Me and Nervous Tics
Since the early 1990s, and perhaps before, I have never stopped doing some sort of nervous tic or bad habit. I can’t just sit there and not be moving a muscle somehow unless I’m sleeping. The first bad habit I can remember was winking instead of blinking. Dad thought I needed glasses, but the eye tests came back perfect. I just started winking one day and couldn’t stop! Since then, many other tics have come and gone. Some of which include…

• blinking very heavily, to the point of painfully smushing my eyes (currently)
• dragging my right foot when I walk (every fricking day since 1992!)
• flaring my nostrils
• odd things with my teeth that I can’t even explain
• breathing in odd patterns
• crossing my eyes
• stretching all my face muscles at once
• licking my lips

According to Wikipedia’s article on “tic”…

Simple motor tics are typically sudden, brief, meaningless movements that usually involve only one group of muscles, such as eye blinking, head jerking or shoulder shrugging. Motor tics can be of an endless variety and may include such movements as hand clapping, neck stretching, mouth movements, head, arm or leg jerks, and facial grimacing.

It seems obvious to me that this is what I have been doing for twenty-some years. Now how the heck do I stop?! Lauren recently challenged me to go an entire car drive without doing any odd blinking. She stared at me for 15 minutes and I tried really hard to avoid doing anything, but it was no use. As soon as she turned away, I started doing weird movements with my eyes again! Just not doing them is not an option; they happen semi-involuntarily without me even thinking about it… kind of like George’s arm that jerked back and forth!

So, if anyone knows anything about this sort of thing, I would appreciate some real advice. I think it will benefit everyone if I can stop looking like a jackass!

Wake Up with Fox 9
Every morning on the Fox 9 News, they have a Facebook question of the day where they encourage users to go on and answer, with various responses being read aloud live on TV. I tried responding to a question yesterday about the All-Star Game, and Darcy Turner notified me that my picture and comment were shown on TV and read aloud by the news people. So I tried again today, answering a question about expanding the light rail, and again, my comment was read. I suggested a direct, non-stop line from 27th & Colfax straight to Powers Blvd & Lake Drive West in Chanhassen (my work intersections). One of the hosts commented, “yeah right, and I want to be beamed to work every morning.” Be sure to tune in as I will continue making comments on the air!

Third Base Coach Not as Easy as It Looks!
Next time Twins’ third base coach Scott Ullger inexplicably sends a runner home only to be tagged out by 20 feet, I will go easy on him. Monday at softball, after scoring and returning to the bench, I went over to coach third base. Walsh represented the tying run, with Sarah batting and two out in the 6th inning. Sarah got a hit to the outfield and Walsh raced for third. The throw got away from the third baseman, and I yelled for Walsh to “Go! Go!” As he was taking off, the third baseman recovered the ball and threw home, tagging Walsh out by 15 feet, ending the inning and our threat with our best hitter on-deck. I thought it would take an amazing play and perfect throw for the third baseman to even have a chance, and I guess he did both. I felt like the biggest idiot. We wound up losing 7-4, dropping to 2-6-2 on the year.