1. List 10 of Sedaris's tics and try to establish some general rules that make then tics and not more socially acceptable repeated motions.
*yelps *twitching *moving head viciously *noise making like a bee is in his throat * putting nose on random things * licking random things * kissing random things * counting steps *touching door knobs with elbows as a ritual. I could see how some of the acts listed above could have been a repeated motion. We can count steps for exercise. But if it is a constant thing followed by other odd activities then I would question it to not be a habit then. It seemed as if he had mental issues. It could have been from not being able to concentrate for long periods of time or just boredom. The fact that his mother knew it and did not make him feel different I thought was positive. He was embarrassed but yet felt normal. He would still walk down the halls as if he was normal and no one really mentioned it.
2. What are some tics that you have? Are they more socially acceptable than Sedaris'? Why do you think so?
I don't think I have tics, but I guess I can say I have habits. Usually when I come home from work or school I will clean. Even though my house is clean if I see one thing in the house out of place then I feel everything is out of place. So it becomes a habit to clean again. From mopping the floors, to running the vacuum across the floor even to the extreme of cleaning my bathroom walls. Cleaning takes my mind from roaming and thinking negative thoughts. I also have a habit of checking to see if my doors are locked 3-6 times a night. When my boyfriend comes through the door I will greet him but really check to make sure the door is locked. I won't believe it if he said it. Knowing that the door is locked, and seeing it with my own two eyes makes me feel some sense of security. Its a habit that I acquired while being deployed. Being mindful to our surroundings.
3. What do you think the point of this essay is?
When I first started reading this story I thought it was comical. When he was sitting talking to his teacher about visiting to speak to his mother he would hit himself with his shoe. I was in shock so at first I thought the story was to show that may of us do random things when we are suppose to focus but can not. I know I have issues sitting still at times when I'm suppose to study so I do things. When I read it's worse. My thoughts begin to wonder. So I figured maybe he was bored. He would count steps and then goes to kissing mushrooms on the ground and one point nosing car hoods. Then I started thinking maybe Sedari is Autistic. So it brought me to think that the story was about not knowing when others have issues. He didn't want to keep doing it but it was a mental fix for him. Sedaris tried very hard to not do the things he did but it was just hard for him. He didn't want to be viewed as the weird guy because of his tics and habits. So I guess I can say that it's okay to feel out of place if you write about something that comes to you.
