It’s one of those standard “ice breaker” type questions you might get in a job interview, a kitchen party, or some sort of networking event. What do you do for fun? And while it’s easy enough to dish out a generic answer like saying you like to travel (I do) or try new foods (I also do), it got me thinking about the weird things that I enjoy doing. And it’s not so much that the things are themselves weird; it’s more like it’s weird that I enjoy doing them.

Finding Music for the Vlog

As you likely already know, as I bombard all of social media with mentions of it on the regular, I’ve had a weekly vlog for about a year and a half. Some of them have me covering local events around town, some of have me discussing issues that matter to me, and some of them take the show on the road. It’s a little bit of this and that.

There’s a whole process with coming up with the idea, laying out a rough script, shooting the actual video and so on. One step that I find strangely therapeutic is sifting through the mountains of royalty-free music to find the right tracks to accompany the videos.

Editing the Vlog

In chatting with some other YouTubers and video content creators, some of them indicated that their favorite part of process was coming up with and developing their ideas. They come up with a concept for a video and the process of fleshing out that idea can be really exciting. Some might say that they really like the actual shooting of the video.

Perhaps strangely, while I also enjoy coming up with video ideas, I enjoy the actual video editing process too. I’m talking about the nitty-gritty of compiling clips, finding just the right moment to cut, implementing fun transitions, deciding where and how to fade the music, and more. I like how it gets me in the zone.

Folding Laundry

Don’t tell my wife. (Don’t worry. She rarely reads these things.)

Maybe it’s because the work that I do can feel so ethereal sometimes, as the words I write and edit don’t necessarily manifest themselves into something I can touch and feel. I don’t get that same sense of “before and after” satisfaction as I would with work that is more tangible in nature.

Folding laundry and other weird things like washing dishes or mowing the lawn give me this strange sense of satisfaction, even though they’re mundane everyday chores. I feel like have to be doing something all the time and actually seeing the fruits of my hands-on labor is oddly rewarding.

Where there was once a massive pile of mayhem, there are now neatly organized and meticulously folded clothes ready to be put away.

Organizing Things

Perhaps this is an extension of the previous point. My desk is notoriously messy and my home office is in a constant state of disarray. At the same time, I like to think that the whole system is one of organized chaos. Everything has a place and there’s a place for everything. Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.

The books on my bookshelf, for instance, are broadly arranged in three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and reference (meaning my old textbooks from university). For a time, I separated fiction into “old” fiction and “current” fiction, but I don’t really do that anymore. Within each of these categories, books are arranged alphabetically by author. I value a sense of order.

Making Coffee

Routine has a calming effect on me. Going through the same motions helps me to relax and find comfort. It doesn’t really matter whether I’m brewing up a cup of kopi luwak from Indonesia or some beans from a local roaster. It’s the routine. And then I get treated to a delicious cuppa joe for my efforts.

Maybe that’s part of the reason why I never got a Keurig. I much prefer going through the steps of brewing a cup with my Aeropress or my Italian stovetop espresso maker. And I get the added bonus of being forced to wait. It forces me to slow down and smell the coffee, as it were.

Half-Wearing My Socks

I blame attribute this habit to my wife. Even though I mostly grew up wearing slippers around the house, I never really liked them. At some point that I can’t recall exactly, I transitioned to wearing my socks around the house. But that wasn’t totally comfortable either, because my toes still felt so confined (because they were).

So, as strange as it may sound, what I’ll oftentimes do at home is “half” take off my socks. By this I mean I’ll pull them down past my ankle and my heel, but keep them covering the arch and toes. I don’t know. Shrug. It’s comfortable and this is just one of those weird things I do.

What about you?