Is it normal that i habitually talk to myself and then answer myself?

It used to be that I never talked aloud to myself for any reason. Then I became the head number plumber of the Profit Planning and Cost Accounting section of a steel company. I got to hire a personal secretary and put on a good quality man's suit.

But the other side of the equation was that I had to come up with answers in time for deadlines which, at certain times of the year,resulted in midnight sessions at my desk trying to crunch numbers in a way to analyze some problem or creating a "Profit Plan" from documents from other departments, like Marketing, Engineering, Production, and my own staff.

It was at these times that I began talking to myself, ever so slightly at first, but after a while, in a manner that sounded as though there were two people there. It seemed to clarify my mind and to help me concentrate and focus on the task at hand.

Eventually, it got to be a habit I never lost. I try to keep it down but fail dismally when I'm working on a difficult problem. People who happen to overhear it must think I'm ready for the funny farm so I try to suppress it but I'm afraid it's virtually impossible.

Now, if the pressure begins to mount to arrive at a plan, my brain automatically slips into "speakerphone" mode and you can hear me animatedly discussing the pros and cons of each plan and an impassioned defense for selecting this or that approach. It sounds like a one act, one actor play.

Is it normal to talk to oneself animatedly as though there were other people there with you? Or am I a candidate for ECT (electroconvulsive therapy, i.e., shock treatment), or possibly in need of a vacation on a round the world yacht trip with a several young, kinky nymphomaniacs? Please indicate your willingness to donate to my mode of therapy, especially the yacht.