Got Quirks?

Last Tuesday, I participated in a panel discussion for a management class at the UW Madison School of Library and Information Studies. For that reason, I gave a little more attention to how I looked while dressing. I chose the most conservative items from my already decidedly conservative wardrobe: dark gray pants, a blue-and-white-striped button-down shirt, and a navy crewneck sweater.

Once I put on the sweater, I immediately noticed all these little flecks of white.

No, not dandruff!

I started to pick them off one by one until I realized that a lint roller would do the job much more quickly. Fifteen minutes later, when I checked myself in the mirror one last time, it seemed as though all those flecks had found their way back. Actually, it wasn’t more than a few I missed on my shoulder.

Each of the three presenters was given ten minutes to provide a general overview as to what we do as a director of our respective libraries. I went first. During the second presentation, I happened to notice a small dark spot, certainly not visible for more than four feet, on the edge of my left sleeve. It resembled a speck of dried gravy.

What the…! I silently bemoaned.

I pretended to scratch myself, very discretely, in order to remove the offending blot. Why I suddenly became so concerned about something this insignificant is best left to psychiatrists to explain.

Shortly after the second presentation, I noticed that the person who had just finished speaking was picking at the sleeve of his navy crewneck, as if removing an embarrassing infestation of lint.

I guess we all have our foibles. In fact, some of us even share the same ones when we sit side by side.