Everyone has their weird little quirks, things most people probably do not do. Things that other people probably find weird. We all have them. I have many. But one of my most unusual quirks is that I watch television and movies with the closed captioning or subtitles on. I *always* watch with the subtitles on.
This quirk started back when I was in high school. I had a television in my bedroom, and a father who worked rotating shifts. My bedroom was just down the hall from my parents' room, so when my dad was sleeping, I could not have my television very loud, as it would wake him. My solution to this was to turn on the closed captioning. It became such a habit that to not have it on was weird. It was a habit I carried with me as I grew up, and moved into my own place. When I met Hubby, I explained my quirk to him, and he quickly adapted. Now, whenever we watch anything at home, it is automatic that we turn the subtitles or closed captioning on. It has become second nature.
The ability to watch television and read the captions has become ingrained. We often catch mistakes in the captions, when what is written does not match what is being spoken. And this ability to read and watch at the same time has served me well. In my college French classes, we watched a lot of foreign films, and the subtitles never bothered me a bit. As a result, I really really love foreign cinema. Also, going to the opera, and reading the translation while watching the show is a total piece of cake for me.
On the flip side, there are times when my quirk can be problematic. It is difficult for me to pay attention to movies in the theater, because there are no subtitles. And last week, I went to a friend's house to watch a movie with her, and I asked her to turn the subtitles on. I am sure she thought it was a little, well, odd.
Oh well. We all have our quirks.
