Clicked my pen. over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over
@capguncowboy@therealjrn
At one point (somewhere around 8th-9th grade), I started clicking my fingernails to make the same sound (flicking them back and forth over each other). Got yelled at once or twice for being annoying, but mainly stopped when my nails started to pull back from the nail bed from doing it too much.
@therealjrn no NO NOOOOOO! Pen clicking is horrible. My co-workers hate me for always telling them to knock it off. I know it’s unconscious sometimes but it drives me insaaaane
@therealjrn Pen-clicking is one of the few things you could do in school, at your desk. You stop if someone looks around for the culprit. Then start again. click-click-click-click-click…
@cspwal and pens, and then seeing which pieces I could swap out. I loved making inserts for clear sided ones. You draw circle pictures to wrap around the core. So distracting.
I watched like a hawk for my teachers to screw something up, and then become an insufferable little worm as I pointed it out. Man, I was a horrible kid.
Yo-yos. String tricks like Jacobs Ladder or see saw. Saved gum wrappers to fold and link together into long zig zagged chains. You gotta be really old to know what these are.
@nickiwhite Had friends in college who did that. Sadly, I never learned, no matter how much I tried. Thankfully, fidget spinners came along…otherwise the stress would have killed me.
If I wasn’t clicking my pen and I was sitting… one of my legs was going a mile a minute. Bit my nails, ripped my cuticles, drummed on the desk, doodled, learned how to drumroll Inna Gadda Da Vida with 2 fingers on whatever was close enough to make a sound, twirled my hair, Opened and closed each eye quickly so I could watch the teacher jump left and right real fast. And God knows what else. Until the partying years kicked in. Another story.
@moonhat lol… Actually, in the other thread about changing or reliving something in the past (still not sure which it is), as much fun as I think I had (fuzzy) that would be the main thing I would change. I would like those brain cells back.
But I’m all for that couple decades younger tho!!! I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger
We made crossbows and bows from balloon sticks that my Dad brought home from his store when they stopped selling balloons on sticks because of the safety nazis (you’ll put your eye out!). Then made arrows out of balloon sticks and had cowboys v indian battles. Then we dug trenches and redoubts in the back back yard using Tonka trucks, set them about with lead soldiers and had epic battles. Then we dug connecting ditches between the redoubts and trenches, buried a garden hose so the water came from high, cascading down from a battlement or hill and filling all the low areas, so we could float and sail toy boats. If we weren’t battled out we would also shell them with artillery from the tinker toy cannons on the edges and surviving high ground.
By then the water was wearing down the high spots into the low spots so we’d end up mushing it all back down to nearly level so we had a good starting point for the next time.
When at school we made flappy glue disks with white glue on the desktops; when you peeled them off they were slightly aerodynamic so if you blew parallel to the desktop (an example of laminar flow had we but known it) they would start hopping in the general direction of the air flow.
And we played penny football on the desktops. Spin a penny on its edge and catch it between the pads of your thumbs. Your opponent made a field goal with their hands. Wherever you caught it you had to make a field goal by flipping the penny with your two thumbs…
We flew kites at the park
We flew Cox model arplanes with .049 engines in the school playground on weekends
Sometimes Dad would take us to the desert out of town and we’d launch Estes and Centuri rockets
We played tennis in the streets where cracks in the asphalt made decent boundary and net lines.
Admittedly we weren’t big into ball sports but we had a basketball hoop in the backyard and played Horse a lot.
Who had time for fidgeting? Except during long lectures at school, when we fell asleep. No problem.
Clicked my pen. over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over
and over
@therealjrn LOL… Yes!
@therealjrn did you accurately count or did you just run out of room?
@capguncowboy There is no counting in pen clicking. Who DOES that??
@capguncowboy @therealjrn
At one point (somewhere around 8th-9th grade), I started clicking my fingernails to make the same sound (flicking them back and forth over each other). Got yelled at once or twice for being annoying, but mainly stopped when my nails started to pull back from the nail bed from doing it too much.
@therealjrn no NO NOOOOOO! Pen clicking is horrible. My co-workers hate me for always telling them to knock it off. I know it’s unconscious sometimes but it drives me insaaaane
@therealjrn Pen-clicking is one of the few things you could do in school, at your desk. You stop if someone looks around for the culprit. Then start again. click-click-click-click-click…
@moonhat @therealjrn It does me too if someone around me is doing it but I don’t even notice when I’m doing it, lol.
I was not one to fidget but I did have a lemon twist. Kind of like a full body fidget.
@katbyter what’s a lemon twist?
Disassembled and reassembled mechanical pencils
@cspwal and pens, and then seeing which pieces I could swap out. I loved making inserts for clear sided ones. You draw circle pictures to wrap around the core. So distracting.
I watched like a hawk for my teachers to screw something up, and then become an insufferable little worm as I pointed it out. Man, I was a horrible kid.
@simplersimon My husband did the same thing. And usually won. That’s what drove them nuts, lol.
Flipped a coin
@Ignorant
/coinflip
An eagle grabbed your coin out of the air!
@Ignorant
/giphy two-face
Twiddling my thumbs, and learning to thrum my fingers in both directions.
Worked
“Doodled in the margins”
Giggity
all of those things
@mfladd destroyed your moms flower vase?
@mfladd Died your hair green?
@mfladd tobacco vape pens sure were bigger back in the day.
Yo-yos. String tricks like Jacobs Ladder or see saw. Saved gum wrappers to fold and link together into long zig zagged chains. You gotta be really old to know what these are.
@tngrannyd I’m really old.
@tngrannyd Those gum wrapper chains were all the rage in middle school.
@therealjrn hmmmm… I was around a long time before pop came in cans.
Taught myself how to wiggle my ears…and other body parts…
Tapped and shuffled my feet.
It still drives everyone crazy.
@2many2no I still do that.
@2many2no @lseeber me too. Leg shaking is good
beat myself in head with clackers.
@cranky1950 You’ll put an eye out with those things.
@cranky1950 Guaranteed for Safe Play… Who were they kidding?
@cinoclav @cranky1950 @therealjrn But… the bruises were a badge of honor!!
I learned that “I Like Beer” but it never got me a nomination to be a federal judge…
BEER
[1]:
@Zebra you hafta almost rape someone to get one of them.
@Zebra that was fucking awesome!!
Chewed on my hair.
@caffeine_dude I don’t see any pic.
So, here’s a video…
@caffeine_dude @daveinwarsh
Nice End But this beer isn’t so Flat
button on a loop of string. Twist the string with the button in the center- pull on the ends to spin the button.
@dhelmick56 Ah, I forgot about those!
Learned how to spin my pen around my thumb. Kinda like a fidget spinner, but only spins once per flick
@nickiwhite Had friends in college who did that. Sadly, I never learned, no matter how much I tried. Thankfully, fidget spinners came along…otherwise the stress would have killed me.
Shredded my erasers with my finger nails. Unless there were magnets available, then I played with those.
Caught and traded cicadas, like pokemon, on the playground in Australia.
@xenophod You traded real miniature creatures! Not like those poseurs nowadays!
Incessantly chewed on pen caps. Only broke one tooth doing that.
If I wasn’t clicking my pen and I was sitting… one of my legs was going a mile a minute. Bit my nails, ripped my cuticles, drummed on the desk, doodled, learned how to drumroll Inna Gadda Da Vida with 2 fingers on whatever was close enough to make a sound, twirled my hair, Opened and closed each eye quickly so I could watch the teacher jump left and right real fast. And God knows what else. Until the partying years kicked in. Another story.
@lseeber I love the eye to eye thing too. It’s a huge difference! I love(d) my partying years even more. Sigh… to be a couple decades younger…
@moonhat lol… Actually, in the other thread about changing or reliving something in the past (still not sure which it is), as much fun as I think I had (fuzzy) that would be the main thing I would change. I would like those brain cells back.
I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger 
But I’m all for that couple decades younger tho!!!
@lseeber oh yeah, how much more fun my 20’s would have been with what I know now!
I wanted world domination just like everybody else so if you heard me talking strategy it was only to myself
(Someone will get the reference)
@MartianOnMars First I thought Brain but now I read your username and think Marven from Bugs Bunny?
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcQh574c22i6fmMinX786zFb_G7pWANZHpDif_QIqpu1dbjZVXqHwNr2iIMdKt4-2OfAj5dXdKQ&usqp=CAE Remember those “popper” things that you turn inside out and then wait for them to launch in the air? Yeah, those.
Oh yeah… got yelled at for cracking my knuckles a lot too.
Kids also got in trouble for making crossbows out of clipboards and large rubber bands. Probably would be very frowned upon today…
@medz anyone here make this bouncy balls from rubber cement and the powdered soap from the school bathrooms? Pretty awesome.
@moonhat powdered soap wasn’t a thing during my childhood.
@moonhat I would use red pen and rubber cement to make it look like I had a wound on my arm.
@medz hmm, this was the 70’s in my elementary school. I haven’t seen that pink powdered soap since then. I wonder why.
@medz that sounds interesting.
@medz @moonhat I forgot all about that stuff.
We made crossbows and bows from balloon sticks that my Dad brought home from his store when they stopped selling balloons on sticks because of the safety nazis (you’ll put your eye out!). Then made arrows out of balloon sticks and had cowboys v indian battles. Then we dug trenches and redoubts in the back back yard using Tonka trucks, set them about with lead soldiers and had epic battles. Then we dug connecting ditches between the redoubts and trenches, buried a garden hose so the water came from high, cascading down from a battlement or hill and filling all the low areas, so we could float and sail toy boats. If we weren’t battled out we would also shell them with artillery from the tinker toy cannons on the edges and surviving high ground.
By then the water was wearing down the high spots into the low spots so we’d end up mushing it all back down to nearly level so we had a good starting point for the next time.
When at school we made flappy glue disks with white glue on the desktops; when you peeled them off they were slightly aerodynamic so if you blew parallel to the desktop (an example of laminar flow had we but known it) they would start hopping in the general direction of the air flow.
And we played penny football on the desktops. Spin a penny on its edge and catch it between the pads of your thumbs. Your opponent made a field goal with their hands. Wherever you caught it you had to make a field goal by flipping the penny with your two thumbs…
We flew kites at the park
We flew Cox model arplanes with .049 engines in the school playground on weekends
Sometimes Dad would take us to the desert out of town and we’d launch Estes and Centuri rockets
We played tennis in the streets where cracks in the asphalt made decent boundary and net lines.
Admittedly we weren’t big into ball sports but we had a basketball hoop in the backyard and played Horse a lot.
Who had time for fidgeting? Except during long lectures at school, when we fell asleep. No problem.
@duodec Sounds like we coulda been neighbors