Deeply Seeded Eccentric Beliefs

This one will seem a little unusual...

A few weeks ago, I came to realize/remember a deeply seeded belief that I'd completely forgotten about, but that has undoubtably affected the way in which I have worked and thought about the world for the majority of my 26 years: cherries are the best berry -- all berries want to be cherries -- all berry eaters would prefer a cherry. It also a couple weeks ago that I unseated this belief as being completely ridiculous, and apparently only held by me in one embarassing fell swoop.

The funny thing about this belief is that it is so deeply ingrained that even though I know it is ridiculous, even as I write this, I can't seem to shake it.

I have spent the last little while trying to figure out why this could be the case. I have arrived at several possible contributing factors:

• We always refer to the cherry on top.
• Cakes always have cherries as the centre-piece.
• Shirley-temples all have cherries.
• The most special candied fruit always seems to be a cherry -- maybe because it has a stem.
• Slot machines feature cherries as the biggest payout.
• In nature, finding a cherry means you get two cherries.

I'm not sure if these reasons solve the mystery. Regardless, this post was not intended to be about my particular weirdness. Instead, this whole little episode has gotten me thinking: what other weird, deeply seeded beliefs do I have that I am not aware of? What other weird, unfounded ideas do I have that have affected me for my entire life yet do not really present themselves to my consciousness?

If you're like me, I'm sure you're shuddering at the thought, too.

At the tournament...

My friend R and I were competing in an R2's volleyball tournament this weekend, and coming up to the mid-point of the tournament had lost every single game. While R and I were resting and rehydrating from our Nalgene bottles, another friend A came by.

A: So, how's it going out there?
Me: Oh man, we're getting hammered.
A: Really? What's in here? *lifts up the Nalgene bottle*

Instant Messaging Insights

This little gem comes from my good buddy Eric, who used to share a lab with me.

Eric: When you type "LOL," you're not usually laughing, but when you type "hehe," you're laughing your ass off.

Is this universally true, or does this just apply to me?