For the Love of Lists... Saturday, March 30

Snickers is always telling me “You’re not normal” and, though I could consider this a compliment, I know when he says it it’s because he thinks I’m being difficult… “difficult”.

I am glad I am not normal.  What is “normal” anyways?!  Normal is a sheep following the crowd.  

I used to ask Snickers, “What’s wrong with you?” but now I ask “What’s right with you?”.  It's a more appropriate question but I guess this means we’re both not “normal”… hahaha. 

Snickers teased me about my love of lists tonight after I returned home from the bookstore with two agendas, a book of sticky notes and with a proud look on my face.  He took one look at what I had bought, shook his head and then blurted out the expected “You’re not normal”.  When he added “there must be an English word for you” I started thinking.  I wouldn’t call my love of lists an obsession, but if it were, is there such a medical label for it?

These days I definitely feel like I’m suffering from oligomanica – an obsession with a few thoughts or ideas.  My ‘few thoughts or ideas’ of course all center around the building of our boxing club.  My boxing club has turned me into a ergomaniac – someone with an excessive desire to work – though I don’t consider it really work because I do love it, mind you perhaps that’s where the obsession stems from.  Anyways, working on our boxing club has also turned me into a arithmomaniac – a person with an obsessive preoccupation with numbers.  The numbers that preoccupy my mind are counting how many gloves we’ll need, kettle bells, how much it’ll cost us to hire part timers, and now the number of focus is in counting down how many days until the renovation crew starts working… 3.  To add to my list of possible obsessions, as if I weren’t sporting enough, perhaps you could add ablutomaniac – someone’s obsession for washing oneself.  I can’t even begin to tell you how dirty I’ve been getting at the boxing club and it’s not just dirty dirty.  It’s what I call “people-poop dirty” because yes, the boxing club has a lot of people poop on the floor that occasionally find its way onto more than just my shoes!  It’s an all-caps-necessary NASTY!!!

In my Internet search to pinpoint if there was such a word to describe an obsession with lists, the closest I came to was a scribbleomania (an obsession with scribbling) and graphoaniac (an obsession with writing).  The fact that I starting looking up so many medical terms for various obsessions and then tried to play with them in this homepage entry makes me a bit of a temporary verbomaniac – someone with a craze for words.  And my eight-years-and-still-going use of nicknames on this homepage perhaps makes me a bit of a onomaniac – a person with an obsession of names.  I’m sure there’s got to be some kind of obsessive use of bad grammar label that I also sport… hahaha… though I’m sure it wouldn’t be as bad as being labeled a rhinotilliexomaniac.  Oddly enough Korea has a lot of these and they’re not just people driving alone in cars that sport this obsession – compulsive nose picking.  Snickers and I call them “public pickers” and boy do some have no shame! 

Being Polish/Canadian, perhaps I’m susceptible to polkamania – a craze for polka dancing – but enough about that.  Enough with the obsession over the obsessions.  I’m not normal, that’s right, and I’m proud of that.  Normal is boring. 

What's your obsessive label?  Check it out here. 

In my new book tonight I got busy writing down various lists. 

1. Potential boxing club member listing
2. Motivational wall "Reasons to be fit"
3. Inspirational fitness quotes (to be painted on the walls)
4. A list of all the interior posters/painting needed to be done
5. Design details I still have to work on
6. List of potential workers and their +/- points
7. To-date business expenses

Ya... did I mention I like lists?!  I already made seven lists in my new book today.  Ok, so perhaps I am too all about my lists.