I Cannot LISTEN and READ at the SAME TIME

First of all, I'm waiting to do a Chicago recap for when my two weeks there are done. I'm right now on shore leave, 48 hours with the husband and offspring and then the car comes and whisks me away.
A note to the peanut gallery though......my new job rocks it.


So anyway, back to the things I cannot do.
It's not a MEME.
But, maybe it is how one begins, I dunno.

I've been thinking a lot lately about some of my quirks. I know everyone is different but I'm wondering how many other people HAVE either of these....

First, I don't think this is unusual but I've never met anyone else who says this is true. If I am reading, I am nearly deaf. NEARLY. I can sort of hear you. Your words don't actually have a lot of meaning, or my brain puts them together wrong. Or some sort of autopilot is engaged and I answer........a yes, no, uh-huh, etc etcetc....which is of course wrong but I don't even know I'm doing it. I guess I love reading.....or I require all of my brain to do it. Which doesn't say much for my brain.

Second, I cannot take a drink with food in my mouth. You know how you take a bite, and it's too hot, so you'll take a drink of something cool to wash it down? I can't do it. I have to spit out the offending food or more likely, chew it furiously - getting more and more burned, swallow the gob of FIRE and then.......THEN I can send in the emergency response drink of cold liquid. My friends Scott and Nik used to crack up at this, but I just can't DRINK with food in my mouth.

These don't seem like total madness-crazy sorts of behavior that need therapy, but they always seem to surprise people. As though I'm not supposed to have eccentricities (and oh baby do I have eccentricities) so maybe I'm just keeping the crazy buried far enough that people outside of the family unit aren't aware.