Quirks that Irk vs. Endearing Idiosyncrasies

I love people and one of my favorite things about people is what makes us unique. Not too long ago I became a collector of my friends quirks. Mannerisms, phrases, and facial expressions that my friends used became something that I consciously took mental note of and collected within myself. These mannerisms can be viewed in two ways: endearing and annoying.

Here are a few I have noticed...

Heather went through a phase where she used the word "Menudo" (I'm pretty sure this is a really nasty Mexican soup made from the intestines of a cow) every time she forgot a word or term. For example, "Do you have time to go to the uh....uh.... menudo with me today?" She also used it as a euphemism for words she didn't want to say out loud.

Last year another one of my friends regularly said "ok" like she was hocking up a loogie really loudly. "HHHHHOOOOOh-Kaaaaaay."

Anytime my roommate gets a phone call from one of her girlfriends she answers the phone and immediately sounds exactly like the person she is talking to. I always know who she is talking to without asking because she sounds exactly like them.

One of my other friends says the word "yeah" in order to know that I'm still listening to him in the middle of a conversation. For example, "So I was thinking it might be a good idea to talk to her about it, yeah?"

Another friend does this prancing action anytime she has to do something that would usually be seen as ungraceful. For example, if she is crossing the street and all the sudden realizes that a car is coming towards her and not slowing down...instead of running she will do this "dance prance" where she will basically be running with her toes pointed and her hands turned palm-to-the-ground and fingers straight and together pointing away from her body.

My dad does this thing when he is watching TV where he will prop up his feet on the coffee table and cross his ankles to where the toes on one of his feet are in the space between his big toe and other toes and then rub his big toe against the toes on his other foot.

He also clears his throat loudly every time he has said an absolute statement that should not be argued against.

My friend Kayla makes up songs when she is really happy...really elaborate random songs with motions.

One of my friends becomes very confused when he is irritated. He says things like "I don't know what that means" and "I have no idea what you are talking about" while crinkling his mouth.

My friend Ben has these really great facial expressions anytime he feels uncomfortable. He also does this thing when he is walking across a room of people and suspects people are looking at him where he looks down at the ground and then jerks his head to the left and he keeps his right hand near his chest/stomach area while keeping his left arm still against his side.

This would not be a fair post if I did not fess up to my own quirky mannerisms...

I often open up unimportant conversations with the loaded phrase, "So...I've been thinking..." or "So...I have something to tell you..." This scares my friends.

I tap my collar bone with my thumb and middle finger when I am worried, I've done this since I was little. I also thump my fingers against the seat of my chair or my other hand when I am having a conversation that I'm nervous about.

When I am opening a can of coke, I push the tab in really far and I always get a little bit of coke on my thumb, which I suck off my thumb before taking the first sip of coke. I do this every time.

I wait longer to shift gears in my car and take wider turns when I am really happy.

I guess the reason that I love these little idiosyncrasies so much is because I believe that at some level these little quirks are what make us who we are. The mannerisms of close friends and family members are the things that drive us up the wall with irritation and the things we miss the most when we aren't with them.

There is this really great scene in "My Best Friend's Wedding" where Julia Roberts and Cameron Dias are in an elevator talking about her fiance's annoying little habits and quirks and laughing about them when Dias stops the elevator and turns to Roberts and says that after making the list of her fiance's annoying habits she made the decision to throw it away and love him as a whole person, in spite of and even for his quirks that had been so irritating before.

I love this mentality. I embrace the fact that the majority of love (both romantic and non-romantic) is a choice. Unfortunately, people often choose to be irked instead of viewing these differences in people as endearing. I know I do.

So what are some of your favorite little quirks (either things that you do or things that your loved ones do)?