I use the bathroom a lot. Not that I excrete very often, I just like to sit and read or think in solitude. I crave privacy, and there’s nowhere else where I can find that much privacy.
I look around very often when walking from class to class. My eyes probably dart around like a ferret on crack. I’m almost certain that people are either frightened of me or think I’m a total freak. Or possibly both. But at least then they leave me alone. I crave privacy.
I also have a strange urge to grab low-hanging tree branches and swing from them. I used to do this all the time as a kid, but now people look at me funny when I try it.
Oh, and I also stroke my beard. I grew my beard so that I had something I could stroke in public without getting arrested.
When I pee standing up into a toilet, I try to fill the whole surface of the water with bubbles. (Harder than you think. Once you fill it, any urine after that will clear away bubbles.)
When I pee at a urinal, I will either try to hit things in the urinal, or try to pee directly into a hole.
(See all the fun games you women miss out on.)
When I brush my teeth, after I finish, and rinse the brush, I will suck the excess water out of the brush.
I hate when someone leaves the microwave with seconds still left on it.
When just flipping through a book, I will almost always start at a page, and proceed to flip backwards through the book, reading the pages in backwards order.
Another one, that I happen to be doing while writing this, is that I have a ball of Ticky-Tack. You know, that gummy stuff you can use to hang posters and the like. Well, most of the time, I squeeze it and form it into interesting shapes, but sometimes I will pull it in half and pull out any protruding hairs with tweezers. Fun, fun, fun.
When I park my car, I always turn the radio off, turn the blower off and leave it in first gear (manual transmission). Even if I back into the spot–that’s another thing I always like to do, back into parking spaces–I always put it in first gear before I turn off the engine.
I carry my wallet in my left front pocket and my keys in my right front pocket. And that’s where they must be. When I go to the beach, I find myself constantly slapping my swim trunks which have no pockets, looking for them. I have to keep reminding myself that my wallet and keys are safely wrapped up in my towel, along with my glasses and sandals. As you can see, I am very anal about this.
When I drink from a can, I always hold the can until I’m finished with it. This is a holdover from my house partying youth, where if I set my beer down, I was apt to lose it either to some other drunk or to a sea of identical cans.
I’m not hearing impaired either, but I have a similar quirk. As I walk down the street, I’ll often find myself “finger spelling” my thoughts. It’s the only kind of sign language I know, and I’ve never had occasion to use it for anything other than talking to myself. My ex-roommate said I would also “translate” my phone conversations into finger spelling while I was talking. I almost never notice that I’m doing it.
I’m single, and unless I have a Special Lady over for the night, I sleep fully dressed, minus shoes and sox. I got into that habit when I worked two jobs some time back. In the morning, I shower and change. I also sleep with my glasses on because I hate waking up in an emergency, having to fumble for them, get them on and go take care of whatever woke me. I used to live in a crappy neighborhood and had to get up in a hurry several times because someone tried to break in, so fumbling for glasses wasted time.
People at work tell me that they like it if I borrow their desk because when I’m done everything has been tidied and straightened with geometric precision.
Lola has often commented on my departure ritual when I leave for work, apparantly I can’t leave before I check all my pockets and make sure all my buttons are done up on my jacket. Everything has it’s own place.
Not being able to find things drives me insane. Can anyone tell me where I left my watch?
Good Lord Feynn are you me? I too have a mild case of obsessive compulsive disorder. It’s pretty mild, I have to check to door twice to make sure it’s locked, and I usually am unable to leave work w/o checking, other then that quirk I’m not that bad, although I can’t sleep or do anything until I find something I’ve lost.
Hehe ok I didn’t think of how that would sound… I meant that I look around ALOT, kinda like a paranoid (people have told me that’s what I look like when I walk), you know? I didn’t put that in cause it’s not something I’m particularly PROUD of, but if I must clarify… Added to that I chew my nails. That makes me look even MORE like a paranoid, but oh well.
I’m another of the eat-one-item-at-a-time crowd–it’s beginning to seem that we’re the norm here. I tap the bridge of my nose at random intervals (I now wear contacts, but I wore glasses for many years and can’t quite break the habit). I check my pockets frequently–just brushing a hand over them to make sure the outlines of wallet, keys, tools, and such are still there. I pick the locks on my cubicle cabinets rather than use a key (this disturbs my security-conscious manager). I cock my head to the left when something puzzles me–I’m told it makes me look like a dog.
I’m beginning to think that all those people who think I’m strange are on to something…
When I pay for something that say cost $7.40 with a $10 bill I put the change including the dollar bills in my front pocket. But if I get a $5 bill or higher I put it in my wallet.
I don’t why I do this. It is really stupid when I think about it for three reasons.
First, it really hacks off a clerk when I hand them a crumpled up bill. Second, if I was to get robbed it would be better if I stuck the big bills in my front pocket giving the crook the dollars bills in my wallet. And thirdly and the worst reason is that my wife gets all the change out of my front pockets including the dollar bills. Which gets very expensive over long haul. But I still do it anyway.
Why do I do it, I have no idea. I guess that is why it is an odd habit. :rolleyes:
Whenever I’m near a mirror or reflective surface, I have to make faces at myself, or strike a pose. One time I did this in a shoe store and my mom noticed and snapped, “What are you DOING?”
I’m thinking this next habit is because I’m a puppeteer, but when I talk to people I talk with my hands, too, as if there are puppets on the ends of my hands.
Sometimes I’ll drop everything I’m doing and just stare intently at random people. This tends to frighten people.
I also tend to make mundane announcements in threads. (Hey! I have a new picture on the picture pages!)
I also have a tendency, when walking with someone, to walk on the side of the wall. Afraid that someone might run into me if I’m on the other side? Who knows? The odder thing is that I have bad balance and start leaning on people when walking with them. If I don’t lean on them I veer into the wall.
ditto on the eating one thing at a time. except I can’t can’t CAN’T mix the foods up. that’s just yukky.
me too. yeah I know it’s weird, but I can’t help myself. when I was little my steps had to do the same thing (left right, left right), and also had to make some kind of pattern. but the pattern had a nice jazz-like flow to it.
I bite off hair and chew it in idle moments. Knuckle hair, arm hair, whatever’s in close reach. Especially noticeable (to me) was when I had my facial hair. My mustache trimming was accomplished via pushing my lip inward and nibbling on whisker tips. so fucking weird, but I’m used to it by now.
if i’m talking to someone, I often find myself giving grotesque unsubtle miming of actions I’m discussing. for instace, if I told somebody I was just typing, my wrists go limp and I wiggle my fingers about.
a lot of times, while walking by myself or whatever, if a conversation or particularly good bit of thinking is going on in my head, I subtly and inadvertently start mouthing words, sometimes even saying them very quietly. of course, as soon as I catch myself, I tend to stop (unless I’m alone or it’s really a good string of words or I’m on some drug).
and I clack my tongue around. way too much of the time. mouth closed, not too loud I hope, but with fervor.
finally, I have no will power when it comes to urine deposition. don’t know why, don’t know since when, but I get the most compulsive urge to flush ASAP, while I know I’m still only in mid stream. If I flush it now, I will surely have to flush it again when I’m done, but I’ll have to wait for the tank to refill. This has now turned me into a pee racer, struggling to beat the racing flushing clock. Fun game.
that’s it (I certainly hope to god- sheezits this is a long list of “idiosyncracies”).
racinchikki, I do that too, my friends think I’m insane. I must always have something in my mouth, I tend to chew on things, not hard or anything but my pens don’t last very long. I have mini glowsticks you’re supposed to put in the retainer things for your mouth but I just use straight. They’re supposed to be rather dirable but I went through four of them in like 5 hours at Knott’s scary farm. I don’t think they were made to be played with like that. sigh
At least now I know I’m not the only one.
Kitty
Do you think I was destriuctive mutt in my past life?
I will not go into my closet unless the light is on.
I sometimes spell words in sign language as I say them, or If someone asks me a question and say, I have a mouth full, I will begin to sign… and I only know fifty some words.
I always have to be fair. To everything. Including burger patties.
As soon as somebody phones me, I take a portable and crawl into bed.
I have a tendency to pull out my eyelashes and eyebrows.
Whenever I’m in the change room at work, I sniff. They must think I’m doing coke, in there…
When eating poutine, I fold my fries in half with my fork.
I can’t just turn off the T.V. after flipping through channels. I have to watch at least a few minutes of a program and THEN I can turn it off, but only on that station.
Okay… I think I’m done for now. I guarantee you that there are more, but we’ll deal with that later.
