Hold the Cream Cheese

As a general rule, people who work by themselves develop unusual habits. I wish I could say I’m the exception to that rule, but unfortunately I’ve developed a socially unacceptable habit that never would’ve occurred if I didn’t work at home.

It’s kind of embarrassing, but the truth is that I entertain myself with my own belches. Not only do I make them unusually loud, but I also speak while doing it.

I know, it’s an incredibly childish habit, and I’ll probably lose some of my readers by admitting to it. But maybe if I confess to it here, I’ll stop doing it.

Anyway, my favorite belch word for the past few months has been “bagels.” Don’t ask me why I chose that word – I guess it just sounded right. It’s hard to spell it out, but it sounds something like this:

BAAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-GELS !!

My kids, of course, think it’s hysterical when they hear that blasting from my office. Which is probably why I keep doing it.

Not too long ago I came downstairs after a day of coding, and as I exited my office I let fly with a particularly boisterous “baaa-aaa-aaa-aaa-gels.” When I turned the corner, I was mortified to find my wife talking with one of our neighbors – a neighbor who I didn’t know too well (and probably never will, thanks to my outburst).

I’ve seen this neighbor a few times since then, and she never really makes eye contact (can’t say I blame her).

OK, now that I’ve admitted to a really dumb habit, it’s your turn :) What bad habits have you developed when nobody was around?