Maybe pilots are just natural entertainers at heart! I do exactly the same...I think it takes the instinctive background fear out of the fact that you are about to take a machine into the sky and fly it solo at 100kts over mountainous terrain..!! Ontop of saying your checks out loud for that reason, I can think back and remember what I've done cos' I remember saying it to myself.
If you're mad Ian, we all are!!