All right, all you rational, science-minded Dopers, time to confess. Do you have any silly supernatural quirks?
I’ve got one: I always closely examine old black and white photographs for evidence of some sort of a *time shift * paradox. For example, sighting a laptop computer laying atop a desk in an old daguerreotype would qualify, as would an i-Pod peeking from Abe Lincoln’s breast pocket. Seldom viewed, high-resolution photos with lots of “clutter”(often requiring magnification to discern) pique my attention the most. I don’t expect to actually find one of these little paradoxes (really, I most certainly don’t), it’s just that…well, somebody’s got to police these things and keep order in the universe! I’ve even contemplated the sensation I would feel if presented with a positive hit: stomach drop followed by a feeling of impending—as Steven King might phrase it—slippage. :eek:
I think this must have started when I was thinking of novel ideas for a sci-fi/horror story, and my imagination got the better of me.
I travel a lot and I always like to touch the fuselage of the plane as I get on. It’s stupid and superstitious, but I it makes me feel better. I’d be completely embarassed if anyone I know found out about this, so when I’m traveling with someone I like to let them get in front of my in line so I can do it on the sly.
Mine’s flying related too. I sit bolt upright, both feet on the floor, close my eyes, and breathe out slowly when the plane is landing. I don’t open my eyes until the wheels hit the tarmac.
The funny thing is I’ve done it for years, but never really thought about it until recently. I’m not exactly sure what would happen if I didn’t perform this ritual, but it makes me a little uneasy to even think about not doing it.
The other one is from an old job. Four elevators, in a 10 story building. Whenever I walked up to them, a door would open without pushing the button. One post-call day, I figured it was that the elevators “liked” me - and the thought stuck, even though it is pretty silly
Although I’m sure the elevators are very fond of you, did your building by any chance have a guy at the front desk? I ask, because at one of my buildings the guy at the front desk could push a button to call an elevator as you entered the lobby.
Any time I think something bad, I try to conteract it immediately by thinking “loudly” that I don’t really mean it.
Like “I hate my mom. I would be happy if she died.”… “WAIT! I DON’T MEAN THAT!”
even though when I think about it, my thinking I’d like my mom to die isn’t going to make her die… and I don’t really believe that whatever god there might be is sitting around listening to my thoughts and thinking up fun ways to torture me. There have to be more interesting people to torture.
(even though I can sort of picture him up there. “oh, you’d be HAPPY if she died, would you? well, I’m a loving god and I totally want you to be happy. ZAP!”)
Before I began telecommuting, I would go into a four-story office with several elevator banks. On occasion, one would open just as I was walking by. After awhile (if I didn’t have anything pressing), I began getting in – just to see where the elevator wanted to take me.
I touch the outside of the plane before I board too! My hubby thinks it’s strange, but neurotically cute.
I hold my breath when driving by cemeteries. It started out with a friend of mine back in grade school. Her rational was, “It’s not nice to breath when others can’t” But it ended up being good lung training for swimming, and flute playing. I still do it when I drive by one, but the cemitaries seem to be, well, smaller these days.
Nitpick: Dr. PoopiePants, what you described does not sound like the Supernatural to me but rather just Science Fiction.
I once saw a bad movie where a Physicist convinced himself that time travel had to be real when a woman brought in a picture from the late 1800s with a man brandishing a modern pistol.
He of course creates a time machine, now that he “knew” it was possible.
My superstitions seem to all be tied to baseball and nightmares.
For baseball, I do not talk specifically about a no-hitter as it is happening.
In 2003 for game seven of Yankees vs. Red Sox I was clutching a framed picture of Yogi Berra I got as a kid and a small bottle filled with dirt from the Yankee Stadium warning track. That I had from the 1998 Game 1 of the World Series. Hoping the Yanks could somehow comeback and win. It worked.
Of course, in 2004, I tried the same thing and we know how that worked out.
I have had a few bad supernatural nightmares and I found that in the dreams if I loudly say ***A Elbereth Gilthoniel ** * it chases away the
supernatural creature every time. It works for me, thankfully the nightmares are very rare.
The law of Conservation of Currency in action; I usually toss any pennies I get as change (or put them in the little change cup by the register if there is one).
Me three! I act like I’m just touching it for balance when entering the plane. But now that this appears to be common, flight attendents already probably know what I’m doing. This is something that a bit too weird to be this common, don’t you think? I thought I was the only one.
Most of these sound more like *superstitious * quirks, rather than *supernatural * quirks. Wouldn’t that be more like a tendency to levitate when you get anxious, or a habit of walking through walls?
Clearly, my supernatural quirk revolves around nit-picking at 100 yards.
I do this all the time, but it’s my obsessive-compulsive disorder. I usually have to wash my hands while I’m refuting it, too.
As for the OP - I get deja-vu a lot, and when I do I stop what I’m doing and start searching the area with my eyes, just to see if a weird time-traveling version of me dropped something off as a clue. Nothing yet.
I’ve done this since I was a little kid, so I think it’s habit. But I get deja-vu a LOT. Usually at least once a day, if not more.
I know the get my balance trick very well my friend. I think it is common though, as I started doing it after hearing or reading about someone doing it. I remember when I heard/read (can’t remember which) about it I thought it was odd, but then I tried it and it is oddly comforting.
Lots.
Superstitious:
I touch the outsides of planes too.
I say ‘Bread and Butter’ when walking on the other side of a pole from a friend or family member.
I knock wood.
Supernatural:
I might be very very very slightly telepathic. I’ve often clearly heard my mum calling me and come, only for her to say “No, I didn’t call you. I was just wondering <insert trivial thing about me here>, though.” That’s all, but I do wish I could levitate. Who doesn’t?
I have caller ID in my head–I almost always know who’s on the phone. Back when I was a phone rep I very often knew when I was getting a bad call before the person started talking.
I turn out streetlights when I walk or drive under them–once it was five in a row on a dark night, and it kinda spooked me a bit.
On the superstitious front, I knock wood too… or my head, if there is no other wood available!
