I'm not saying that to point out my weirdness or make it sound like I'm a batty old woman with cats. I'm saying it because I fit the official definition. Allow me to elaborate.

Here is an article from my General Psychology textbook about eccentric people:

After conducting in-depth interviews and administering IQ tests, personality questionnaires, and other diagnostic tests to 1,000 eccentrics over a ten-year period, he concluded that although eccentrics may be "loosely wrapped," they do not suffer from mental disorders. Both eccentrics and seriously disturbed persons display aberrant behavior, but the strangeness of persons with mental disorders is thrust upon them and typically causes them suffering, whereas eccentric behavior is chosen freely and provides pleasure. In short, "neurotics are miserable because they think they're not as good as everyone else, while eccentrics know they're different and glory in it" (Weeks & James, 1995, p. 14).

Similarly, while the workings of the eccentric mind may be peculiar, they are not the seriously disrupted thought processes of persons with severe mental disorders, and they do not make the eccentric dysfunctional. And while eccentrics may be passionate about their hobbies or causes, their interests are not compulsions but sources of fun and pleasure. Although the eccentrics in Weeks's study were not immune to mental disorders, they had a lower overall incidence of such problems than the general population. Perhaps being an "original" is good for mental health. The eccentrics in the study were also physically healthier than usual; on average, they visited a doctor only once every eight years.

Weeks concludes that most eccentrics, despite their deviant behavior—perhaps even because of it—are happy, well-adjusted, and joyful people. Since nonconformists are relieved of the stress of trying to meet other people's expectations, they are free to plunge through life in their own optimistic, individualistic way, undeterred by criticism or convention. In a culture that increasingly values homogeneity over uniqueness, the offbeat and spirited personalities of eccentrics are often a refreshing change.

David Weeks identifies the following fifteen descriptions (in descending order of importance) as applicable to eccentrics. Although the first five characterizations are most definitive, possessing any ten of the fifteen may qualify one as an eccentric.

* Nonconforming
* Creative
* Strongly curious
* Idealistic
* Happily obsessed with a hobby (often more than one)
* Aware from early childhood of being different from others
* Intelligent
* Opinionated and outspoken
* Noncompetitive
* Unusual eating or living habits
* Not interested in the opinions or company of others
* Mischievous sense of humor
* Single
* Eldest or only child
* Bad speller

(Weeks & James, 1995)

Here's my breakdown of the characteristics of eccentricism for myself:

Nonconforming: Yes! From my clothes to my attitudes to my ways of life, I more or less don't conform, unless something I like happens to match the mainstream. If something I like does happen to fit the mainstream, you can rest assured that I'm *not* doing it *because* of that fact. But I would never decide *not* to like something just because the masses did; that would be just about as stupid. :)

Creative: Yes! You can probably tell by some of the things on my page that I am creative, but if you haven't gotten to it yet, I'll tell you . . . I like to sing, draw, write songs, write poetry and short stories and novels, make homepages, do arts and crafts, and . . . well, all kinds of stuff. Yup, that's me!!

Strongly curious: Yes! Maybe not to the extent that some people are, but I love to explore all kinds of things and I'm always ready to learn. . . .

Idealistic: Yes! Sometimes this is a drawback. Especially when I talk to people online; they read me wrong and they think that I'm an opinionated bitch. Let's just say I do have my opinions but that I'm open-minded enough to listen and change them if I see fit. I have many hopes for people and my standards for respecting others are pretty high, but that doesn't mean I'm not nice to those I don't much care for. I expect people to be able to spell in their mother tongue if it's not too much to ask and to use the correct homophones, ya know? And I expect them to be courteous to me and not ask me for sex before they ask for my name, or call me "baby" before they find out if I'd allow that. I also get really pissed off when people waste things, don't recycle, or are too messy (though my place is sometimes cluttered, I don't leave FOOD on the floor okay?). I expect people to respect me as a person and when they don't I throw a fit.

Happily obsessed with a hobby (often more than one): Uhh, you can say that again! Writing is the main one (you can check it out here, plug plug), but it extends to other things like my Web page and my webcomic and keeping my old stuff, and my jewelry and my friends. A lot of my obsessions link back to my writing somewhere.

Aware from early childhood of being different from others:That was easy to figure out when I didn't make any friends. See my autobiography for more info on THAT . . . moving on.

Intelligent: I guess it depends on who you ask, but I'm reasonably intelligent. I'm not stupid, in any case. Some people will tell you I'm totally a genius (thanks you guys) but those people haven't watched me try to do math problems. My IQ has been tested and I usually fall around 145.

Opinionated and outspoken: I'd say so, on most subjects I feel strongly about. I don't find it hard to tell people what I think and I am very frank many times, especially if it is someone I don't know very well or don't care much about. With my friends I am usually more sensitive to their feelings and don't bash them so hard if I think something they're doing is dumb, but I'll still say so.

Noncompetitive: This about half and half describes me. I don't care about "winning" arguments because I don't think of them as something you can win or lose, and I don't like to play competitive sports. But I DO like to win and come out on top--I like it when something I've been aiming for turns out in my favor. I might even kid around and taunt someone if I "beat" them, but I don't do it in a mean-spirited way. Overall I don't feel jealous or in competition with people very often.

Unusual eating or living habits: Oh, definitely. If you want to see what kinds of things I like to eat (I'm a vegetarian—click here to find out why—but I'm also a picky eater), you should click here to see what foods I like best. As for living habits . . . well, I live alone, and my two-bedroom apartment is packed with toys and pictures and lots of bizarre stuff that's my own style. I also don't have a car and I ride my bike everywhere. How's that for unusual?

Not interested in the opinions or company of others: This is one of the few that really isn't true of me. I do care about others' opinions even if I rarely agree with them. However, I don't bend to their opinions or pay attention to them worriedly as if I'm scared to not conform. As for the company of others . . . I must say I'm not a social butterfly, never have been, but I do have many friends nonetheless and I do enjoy talking to them and hanging out with them.

Mischievous sense of humor: Two words: Shenanigans Page. I even belong to a ring about it, whaddaya want?

Single: VERY. And not interested about doing anything about it either. I've never been interested in anyone in a romantic or sexual way, which I know is odd but that is what we're speaking of here, so what did you expect? So if you know anyone who needs a girlfriend, DON'T send them to my page. If you want to read more about some of the motivations behind my chosen singlehood, read my essay on asexuality.

Eldest or only child: Eldest. See my family page, I'm the eldest of three girls.

Bad speller: NO. No no no no no no no NO NO. I am very much NOT a bad speller, and I am proud of that. After all, I'm an editor and a writer! What would being a bad speller do for me?? I suppose I can excuse myself from this one because NOT being a bad speller is part of my obsessions. Anyway, so . . . uh, no.

In short, this is sort of a label I accept despite being a person who mostly doesn't like labels. I don't mind this one since ironing it out like this really makes it pretty obvious that it fits me. So, are you eccentric? Let's hear from you. :)