quote:

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Originally posted by Lorelei_Lee:
I also read compulsively. I"m the only person I know who--as an example--has read the TSS warning and "how to" sheets that come in Tampax boxes. Well, only person to read it more than once, surely.

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Like if it's 12:34 I'll think "hmmm...12 divided by 3 equal 4."

The sad thing is that I'm very anti-math.

quote:

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Originally posted by sugarfish:
i cannot take the first item in the row at a store. i always reach around to get the one behind. if there's only one, i won't buy it. (if there's only one something must be wrong, yo!)

i do the same thing with newspapers. i just don't like thinking someone's touched my stuff before i get it.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Lorelei_Lee:
It helps if I know something about your interests and some general information about your car such as age, reliability, color and quirks.

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Lorelei_Lee, I'm impressed with your abilities so far so here goes: My truck is a black 2001 Ford Explorer SportTrac that you can see pictures of here.

My interests are bicycling, computers, baby harp seals and Hummel figurines....(um... just kidding about the last two)

By the way, I'm starting to think of this as a talent, not a "thing". I thinking you should take this over to the "What's your superpower?" thread.

[This message has been edited by aellis (edited December 07, 2000).]

quote:

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Originally posted by Lorelei_Lee:
...I'm the only person I know who--as an example--has read the TSS warning and "how to" sheets that come in Tampax boxes. Well, only person to read it more than once, surely. And I read shampoo bottles, ingredient labels, footnotes, liner notes, clothing labels--anything I can.

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My radio presets are set so that the preset number coincides with one of the numbers in the station. Example: 93.1 is preset 1 (it can't be preset 3 because that's 99.3). I do this both on my stereo and in the car.

I set my alarm to a palindromic number, like 8:08 am. And like LudicrousLurker, I make math problems out of what time it is. 5:15 - 5 times 1 is 5, 9:36 - 9 minus 3 is 6, etc. Freakish, really.

I can't fall asleep unless I have two pillows, it's pitch black in the room, and my head is under the first pillow. And I have tried a sleep mask, to no avail. Clearly, all doors (closet, etc) must be closed.

I also only wear silver jewelry, and NEVER mix metals. It took me a good long time to find a watch with a black leather wristband that didn't have gold accents.

I cannot drink anything at room temperature. Water, milk (only 1%), alcohol, etc -- it all has to be ice-cold.

My closet is organized by color and all the hangers (all white plastic, by the way) must face the same way, open hooks facing in. I try not to repeat an outfit combination per semester (the sad thing is, I have enough clothes to actually do that). My socks and/or underwear have to match my outfit in some color. My underwear drawers (yes, plural) are also organized by color. My shoes at school are on a shoe rack but my shoes at home are still in the original boxes, not a single one of which is not Nine West.

My CDs/tapes/videos/books/magazines are ALL in alphabetical order (and I have a separate CD case for classical music, which is also alphabetical). The magazines are not only alphabetically ordered but also chronologically. When I buy a book or magazine, I always reach for one near the back or at the bottom of the stack.

I hate even numbers so every time I count something it has to be an odd number. When I go to the movies, I count the rows and I have to sit in an odd-numbered seat in an odd-numbered row.

I pay my credit card bills strangely too. Say the balance is $420.65, I'll pay like $120.65 so that the resulting balance ends in $.00. I also do that when leaving tips, always leave it so the bill rounds out to $.00.

So where do I sign up for therapy?

You might have to start charging for this.

Can you name my car? I've been DYING trying to think of a name... and just can't come up with anything...

Here's a description.

it's a forest green Isuzu Rodeo, 1997. It has a black tire on back, black runner boards, sunroof. It is used mainly as a go to work-come home car, but it has many Southern-Utah moab off-roading trips in its future. I also drive it to belly-dancing once a week. My cars always are a good-feeling place.

About me... I'm an artist, belly dancer, adventurer type of chick. My hubby plays soccer....

I don't know... any good names come to mind???

quote:

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Originally posted by Jamie:
In fact, I've been getting a wee bit freaked out by some of the stuff I'm reading on this thread, hehe.

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No kidding! Some of the people here sound, frankly, impossible to live with. :o)

I came back to add that I always start with the left contact lens once I get out of the shower to start my day off.

quote:

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Originally posted by Jamie:
Actually, I don't. I mean I have habits, like how I put the TP on (over the top) and my contacts in (right first) but it doesn't freak me out if I can't have it that way. In fact, I've been getting a wee bit freaked out by some of the stuff I'm reading on this thread, hehe.

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The fine line between having a "thing" and OCD / too-strict boundaries is whether or not you can stand to have your quirks disregarded.

I won't go all Joan Crawford and whomp you with a hanger if you put it in my closet prong/open side out, but it will be noticed and internally registered as obnoxious before I move on.

Likewise, I am CAPABLE of eating Little Debbie Swiss Rolls without making a science class dissection project out of them, but it isn't as much fun.

My roommate has quirks that include never being able to put a dirty dish in the dishwasher. Instead she puts it on top of the counter directly above the dishwasher.

She has excessively high boundaries set whereit comes to her dishes. We basically use mine. She has some cheap Taregt dishware that she bought and woe is to you if you use one of her plates or cups. She relaxed her compulsion about the glassware when I pointed out that the only discernable difference in our glassware would be that mine have a faint swirl pattern and hers do not. So she can use my dishware and silverware, but if her stuff gets put into my cabinets or drawers (this happened when we had a third roommate who was trying to be responsible and put away the dishes and was unawareof her 'thing') or if a cup is out that she didn't drink out of and it is her dishware, she gets agitated and upset. There was a knock-down, drag-out, screaming, teary, nearly bloody battle royale over one of our prior roommates using one of her bowls to put water in for his cat.

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Originally posted by Fluid_Darkness:
Lorelei_Lee, you're now officially welcome to my place since you like turning the closed caption on. ) (That's a big deal in my life.)

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I have a touch of middle ear deafness, so sometimes it's not just me having a reading compulsion, it's me not being able to understand things that aren't enunciated crisply or which are sort of set in the middle range, tone-wise. It turns into aural mud, like I just attended a heavy metal concert without earplugs.

Closed captioning is not only a way to satisfy my compulsion to read at all times, but I also grasp more of the dialogue rather than having to piece it together from other characters' responses.

And on shows like The Simpsons, what the closed captioning says and what the cartoon characters say is FREQUENTLY non-identical. Not enough that you miss anything if you have mute on or closed captioning off, but enough that it feels like a special treat when there's two different punchlines instead of just one.

quote:

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Originally posted by Lorelei_Lee:
The fine line between having a "thing" and OCD / too-strict boundaries is whether or not you can stand to have your quirks disregarded.

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Definitely ... I was just starting to find it odd how people were saying things *MUST* be a certain way and they *WON'T* have it any other way. Yeah I have all my hangers facing open-side-in, too ... I think we all have our little habits, our little "things" ... guess I just can't fathom not being able to sleep because something wasn't alphabetized or colour-coordinated. But then I'm a disorganized clutter-fiend.

I like the closed-captioning on sometimes too ... enunciation, TV actors!

quote:

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Originally posted by Kinipela6:
Can you name my car? I've been DYING trying to think of a name... and just can't come up with anything...

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Radio Buttons - low to high

Closet hangers - opening facing the back of the closet.

If I forget my earrings, I am screwed for the day. It will bother me to no end. Something is wrong, something is missing. Although I have really forgotten my earrings, I will keep checking to see if my pants are unzipped.

I have 3 cats and no one has figured out the TP thing...yet...

I cannot use the toilet with someone in the room or talking to me, no #2 in public restrooms unless it is a life or death situation.

Dr. Pepper must be served with ice in an insulated container that will not sweat (styrofoam cup from Chick Fil A or my Mug that has been my constant companion for years. Years.) And you CANNOT pour the DP over the ice so it loses its fizz, it must be poured on the side of said cup/glass avoiding the ice carefully or else. No stale DP, DP over an hour old in the mug, and for damn sure no DP that's warm or even tepid.

I didn't even know that people could preset their radio stations out of order...that is WRONG.

Mask, a running fan (even if it's not on me, just for "white noise"), lights out, blinds and drapes closed to sleep. Or else. Nightly ritual: bath, sleeping clothes, vitamins, hand lotion, mask, crash. Every night. In that order. The alarm clock is set the morning before so I don't forget.

I repeat words in my head, or write themout with my fingertip. Sometimes the whole sentence, sometimes just the last content words. Also, I must write a word in order to spell it.

quote:

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Originally posted by Heather Binuya:
I thought of another "thing". At work or restaurants or anyplace where there is a big bathroom with stalls, I will, if at all possible, use the same stall every time. I don't know why; good stall karma, I guess. If I have a good experience (no comments, please) in it once, I figure the next time will be just as good.

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I do that too, but it's more of a superstitious thing. For example, if I'm at a ballgame, and I go to the bathroom in Stall #2, and my team starts to win, I will make sure I keep using that stall on future visits. But if they're losing, I'll go into a different one to 'fix' the karma. Gawd, that sounds so weird.

Oddly enough, I read an article recently stating that most people will "pick" a certain stall and stick with it, no matter what public restroom they're using. I wish I remember where that was.

quote:

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Originally posted by aellis:
Lorelei_Lee, I'm impressed with your abilities so far so here goes: My truck is a black 2001 Ford Explorer SportTrac that you can see pictures of here.

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Your car tells me its name is "Baloo".

Whether its first name is "Hella / Hulla" or "Cat" (or whether it even has one) is undetermined.

It seems rather big and friendly.

2. Must. Count. Letters. This started many many years ago when I was a little freak kid, and it persists to this day. I made the mistake of telling a friend in college, who thought is was just the cat's balls and would call me at all hours and say..."Ok, encyclopedia! Mistaken!" or whatever word he thought of, to wait for my speedy dorky reply of how many letters are in it.

3. I don't name cars, but I DO examine license plates when I'm driving, and try to make words out the random letters and numbers...I can always make some chemical formulas, but that's really not as satisfying as making a word, it's like freakin' Boggle...I love it!

4. I organize my pens by type....on my desk, one cup holds the "clicky" pens, one holds the ballpoints with a regular cap, one holds my nice non-crap pens, and one lonely cup for 2 (and only 2) pencils, which I hate but always seem to need for something.

5. Evidently, from the looks of this post, another "thing" is gratuitous use of ellipses (...) sorry about that.

1) I am also a counter. I count everything. One thing that drove my parents nuts is that when I was a kid, I would count the number of squares on the kitchen tile, and move the table so it lined up just right.

2) I am also a compulsive reader, and have trouble digesting food properly if I don't have something to read. Once, when I was about 7, my mom was fed up with me reading at the table, and threw my book across the room. I calmly walked over and picked it up. She spazzed out and said that I could either read my book or eat dinner - not both. Well, there's really nothing to think about there. I marched right upstairs to read my book in peace.
I did end up getting a pretty serious ass-whupping later that evening when I pointed out how many parents would be thrilled if their children would read, and that if she wanted to have stupid kids this was an excellent way to go about it. I was such a smartass. Sigh.

3) I'm not sure if this is a "thing", but I absolutely cannot stand channel changers. TV or radio. I pick a station, and that's where the dial stays. Period. The same principle applies to lane changing while driving. Of course, there are times when you have to change lanes to get off at a certain exit, or to go around someone going 20 mph below the speed limit. But for god's sake, find a lane and stay in it unless you absolutely have to switch. Please.

2. When I'm reading Romance or Germanic language text, it must be left-to-right.

3. I *always* wake up *before* I get out of bed. No exceptions.

4. I have to unbuckle my seatbelt before exiting my car.

5. Dirty clothes go on the floor in the *same* corner of the room until I get around to doing laundry.

I'm sure there are more...

quote:

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Originally posted by DoctorGirl:
5. Evidently, from the looks of this post, another "thing" is gratuitous use of ellipses (...) sorry about that.

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Oh, you are not alone... I keep meaning to apologize for the same thing. I do it so often, it even bugs me. I bet the "grammer queens" hate me...

*The open ends of hangers must face the back of the closet. All clothes hung on the hangers must be face the left. This includes skirts and pants which are folded and hung over the bar--the waistband must be on the left.

*My inner monologue is obsessed with the number of letters in a word or phrase being even, never odd. This may mean repeating the letter in the middle, like "s-q-u-i--i-s-h-y", or it may mean deleting double letters, like "d-a--d-y." Multiples of four are best, and that's where I get into mentally pronouncing "w" with three syllables and finding punctuation with the remaining number of syllables. If I add a period, three extra syllables, to "Pamie," then I get "p-a-m-i--e-per-i-od." Eight. Perfect.
...and if I'm really bored, it becomes "quo-ta-tion-mark--p-a-m-i---e-per-i-od--quo-ta-tion-mark." Sixteen!

*When choosing a soda from a store refrigerator, I will find the "right" one. This started with the "one-in-ten-caps-wins" contests--I had to search around for one that felt lucky--but now I do it with all of them. I'll only take the front one if that's the one with the vibe.

*Old tape gets peeled off and folded into a neat triangle. If I've started with one of these and there's a new roll of tape lying around, best get it away from me, or it'll become a contribution to my "old tape triangle."

*Similarly, scrap paper will be folded in half and torn down the center. I'll put one half aside, fold the other half, and repeat until the paper is too tiny to manipulate anymore. Sometimes this process is repeated with every piece of paper that has a recognizable ink mark on it.

*DO NOT TUCK IN MY SHEETS. You'll only make things difficult for yourself--especially if you're sleeping in the bed with me.

*I have to sleep under a comforter. Sheets are gross.

*How to make a bowl of cereal:
Put the spoon into the bowl.
Pour enough milk (skim, very cold) into the bowl that the concave part of the spoon is covered (and only the handle shows).
Add cereal to taste, and, if desired, sugar/honey/fruit.
For four years, I ate breakfast in a cafeteria with bowls next to the cereal and milk across the room. I got a lot of funny looks for crossing the whole way with a bowl of milk, but I ignored all the "meow"s and went on my merry way.

*Stall karma is very important.

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Originally posted by Ludicrous Lurker:
I have this thing where I'll see numbers on a digital clock and make some kind of math problem out of it.

Like if it's 12:34 I'll think "hmmm...12 divided by 3 equal 4."

The sad thing is that I'm very anti-math.

*registers the time on the clock*

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I also need something to hug and cling to when i sleep still.. its usually my teddy bear

I match my underwear with whatever I'm wearing.. I even managed to find blue plaid panties for this plaid flannel shirt i have.

I have my bed side clock set 45 mintues faster.. to scare me into waking up since i'm a horrible procrastinator and depend on early early mornings to finish assignments.. my car clock is set 3 minutes early to get me to rush as well...

i do not like being touched... or poked or tickled... but yet i love hugs.
i guess it depends on how comfortable and safe i feel around you.. but yes.. i literally stiffen up and coil back if anyone gives me like a friendly rub..

i dont like sleeping with my closet door openned cuz the clothes on the hangers make it look like theres someone in there.. lol.

yeah okay.

i feel exposed now

Kinipela6 - you are my new best friend. We have the excact same quirks! Lorelei_Lee, I can totally relate to you too.

- TP...over the top
- hangers must face same way
- cereal must get dunked under milk
- preset dials...in order
- left contact in/out first
- left sock, shoe, pant leg in/on/off first
- left armpit deoderized first
- everything must be lined up and straight
- food cannot touch
- I eat food clockwise on my plate. All the beans first, then all the chicken, then all the rice, etc...
- I...love...these...ellipses...
- cannot drink anything unless it's cold (except for hot chocolate, of course!)
- CD are alphabetized
- dust covers must come off books when being read
- books must be on shelf from biggest to smallest
- If I goof on a CD label I make a new CD (only had to do this twice)
- silver and gold are NEVER worn together
- black is never worn with brown or blue
- covers must come up to my chin or I can't sleep
- closet door must be closed
- skittles, M&M's and all other little candy must be separated by colors and each color group must have an equal number of candies. 5 reds, 5 greens, 5 yellows etc...then I eat one from each group from left to right
- I straighten things at stores
- if buying shampoo or the like...I take a bottle from the back
- I can't use a pen if there are bite marks in it
- I can't use a pencil if the lead isn't sharp
- both pieces of bread MUST be buttered
- design on sheets or blanket must face the right way
- if I eat soup I eat all the peas first, then the carrots, then the potatoes, then the noodles, last is broth
- I cut my oil of olay daily facials into 4 squares
- all shirts together, all pants together, all skirts together (longest to shortest)
- Tide and Bounce - Dimsum...your mother taught you well
- I check the sitemeter on my site twice a day (and the guestbook)
- I sometimes run spellcheck twice
- I used to fingerspell (sign language) words all the time when walking in a mall or grocery store or parking lot. I would spell words on signs while riding in the car. I had to quit doing that though cuz my wrists hurt really bad. I still have to fingerspell a word as I spell it outloud
- and the one that drives my husband crazy...I have a blanket with fuzzies and I like to pull the yarn apart to make the fuzzies all wavey and when I pinch them between my two fingers they are springy. I *have* to pinch one before I leave the house. I can't help it. It bugs my husband.

Hanging clothes are divided up into: Jackets, pants, skirt (long), skirts (short), tops, dresses (long) and dresses (short). All hangers must face the wall and should preferably be the same colour (white). Each different 'section' of my cupboard must hang from light to dark. The stuff in my drawers in divided into: Shirts (short-sleeve), shirts (long-sleeve), underwear, pyjamas, shorts and leggings and socks and stockings. These are further split out into other types, but I won't bore you with those details!

I also prefer solids to patterns. Oh, my shoes are also sorted out and grouped together, first by type then by colour.

I have to check my handbag many times during the day or night and run a little checklist through my head: Cellphone, wallet, diary, hairbrush, keys, make-up bag, sunglasses. this habit is particularly apparent when I'm out somewhere and keep worrying about my bag falling over. Oh, I must also brush my hair about once every two hours (although I've managed to cut this down, as well as my applying perfume every two hours problem).

I have to check that all my doors are locked at least twice at night, often getting out of bed to look again. Oh, I get out of bed to double-check that my stove is off too. I also used to drive past my house just to check that I had indeed closed the electric gates. Now they close automatically thank god.

I can't sleep with my bedroom, bathroom or closet doors open.

quote:

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Originally posted by Jamie:
1. Socks first, then shoes. I feel weird all day if this is out of order.

2. When I'm reading Romance or Germanic language text, it must be left-to-right.

3. I *always* wake up *before* I get out of bed. No exceptions.

4. I have to unbuckle my seatbelt before exiting my car.

5. Dirty clothes go on the floor in the *same* corner of the room until I get around to doing laundry.

I'm sure there are more...

[This message has been edited by Jamie (edited December 07, 2000).]

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Originally posted by Serenity13:
I have to check that all my doors are locked at least twice at night, often getting out of bed to look again. Oh, I get out of bed to double-check that my stove is off too. I also used to drive past my house just to check that I had indeed closed the electric gates. Now they close automatically thank god.

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I do that too! I take it to new levels... it drives my husband nuts. I have to check even FIVE SECONDS after I lock the door... making sure it's really locked. When I leave the house it's like that too. I'll back all the way out of the garage before I close the garage door so I can see in there and make sure none of my kitties slipped out the door-I wouldn't want them to be stuck in the garage all day!

Obsessive/Compulsive I truly think I am... cause there are a lot of things like this I do, all relating to the security of my house or the safety/well being of my cats.

Shann, you brought to light some of the stuff I do too! I'm glad your my new BF.

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Originally posted by Serenity13:
I'm so glad I'm not alone! I got laughed at just last week because my CDs are in alphabetical order...

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You're kidding!

Did the person mocking you only own, like, four or something?

Once you own more than fifty CDs, I don't see how you ever find anythign without them being in order!

I'd might a blood vessel if someone went around and flipped all my TP so that the flap faced the wall. Well, not really, but I'd notice....

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Originally posted by Lorelei_Lee:
You know what? All this TP flap direction angst...when I buy a house one day, I will hang all my TP holders vertically. Damn it. This is too much stress.

I'd might a blood vessel if someone went around and flipped all my TP so that the flap faced the wall. Well, not really, but I'd notice....

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"OK, that's seven, eight, STOP IT, nine, ten..."

And for those who are like me, and you must sleep with some pillow, blanket, something in between your knees...check this out...it's called a bolster, and I found out about them from my asian friends, now I WILL NOT sleep without them...they shouldn't be that expensive, got mine for like $5 in Indonesia, so look around...

quote:

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Originally posted by Lorelei_Lee:

This is outdated, but I used to leave the shrinkwrap on my record albums until someone told me it made them warp. My albums were pristine (and alphabetical with the liner hole lined up with the jacket hole so I can just tip my album out into my hand) *until* I took what was left of the shrinkwrap off. I still wonder if they were fucking with my head on that one.

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Being one of those old vinyl collectors myself, I can verify that the shrinkwrap will make them warp. The shrinkwrap contracts and will tighten around the jacket and bend the record. And here's another "thing" of mine. I ALWAYS aligned the liner hole at the "top" of the jacket (45 degrees off) so you COULDN'T just tip the record out. My brother and my friends were always putting them in the "wrong" way. But don't worry, I always went back and fixed them. And I was always uncomfortable putting a record back that DIDN'T have a liner. I never felt quite right about it.

**TP - over the top, and yes, I correct other peoples' toilet paper if I see that they've got it "wrong"

**I alphabetize my cds, my books, and for a brief period in college, the food in my pantry

**I name everything: plants, furniture, cars. Granted, I may not remember the names from one day to the next, but everything has a name. I usually don't share the names with other people, either, unless they ask (and they usually don't, you know)

**The clothes in my closet are in a specific order that only I seem to understand. I used to have to have my socks all nice and orderly, but one college roommate couldn't stand that and would go in every day and mess up my sock drawer just to drive me insane. I eventually got over it.

**Sometimes I'll get halfway to work and have to turn right around and drive home because I can't remember if I locked the door or not. Luckily I only live about 5 miles from the office.

**My morning ritual:
Alarm goes off at 6 a.m.
I hit the snooze button until 7
Get out of bed at 7 and go into bathroom
Plug in curling iron
Pee
Shower (shampoo, conditioner, shave, body wash--usually in that order)
Wrap hair in towel
Towel off body
Climb back into bed
Sleep until 7:45
Get out of bed
Go back into bathroom
Dry hair
Go back into bedroom and put on makeup
Go BACK into bathroom
Brush teeth
Fix hair
Unplug everything
Go back into bedroom and get dressed (pants, bra, shirt, socks, shoes, jewelry--in that order)
Go downstairs to feed pets, fix breakfast

**I eat one thing at a time. I don't like for my food items to touch other food items, but I'm not obsessive about it.

I *also* do things like you...

Like, being halfway to work and turning around to check the locks on my house/if I shut my garage door/to make sure my kitties are okay and didn't get out. (I am anal about keeping them strictly-indoor cats, and freak if anyone leaves a door open for so much as 5 seconds with out watching closely... and every time anyone goes in or out of the door I watch like a hawk the opening of the door to make sure no kitties escape.) Written down, that sounds crazy... but I am so freakish when it comes to being the protector of my kitties. I always have to know where they are.