Blimey, maybe I am normal after all. You agreed with me on 6 out of 10 of the 'abnormal' topics I posted about yesterday, which suggests that perhaps my views weren't quite so abnormal after all. I must say that this surprised me. Are there really a majority of people in this country who hate pets, driving, gardening and using the telephone? Somehow I suspect not. Maybe it's blogworld as a whole that's abnormal, and meanwhile the rest of the population continue to buy dogfood, belch exhaust fumes, grow weeds and ring people up out of the blue as usual. I did note that some of you weren't quite as hardline as me on certain topics (for example, some of you would choose to drive if you lived outside London whereas I'd choose never to sit behind the steering wheel again), so maybe there are just shades of normality here. But I'm feeling a little more mainstream today, for which I thank you.
The results You coffee: "Coffee is not normal, but I love it with lots of steamed milk and a little sugar. (Is it really dessert?) Most people have to go through an induction process, someplace where there is peer pressure to look adult (like at university). It's silly, but there you have it. Diamond Geezer, you must not have a high need to fit in." (Linda)
You DVD: "DVDs: Slim, silver and sexy. How can I not collect them? I've just reviewed my DVD/ VHS collection, and have worked out that, if I were to watch non-stop everything I've taped - but not yet got around to watching - and if I gave up sleeping - then I'll have seen everything by approximately noon on Sunday 27th February 2005." (Nigel)
You don't animal: "I did animal once, 5 cats and a dog. The cats bought fleas in, and they were impossible to completely get rid of, and dog made the house stink, no matter how clean he was. We, of course did not notice the "dog" smell...but others did and it was amazing what a deterrent it was." (grocerjack)
You don't car: "Driving scares me rigid. I passed my test to get everyone off my back, and promptly stopped. My judgement of speed and distance is already diabolical enough as a pedestrian, thank you, plus there's my extreme lack of concentration to deal with. Instead, I live in the city centre and only have to walk 10 mins to the office." (mike)
You don't DIY: "I used to DIY but I don't anymore. It's much easier just to learn to like it as it is." (peter)
You don't garden: "Not only did we buy an old house, but we bought one with a garden. I now realise that gardens are much like pets... much more enjoyable when someone else does the hard work of looking after them. I hate our garden. The next place we move to is a new apartment with a balcony. No pets, no DIY, no gardening. Brilliant." (lori)
You holiday: "i don't go on holiday to relax. that's what work is for (usually). i travel to see new places, things and people. cos hopefully they will affect me and make a change to my life." (dave)
You don't phone: "At last I have found other phone-phobic people! Absolutely detest the things. Thank god for email, and texting. Will do anything at work to avoid using it. I am so relieved I am not the only person who feels this way!" (DOLnet)
You don't consume: "When you have to pack up and move continents, you finally begin to understand just how much *crap* you own and that you need about 10% of it." (Chz)
You worry: "For a moment there, I considered adding my vote to the 'I don't worry' comments. But then I realised that you read my site, and it would take you approximately a tenth of a second to know that I was lying through my teeth. I worry as a profession." (Vaughan)
I received a staggering number of comments for yesterday's post (nearly 400), for which I thank you, and I recommend that you flick through these ten fascinating mini-debates if you haven't done so already. It looks like I may have stumbled upon a seam of blog gold here, so you can expect me to return to this subject again in the future. Just not yet though, because I don't do predictable.
