More Random Admissions (That Don't Involve The Carpenters)

My last post about "shameful admissions" garnered quite a bit of reaction, mostly along the lines of "You like the Carpenters??". And, of course, my wife's response of "you told them what??"

Nonetheless, this sort of reaction is inspiring. OK, I admit that the "inspiring" and "it's been three weeks since my last blog post" don't exactly go together, but it's a new year and I'm trying harder.

The fact is, I do quite a few odd, quirky things. I'm betting that a few of you do, too, so see if you recognize any of your own behaviors here. What will this prove? That either I'm a lot like many of you or that I'm a total oddball who really should have been placed on a different planet.

1)I can't bring myself to click the "update" button in my Quicken software if the financial markets have had a bad day. I wait until the next positive day.

2)There are certain movies that I HAVE to stop and watch, even if for just a little bit, if I come across them on cable. Oh, sure, there are a few classics like "The Godfather" (either the original or Part II) but there are a few absolute headscratchers in this category. They include Young Guns II (for some reason, Emilio Estevez as Billy the Kid is highly entertaining to me), Scream (I like to think it's just Neve Campbell's presence), Diner (the idea that a marriage proposal hinges on a sports trivia quiz is absolutely fantastic), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Sean Penn's best performance EVER), and Major League (the sight of Wesley Snipes sliding into second and coming up 10 feet short shouldn't crack me up EVERY time, but it does.)

3)If I come across a song that I haven't heard in years, I'll immediately download it and listen to it repeatedly. When I say repeatedly, I mean what I say. Like about 700 times in a row. (note to all you lawyers out there: I subscribe to the Rhaspody service so all my downloads are LEGAL!).

4)If my favorite sports team is winning a game, I have a LOT of trouble watching the end. Perhaps I just can't take the pressure. This doesn't apply if I'm actually at the game, but I've been known to skip the 6th and 7th innings of a Yankee game and tune back in for the 8th. When I'm at Ranger games and the opposing team is swarming around our net, I have this theory that if I look away, they can't possibly score. I've missed many opponent's goals in the last 25 years as a result. Exception to the rule: if it's post-season, I watch everything and just suffer.

Odd corollary: I totally reject the idea that what I say has any influence over what happens in the game. For instance, if I say the team is playing well and they suddenly stop playing well, I refuse to take the blame. My oddball friends, however .. well, that's another story.

5)I'm completely incapable of calling in sick to work. I like to say it's my fantastic work ethic but the fact is, I probably just have a guilty conscience. I don't know why, since - other than a one week bout with the flu in 1994, I've taken exactly three sick days since starting my first stint at CNBC in 1989. This has allowed me to go into work sick and get everyone else ill. Hey, why should I be the only one suffering?

So, I must end by asking this question.

Is it just me?