Habits

I don't think I have an addictive personality, but I do make habits quickly.

For instance, I remember the first time I bit off one of my nails and held it in my mouth. It didn't taste like anything particularly interesting, but I do so love to chew on things.

Thus: a decade+ long habit was born. One which lead to many other mouth-based self-destructive habits: cuticle biting, compulsive zit popping (not with mouth), biting-off-the-skin-inside-your-mouth, etc.

I've finally managed to quit all of those. Now I'm working on knuckle popping (down to only popping thumbs and index fingers: progress!).
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It wasn't long ago that I realized I could also form good habits with as much ease as I had created bad ones.

New Years eve 2007: I was alone in my apartment, listening to the Beatles and feeling sorry for myself. Around me, the raucous calls of Frat boys rang through the night. After my ludicrous pronouncements at midnight I decided that I wanted to eat better, and I would do it by only drinking one pop per month.

And I am proud to say I have stuck to this pledge (with rare exception) for over a year now. It might be the first time I have a made a personal choice and stuck with it. As a result, the few pops that I do drink are nice treats that I can let myself indulge in.

Just a few months ago, I added flossing to my list of "good habits." I've been trying to floss regularly for years, mostly at the behest of my dentist. Their warnings about gingivitis were constant:

2001: You might get gingivitis unless you start flossing!
2002: You're going to get gingivitis.
2003: You've got bleedin' gums, kid. But your teeth are great!

Anyway, I've stuck with that one, too. And my teeth are even more fantastic, now that my gums are healthy and firm.
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This past week, I've been fed up feeling like a rat in the proverbial wheel. So, I am making more habits.
First, 30min of banjo everyday. I had really let the ball drop on practicing, but just after a few days I'm already feeling like I have improved. Who knows how my garbled version of "Wild Horses" will sound by next month?

Second: 1 hour of reading per night. I've fallen behind on the New Yorkers around here, so I may as well put them to good use. It's also given me a chance to make some headway in my Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, which I've been meaning to do for years. Who knows? Maybe this is the year that I finish Gravity's Rainbow?

The next step: make writing a habit. And blogging. And cleaning. And laundry.

Well, it's a start.
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Even I thought that was boring. Here's a cool video to make up for it.

Cornstarch is AWESOME.