, so it's a win-win! Unlike many of you, I am religious (Christian), however I am politically liberal, which I guess makes me a bit weird to some Christians. I am pretty athletic - I'm a marathoner and a triathlete.
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I know how to ride a unicycle and sing in the operatic style. I can do both simultaneously, if asked nicely.
Lols. I can walk on stilts and sing opera at the same time (well!). I sing- a lot.
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I don’t think there’s anything truly unique about me and my personality, but I’m above 2-sigma in a few things:
- I don’t understand free time, and I’m terrible at filling my non-work hours. I’m working on this one, but if anyone knows how to fix this problem, please advise;
- I love creating and tinkering spreadsheets;
- I have witnessed, and firmly believe in the green flash;
- No Facebook account;
- My boss to the 4th power is the President of the United States;
- I have personal knowledge that dolphin is delicious.
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Threads where you ask people to talk about themselves always get a big response. I bet most people who post here won't even read the previous posts, in their hurry to talk rather than listen.
Sol, I made sure to read each and every one of the other posts before posting my response. :) Actually, I always do that anyway. I hate it when people just scroll to the bottom of a thread and post their ideas without reading what everyone has said first. Sometimes it's pretty obvious.
Maybe this isn't that weird for other Mustachians, but we don't own a television and haven't owned one for years. (gasp)
Actually, none of our friends has a tv either, so for people we know well, it's not really that weird. It's usually when I'm talking to someone at work or an acquaintance I've just met that it sometimes comes up, and they seem to think it's really strange that we don't own a television.
Usually it comes up when someone asks me, "Hey, did you see (insert tv show) last night? Wasn't that funny/crazy, scary, awesome, when (insert actor/actress' name) did (whatever)?"
And I'm like, "Uhhhh, no I didn't see it."
But then the person keeps asking me questions about this or that or what they saw on the news the night before or the "big game" on Sunday, and finally I end up telling them that I don't own a tv, and then there's this moment of total silence.
When the person finally regains her composure, she usually says something like, "Oh, you live out in the country, right? I guess you can't get cable or satellite out there, huh? Awww, that's too bad. It must be rough living like that."
Then I tell the person that we could easily buy a tv if we wanted one (someone once offered to give us his old tv because he apparently felt sorry for us believing that maybe we couldn't afford to buy our own) and all I'd have to do is call up the satellite tv company who would send a technician over to install a satellite dish on my house and we would get x hundred channels if we wanted them. But we don't want a tv, because we'd rather read books, surf the web, talk to each other, play games, listen to music, etc.
Recently, I had this tv conversation with someone at work, and at the end he said, "Well you and your wife might not want tv, but what about your "poor" daughter (she's 7)? How can you deprive her of a television?" I just started laughing, and I don't think I was even able to answer that question...
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I am a hippy. I am going to buy a pot farm and live there when I save up enough $$. All I want to do is sit around and play music and grow plants.
This sounds awesome. :)
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I thought of more!
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I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Ok I've got to ask, what is it that you do that so frequently results in broken toes??
Ignoring the things that seem pretty normal round here like not having a TV or drier and being atheist, the main thing that is unusual about me is that I live on a boat. Since my daughter arrived we have upsized to a positively luxuriously spacious wide boat of something like 600 square feet but when I met my wife we lived on a sailing boat of less than 250 square feet and loved it.
When I first moved onto the boat it was like a whole secret world opening up to me - not being on a boat per se, just the act of defying society's expectations and breaking out of the box. Having questioned something as fundamental as needing to live in a house or apartment felt liberating, and kind of like Neo in the Martix realising that the rules of physics are artifical and he can bend them. What else could I chose to do differently?
I suspect most people here have had something of a similar moment, either before mustachianism that made it easier for them to accept this, or on learning that FIRE is possible - and hence weirdly it is not at all weird that we are all so weird!
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As a child I used to dress only in historical clothing I sewed.
Oh wow wow wow wow WOW! This is amazing! As a child I was never allowed to leave the house in 'dressing up' clothes (unlike the tiny Tinkerbells I see wandering the supermarket these days) but this would have been my absolute dream!
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I've been trying to think of things that people haven't mentioned already. It's hard because I don't think of myself as weird!
- I'm a woman and I still enjoy playing late 1990s/early 2000s civilisation-building-type computer games. (Pharaoh, Dungeon Keeper II, Age of Empires II...)
- I hate washing. It's not that I dislike being clean, but I hate the sensation of showering, washing my hands, brushing my teeth...
- I don't follow music, films or television. At all. Someone at work asked me the other day if I had seen the latest episode of 'The Apprentice'. Total blank. Finally: "Is that the thing where Alan Sugar shouts and people and then fires them?" She looked at me like I'd sprouted an extra head.
- I'm really into late Victorian and early 20th Century (up to and including the Second World War) domestic history.
- My husband and I hate sitting next to each other at dinners. At any given sit-down event, you get to pretty much talk to three people - the two either side and the one opposite. I see my husband ALL THE FRIGGIN' TIME. WHAT are we going to have to say to each other at a dinner? Give me 50% more other people to talk to, PLEASE.
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I thought of more!
I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
When I read, I get incredibly absorbed. Once, when I was young, I didn't notice an (admittedly small) earthquake because I was reading.
I was heavily addicted to world of warcraft for 4 years.
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Have you played anything in the Bioshock series?
And if I may add have you played the Last of Us? Very mustachian game! Also any post apocalyptic recommendations? I also love that stuff.
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While reading this thread, I've been trying to make up some kind of oddity that people would find funny/strange. When I think I've got one, I read a new post that's better than the one I made up! :-)
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When I first moved onto the boat it was like a whole secret world opening up to me - not being on a boat per se, just the act of defying society's expectations and breaking out of the box. Having questioned something as fundamental as needing to live in a house or apartment felt liberating, and kind of like Neo in the Martix realising that the rules of physics are artifical and he can bend them. What else could I chose to do differently?
^^^ I love this!
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Ooh I like this idea. I look forward to the diversity of answers that might pop up.
I think I'm "weird" because I'm split between a couple different sub-groups in weird ways. As in, depending on what context you meet me, you might expect I drive a prius, or you might expect me to be a super conservative christian... both of these are quite incorrect.
Scarily similar to me...minus the menstrual cup :) lol
i got a little of a lot of the traits in your OP...which is the Libertarian in me i suppose. Self-sufficiency interests me. Part hippie, prepper, wanna be gardener, handyman, big time introvert. I kind of consider myself odd....the gun toting small government guy who is kind of anti-war with social/environmental leanings towards the left.
I'm weird in the same way: I agree with the entire Bill of Rights, including not only the 1st (which the Republicans disregard) or the 2nd (which the Democrats hate), but also the 9th and 10th (which the entire Federal government has completely ignored since at least the Civil War, if not earlier).
Moreover, I'm not convinced that's actually weird. I suspect people like us are actually a majority of Americans; it's just that the two halves of the authoritarian party have colluded with the media to use wedge issues to force us to choose sides, resulting in a whole bunch of people who think they're "liberal" or "conservative" but who actually only agree with 51% of the "liberal" or "conservative" party's platform, respectively.
Just wanted to say that it is not possible for me to agree with you more. Well said.
...carry on...
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I know how to ride a unicycle and sing in the operatic style. I can do both simultaneously, if asked nicely.
Lols. I can walk on stilts and sing opera at the same time (well!). I sing- a lot.
That's awesome! I've never tried stilts but learned to uni at 16. I absolutely love singing, but I am a soprano and can be really loud and sometimes feel very self-conscious about it, especially practicing in my apartment. Ah, well, none of the neighbors have complained (yet). :) What's your favorite thing to sing?
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obsessed with chess. USCF 2200 if there are any chess players on here.
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I thought of more!
I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
When I read, I get incredibly absorbed. Once, when I was young, I didn't notice an (admittedly small) earthquake because I was reading.
I was heavily addicted to world of warcraft for 4 years.
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Have you played anything in the Bioshock series?
Of course! Love the story and environment, hate the mechanics of the game play =) As a result, I only played the original, but I've watched youtube play throughs by other people. Usually Day[9]. Bonus: then I don't have to buy them.
I thought of more!
...
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Ok I've got to ask, what is it that you do that so frequently results in broken toes??
A few different things. Ballet, particularly when I tried to learn Pointe, accounted for quite a few of those. As did other forms of dance and gymnastics. Umm, soccer for 1, outside of my foot clipped a goal post. No wait, for 2, I also had a crushing break on one when a goalpost we were moving was dropped on my foot. Horseback riding and being a flippin idiot as a kid I got dragged by a stirrup and broke some of my foot bones and the center toes (hardest to get at usually)! 1 when I was learning to spar in tae known do. The only recent on is that I've broken one trail running in AZ when I hit a rock. (I know this adds to more than 10, I've broken a lot of them twice... worse on my R foot than L, and my poor pinky toes...)
Basically, lots of really stupid shit. I'm very active and I'm also clumsy. It's a potent combination. But I've never broken any bones other than toes/metatarsals/parts of a finger, which I think is pretty good!
I thought of more!
I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
When I read, I get incredibly absorbed. Once, when I was young, I didn't notice an (admittedly small) earthquake because I was reading.
I was heavily addicted to world of warcraft for 4 years.
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Have you played anything in the Bioshock series?
And if I may add have you played the Last of Us? Very mustachian game! Also any post apocalyptic recommendations? I also love that stuff.
I have played the Last of Us and LOVE IT. (Okay, so I watched Day[9]'s walkthrough... the Mustachian approach!)
As far as recommendations, I haven't played *that* many, probably all ones other people have heard of.
-Bioshock (1 is best, 2 is good, I thought infinite was kinda meh but still has play value)
-Last of Us (one of my favorite games of all time)
-Fallout, of course! I've played 2, 3, and am working on 4. (Okay, I watched a boyfriend play 2, full disclosure).
-Half life is always good
-Halo technically counts! haha
-Left for dead (I actually really enjoy the story mode on this, although it's not a strong story, but the gameplay is great)
-Deus Ex
-Final fantasy technically counts, so of COURSE final fantasy 7 needs to be on that list. There's a reason it's cited as one of the best games of all time, full stop.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head, other people should jump in and add to the list! Don't make me the weird one here ;)
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I'm surprised at how many of the random things listed here fit me. Atheist, lived on a boat for half a year (had to row a smaller boat to get to shore), I have a tv now, but lived 12 years without one, had stilts that my dad built for us when I was a kid.
Weirdness about me, according to my students at least, is that I'm perpetually bodging things together in weird ways to make them work. Making my own electric socks, building a dehydrator out of our lawn cart, back in the day I had "disposable" digital cameras in my classroom rigged up so we could download the pics ourselves and reuse them instead of taking them to the drugstore to process. Before that, as a teen, I was collecting random street trash to turn into musical instruments.
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This should have American in the title because so much of this is cultural. It's weird for me to see so many people in this thread highlight that being atheist is weird. Nearly all of my friends and acquaintances are atheist/non religious. I can only think of 3 or 4 people I know who regularly go to church.
I line dry clothes and have never owned a dryer, but again so does everyone else I know (I have one friend who has a dryer).
In terms of what makes me weird in my social circles, meta cognition is my favourite thing. I always want to know why something is the way it is. I'm very much aware of cultural and moral relativism.
The vast majority of my social circle is also non-religious. I don't feel that it's weird, though there are certainly parts of the country where it might be.
I grew up in a very Catholic town. My family is pretty religious, and many of my friends are also religious.
But I'd have to say, my local "tribe" here in CA is very much atheist or agnostic, for the most part.
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I'm into frugal cooking, and have a frugal food blog, which my friends think is weird. (That at times I've calculated the cost per serving).
Can you share the blog site please?!
Well, I've been slacking off most of this year, but there's still a lot of good stuff in the history.
http://frugalhealthysimple.blogspot.com/
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I'm surprised at how many of the random things listed here fit me. Atheist, lived on a boat for half a year (had to row a smaller boat to get to shore), I have a tv now, but lived 12 years without one, had stilts that my dad built for us when I was a kid.
Weirdness about me, according to my students at least, is that I'm perpetually bodging things together in weird ways to make them work. Making my own electric socks, building a dehydrator out of our lawn cart, back in the day I had "disposable" digital cameras in my classroom rigged up so we could download the pics ourselves and reuse them instead of taking them to the drugstore to process. Before that, as a teen, I was collecting random street trash to turn into musical instruments.
You're like a boat-dwelling mad scientist! I love it.
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A few different things. Ballet, particularly when I tried to learn Pointe, accounted for quite a few of those. As did other forms of dance and gymnastics. Umm, soccer for 1, outside of my foot clipped a goal post. No wait, for 2, I also had a crushing break on one when a goalpost we were moving was dropped on my foot. Horseback riding and being a flippin idiot as a kid I got dragged by a stirrup and broke some of my foot bones and the center toes (hardest to get at usually)! 1 when I was learning to spar in tae known do. The only recent on is that I've broken one trail running in AZ when I hit a rock. (I know this adds to more than 10, I've broken a lot of them twice... worse on my R foot than L, and my poor pinky toes...)
Thanks for replying - wow, kudos to you! Remind me never to pick a fight with you ;)
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obsessed with chess. USCF 2200 if there are any chess players on here.
My nine year old is obsessed with chess.
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A few different things. Ballet, particularly when I tried to learn Pointe, accounted for quite a few of those. As did other forms of dance and gymnastics. Umm, soccer for 1, outside of my foot clipped a goal post. No wait, for 2, I also had a crushing break on one when a goalpost we were moving was dropped on my foot. Horseback riding and being a flippin idiot as a kid I got dragged by a stirrup and broke some of my foot bones and the center toes (hardest to get at usually)! 1 when I was learning to spar in tae known do. The only recent on is that I've broken one trail running in AZ when I hit a rock. (I know this adds to more than 10, I've broken a lot of them twice... worse on my R foot than L, and my poor pinky toes...)
Thanks for replying - wow, kudos to you! Remind me never to pick a fight with you ;)
Haha! This is the second time this month a forum member has alluded to not wanting to fight me. I swear I'm not scary! And trust me, there is no graceful dignity where I stoically face down the pain of a broken bone. No, there is a lot of whimpering, rolling around, clutching at body parts, and general carrying-on. I can't imagine what I would do if I broke a long bone.
Except for the AZ trail running toe break. I actually felt pretty bad-ass on that one. I was in the middle of a desert, still like 3 miles from the car. So after a small amount of whimpering and swearing, I just kept running. Didn't even check my foot- I didn't want to risk unlacing the shoe.
I'm also a goddamn idiot, and didn't want to pass up a chance to hike Zion three days later, so I hiked it with a broken toe. Not my smartest move. It healed a bit... crooked. I can't wear high heels at all anymore =\
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Threads where you ask people to talk about themselves always get a big response. I bet most people who post here won't even read the previous posts, in their hurry to talk rather than listen.
Ha! This made me laugh (as I hurriedly scrolled to the end of the thread to post about myself).
Probably the weirdest non-Mustache thing about me is that I'm Buddhist. And I don't mean that in the "I read Buddhist books and sometimes meditate" sense, although that was true for years. I mean it in the sense that I'm part of a local sangha, I've taken the refuge vows, I work regularly with a teacher, I sit and read everyday, go on multiple 4-5 day silent retreats every year, etc. Crazily (to me) I went to Taiwan in 1999 in large part because I was interested in Buddhism / Taoism, but it wasn't until I was in Tampa that I found my sangha. Starting in January, I've committed to a formal Dharma transmission program that my teacher is offering, where a group of us are committing to an hour of daily sitting, an hour of daily study, bi-weekly group meetings, 4 weekend retreats, 3 4-5 day retreats and a 7-day solitary retreat (per year). The commitment is for 5 years.
I don't think this has much to do with my FIRE timeline, although I imagine the retreat line item on my budget is bigger than most. I absolutely intend to spend more time in this area once I'm FIRE'd though.
Oh, and not having cable isn't remotely weird on this forum. Having cable might be.
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A few different things. Ballet, particularly when I tried to learn Pointe, accounted for quite a few of those. As did other forms of dance and gymnastics. Umm, soccer for 1, outside of my foot clipped a goal post. No wait, for 2, I also had a crushing break on one when a goalpost we were moving was dropped on my foot. Horseback riding and being a flippin idiot as a kid I got dragged by a stirrup and broke some of my foot bones and the center toes (hardest to get at usually)! 1 when I was learning to spar in tae known do. The only recent on is that I've broken one trail running in AZ when I hit a rock. (I know this adds to more than 10, I've broken a lot of them twice... worse on my R foot than L, and my poor pinky toes...)
Thanks for replying - wow, kudos to you! Remind me never to pick a fight with you ;)
Haha! This is the second time this month a forum member has alluded to not wanting to fight me. I swear I'm not scary! And trust me, there is no graceful dignity where I stoically face down the pain of a broken bone. No, there is a lot of whimpering, rolling around, clutching at body parts, and general carrying-on. I can't imagine what I would do if I broke a long bone.
Except for the AZ trail running toe break. I actually felt pretty bad-ass on that one. I was in the middle of a desert, still like 3 miles from the car. So after a small amount of whimpering and swearing, I just kept running. Didn't even check my foot- I didn't want to risk unlacing the shoe.
I'm also a goddamn idiot, and didn't want to pass up a chance to hike Zion three days later, so I hiked it with a broken toe. Not my smartest move. It healed a bit... crooked. I can't wear high heels at all anymore =\
:P
I'm pretty sure all you've done is confirm that you are a badass.
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A few different things. Ballet, particularly when I tried to learn Pointe, accounted for quite a few of those. As did other forms of dance and gymnastics. Umm, soccer for 1, outside of my foot clipped a goal post. No wait, for 2, I also had a crushing break on one when a goalpost we were moving was dropped on my foot. Horseback riding and being a flippin idiot as a kid I got dragged by a stirrup and broke some of my foot bones and the center toes (hardest to get at usually)! 1 when I was learning to spar in tae known do. The only recent on is that I've broken one trail running in AZ when I hit a rock. (I know this adds to more than 10, I've broken a lot of them twice... worse on my R foot than L, and my poor pinky toes...)
Thanks for replying - wow, kudos to you! Remind me never to pick a fight with you ;)
Haha! This is the second time this month a forum member has alluded to not wanting to fight me. I swear I'm not scary! And trust me, there is no graceful dignity where I stoically face down the pain of a broken bone. No, there is a lot of whimpering, rolling around, clutching at body parts, and general carrying-on. I can't imagine what I would do if I broke a long bone.
Except for the AZ trail running toe break. I actually felt pretty bad-ass on that one. I was in the middle of a desert, still like 3 miles from the car. So after a small amount of whimpering and swearing, I just kept running. Didn't even check my foot- I didn't want to risk unlacing the shoe.
I'm also a goddamn idiot, and didn't want to pass up a chance to hike Zion three days later, so I hiked it with a broken toe. Not my smartest move. It healed a bit... crooked. I can't wear high heels at all anymore =\
:P
I'm pretty sure all you've done is confirm that you are a badass.
New MMM blog-post: "finding badassity in injuries that are certainly Your Own Goddamn Fault"
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:P
I'm pretty sure all you've done is confirm that you are a badass.
New MMM blog-post: "finding badassity in injuries that are certainly Your Own Goddamn Fault"
*cackles*
I'd probably read it. ;P
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I love this thread. Not sure how weird you wanna go though...
I save my hair, as in from the hairbrush. It's waist length, and saw something once where people weave it into stuff and though: man, that's cool. Have probably enough for a vest now.
Devout agnostic.
Used to ride Brahma bulls. (poorly, but hey...no one rides them perfectly)
When I broke a collar bone doing the above, I all of a sudden became afraid of heights...as in stood on a ladder and couldn't screw in a light bulb because my hand was shaking too much. My solution? Go skydiving. (it worked, I'm fine with heights again)
Skydiving was fascinating so took ground school for pilots.
Race camels in Virginia City, NV.
Have BLM burros and do parades with the WildAssWomen of NV.
Read maybe 3 books a week. (I consider this normal: 5 books a week is extreme)
Know basic salutations in 37 languages (from working in casinos).
Used to drive taxi.
Have picked up a live rattlesnake.
Have been to every state but Hawaii. Drove the Alcan several times.
Commercial fished for halibut in Alaska.
Have been chased by a moose, twice.
Have been stalked by a brown bear while on snowshoes in Wyoming. I'd made a loop through a meadow and when I got back to my original trail, his bigass feet were stomped right through my snowshoe tracks...
Don't facebook/twitter/whatever....have an ancient flip phone and give a crap what people think. Although it is pretty funny to see the amazement on their faces when I pull it out. "They still make those???" is the average comment.
That's all I'm willing to cop to. ;-0
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OP here: Very interesting, awesome answers, all. Thank you for playing! Some of mine will repeat what others have said, because my point in starting the thread was to see where we have shared weirdness. And I was thinking "weird" as in "weird to non-Mustachians."
Tech
Worked for a company that sold cell phones, and was a top seller, but never owned one till 2012 (a flip)
No smartphone until 2015 (and then primarily because it is cheaper than landline with DSL)
Have never carried a cell phone on my person daily unless I was job-hunting and awaiting calls
No intention to put a smartphone or tablet in my kids’ hands until high school or college years
Only Apple device I’ve ever owned is an ipod Shuffle (RIP in a desk drawer since 2014)
Haven’t owned a microwave since 2000
Debt
Never been in a contract with a mobile phone carrier
Never had a car loan or mortgage
Haven’t been to the mall since 2014
Health & Environment
Health Nut
Failed Vegetarian. Have tried it multiple times and always tap out somewhere between 2 weeks and several months into it.
Started dabbling in Paleo/Primal the day before the “Bacon is a Deadly Killer” news came out some weeks ago
Homesteader
Freecycler (e.g., part of my chicken run is made of discarded fence panels found curbside)
Zero artificial sweeteners
Avoid plastics, sugars, edible food-like substances (e.g., store bread)
Refuse plastic bags for small purchases, and cashiers are incredulous
Trying to greatly reduce consumption of bread, grains, and meat
I’m anti-antibacterial soap
Make my own shampoo, detergent, and deodorant
Our 1-acre homestead includes an organic/all-natural garden, orchard, and 20 to 80 meat and egg animals at any given time
Looking to replace as much of our yard’s grass as possible, with a combination of flower gardens (for our two beehives) and xeriscaping
Lifestyle
Pandemic planner, but not a Doomsday Prepper
Would love a smaller home, like 1000 sq ft, one day – maybe when the kids are grown
Lived in a church for a year in my 20’s
Have quit at least two jobs on moral grounds
Also agree that doing things by hand is better. I often pick up a handsaw even when my circular saw is already plugged in and ready to use.
Appearance
No tattoos, but yes on facial hair – Goatee
Haircut is much shorter than most men I know: 1/8 inch crew cut
Entertainment
Huge fan of movies and get so extremely absorbed in movies (especially if at the cinema) that I will sometimes forget what day it is, what month it is, and some parts of who I am (a little bit)
Have never had cable TV
Love doing laundry
Have been convinced since about 1990 that one day all music will be techno. Have nodded to myself sagely (“You were right”) as the growth of Electronic Dance Music has infiltrated nearly all pop songs. Resent Mumford & Son’s attempts to reverse that trend. Faves are funny lyrics with odd music like Cake and Jurassic 5.
Introvert
I would pay good money NOT to have to attend an office Christmas party or other social event
No social media accounts
Not a Buddhist like *FL Biker* but one of my favorite authors has always been Jack Kerouac, though I’ve given up on recommending him to people because I’ve never found anyone else who appreciates his works.
Attended a university where football is the first thing you think of when you hear the university’s name, and worked in a building 30 steps from the stadium, and have never attended a game there. Can’t stand watching sports unless it’s live and I’m there in person because someone gave me a ticket, and then it is almost bearable. If you offered me a $100 bill to name three current NFL quarterbacks off the top of my head, I’d have to immediately give up. I have a diatribe about how the televised NFL is the modern equivalent of the ancient Roman games in the Colosseum, meant to be a show of colors, motion and violence that will successfully distract the citizenry from what is really going on in the country -- which is a lot of stuff, but you know, for example, that we are waging wars in 10 countries at a time at any given time, there is widespread corruption at all levels, unfathomably high waste of taxpayer dollars, and the sale of natural resources to the highest bidders.
Most of my current habits mesh pretty well with Mustachianism except homesteading, which is an expensive way to obtain food on a small scale, but still worth it for health reasons and because it's enjoyable and gives us an additional purpose and motivation in life.
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I thought of more!
I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
When I read, I get incredibly absorbed. Once, when I was young, I didn't notice an (admittedly small) earthquake because I was reading.
I was heavily addicted to world of warcraft for 4 years.
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Have you played anything in the Bioshock series?
Of course! Love the story and environment, hate the mechanics of the game play =) As a result, I only played the original, but I've watched youtube play throughs by other people. Usually Day[9]. Bonus: then I don't have to buy them.
I thought of more!
...
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Ok I've got to ask, what is it that you do that so frequently results in broken toes??
A few different things. Ballet, particularly when I tried to learn Pointe, accounted for quite a few of those. As did other forms of dance and gymnastics. Umm, soccer for 1, outside of my foot clipped a goal post. No wait, for 2, I also had a crushing break on one when a goalpost we were moving was dropped on my foot. Horseback riding and being a flippin idiot as a kid I got dragged by a stirrup and broke some of my foot bones and the center toes (hardest to get at usually)! 1 when I was learning to spar in tae known do. The only recent on is that I've broken one trail running in AZ when I hit a rock. (I know this adds to more than 10, I've broken a lot of them twice... worse on my R foot than L, and my poor pinky toes...)
Basically, lots of really stupid shit. I'm very active and I'm also clumsy. It's a potent combination. But I've never broken any bones other than toes/metatarsals/parts of a finger, which I think is pretty good!
I thought of more!
I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
When I read, I get incredibly absorbed. Once, when I was young, I didn't notice an (admittedly small) earthquake because I was reading.
I was heavily addicted to world of warcraft for 4 years.
I have broken all but one of my toes (and not at the same time).
Have you played anything in the Bioshock series?
And if I may add have you played the Last of Us? Very mustachian game! Also any post apocalyptic recommendations? I also love that stuff.
I have played the Last of Us and LOVE IT. (Okay, so I watched Day[9]'s walkthrough... the Mustachian approach!)
As far as recommendations, I haven't played *that* many, probably all ones other people have heard of.
-Bioshock (1 is best, 2 is good, I thought infinite was kinda meh but still has play value)
-Last of Us (one of my favorite games of all time)
-Fallout, of course! I've played 2, 3, and am working on 4. (Okay, I watched a boyfriend play 2, full disclosure).
-Half life is always good
-Halo technically counts! haha
-Left for dead (I actually really enjoy the story mode on this, although it's not a strong story, but the gameplay is great)
-Deus Ex
-Final fantasy technically counts, so of COURSE final fantasy 7 needs to be on that list. There's a reason it's cited as one of the best games of all time, full stop.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head, other people should jump in and add to the list! Don't make me the weird one here ;)
I didn't get through finishing Bioshock 1 LOL but I finished Bioshock Infinite. I actually enjoyed the game play otherwise. It does take some getting used to with all the Vigors, etc since the combinations can get crazy. There are some nice Youtube vids on Vigor combos that work well in Infinite. I need to get Bioshock 1 up and running - too bad I only have the PC version as Mac is what I primarily use now.
Deus Ex is pretty awesome too. I recently got Human Revolution for $1 from some deal not long ago. Love it. Can't wait to try out Mankind Divided. My wife just rolls her eyes every time I get into this stuff.
I was watching through some of the latest Wolfenstein walkthroughs on Youtube and it looks pretty awesome as well - since my wife mostly forbids me from buying and playing video games, my only outlet is to vicariously live through Youtube vids of people playing the game....LOL!!!
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Not a Buddhist like *FL Biker* but one of my favorite authors has always been Jack Kerouac, though I’ve given up on recommending him to people because I’ve never found anyone else who appreciates his works.
Ha! I wrote a bunch of papers on Kerouac in college. Loved him!
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I have five strange things in my apartment that apparently nobody has ever seen before, based on people's reactions.
3. A framed surgical report of my tubal ligation
So far, I think this is the weirdest thing in the thread.
- My boss to the 4th power is the President of the United States;
Do you mean four levels up (which would make you some kind of Admiral?!), or n4 where n is some number presumably between 1 (which would mean you were the President yourself) and 2 (which would make you a... pre-cadet, I guess?) I'm not sure if the U.S. Navy, including the President, has 16 different ranks in the same hierarchy.
When I read, I get incredibly absorbed. Once, when I was young, I didn't notice an (admittedly small) earthquake because I was reading.
I used to read sci-fi novels in class instead of paying attention to the teacher (or anything else). Often I'd get my book taken away because the teacher would ask me to answer a question and I didn't notice. I also occasionally missed my gifted class (which I had to get up and go to on my own) because I'd be so busy reading that I lost track of time.
I'm also a goddamn idiot, and didn't want to pass up a chance to hike Zion three days later, so I hiked it with a broken toe. Not my smartest move. It healed a bit... crooked. I can't wear high heels at all anymore =\
Don't worry; at the rate you're going, sooner or later you'll just break it again and have a chance to put it back straight!
Another weird thing about me: I've never broken a bone, ever. I thought I broke my arm once, when I fell of my bike a year or so ago, but it turns out the urgent-care doc didn't read the x-ray correctly.
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I have a solid Libertarian streak and believe global warming is a bunch of psuedo-scientific mumbo jumbo. Yet my efforts to use less energy for the sake of using less have reduced my carbon footprint to well below that of the average global warming activist (not to mention the average Tesla owner).
Essentially, I'm the guy who would buy a used Leaf or Volt for financial reasons, but put an NRA sticker on it just to prove I'm not one of those mindless environmental drones roaming the Bay Area. And it would be fun to confuse everyone.
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Devout agnostic.
Does anyone else think this is an oxymoron?
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Devout agnostic.
Does anyone else think this is an oxymoron?
In this case, I took it to be a synonym for "passionate". As in, agnostic and wholeheartedly so. Taken literally, you're probably right, sol.
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Love this thread! Read through it all:)
Trying to think of some outlying, non-MMM weirdness...
So, here's what comes to mind.
I have really bad genes and so far have had 6 body parts removed, 5 were not optional, 2 were optional of which 1, I was just plain stubborn and refused to have removed. I dread when I have a physical ailment because the chances are very high that I will be sent to a surgeon who will say "you need surgery", we need to remove x, no it is not optional. The latest was my disk at L5-S1, and that was after two unsuccessful Discectomies. I've had my left eye removed (birth defect), my Appendix removed (right after the second eye socket reconstruction surgery when I was 16), my wisdom teeth pulled, all 4 at once when I was 19. I refused to have my tonsils removed after ongoing throat problems as at that point I was DONE with surgeries. After many healthy years I had major shoulder issues which was yes, genetic, so they burred off arthritis (calcium growths) and reshaped my bone to prevent the next wave of growth to poke into my ligaments. Finally, last December I had that disc removed (also birth defect x2 that finally caused a massive rupture in 2013, I had no idea I had those back problems until it was too late).
Ok, now on to the similar to the MMM community affinities (you can stop reading now if you are looking for just the weird):
I love all things post-apoclyptic even though sadly I will be one of the first to go thanks to my horrific genes. I too play/ed many of the computer games mentioned (currently loving Fallout 4). Read all the books etc.
Even with a history of health issues, I manage to bounce back and stay very active (ok too active) - against everyone's recommendations of course:) I work alot, also defying Doctors orders.
Like many mustachians I have always made $$$, I like being busy and have no problem assigning a value for my time. Due to said health issues I feel life is short and must be lived to the fullest. This annoys DH and Doctors alike.
Even before my back ruptured I knew that my time was valuable and likely my remaining healthy years would be short, so I plotted and schemed my exit plan which was put into action back in 2010 (pre MMM - found MMM in 2013). DH left the work force first in 2011 and I plan to join him in another year. We have big RV travel plans, I cannot wait! DH says I cannot execute the last step of my plan (my RE) until I've been healthy 12 months straight! ACK, for me that COULD be a show stopper.
I Look forward to selling our clown house for a small, easy-upkeep, tenant friendly property. (We own multiple rental properties and hope to live in 1/2 of this one)
DH and I DIY just about anything. For any given situation after deciding DIY is a no go I will drag my feet and seek professional help, or decide that the issue can just "be".
I cannot think of a single instance of eating in a restaurant this year with DH. We are both anti restaurant, preferring his home cooking any day. It pains us both to go out, order something that is inferior to what he can cook, and pay way too much for the privilege of eating it.
I've failed every year since 2013 at the "buy no new clothes in xxxx" - however this year I've done great, and only made one purchase, a navy blue fleece jacket that was partly funded by a corporate award. I definitely would not have bought it had I paid full price:) I am standing strong now at mid November and think I can hold out through December. DH has not fared as well, he has purchased shoes, shoes, socks, shorts and a pair of sweat pants.
DH never, ever wears anything other than shorts or sweats, period. I look forward to that day:)
I will wear clothing multiple times, no problem. They need to need to be cleaned before I will wash them.
DH enjoys grocery shopping and providing me the receipt highlighted with all the discounts and overall discount.
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- I'm a woman and I still enjoy playing late 1990s/early 2000s civilisation-building-type computer games. (Pharaoh, Dungeon Keeper II, Age of Empires II...)
I think it's more weird that there's two of us.
Pharoah - right there on my Desktop. A game I've played through dozens of times. Now, I'll admit, that I generally like the updated graphics of every Civ game that comes down the pipe. But Pharoah... it's timeless.
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- I'm a woman and I still enjoy playing late 1990s/early 2000s civilisation-building-type computer games. (Pharaoh, Dungeon Keeper II, Age of Empires II...)
I think it's more weird that there's two of us.
Pharoah - right there on my Desktop. A game I've played through dozens of time. Now, I'll admit, that I generally like the updated graphics of every Civ game that comes down the pipe. But Pharoah... it's timeless.
SimCity 2000 and all the associated cheat codes. I once built a metropolis of evenly-created residential, industrial, and commercial zones in a perfectly square grid with all zones, bodies of water and everything else nearly symmetrical. The metropolis and all its glorious denizens denigrated into a crime-ridden, poverty-stricken wasteland of closed businesses and foreclosed homes. I guess that's what I get for cheating... at least I had gajillions of dollars bwahahahaha.
Other fun games of my past: Dungeon Master (throwing apples and bread at mummies to kill them), Oregon Trail (c'mon now, this is a classic), and Rise of the Dragon.
EDIT: crud, this is totally bringing me down memory lane as far as PC Games are concerned - the original Rainbow Six, Doom & Doom II, Wolfenstein 3D, Kings Quest series, Police Quest series, and who can forget Leisure Suit Larry? I remember typing funny things in those RPG prompts (including cuss words) and having a ball cracking up at the responses that were given back.
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People get very funny with me because I don't really like animals. I like parrots that swear once in a blue moon and I understand using an animal for its utility (farm animals, hunting dogs, blind dogs etc) but beyond that, I can't see the appeal. I think it's me not wanting to create dependency in others.
It's similar to the reaction my girlfriend gets when she says she's a vegetarian. Everyone tries to prove to you you're doing it wrong. I can't see the point though. I love people but I have no compulsion to 'own' one and I don't get 'owning' animals.
Liking Simcity and AOE 2 isn't weird, that's just universal :)
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People get very funny with me because I don't really like animals. I like parrots that swear once in a blue moon and I understand using an animal for its utility (farm animals, hunting dogs, blind dogs etc) but beyond that, I can't see the appeal. I think it's me not wanting to create dependency in others.
It's similar to the reaction my girlfriend gets when she says she's a vegetarian. Everyone tries to prove to you you're doing it wrong. I can't see the point though. I love people but I have no compulsion to 'own' one and I don't get 'owning' animals.
Liking Simcity and AOE 2 isn't weird, that's just universal :)
Simcity is weird if you play it the way I did :D
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-Left for dead (I actually really enjoy the story mode on this, although it's not a strong story, but the gameplay is great)
PEELZ HERE!
I totally forgot about L4D. Good times! Always played as Louis with the shotgun.
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-Left for dead (I actually really enjoy the story mode on this, although it's not a strong story, but the gameplay is great)
PEELZ HERE!
I totally forgot about L4D. Good times! Always played as Louis with the shotgun.
seriously.... stupid witches and tanks.
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I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
Have you read Head Full of Mountains by Brent Hayward? Beautiful language, but incredibly strange dystopian novel. It's a little like Catch-22 in that the reader has no idea what the fuck is going on, but no 'ah ha' at the end. Just lots of confusion. So, if you do read it, can you please what actually happened?
What about Riddley Walker? Or the Gate to Women's Country? Have you read these? You must read these! Like, right now. Go!
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I love dystopian future literature (think 1984 or even the hunger games) and post apocalyptic video games.
Have you read Head Full of Mountains by Brent Hayward? Beautiful language, but incredibly strange dystopian novel. It's a little like Catch-22 in that the reader has no idea what the fuck is going on, but no 'ah ha' at the end. Just lots of confusion. So, if you do read it, can you please what actually happened?
What about Riddley Walker? Or the Gate to Women's Country? Have you read these? You must read these! Like, right now. Go!
I haven't read ANY of these (other than catch-22). Added to my reading list.
100%, feel free to keep going with the recommendations!
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- I'm a woman and I still enjoy playing late 1990s/early 2000s civilisation-building-type computer games. (Pharaoh, Dungeon Keeper II, Age of Empires II...)
I think it's more weird that there's two of us.
Pharoah - right there on my Desktop. A game I've played through dozens of times. Now, I'll admit, that I generally like the updated graphics of every Civ game that comes down the pipe. But Pharoah... it's timeless.
Wow! I'm really surprised and happy to find someone else who appreciates the glory of simple grid-based graphics and cunning city mechanics. I actually only finished Pharaoh about two months ago! The copy I had way back when had a glitch that deleted my family history every so often, so I've played the first half dozens of times. Re-bought it during a dry spell for work this summer and played it through to the end. Did DK2 earlier this year. I'm rationing myself, though, so no more until at least the New Year. Next up is probably Rollercoaster Tycoon!
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Devout agnostic.
Does anyone else think this is an oxymoron?
In this case, I took it to be a synonym for "passionate". As in, agnostic and wholeheartedly so. Taken literally, you're probably right, sol.
Bingo.
Was raised Catholic...in 4th grade started throwing up in church because it was very much "not me". <not wanting to get into religious conversation....it just didn't mesh with my personal philosophy>
So many forms-- even medical forms prior to surgery--- demand some form of conventional religion or insist you put atheist.
I'm agnostic. But lean more towards some combo of Robert Heinlan/Zen I guess...
(but really: agnostic)
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Devout agnostic.
Does anyone else think this is an oxymoron?
I am unable to decide.
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100%, feel free to keep going with the recommendations!
Hot dog!
I lean more post-apocalyptic world-building, instead of strictly dystopian. Here's my favourites:
- The Stand by Stephen King
- World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler
- Alas Babylon by Pat Frank & David Brin
- Earth Abides by George R. Steward
- Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr
- The Postman by David Brin (yes, the movie was awful, but the book was great)
- The Tripod Trillogy by John Christopher (YA fiction, but still awesome)
- I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
- One Second After by William R. Forstchen
- Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
- Island in a Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling
I freely admit that I love me some zombie action, but these were mostly written prior to the whole zombie craze so they possess actual plots. Except S.M. Stirling books, which is mostly about the United States Coast Guard Barque Eagle.
Got anything for me!?
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- I'm a woman and I still enjoy playing late 1990s/early 2000s civilisation-building-type computer games. (Pharaoh, Dungeon Keeper II, Age of Empires II...)
I think it's more weird that there's two of us.
Pharoah - right there on my Desktop. A game I've played through dozens of times. Now, I'll admit, that I generally like the updated graphics of every Civ game that comes down the pipe. But Pharoah... it's timeless.
Wow! I'm really surprised and happy to find someone else who appreciates the glory of simple grid-based graphics and cunning city mechanics. I actually only finished Pharaoh about two months ago! The copy I had way back when had a glitch that deleted my family history every so often, so I've played the first half dozens of times. Re-bought it during a dry spell for work this summer and played it through to the end. Did DK2 earlier this year. I'm rationing myself, though, so no more until at least the New Year. Next up is probably Rollercoaster Tycoon!
Any of you play the Civilization games? I still play the old Civ III from the early 2000's, love going back and dominating on Chieftain difficulty! X-D
Also, from really ancient times...Castles II: Siege and Conquest. I'm reasonably sure floppy disks were still popular when that came out!
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100%, feel free to keep going with the recommendations!
Hot dog!
I lean more post-apocalyptic world-building, instead of strictly dystopian. Here's my favourites:
- The Stand by Stephen King
- World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler
- Alas Babylon by Pat Frank & David Brin
- Earth Abides by George R. Steward
- Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr
- The Postman by David Brin (yes, the movie was awful, but the book was great)
- The Tripod Trillogy by John Christopher (YA fiction, but still awesome)
- I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
- One Second After by William R. Forstchen
- Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
- Island in a Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling
I freely admit that I love me some zombie action, but these were mostly written prior to the whole zombie craze so they possess actual plots. Except S.M. Stirling books, which is mostly about the United States Coast Guard Barque Eagle.
Got anything for me!?
Not gonna lie, you read heavier shit than me. I honestly stick to a lot of YA books.
I'll have to give it some thought and get back to you!
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- My boss to the 4th power is the President of the United States;
Do you mean four levels up (which would make you some kind of Admiral?!), or n4 where n is some number presumably between 1 (which would mean you were the President yourself) and 2 (which would make you a... pre-cadet, I guess?) I'm not sure if the U.S. Navy, including the President, has 16 different ranks in the same hierarchy.
Whoops, almost missed your post. I was distracted by all the nerd-gasming with (for? over?) Bracken_Joy's reading habits. I meant my boss 4 levels up. Definitely not an Admiral and definitely not in the Navy, though. Just a lowly Lieutenant, of the flagish type.
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Threads where you ask people to talk about themselves always get a big response. I bet most people who post here won't even read the previous posts, in their hurry to talk rather than listen.
so true! I was in a rush to post something until I saw your post and now I'm trying to read everyone's! I think a poll would be good.
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Interesting thread! I'm surprised at how hard it is for me to answer... I keep thinking of trying to define "things about me that I think are weird" vs. "things about me that are weird to most other people."
My love of weightlifting would fall in both categories--anyone who knows me knows I'm pretty lazy but last year I discovered I absolutely love lifting weights, and deadlifts in particular. I think this is weird for me, and other people are surprised when I tell them.
In the category of "weird to most others," I dropped out of high school to go to college early. (I didn't get the best grades or have big problems socially, I was just very motivated towards something different.) Now I really can't imagine my life without this defining circumstance, so it's hard to think of it as something weird, but I do recognize it's unusual.
Oh and I also don't have a TV :)
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I've just read the new posts and have been thinking more.
Despite now having a smartphone and serious internet addiction, I'm more of a Luddite at heart. I got my first (hand me down) microwave when I was in my late twenties in the late nineties. I got my first VCR when I was thirty, in the early 2000's and only because I was bedridden and bored. My tv at the time was an ancient push button TV (no remote control) which was my first TV as an adult. I grew up without TV (not my choice) which even in the 70s and 80s made me a weird outlier. I wasn't allowed to participate in pop culture and rarely got to see movies. So I have huge gaps in cultural knowledge. My knowledge of my culture is similar to one of my acquaintances who grew up in a very poor developing country and who emigrated to my city less than 10 years ago.
Because of this, I had a serious reading habit (now destroyed by the magic of the Internet but I don't care). I read much faster than anyone I know and used to read a novel per day. Yes, per day. And at the same time I'd have a non fiction book on the go on my topic du jour which usually took me a week to get through while I had the novel per day going. Reading fast is a useful work skill. I can give comments on a 100 page report in about 3 hours.
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I share many of the weirdness's listed.
The only thing I can think of that no-one else has mentioned is that I have no body piercings, not even my ears. Seems to be pretty weird for a she these days.
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A few different things. Ballet, particularly when I tried to learn Pointe, accounted for quite a few of those. As did other forms of dance and gymnastics. Umm, soccer for 1, outside of my foot clipped a goal post. No wait, for 2, I also had a crushing break on one when a goalpost we were moving was dropped on my foot. Horseback riding and being a flippin idiot as a kid I got dragged by a stirrup and broke some of my foot bones and the center toes (hardest to get at usually)! 1 when I was learning to spar in tae known do. The only recent on is that I've broken one trail running in AZ when I hit a rock. (I know this adds to more than 10, I've broken a lot of them twice... worse on my R foot than L, and my poor pinky toes...)
Thanks for replying - wow, kudos to you! Remind me never to pick a fight with you ;)
Haha! This is the second time this month a forum member has alluded to not wanting to fight me. I swear I'm not scary! And trust me, there is no graceful dignity where I stoically face down the pain of a broken bone. No, there is a lot of whimpering, rolling around, clutching at body parts, and general carrying-on. I can't imagine what I would do if I broke a long bone.
Except for the AZ trail running toe break. I actually felt pretty bad-ass on that one. I was in the middle of a desert, still like 3 miles from the car. So after a small amount of whimpering and swearing, I just kept running. Didn't even check my foot- I didn't want to risk unlacing the shoe.
I'm also a goddamn idiot, and didn't want to pass up a chance to hike Zion three days later, so I hiked it with a broken toe. Not my smartest move. It healed a bit... crooked. I can't wear high heels at all anymore =\
:P
I'm pretty sure all you've done is confirm that you are a badass.
New MMM blog-post: "finding badassity in injuries that are certainly Your Own Goddamn Fault"
I'm laughing at all this.
because I'm sitting here with the little toe on my right foot broken. for the 4th time. Wall in the bathroom jumped out at me as I was innocently walking by it. think I may have fractured a couple of other bones as well. my response - put on your socks and shoes quickly (before it swells up) and get to work.
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Not gonna lie, you read heavier shit than me. I honestly stick to a lot of YA books.
YA dystopian fiction:
-Birthmarked series by Caragh O'Brien
-Dust Lands series by Moira Young
-Razorland series by Ann Aguirre
-An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
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Sorry, OP. I forgot to answer. It's interesting to see how similar a lot of us are even though we might feel like aliens in our communities. Goes to show there is a group for most anyone.
Things that haven't been mentioned:
Year round biker
Didn't have a wedding or a reception or a registry or a dress or anything else associated with weddings. Told people via email after we got hitched.
All but two pieces of furniture in my tiny apartment were acquired used or free
I don't like gossip or conversation focused on criticizing other people.
I don't compete with other people (just myself).
I'm incredibly happy.
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I don't think a lot of these things seem weird.:P
I'm vegan, childfree, non-religious and that isn't that weird living in London but maybe in the US that would be more unusual. We don't have a car, a microwave or a dishwasher but we do have lots of rescue animals.:)
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I know how to ride a unicycle
I am also an accomplished unicyclist.
Another unicyclist here, if it's not obvious from my avatar. Though not as accomplished as Sol, I've gotten some local notoriety for showing up at organized bike rides with my 36" Coker (MS-150, Six Gap Century, etc.)
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In the category of "weird to most others," I dropped out of high school to go to college early.
Hold up, I did this too! I dropped out at the end of 10th grade and don't have a high school diploma or GED, but I do have a master's degree. (Any chance you went to Simon's Rock?)
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New MMM blog-post: "finding badassity in injuries that are certainly Your Own Goddamn Fault"
I'm laughing at all this.
because I'm sitting here with the little toe on my right foot broken. for the 4th time. Wall in the bathroom jumped out at me as I was innocently walking by it. think I may have fractured a couple of other bones as well. my response - put on your socks and shoes quickly (before it swells up) and get to work.
It's not just me!!! I always have one of those little metal bars around to tape my toes to. I'm sorry for your toe woes. Do you at least have some really colorful bruising to make it worthwhile? =P
Not gonna lie, you read heavier shit than me. I honestly stick to a lot of YA books.
YA dystopian fiction:
-Birthmarked series by Caragh O'Brien
-Dust Lands series by Moira Young
-Razorland series by Ann Aguirre
-An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Thank you! Adding them to my library "to be read" section. Gosh I have such a backlog right now.
How do we have so many unicyclists on the forum???
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New MMM blog-post: "finding badassity in injuries that are certainly Your Own Goddamn Fault"
I'm laughing at all this.
because I'm sitting here with the little toe on my right foot broken. for the 4th time. Wall in the bathroom jumped out at me as I was innocently walking by it. think I may have fractured a couple of other bones as well. my response - put on your socks and shoes quickly (before it swells up) and get to work.
It's not just me!!! I always have one of those little metal bars around to tape my toes to. I'm sorry for your toe woes. Do you at least have some really colorful bruising to make it worthwhile? =P
I've been though the purple and black. now just the red and ouch. fun isn't it
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New MMM blog-post: "finding badassity in injuries that are certainly Your Own Goddamn Fault"
I'm laughing at all this.
because I'm sitting here with the little toe on my right foot broken. for the 4th time. Wall in the bathroom jumped out at me as I was innocently walking by it. think I may have fractured a couple of other bones as well. my response - put on your socks and shoes quickly (before it swells up) and get to work.
It's not just me!!! I always have one of those little metal bars around to tape my toes to. I'm sorry for your toe woes. Do you at least have some really colorful bruising to make it worthwhile? =P
I've been though the purple and black. now just the red and ouch. fun isn't it
My last break was AWESOME looking. I had a purple stripe running up from the toe, which then radiated into green and yellow stripes across my foot.
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How do we have so many unicyclists on the forum???
Many people are too frugal to buy that second wheel.
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How do we have so many unicyclists on the forum???
Many people are too frugal to buy that second wheel.
I'll admit, I laughed. Hard enough my DH was a little concerned I was choking on my tea.
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How do we have so many unicyclists on the forum???
Many people are too frugal to buy that second wheel.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard variants of this joke.
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I can only snap my fingers if I reinforce my middle finger by wrapping my index finger around it. My partner of 16 years just found this out about me while our daughters (4 & 7) were attempting to snap. And he said (playfully) that I was weird.
I don't know anyone else that does this, but it's definitely something that is very noticeable.
There are other "weird" things about me that are maybe better classified as non-mainstream, but IDK that it means they are weird. Particularly with child rearing. I nursed both of my kids until their 3rd birthday. Since they are 2 years apart, this means I also tandem nursed for a while. I also practiced an alternative to diapers that involved holding my newborns over tiny potties and making cue noises so they'd basically pee and poo on command. But really, a lot of people do these things. Just not most of them.
I don't drink or eat meat but I love brewpups and steakhouses.
And I'm kind of unusually small. I mean, there are plenty of adults out there that are under 5 feet and 100 pounds (I'm 4'10.5" and hover in the high 90s.) Just thinking of it because I was at the Y with my kids swimming in their "kid" pool, in which the deep end is 5 feet. My almost independent swimmer 4 year old, but not quite, was worrying me by wanting to swim in the middle of the deep end. "You have to stay near a wall! Mommy can't stand here to help you if you need someone to grab! Stay near the wall, please!" I'm like, treading water and out of breath and there's another mom right next to me, standing up with the water comfortably at her collarbone playing with her kid.
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How do we have so many unicyclists on the forum???
Many people are too frugal to buy that second wheel.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard variants of this joke.
Second only to when I'm riding a tandem bicycle ...
"She's not pedaling! (har, har)
On one century ride we had no fewer than 10 cyclists use that lame joke, even when we were passing them on the hills!
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1) I don't put milk in my cereal... I love milk but it feels more satisfying drinking in on the side. Until my late teens, I figured it was only somewhat uncommon. I have never actually met anyone else who eats it that way though (not that it's my go to ice breaker or anything)
2) I have an odd hobby where I try to receive distant AM radio stations, usually trying to decipher call signs through heavy static while fiddling with a separate loop antenna. Record is a little over 1,100 miles from Iowa to my home in Mass by the way, just got it last night.
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My last break was AWESOME looking. I had a purple stripe running up from the toe, which then radiated into green and yellow stripes across my foot.
No yellow or green for me. I feel I've been shortchanged.
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2) I have an odd hobby where I try to receive distant AM radio stations, usually trying to decipher call signs through heavy static while fiddling with a separate loop antenna. Record is a little over 1,100 miles from Iowa to my home in Mass by the way, just got it last night.
That is a very odd hobby indeed, but also interesting. What got you into that? How did you figure out you could do that?
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2) I have an odd hobby where I try to receive distant AM radio stations, usually trying to decipher call signs through heavy static while fiddling with a separate loop antenna. Record is a little over 1,100 miles from Iowa to my home in Mass by the way, just got it last night.
That is a very odd hobby indeed, but also interesting. What got you into that? How did you figure out you could do that?
I don't remember how I got into it. I assume it was from playing with the radio in the car and figuring out AM stations can reach pretty far on a clear night, FM doesn't work so well. Then I started logging them in Excel. It's basically a free hobby so long as you have a radio. The loop antenna can be homemade out of mostly found parts but it isn't mandatory.
The only problem with it is that it's not a hobby where you're going to meet people and socialize. I work on it a few days a week in the fall/winter and then shelf it for the rest of the year.
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In the category of "weird to most others," I dropped out of high school to go to college early.
Hold up, I did this too! I dropped out at the end of 10th grade and don't have a high school diploma or GED, but I do have a master's degree. (Any chance you went to Simon's Rock?)
Ha, I did! I went there in the 90s... won't say more for fear of outing myself, I like being anonymous on this forum :)
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Nothing too weird from me.
Can't stand sports of any kind.
Haven't owned or used a clothes dryer in over 30 years.
Love teaching more and more with each new group of students.
Can make/build almost anything if I have an example to look at.
Over 50 and still a virgin (strict religious upbringing).
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2) I have an odd hobby where I try to receive distant AM radio stations, usually trying to decipher call signs through heavy static while fiddling with a separate loop antenna. Record is a little over 1,100 miles from Iowa to my home in Mass by the way, just got it last night.
That is a very odd hobby indeed, but also interesting. What got you into that? How did you figure out you could do that?
I don't remember how I got into it. I assume it was from playing with the radio in the car and figuring out AM stations can reach pretty far on a clear night, FM doesn't work so well. Then I started logging them in Excel. It's basically a free hobby so long as you have a radio. The loop antenna can be homemade out of mostly found parts but it isn't mandatory.
The only problem with it is that it's not a hobby where you're going to meet people and socialize. I work on it a few days a week in the fall/winter and then shelf it for the rest of the year.
I had a very brief interest in short wave as a teenager. Did just enough to hear foreign voices and I was satisfied, but it was pretty cool.
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1) I don't put milk in my cereal... I love milk but it feels more satisfying drinking in on the side. Until my late teens, I figured it was only somewhat uncommon. I have never actually met anyone else who eats it that way though (not that it's my go to ice breaker or anything)
Me too! Love that crunch!
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Cool topic.
Quite honestly, it would take me quite a bit of time to list the all the "quirks" that make me ME...but I say this without hesitation. Since I FIRE'd, my weird-factor has been been able to BLOSSOM without constraint. Orca mating observation...check. 8 mile Baja beach walk with baby sea turtle rescue thrown in...check. Vegetable garden camping...it goes on and on. It is WONDERFUL to be weird. :)
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I have to memorize numbers, I catch myself repeating and memorizing licence plates on the highway, bank cards, credit cards, phone numbers. If I see a number or a weird abbreviation on TV I will catch myself repeating it until it is memorized!
As weird as it is I would label this as a curse!
Oh man. Reminded me of another one. I count. Everything. Stairs up to your house? Counted em. Doors on the right hand side of the hallway? Counted em. Telephone poles along the road between mile posts? Count, then restart. (Don't worry, I only count when I'm passenger!)
This is why it drives me insane when someone taps their foot in a quiet room. I have to count it and its very distracting.
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I share many of the weirdness's listed.
The only thing I can think of that no-one else has mentioned is that I have no body piercings, not even my ears. Seems to be pretty weird for a she these days.
No piercings on me, either. I keep thinking about getting my ears done, I like making my own jewelry and would love some dangly earrings, but just haven't gotten around to it. I'm such a die-hard DIYer that it pains me to consider paying someone to do it for me, but family is prone to allergies of all types (mine are sunshine and vitamin E on my skin), so I'm just a bit leery. My DD3 definitely has a nickel allergy, so she's never gotten a piercing, either.
Just realized my allergies are pretty weird. The vitamin E one is annoying - it is put in nearly everything these days, so I have to read labels religiously: soap, shampoo, lotions, sunscreen (important for my sunshine allergy), dish detergent, lip balms, ...
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- I'm a woman and I still enjoy playing late 1990s/early 2000s civilisation-building-type computer games. (Pharaoh, Dungeon Keeper II, Age of Empires II...)
I think it's more weird that there's two of us.
Pharoah - right there on my Desktop. A game I've played through dozens of time. Now, I'll admit, that I generally like the updated graphics of every Civ game that comes down the pipe. But Pharoah... it's timeless.
SimCity 2000 and all the associated cheat codes. I once built a metropolis of evenly-created residential, industrial, and commercial zones in a perfectly square grid with all zones, bodies of water and everything else nearly symmetrical. The metropolis and all its glorious denizens denigrated into a crime-ridden, poverty-stricken wasteland of closed businesses and foreclosed homes. I guess that's what I get for cheating... at least I had gajillions of dollars bwahahahaha.
I've totally done this as well. I realized at one point that you don't need the roads to connect in sim city, your sims can walk as far as three squares on the grid. Therefore my cities had roads only every three squares. It saves a lot on maintenance fees, but I'm not sure how the actual driving worked. I assume they were doing some elaborate car sharing in my city. The complainy little bastards must have been in shape though!
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2) I have an odd hobby where I try to receive distant AM radio stations, usually trying to decipher call signs through heavy static while fiddling with a separate loop antenna. Record is a little over 1,100 miles from Iowa to my home in Mass by the way, just got it last night.
That is a very odd hobby indeed, but also interesting. What got you into that? How did you figure out you could do that?
I don't remember how I got into it. I assume it was from playing with the radio in the car and figuring out AM stations can reach pretty far on a clear night, FM doesn't work so well. Then I started logging them in Excel. It's basically a free hobby so long as you have a radio. The loop antenna can be homemade out of mostly found parts but it isn't mandatory.
The only problem with it is that it's not a hobby where you're going to meet people and socialize. I work on it a few days a week in the fall/winter and then shelf it for the rest of the year.
That's 'cause you're doing it on the AM band. Why not get a ham license and do two-way DXing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DXing#AM_radio_DX)?
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I share many of the weirdness's listed.
It's funny to me that many people are listing the same things and calling them "weird." Not part of society's mainstream, but then you've gone ahead and joined another society (this one), where most of these things (atheism, paleo, etc.) are extremely mainstream.
Most people seem to be saying things that are interesting, not weird. If we were going with 'weird' it'd be split between negative and positive things, and I'm not sure there was a single negative thing on here.
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Grew up in a religious cult. Got out at 19. Kind of. It took years. I'm still figuring shit out, but like to think I'm pretty well balanced.
I guess that's weird. I don't try to hide it but am often frustrated when people find out and always focus on that bit about me.
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Grew up in a religious cult. Got out at 19. Kind of. It took years. I'm still figuring shit out, but like to think I'm pretty well balanced.
I guess that's weird. I don't try to hide it but am often frustrated when people find out and always focus on that bit about me.
Do you have like s weird brand or something? I might consider NOT sharing that little tidbit with new people I meet.
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2) I have an odd hobby where I try to receive distant AM radio stations, usually trying to decipher call signs through heavy static while fiddling with a separate loop antenna. Record is a little over 1,100 miles from Iowa to my home in Mass by the way, just got it last night.
That is a very odd hobby indeed, but also interesting. What got you into that? How did you figure out you could do that?
I don't remember how I got into it. I assume it was from playing with the radio in the car and figuring out AM stations can reach pretty far on a clear night, FM doesn't work so well. Then I started logging them in Excel. It's basically a free hobby so long as you have a radio. The loop antenna can be homemade out of mostly found parts but it isn't mandatory.
The only problem with it is that it's not a hobby where you're going to meet people and socialize. I work on it a few days a week in the fall/winter and then shelf it for the rest of the year.
That's 'cause you're doing it on the AM band. Why not get a ham license and do two-way DXing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DXing#AM_radio_DX)?
Never looked into it before but it would be interesting. I figure that would mean a huge antenna in my yard which would not meet "Wife Approval Factor".
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I drive race cars..
You. I like you. We are friends now.
To answer the OP question, I absolutely refuse to microwave my food. Ever.
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I drive race cars..
You. I like you. We are friends now.
To answer the OP question, I absolutely refuse to microwave my food. Ever.
Heh. Hope you don't ever eat out of the house. An awful lot of restaurant cooking is just reheating stuff from the freezer in a microwave.
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I have to memorize numbers, I catch myself repeating and memorizing licence plates on the highway, bank cards, credit cards, phone numbers. If I see a number or a weird abbreviation on TV I will catch myself repeating it until it is memorized!
As weird as it is I would label this as a curse!
Oh man. Reminded me of another one. I count. Everything. Stairs up to your house? Counted em. Doors on the right hand side of the hallway? Counted em. Telephone poles along the road between mile posts? Count, then restart. (Don't worry, I only count when I'm passenger!)
This is why it drives me insane when someone taps their foot in a quiet room. I have to count it and its very distracting.
I don't count (my wife does though), and can't memorize a phone number to save my life, but I can't help observing my surroundings in great detail. I have to consciously stop when I am in someone's house or office as not to be a snoop.
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I drive race cars..
You. I like you. We are friends now.
To answer the OP question, I absolutely refuse to microwave my food. Ever.
Heh. Hope you don't ever eat out of the house. An awful lot of restaurant cooking is just reheating stuff from the freezer in a microwave.
I do my best to eat places where I can see my food being prepared or to order things that would taste significantly different microwaved (hamburgers, French fries, etc)
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I drive race cars..
You. I like you. We are friends now.
To answer the OP question, I absolutely refuse to microwave my food. Ever.
Heh. Hope you don't ever eat out of the house. An awful lot of restaurant cooking is just reheating stuff from the freezer in a microwave.
You're absolutely right and it pisses me off. I don't go out to eat that often, but when I do, I really don't want a frozen dinner microwaved, thankyouverymuch. If I wanted that, I'd go to the frozen food section of the grocery store and buy my own.
I'd say most of the big chain places operate solely on this method (with a few things here and there made fresh or semi-fresh.)
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Some of these things may not be weird to those of you here, but they get me lots of weird looks from friends and acquaintances:
-my dream is to own land where I can set up a permaculture/aquaponics system that will feed my family
-I think hugelkultures are genius.
-I physically enjoy the feeling of cutting and chopping wood
-I love board games, and I get really into games which require negotiation and planning
-I used to be a mediator, and that fundamentally shapes how I view the world
-I brew beer (poorly)
-I prefer to eat food (except for tea) cold
-I refuse to use spice mixes
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Cool topic.
Quite honestly, it would take me quite a bit of time to list the all the "quirks" that make me ME...but I say this without hesitation. Since I FIRE'd, my weird-factor has been been able to BLOSSOM without constraint. Orca mating observation...check. 8 mile Baja beach walk with baby sea turtle rescue thrown in...check. Vegetable garden camping...it goes on and on. It is WONDERFUL to be weird. :)
Preach it, Jon_Snow!
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Some of these things may not be weird to those of you here, but they get me lots of weird looks from friends and acquaintances:
-my dream is to own land where I can set up a permaculture/aquaponics system that will feed my family
-I think hugelkultures are genius.
-I physically enjoy the feeling of cutting and chopping wood
-I love board games, and I get really into games which require negotiation and planning
-I used to be a mediator, and that fundamentally shapes how I view the world
-I brew beer (poorly)
-I prefer to eat food (except for tea) cold
-I refuse to use spice mixes
Nah, sounds fine to me. I butcher my own animals. I will admit that it is a strange feeling to shoot an animal that you have been caring for so carefully for many months or even years. I catch myself thinking I need to go check on the steer/pig/sheep for at least a week after they are in the freezer.
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Some of these things may not be weird to those of you here, but they get me lots of weird looks from friends and acquaintances:
-my dream is to own land where I can set up a permaculture/aquaponics system that will feed my family
-I think hugelkultures are genius.
-I physically enjoy the feeling of cutting and chopping wood
-I love board games, and I get really into games which require negotiation and planning
-I used to be a mediator, and that fundamentally shapes how I view the world
-I brew beer (poorly)
-I prefer to eat food (except for tea) cold
-I refuse to use spice mixes
Nah, sounds fine to me. I butcher my own animals. I will admit that it is a strange feeling to shoot an animal that you have been caring for so carefully for many months or even years. I catch myself thinking I need to go check on the steer/pig/sheep for at least a week after they are in the freezer.
When I was growing up, my dad always let my sister and I choose the name for our meat animals so long as it was a cut of meat. Our first was "T-Bone." He was also the best. It was a good way to teach kids about caring for an animal and respecting it, while still understanding why we were keeping the animal. I've unfortunately moved into town while DW is in graduate school, but I think I will continue that tradition when we leave. DW has mixed feeling about raising animals for food, so I think I will start small with a little self-contained aquaponics system with fish and crayfish before we start trying goats and steers.
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- Mrs. MacNerd is mutantly tall. (Mr. MacNerd is slightly taller than Mrs., but it looks less like a mutation on him since he's a dude.)
- Mrs. MacNerd is a huge geek. (The geek gene is missing in Mr. MacNerd.)
- Mr. and Mrs. MacNerd are Bible-thumping Christians who wish most Christians would shut the heck up. (Being a Bible-thumper is not weird for where we live, but it IS somewhat weird on this forum.)
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(Any chance you went to Simon's Rock?)
Ha, I did! I went there in the 90s... won't say more for fear of outing myself, I like being anonymous on this forum :)
Ha! I would never have expected to meet another rocker here! I was there in the 80's, so we wouldn't have crossed paths. For anyone else reading this, this is somewhat remarkable because they only have about 300-400 students.
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I share many of the weirdness's listed.
The only thing I can think of that no-one else has mentioned is that I have no body piercings, not even my ears. Seems to be pretty weird for a she these days.
No piercings on me, either. I keep thinking about getting my ears done, I like making my own jewelry and would love some dangly earrings, but just haven't gotten around to it. I'm such a die-hard DIYer that it pains me to consider paying someone to do it for me, but family is prone to allergies of all types (mine are sunshine and vitamin E on my skin), so I'm just a bit leery. My DD3 definitely has a nickel allergy, so she's never gotten a piercing, either.
Just realized my allergies are pretty weird. The vitamin E one is annoying - it is put in nearly everything these days, so I have to read labels religiously: soap, shampoo, lotions, sunscreen (important for my sunshine allergy), dish detergent, lip balms, ...
Me neither!
People have told me I'm weird for my entire life. And I've never felt uncomfortable with it (apparently that's weird).
I'm allergic to raw fruit. Every. damn. one. This showed up when I was 28 years old.
My mother had to teach me to teach me to fall when I was a child. Apparently I was just face planting without putting my hands out. Now... I LOVE falling. I think it's fun. I pole vaulted and did judo because the falling aspect was joyful for me.
I've never broken a bone, but I've had four different stress fractures (all at the same time).
I only wash my hair once a week. And I never brush/comb it (to my mother's horror, she couldn't tell until I told her, but now she can't let it go).
I'm a female physicist.
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I share many of the weirdness's listed.
The only thing I can think of that no-one else has mentioned is that I have no body piercings, not even my ears. Seems to be pretty weird for a she these days.
No piercings on me, either. I keep thinking about getting my ears done, I like making my own jewelry and would love some dangly earrings, but just haven't gotten around to it. I'm such a die-hard DIYer that it pains me to consider paying someone to do it for me, but family is prone to allergies of all types (mine are sunshine and vitamin E on my skin), so I'm just a bit leery. My DD3 definitely has a nickel allergy, so she's never gotten a piercing, either.
Just realized my allergies are pretty weird. The vitamin E one is annoying - it is put in nearly everything these days, so I have to read labels religiously: soap, shampoo, lotions, sunscreen (important for my sunshine allergy), dish detergent, lip balms, ...
Me neither!
People have told me I'm weird for my entire life. And I've never felt uncomfortable with it (apparently that's weird).
I'm allergic to raw fruit. Every. damn. one. This showed up when I was 28 years old.
My mother had to teach me to teach me to fall when I was a child. Apparently I was just face planting without putting my hands out. Now... I LOVE falling. I think it's fun. I pole vaulted and did judo because the falling aspect was joyful for me.
I've never broken a bone, but I've had four different stress fractures (all at the same time).
I only wash my hair once a week. And I never brush/comb it (to my mother's horror, she couldn't tell until I told her, but now she can't let it go).
I'm a female physicist.
I generally wash my hair once a week too (sometimes twice). I also don't mind being weird. Weird people are cool. Normal people are boring.
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AllieVaulter, I don't brush my hair either. Curly hair does its thing.
I broke a few bones in my feet from all my years playing soccer, but I never knew. I found out years later. I remember thinking at the time that my feet were sore, but I kept playing. That was back in the heavy ball days.
When I watch movies or TV shows and the characters buy something expensive or go out to a multi-course dinner, I have caught myself feeling concerned about how much they are contributing to their retirement accounts. Because they are real and have retirement accounts...
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Now... I LOVE falling. I think it's fun. I pole vaulted and did judo because the falling aspect was joyful for me.
I have a son that falls all the time. People often think that he has a balance problem. Actually it is quite the opposite, his balance is excellent, he simply loves to balance himself at the edge of falling. He only falls a lot because he spends so much time on the edge. He learned to ride a bike in just a few minutes when he was 4 (one of my proudest father moments to date). Not sure if he loves the falling part, but he certainly doesn't mind it. Quite good at it too, really knows how to roll with it, reminds me of a PLF:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_landing_fall
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You know you have been thinking about retirement planning too much when:
When I watch movies or TV shows and the characters buy something expensive or go out to a multi-course dinner, I have caught myself feeling concerned about how much they are contributing to their retirement accounts. Because they are real and have retirement accounts...
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Echoing others here:
-Love bluegrass music.
-Introverted.
-Obsession with counting stuff (steps come to mind).
-About 20 other things that jumped off the page.
Here's one I haven't seen yet though:
In addition to counting I have some other OCD type tendencies (and honestly some ASD (autism) tendencies as well). Nothing that is actually a problem where it could be classified as a disorder, but I clearly align with these disorders in many ways.
Example: I keep an elaborate mapping system in my head. I almost never use GPS, printed maps, or driving directions unless I'm in, or am heading to a new city. I just always know where I am in relation to where I'm heading. My wife often calls me while she's driving for on the fly directions. It's quicker than google maps for her.
If you care to watch this awesome 5 minute video it might give you a little insight into what I'm talking about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAyhz2m-UuQ
I have ZERO artistic skills and could never accomplish what this guy does. I have just a small taste of his mapping recollection ability, but this is a glimpse into my head. On a scale of 1-100 if this guy is a 95, I'm maybe a 15.
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- I'm a woman and I still enjoy playing late 1990s/early 2000s civilisation-building-type computer games. (Pharaoh, Dungeon Keeper II, Age of Empires II...)
I think it's more weird that there's two of us.
Pharoah - right there on my Desktop. A game I've played through dozens of time. Now, I'll admit, that I generally like the updated graphics of every Civ game that comes down the pipe. But Pharoah... it's timeless.
SimCity 2000 and all the associated cheat codes. I once built a metropolis of evenly-created residential, industrial, and commercial zones in a perfectly square grid with all zones, bodies of water and everything else nearly symmetrical. The metropolis and all its glorious denizens denigrated into a crime-ridden, poverty-stricken wasteland of closed businesses and foreclosed homes. I guess that's what I get for cheating... at least I had gajillions of dollars bwahahahaha.
I've totally done this as well. I realized at one point that you don't need the roads to connect in sim city, your sims can walk as far as three squares on the grid. Therefore my cities had roads only every three squares. It saves a lot on maintenance fees, but I'm not sure how the actual driving worked. I assume they were doing some elaborate car sharing in my city. The complainy little bastards must have been in shape though!
Blast you, your post makes me want to install SC2000 right now. Unfortunately, I don't have the floppy disks... and even if I did, I'd probably be missing "Disk 3 of 7" bahahahahahahaha
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I'll echo a few things said here and add my own:
- I get my creative juices flowing by running a D&D group with some of my friends
- I enjoy learning and thinking about taxes more than most people probably should
- I've never broken a bone, but I have come close to tearing both my Achilles tendons
- I make chainmail stuff just for fun and because I think the patterns looks cool
- I'm doing this whole FIRE thing, but that isn't weird for this forum =p
- I watch other people play video games because I'm too cheap to buy them if they aren't on sale, and I really just want to know the story
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- I watch other people play video games because I'm too cheap to buy them if they aren't on sale, and I really just want to know the story
Yes! I've always watched people play video games (my brother as a kid, my husband now). I don't really care if I get to play or not, but I want to know the story.
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I'm so devaSTATINGLY attractive, with perfect bone structure and Hollywood leading-man capabilities, it's weird I'm not conceited about it.
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I'm so devaSTATINGLY attractive, with perfect bone structure and Hollywood leading-man capabilities, it's weird I'm not conceited about it.
You sound like Derek Zoolander!
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You know you have been thinking about retirement planning too much when:
When I watch movies or TV shows and the characters buy something expensive or go out to a multi-course dinner, I have caught myself feeling concerned about how much they are contributing to their retirement accounts. Because they are real and have retirement accounts...
Too true!
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I'm enjoying this thread.
Here are my takeaways from this thread that don't represent the mainstream:
1. Two-Eleven% of population are atheists. Percentage is much higher in this thread.
2. One-Two% of pop are vegan. Seems to be much higher on this thread too.
So forgetting other stuff (and being a guy, no menstrual cup) money/finances, food/animals/environment, religion/philosophy, many here are my brothers and sisters.
In real life the real percentages take over, so I usually keep quiet. Thank God, (you know what I mean) for this board.
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Someone mentioned weird negative traits. A couple that spring to mind:
- I'm by far and away the least observant person I know. Even if I'm concentrating and trying to look at details in my surroundings (or have been told what to look out for), I still miss an awful lot of stuff.
- I have no noise tolerance. My preference is silence and big booming bass feels like someone is hitting my brain with a hammer.
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I'm considered a bit weird by most folks.
I don't give a damn about college, high school or professional sports. At all. I find it ludicrous that grown men have their sense of self worth determined by how well a group of strangers play with their balls.
I have nothing against people actually participating in a sport. I think that's very cool even if I have no interest in that particular sport. My own sport is medieval armoured combat.
I make things. I make bowls, pens and vases with a wood lathe. I make silver jewelry. And pottery. Sometimes I make medieval armour.
I read. A lot. All kinds of topics. I usually have a book with me at work and will often read on my lunch hour. The fact that I read is apparently VERY strange. There a quite a few people where I work and I often run into people from work I haven't met. But they **ALL** know who I am because I carry a book. How weird is that?
Seriously, 90% of the time when I meet someone in town who thinks they've seen me somewhere, but can't remember where, it can be resolved by saying, "I usually have a book at work..."
I don't care about fancy cars. If it's paid for and it runs well and economically, it's a great car! Both our cars were totalled by hail damage about 4 years ago. We bought them back from the insurance company for pennies on the dollar and still drive them. The day the hail hit I was taking a class. Everyone else was upset about their car being dented. I was dancing around and singing "Money from Heaven! Money from Heaven!" My fellow classmates thought I was weird.
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I'm a female physicist.
Right. On.
- I make chainmail stuff just for fun and because I think the patterns looks cool
When I first read that, I thought you wrote chain letters as a hobby. (D'oh.) Both sound like fun, but in very different ways.
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- I have no noise tolerance. My preference is silence and big booming bass feels like someone is hitting my brain with a hammer.
I hear EVERYTHING, from the creaking of bookshelves to the rustling of leaves. It can be exhausting trying to edit out the bits I don't need to hear. It creeps people out sometimes that I can hear them coming from so far away. My dream is total silence.
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- I have no noise tolerance. My preference is silence and big booming bass feels like someone is hitting my brain with a hammer.
I hear EVERYTHING, from the creaking of bookshelves to the rustling of leaves. It can be exhausting trying to edit out the bits I don't need to hear. It creeps people out sometimes that I can hear them coming from so far away. My dream is total silence.
+1
I often wear earplugs for this, it helps me think and be inside my own head with my thoughts. My dad is losing his hearing and I told him he was lucky (not in an insulting way, I explained myself).
One thing that's weird about me is how little regard I have for social status and authority when evaluating ideas. If an idea makes no sense to me I won't accept it, regardless of who it comes from. (Hence my very early break with organized religion.) Along the same lines, I have an odd tendency to have no opinion on subjects about which I have little information (I don't "theorize ahead of the facts"). Most people seem to think one must have opinions about everything.
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- I have no noise tolerance. My preference is silence and big booming bass feels like someone is hitting my brain with a hammer.
I hear EVERYTHING, from the creaking of bookshelves to the rustling of leaves. It can be exhausting trying to edit out the bits I don't need to hear. It creeps people out sometimes that I can hear them coming from so far away. My dream is total silence.
+1
I often wear earplugs for this, it helps me think and be inside my own head with my thoughts. My dad is losing his hearing and I told him he was lucky (not in an insulting way, I explained myself).
I have tried earplugs but I found that even more stressful because I *know* there are noises out there even if I can't hear them so my ears are constantly straining to catch them, just waiting for the one noise that seeps through.
One of my vague fantasies is to live in a really isolated house in the woods or on a prairie so it's nothin but me and lots of quiet space around me, but then you still have birds chirping and trees creaking and so on. The sound of the sea would be OK, though, so maybe I should just set up in a lighthouse with a shotgun to keep the gulls away!
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One of my vague fantasies is to live in a really isolated house in the woods or on a prairie so it's nothin but me and lots of quiet space around me, but then you still have birds chirping and trees creaking and so on. The sound of the sea would be OK, though, so maybe I should just set up in a lighthouse with a shotgun to keep the gulls away!
I live in the woods. At night, the insect, tree frog and flying squirrel noises are almost deafening. (But I LOVE the sound of it and would not trade it!)
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- I don't have many friends as I find when I get to know people I usually don't like them.
- I am left wing in a decidedly right wing area of the country.
- I don't colour my hair, have been natural grey for many years. I also don't wear makeup, paint my nails or any of that other girly stuff. I do like to get pedicures in the summer for some reason I am not really sure of.
- I don't drink. Drank a lot in my youth, but ever since having kids (30 yrs ago) I have lost my taste for it.
- I was a widow at the age of 53.
- Introvert/homebody. Would rather stay home and putter around the house than go out most of the time.
- Social situations give me anxiety. Hate parties, etc. especially where I don't know people. This has gotten worse since losing my husband. Currently working on my excuse for not attending this year's office Christmas party.
- Agnostic, I guess. Never grew up with any kind of religion, so it never even came up. Celebrate Christmas, but it is just a time of celebrating love and family, not a religious celebration. Last few years I have begun to question this, and the commerciality of it.
- I have a terrible sense of direction and always park by the buggy barn when I go shopping so I can find my car.
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So, just chiming in because there are some interesting trends here. I am:
Vegan (vegetarian for 28 years before becoming vegan); Buddhist, drive a 1999 car; same employer for 22 years; Libertarian; no kids; introvert/homebody
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I do my best to embrace my weirdness completely. Which means, I have many friends who do the same weird things I do and, therefore, those things no longer seem weird.
I'm a beekeeper and this has definitely become less weird over the past few years because it's become borderline trendy to keep bees, especially in urban areas.
I'm an ultrarunner and have been for more than a decade. The weirder part is probably the fact that I refuse to train with other people.
I'm a martial artist. Again, I don't think this is weird because I spend a huge amount of time with other martial artists.
But here is hands-down the weirdest thing about me: I survived a skydiving accident when I was 20 years old.
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But here is hands-down the weirdest thing about me: I survived a skydiving accident when I was 20 years old.
What happened? I'm on tenterhooks.
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I use Freedompop. I find it interesting that MMM only mentioned it in one article, and it was more of a passing acknowledgement (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/05/30/republic-wireless-19-for-an-unlimited-everything-smartphone-plan/). Also, the link seems to point to a post that no longer exists but can be retrieved from the Wayback Machine (https://web.archive.org/web/20130314101634/http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/03/12/a-side-dish-of-free-data-for-your-cheap-iphone-plan/). Not sure why it was deleted since it's a perfectly fine article and I'd recommend Freedompop to people who don't depend on their phones.
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I ate my placenta (in pill form). I breastfed both f1s until they were over two years old. Despite the stereotypes that probably conveys, I am pro-vax.
I play pencil and paper-type RPGs when I get the chance. These days it's mostly via computer so the friends can skype in. I've only DMed once, though; I wrote a short campaign as a surprise for Mr. Catomi's 40th birthday. Dressed the kids up as kobolds and had them attack him as he got home from work, too.
Though it's apparently not unusual for this board, I am agnostic in a part of the country where that is baffling to some people.
I've been cutting my hair for the last year, thanks to this board. I pretty much never wear makeup and I have never dyed my hair, despite the grey.
I'm sure I save money by not styling my hair/wearing makeup, and I know for certain that breastfeeding saved us a chunk of change (among other things, the first f1 would have needed very expensive formula if we'd gone that route). The placenta cost us money and I'm not sure if it helped, or if round two being easier was placebo/me just knowing what I was doing the second time, but I would do that again.
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AllieVaulter, I don't brush my hair either. Curly hair does its thing.
My boys all have curly hair, to varying degrees (the girls did not get this gene). DS4 never combs his hair, either. It hangs in ringlets nearly to his shoulders, but they are pencil diameter ringlets, so it is much longer. He's pretty easy to pick out in a XC race with his mop bouncing. DS5's hair usually isn't quite as curly, but he's had swim in PE this month and it has really brought out the long ringlets.
DS2 has the loosest curls, but he goes thru spurts of letting it grow long, and cutting it (for job interviews most recently). One of his art projects for school was to do an unusual self-portrait. His was a carving of his wavy mane, as if he tipped his head down to look at his shoes. He also plays quidditch -started in college, but is now on a city team. He's competed in several World Cups. Guess we've encouraged the kids to embrace weird, too.
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Dressed the kids up as kobolds and had them attack him as he got home from work, too.
AMAZING.
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I also don't drink alcohol. Not for any special reason (like religion or health) - I just don't. This freaks people out when I first meet them, but they quickly realise it doesn't mean I'm judging them.
I am also very slowly going grey. Started three years ago when I was about 22. I have dark brown hair and a wee sprinkling of bright white ones. I'm just letting it happen.
People also find it weird that I was a moral vegetarian for seven years and am now an omnivore. I realised that it was not te killing and eating that I objected to, it was the cruelty. And that if I still ate cheese and eggs that came from unhappy animals that was kind of pointless. I still don't eat much meat and I still do buy supermarket animal products but I'm slowly chipping away at it until I can eat only things from trusted sources or things I raised myself (which will not be an option for some years to come). I don't regret those seven years, though - I have a healthier and more varied diet (and a love of beans!) than I did before that.
I keep reading things on this thread and thinking "Me too! Is that really weird?" I guess when you live with something every day you get used to it and forget it's not like that for everyone.
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Love hobbies but, am ADHD I think. I keep starting new ones without finishing old ones.
Am into star gazing and telescope making. Also, started a cedar strip kayak build. It's half done in the basement.
Started a whole bunch of plastic models....
love outdoors, hiking, puttering in the yard.
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But here is hands-down the weirdest thing about me: I survived a skydiving accident when I was 20 years old.
What happened? I'm on tenterhooks.
Wind drift indicator screw up. Instead of making it to the landing area, I ended up over a school bus parking lot. I hit the top of one school bus and then went head first into the side of a second one at about 27 mph. Amazingly, I walked away (more or less) unscathed.
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My most recent electronics upgrade purchase, about 3 months ago, was a new phono cartridge for my turntable. Not nearly as wierd as riding a unicycle while skydiving over schoolbuses as a warmup to a training class to teach atheism to chimpansees, but it's all I got.
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Also, politically, I am pro-spork.
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There's an anti-spork lobby??
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Also, politically, I am pro-spork.
Haha we have a user named Spork on this forum don't we?
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hobby farm/suburban homesteader wannabe. we keep our own poultry for eggs and our girls produce enough for our siblings and parents as well. our friends think our lifestyle is quirky and semi ridiculous, and affectionately refer to our home as a farm.
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How do we have so many unicyclists on the forum???
Many people are too frugal to buy that second wheel.
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard variants of this joke.
Second only to when I'm riding a tandem bicycle ...
"She's not pedaling! (har, har)
On one century ride we had no fewer than 10 cyclists use that lame joke, even when we were passing them on the hills!
And every one of them thought it was funny probably. Reminds me of that bit (by David Sedaris, I think) about how we all want to think we are funny and unique individuals with a fantastic sense of humor. When a store had a basket full of unusual, pretty glass eyes for sale, and the eyes had little metal spikes sticking out of the back so that you can hang them on something, the store had to put up a big sign that reads DO NOT HOLD THIS UP TO YOUR EYE! And the author was quite shocked to realize that so many people had to have done exactly that in order for this sign to be created, and the most disturbing thing of all was that his own very first impulse upon seeing the eye was to grab it and hold it up to his eye as a joke.
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Also, politically, I am pro-spork.
I am decidedly pro-spork as well.
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My most recent electronics upgrade purchase, about 3 months ago, was a new phono cartridge for my turntable. Not nearly as wierd as riding a unicycle while skydiving over schoolbuses as a warmup to a training class to teach atheism to chimpansees, but it's all I got.
Same here! Well actually, I only replaced the needle since my cartridge was fine and Ortofon is pretty good with interchangeability (if that's a word) The day after Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown Xmas soundtrack is going on the turntable.
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I don't have many friends as I find when I get to know people I usually don't like them.
Preach!
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Threads where you ask people to talk about themselves always get a big response. I bet most people who post here won't even read the previous posts, in their hurry to talk rather than listen.
tl/dr.
I don't really like to be around other people. Maybe it's some kind of social anxiety, and maybe I just don't like people. But I prefer being alone for the vast majority of my time.
oh, and I have misophonia, big time. it sucks.