Who is bothered by these things and which ones? And why are we bothered by them?
Squishing eyeballs? No problem.
Metal utensils scraping on a plate? A bit annoying but no problem.
Balloon rubbing? No problem.
But run your nails down a chalkboard and I will probably break my leg trying to get you to stop. Even talking about it hurts. Why am I so bothered by it? What about you guys?
What are some other things that drive some people crazy and not others?
Where the hell do you work? Do people actually walk by you with a handful of eyeballs and then squish them when they pass you, just to see if you’ll squirm?
Holy crap, Eve, I about fell over laughing reading this. I’m still trying to smother my giggles. My coworkers, them of the squishing eyeballs, are looking at me funny.
giggle
snort
Here it is, Anaamika. My deep, dark secret. If you want to make me curl up into a quivering foetal ball - poke my belly.
Bellybuttons just squick me out. Talking about 'em is bad enough. But touching my own? Anyone touching my bellybutton drives me nuts.
People who chew gum with their mouths open, expecially if they’re crackling it.
The sound of someone clipping their nails.
Guess I’ll have to add squishing eyeballs, if I ever encounter it. Especially if it’s my own eyeballs.
How about incessant basketball dribbling. Some of my neighbor’s kids play basketball for hours at a time, and after a while it bugs the hell out of me.
BTW, I once heard of a study (sorry, no cite) about fingernails on a blackboard. They found that nobody was bothered if they heard the sound, but wasn’t told what they were hearing. It only bothered them after they were told it was nails on a blackboard.
The sound of long nails scratching new, stiff denim.
The swish, swish, swish of really shiny cheap windbreaker pants legs rubbing together as someone walks.
Audible mastication. Literally gag-inducing.
Another vote for chewing, slurping, lip-smacking and so forth. I have to turn off the car radio if there’s anything like that.
Oddly enough, though, it doesn’t bother me when babies or very young children do it.
Another vote for hearing someone eat…I always say, “does that taste as good as it sounds?”
Also people who eat with their mouth open - but that isn’t a “noise” and I think you are refering to noises that drive you crazy.
I would give up government secrets to stop a dripping water faucet - especially at night.
And cars that drive by with 3 ton bass speakers in the back seat…almost make me change my mind about stricter gun control laws.
Styrofoam rubbing together. I cannot pull a piece of electronics out of its box, nor can I handle packing peanuts.
Incoming fax noise.
The noise BART makes when it comes out of the Transbay Tube.
Nail file / sandpaper.
Folding a sheet of paper in half, then running your fingers or nails along the edge to make a sharp crease. Over and over and over again.
I have a weekly meeting and there’s one guy that will occassionally do this with the agenda, and it’s all I can do to sit still in my seat and not go screaming from the room.
The sound of concrete being swept with a broom. It doesn’t irritate me as much as nails on a blackboard, but it still makes me feel uneasy for some reason.
My hidden phobia: balloons.
Well, as a child I hated balloons, and I was literally frightened of them. If I saw one I’d discreetly try to slip away from the scene. As I got older, it grew into a hatred of people who purposely squish and squeeze balloons, making noise with them. I didn’t attend my graduation march, but it was aired on local public access, and I watched in horror as, at the end of the ceremony, hundred of balloons were dropped from the ceiling onto the gymnasium floor, and my entire graduating class, all dressed in their finest - ballroom gowns, smart tuxes, pretty prom dresses, cocktail dresses, suits, ties, and all - began stomping on and popping the balloons. My mother took my hand at that moment, as I sat in wide-eyed horror, and told me she was glad I didn’t have to be there to go through that.
These days, I like balloons. I hate the people who rub them, squeeze them, or pop them. I refuse to stay in a room with someone who does that, especially if they know how I feel about it.
A balloon belongs on a string. In the air. Floating nicely where everyone can see it.
The only thing in this thread that bothers me:
Yep. That’s it. Fingernails on chalkboard, balloons, chewing, all of it no problem. If I knew what squishing eyeballs was, I’d probably be okay with that too. But styrofoam-on-styrofoam: man, that just makes my spine clench.
The sound is mimicked perfectly by my friend’s station wagon. Some sort of loose piece in the hatchback area. I can’t ride in his car.
I can’t even type the word out. So I’ll say “fly larvae.” Do not ever say the “M” word around me. I’ll flip out.
I hate worms and will scream like a little girl if you chase me with one.
I can’t stand the feel of anything gritty like sand or glitter. Blech!
You’ll think this is funny.
I’m not clicking on that… there are probably "M"s all over the place.
I am extremely annoyed by nails on a chalkboard, styrofoam rubbing together, and…well, maybe I’m just wierd, but reading about, or seeing, someone with snot coming out of their nose makes me feel sick. Which is why I’m not good at babysitting toddlers.
You are wise, Padawan. 
I immediately thought of two things when I saw this post:
A fork scraping on a stoneware plate.
A metal lawn rake on a sidewalk.
I had forgotten about styrofoam on styrofoam.
Thanks a lot.