My sister can’t stand to be in the same room as a bag of crisps (potato chips) that has been opened upside down, she says it makes her feel sick 
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The volume on my car stereo HAS to be set at a multiple of 5, even if it makes it slightly too quiet/too loud.
My volume controls for my car stereo and the stereo receiver at home (the one for the stereo and TV/DVD player) must be set to an even number. I prefer 10 or 12 or 14. If someone else adjusts it, and leaves it at 11 or 13 or 15, I surreptiously move it one more notch so it’s on an even number.
::sigh:: I suppose I’ll have to be the one to mention the little man who runs by the side of the car and isn’t allowed to step on the pavement, so he has to leap across the sidewalks and streets so he can run on the grass.
There was a thread around here a long time ago in which lots of people admitted to knowing about the little man. It’s so good to know I’m no crazier than the rest of you!
I go nuts if I see a calendar that isn’t on the current month. As tomorrow will once again be the start of a new month I’ll become besieged by seeing calendars that are still on June and I won’t feel at ease until I flip them over to July.
I thought I was the only one who either has to have the car stereo set to an even number or a multiple of 5 on the volume setting.
When I am seated in a room or at a restaurant I must be able to see the door or the entrance so I can watch who is coming in.
Growing up in Florida I quickly learned the shade was my friend. So what did my child mind deduct? If shade was my friend, the sun was my enemy. So whenever I walked somewhere, or even rode in a car, I used to try and always hit a strip of shade within five seconds of each other.
Of course this didn’t always work, so I would dutifully mourn my passing as I succumbed to the evil sun, and then began the game again.
Nothing to it really, just one of those games I had to play.
I’m also probably borderline OCD because I also have a fascination in patterns. For instance, take my old phone number.
404-206-9036
This number is beautiful, the first five digits are a pattern all around campus, everyone who lived on GT campus starts with 404-20. So now, I needed to find a patter for 6-9036. After a bit of musing I realized this was a series in base 12, starting from 6, increase by 3.
Also, when faced with square tiling which is the same color, or chain link fences, I stare at them and see how big of a shape I can hold in my mind. Starting with a single square, then expanding to 2x2 then 3x3 etc… I usually get to 11x11 before my mind begins to lose concentration and the shape in my mind fades.
…
So maybe I am a little odd.
I missed this one - guess I was too obsessed with the stereo volume one. :o
Anyway, if I see a bag of chips that’s opened upside down, it would drive me nuts. I wouldn’t feel sick, but I’d look at the person who did it and think, “What kind of freak are you?!? You opened the bag upside down!”
If I did it myself (but I never would), I’d have to empty them into a Ziploc bag and throw away the regular bag.
If a pen has a label, I will not hand anyone the pen until I’ve turned the cap so that the clip lines up with the label. Upon receipt of such a pen, I’ll turn the cap to the compliant position before putting it in my pocket.
A friend noticed my habit and asked to borrow my pen when we were at a restaurant. I straightened the cap, and handed it to him. He took the pen, twisted the cap slightly out of alignment, and then sat there holding it in plain sight, tapping it on the table, while he finished talking to someone else. Then he handed it back to me.
I could never be a librarian, because different size books don’t look as nice as my compact disc collection on a Boltz, Steel CD-600x3 1800 Floor Standing Rack
CDs must be filed alphabetically by artist / chronologically by album release date (with anthologies at the end).
Each compact disc must be put back in the jewel case straight - so that the text is perfectly level. For discs that have a circular text pattern, the first word had to be at the 9 o’clock position.
No cracked cases allowed. No gummy residue or remnants of that stupid clear label that’s put over the case will be tolerated (thang God they don’t use those foil strips they used to).
No CDs are allowed to leave the house - not even for use in the car stereo and definitely not ‘on a loan’
No children, housekeepers, significant others or friends are permitted to touch my CDs
I could continue, but I’m starting to really sound like an anal tyrant.
Is there any other way? I see nothing wrong with this. Of course, I’m a bit of an anal tyrant… 
I admit it. I, too, sometimes feel I am insane.
When bed time rolls about, I put myself in my quasi-comfortable bed and begin to fall asleep. That is when I notice it. The closet door, it is ajar.
With immense amounts of fear in me, I jump up, walk to the closet and shut the door. Now, I put myself back into my bed. I glance at the closet, the TV, the window and back to the closet. Again, I pounce out of bed and run back over to the closet. YES!! It is shut. I am saved. Nothing will come out of there and get me tonight. I put myself in bed and begin to fall asleep. Then I realize, I have not checked under my bed. OH No. Is something down there? I must check. So I check; all clear. I can now sleep in peace.
No, I am not a 12 year old girl. I am 20 years old and in the ARMY. I am a freak!!! 
It bugs me that you’d flip one.
I have a calendar tacked to my bulletin board. It’s a little promotional calendar where all the months are on the same side. They were left out for all of us employees one day in like Dec. 2002.
Well, I had the 2003 calendar up and it was still on 2003 in May this year. Well, this one “nervous” woman at work came into my office one day, untacked it, flipped it over to 2004 (I didn’t even know it had a back), and retacked it.
It actually kind of pissed me off – she acted like she was doing me a favor.
She’d walked by my office a lot, too. I think it was driving her crazy till she couldn’t take it anymore.
It kind of bugs me sitting here thinking that it’s natural state is 2003 and its only on 2004 because of that meddler.
My God, you people are nuts, frittering away your lives with all these stupid rituals! I don’t see how you manage to find time for your basic rational and sane precautions like, say, checking the shower, cabinets, and closets for midget serial killers.
I count to 29. Before I get out of bed when I am tired I will “reward” myself with 29 more seconds in bed, or before I get out of a nice hot shower on a cold morning I will count to 29. I have no idea why the number 29. I guess because counting to 28 would be silly and 30 would be indulgent.
not a ritual but kind of a belief I had that if I got onto an airplane that if there is a kid younger than 10 on the plane then it will not crash because they were meant to live longer and so the plane will not crash. I have been on a plane a few times before and was always felt better when I saw a baby on board.
Start:
That’s a good one. I am going to use that when I fly to Jamaica here shortly. Thanks!
Nope, nothing in the closet or under the bed tonight.
Upon waking up in the morning, I stare at my bedside clock. I open and close my eyes quickly, three times, then do it twice more[three sets of three open and closes] If it’s still the same minute, then I know I’ll have a good day. I hate it when this ritual foretells a less than good day.
BAND NAME!
When tying my shoes for an athletic event, they must be tied “just so”.
Unfortunately, I cannot explain what “just so” means. Suffice to say the shoe must fit for perfect comfort and I must like the visual appeal of the laces. I never get it “just so” the first time.
I’ll often tie/untie/re-tie/untie/re-tie to the point that I’m frustrating my team-mates.
Oddly enough, if I lose a shoe while playing, I can put it back on and tie it right up without having to go through the same ritual.
The thread title says “border on insane”. What you wrote is just plain insane. . .for a lot of reasons.
Grizz Rich – Mahmud Abdul Rauf (formerly Mark Jackson) used to do that. He had tourettes, IIRC, among other things. it’s part of why he was an awesome free throw shooter. He wouldn’t leave the gym until it felt “just right”. He could make 50 in a row, but if it didn’t feel right, he’d HAVE to shoot another.