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#MicroblogMondays 26: Repetition

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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There were a few things in the Rosie Project that hit close to home.  One was a thought on page 173 about repetition: “I settled on Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty.  With the repeat button on, it became the soundtrack to my driving and reflections over three days.  Unlike many people, I am very comfortable with repetition.  It was probably fortunate that I was driving alone.”

I love repetition.  I love repetition so much that it takes a lot for me to try something new.  Back in graduate school, I had one audio cassette from Bob Dylan’s Biograph, and that was all I played for several years.  It ran on a 90 minute loop.  No one wanted me to drive because they were so sick of “Lay Lady Lay.”  It was a big deal (to me) when, in my final year, I sometimes played the second tape of Biograph.

I am the type of person who would be fine eating one food, reading one book, watching one movie, or listening to one album for the rest of her life.

Are you good with repetition, or do you always need the thrill of something new?

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Donโ€™t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blogโ€™s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

1. Mali (No Kidding) 18. Lovely Transitions 35. Geochick
2. Mali (No Kidding in NZ) 19. earthandink 36. Daryl
3. Eryn (A Glimpse Into Eryns World) 20. Solo Mama 37. Laundry Girl
4. Persnickety 21. Isabelle 38. Gypsy Mama
5. Uma S 22. Non Sequitur Chica 39. Sadie
6. One and Done? 23. Obsessivemom 40. Junebug
7. Karen (River Run Dry) 24. apluseffort 41. Cristy
8. Lori Lavender Luz 25. Aislinn @ Baby Makin’ 42. Kathy (Bereaved and Blessed)
9. How to treat the Old? 26. Jo Anne (I Try: The Additive Property of Happiness) 43. Miss Conception
10. Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) 27. deathstar 44. Loribeth (The Road Less Travelled)
11. Vinitha 28. Kasey 45. Baby blue sunday
12. Unpregnant Chicken 29. Stacie 46. Shayla Favor
13. Roohi Bhatnagar 30. Good Families Do 47. Em (Making Babies is Hard)
14. No Baby Ruth 31. Laurel Regan @ Alphabet Salad 48. Self Therapy Journal
15. Journeywoman 32. Infertile Girl 49. Anita
16. Jen (Days of Grace) 33. Accio Baby! 50. Mary Francis
17. Parul 34. Just Heather

39 comments

1 Mali { 02.23.15 at 6:06 am }

I like both – new things, and the comfort of familiar things too. I couldn’t stand repetition if it meant I only had one book, one movie,one food, one album for the rest of my life. To limit myself to so little, when the world offers so much, would be a tragedy.

2 Mali { 02.23.15 at 6:08 am }

Oops – my first link should be for A Separate Life. Stupid iPad. Stupid Mali.

3 Persnickety { 02.23.15 at 6:49 am }

I like repetition. I may have thousands of songs on the iPod, but I listen to a tiny fraction of them. I will have a select few that I listen to over and over.
I order the same thing at cafes, so much that they see me coming and get it ready (this has some advantages) .
I do like new things and new experiences, but I value the well worn grooves as well.

4 Jennifer { 02.23.15 at 7:08 am }

Um, I am a fan of repetition – familiarity gives me comfort but I don’t know about having one thing (one book, one movie, etc) for the rest of my life! I am the kind of gal that orders the same thing from a restaurant once I find what I like, and I certainly have favorite songs but I like to mix it up too. Oddly enough, I don’t really re-read books. Maybe because I now know what is going to happen? The only exception I have made is with Harry Potter. I devoured each book when it was released and then would re-read before watching the movie.

5 UmaS { 02.23.15 at 7:16 am }

Oh…I love repetitions especially if its eating dosa everyday ๐Ÿ˜› ๐Ÿ˜›
And of course, I re-read my favs…many times ๐Ÿ˜€

6 Valery Valentina { 02.23.15 at 7:21 am }

I sing Suzy the same 3 bedtime songs since she was born.
I could probably repeat pasta and risotto 6 days a week, and try something new the one day.
But I like seasonal foods, salads in summer, mashed potatoes in winter. Sooo, i guess if i say I could eat the same food every year that is cheating and puts me in the variety camp.
(did you know that some children canot appreciate that answer when the question is ‘what is your favourite colour?’)

7 Karen (River Run Dry) { 02.23.15 at 7:32 am }

It depends. I go in spurts, where I get “into” something and listen or read or watch or eat it exhaustively, all the time, for however long it takes for me to get used to it, where it becomes commonplace, where it doesn’t give me that thrill anymore. Then I go looking for something else.

I call them my “phases.” I went through a Mumford and Sons phase, an X-Files phase, a Sting phase, a Jane Austen phase, a sushi phase, a popcorn-for-dinner phase, a running phase. ๐Ÿ™‚

(And I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve participated in Microblog Mondays. Sigh.)

xoxo

8 Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) { 02.23.15 at 7:36 am }

I like to change things up. Although, I’m appreciating the value of routine more and more.

9 Vinitha { 02.23.15 at 7:52 am }

I have no problem with repetition. In fact, I am more comfortable knowing what’s up next than waiting for the suspense. ๐Ÿ™‚

10 a { 02.23.15 at 8:30 am }

I value routine but not repetition. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

11 Kaeleigh { 02.23.15 at 8:49 am }

My husband is like you, especially with his food. If he was in charge of the cooking he would make one of three meals always… and it’s not for lack of knowledge of others. I like a bit more spice to my life. We strike compromises. LOL

12 roohi bhatnagar { 02.23.15 at 9:19 am }

Stumbled upon this idea and fell in love with it. So posting here a spiritual short story.. Hope fellas here will like it.. Now hopping to each of the posted blogs here ๐Ÿ™‚ Happy reading ya all.

13 Jen { 02.23.15 at 9:26 am }

It takes a lot for a song to be added to my playlist! I like listening to the old tunes and reinforcing the memories they conjure up from my past. It’s the closest I’ll get to time travel.

14 Pam { 02.23.15 at 9:27 am }

My husband ate the same thing for lunch every single day–for YEARS. I couldn’t handle it. I really couldn’t. I need variety.

15 No Baby Ruth { 02.23.15 at 9:29 am }

Repetition! I read my favorite books over and over again. I much prefer a beloved rerun on TV to something new. I listen to my favorite playlist on endless repeat.

16 earthandink { 02.23.15 at 10:04 am }

I’m a mix. There are movies that are ‘comfort’ movies that I will watch over and over, much to the dismay of partners and roommates. (Seriously? Shakespeare in Love again?) And music and books that I read. All of them are places that feel like home to me. But I like doing new too! So: mix.

Running on Empty dragged me back in time. I had a radio show in college called Running on E (my first name begins with e) and I used a snippet of the chorus of that song as the intro in to my show.

17 Lindsay | Solo Mama { 02.23.15 at 10:10 am }

Can I say “a bit of both”? If I like something, I’m happy to eat it/listen to it/read it again. But generally speaking, I get bored of something really quickly and like to switch it up a bit.

18 nonsequiturchica { 02.23.15 at 10:26 am }

It really depends. I love traveling to new places, but I often order the same things at some restaurants. I don’t re-read books and in general, I don’t re-watch movies. I think that the food thing is just being “safe” though in my choice- I know that I will love it.

19 apluseffort { 02.23.15 at 10:39 am }

I love repetition. Especially songs! I also take a lot of joy in introducing things I love to other people so that I experience them again too.

20 Isabelle { 02.23.15 at 10:50 am }

I like both. I can eat the same breakfast over and over again. And I cook the same things each week. I can re-read my favorite books over and over again. But I do like trying new places, eating new food, reading new books, and the joy of trying new things especially when you don’t know how the plot of a story will unfold.

21 JoAnne Applebaugh { 02.23.15 at 11:06 am }

I’m not as into repetition. I’m not against it, exactly, but something has to be really special for me to keep returning to it over and over again. That said, I do find comfort in tradition, routine, and in, well, comforting things. Sometimes I just want to have some penne with marinara cooked the way I like it. I also go through phases, like one of the previous commenters, where I get a bit obsessive about something for a little while. The things that I do over and over again, however, are really important to me. I have watched the entire series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine straight through more than 5 times. I have watched individual episodes far more often. (All Star Trek is like this, but Deep Space Nine in particular.) It is my go-to, it is a safe space.

And that’s where repetition comes in to play for me. It is there as a safe space. I can eat my simple penne and watch an episode or six of Deep Space Nine and know that I’m okay and everything else probably will be eventually as well.

22 deathstar { 02.23.15 at 11:16 am }

Nope, I do find ritual very comforting – my getting up slowly, coffee and laptop in hand, being sancrosanct, chanting, etc. I would shoot myself however, if I had to go to the same job for 25 years or walk the dog the same route day after day or eat the same thing. I like variety. I’m still trying to rap my head around being married to the same person year after year…..

23 Kasey { 02.23.15 at 11:17 am }

Definitely repetition. I could eat the same thing every day and love to reread a few favorite books and watch over and over again certain shows.

24 StacieT { 02.23.15 at 11:33 am }

Tried and true for me. I don’t avoid change, but if given the choice I go with what I know. Drives my husband crazy.

25 Jenn P { 02.23.15 at 1:08 pm }

I listened to a cassette of Violent Femmes pretty much my entire senior year of high school. I will listen to new music until I know it and can sing along. I can eat some foods everyday, like yogurt with frozen raspberries and mini chocolate chips. Movies, shows, and books I generally can’t repeat without extreme boredom.

26 Laurel Regan { 02.23.15 at 1:37 pm }

We have The Rosie Project coming up in our book club, and I’m looking forward to reading it. When I get a new album, I definitely get into the whole repetition thing – listen to it over and over and over until you’d think I’d be sick of it, but I’m not!

27 JustHeather { 02.23.15 at 2:47 pm }

A bit of both for me. Some things I could read/eat/listen to over and over…but then sometimes I truly need something else.

28 Geochick { 02.23.15 at 3:18 pm }

I need change, especially with food! I will get into listening to an album over and over again for a while, but then feel bad for the rest of the music, just laying there listlessly in iTunes. However, that’s not to say that I don’t like routine. I love routine. I THRIVE on routine. I just like things within my routine to be mixed up.

29 Daryl { 02.23.15 at 3:29 pm }

I’m definitely a fan of routine–but not repetition. My husband, on the other hand, could eat the same food, listen to the same song, and wear the same clothes over and over and over and over….

30 Laundry Girl { 02.23.15 at 4:01 pm }

I am OK with repetition to a point.
Reading the same boring book 20 times in a row to my daughter? Bleh.
Eating the same thing for lunch every day? Yeah. For a few weeks.

31 Junebug { 02.23.15 at 5:53 pm }

I love new things, new music, new tastes, new books, new stories…

But, there is some comfort in routine. Of course I have “old” standby’s that take me to another time/place, but I am always on the look out for something to challenge me.

It frustrates the heck out of my husband that I never cook the exact same dish twice.

32 Cristy { 02.23.15 at 6:32 pm }

I’m all about repetition, especially as of late. Considering so much learning comes from doing things over and over again, it’s a great way to master skills.

That said, I also find I get bored with things. So I tend to repeat through 3-4 different items at a time.

33 loribeth { 02.23.15 at 8:57 pm }

I am very much a creature of habit & routine. But I do like some variety…!

34 Shayla { 02.23.15 at 9:23 pm }

Oh, great topic!
I am def a mix of both; however, with Movies, Restaurants and everyday meals I tend to be Creatively Repetitive…in my opinion ๐Ÿ™‚

35 Em { 02.23.15 at 9:45 pm }

Hmm, this is a hard one! When it comes to food and travel, I definitely love the thrill of something new. However, in my day to day life, there is comfort in repetition. A good balance is definitely key I think ๐Ÿ™‚

36 Anita { 02.24.15 at 1:42 am }

I like to try the new and I also like repetitions ๐Ÿ™‚ Both are needed & important for me!

37 Mary Francis { 02.24.15 at 2:15 am }

I love to walk the paths through woodlands that I played in a child. There is comfort in the familiar. My companion is often just my past self. Now tha I am in my sixties, We have a LOT to talk about!

38 Lori Lavender Luz { 02.25.15 at 10:03 pm }

I only like a song after I’ve heard it many many times. And once that happens, I enjoy it for awhile. But at some point, I get sick of it. Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” is the latest casualty.

I’m a creature of habit at restaurants. At each restaurant I have a go-to dish. I eat that dish every time I’m at the restaurant. But would I want the same dish at the same restaurant every day? No. I guess I employ rotation repetition.

39 TasIVFer { 02.27.15 at 5:45 am }

I adore repetition. There are many books I read over and over and over again. There is music I listen too over and over and over again. I don’t know why it is. Part of it is not wanting to be disappointed, and with any (good) book or music you can find more in it the more your explore it. Sometimes – especially reading in bed before I sleep – it’s because in theorgy it’s easier to put down something that isn’t new (this isn’t always truue, but I pretend it is). I always eagerly anticipate something new by authors or musicians whose words or music had made my high repetition list.

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