# Odd little habits you have **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2000, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239 "2000-10-09T07:41:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/41 "2000-10-11T03:48:19Z")
I hate soggy cereal. With most cereals, this just means I’ll gobble down the bowl as quickly as possible as soon as I pour the milk. No talking, no breathing, just eating. However, a girlfriend got me into Frosted Mini Wheats. Yummy. The problem is that I really really can’t stand them to be soggy. So, for a long time, I would put them in the bowl, and then carefully stack them into a little cereal tower, before pouring the milk. Hence, only two or three were actually _in_ the milk (they were sacrificed for the good of the many), and I could knock the dry ones off into the milk moments before scooping them up and eating them. She thought it was hilarious, and teased me about it endlessly. I’ve since moved on to just eating them out of the box with a glass of milk at my side. I put one in my mouth, take a drink of milk, and then chew. So it’s still pretty weird, but less visibly so. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/42 "2000-10-11T04:20:44Z")
I chew on my lips a lot (even though I use chapstick) When thinking I chew on my pinky a bit or tap it against my teeth… When alone like walking and stuff I’ll make bubbles of my spit just behind my upper teeth and pop them making little clicking noises. When I listen to my discman I’ll usually mouth the words along with it even in public… like the bus I’ll usually eat a few bites of things at a time… sometimes I will do as others here do and eat all of one item then the next and the next. Sometimes I’ll listen to one song for hours on end as background when I’m doing other stuff… mainly role playing… once I listened to ‘Affirmation’ by Savage Garden for 6 hours straight… it would have been 8 but I decided to change the cd after 6 hours. I can’t sleep with my closet open or my door if my back is to it… otherwise I feel creeped out. Thats the only ones I can think of for now but if I discover any others I’ll let you know. ---
**Author:** ![Renton\_lvr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@Renton\_lvr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renton_lvr)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/43 "2000-10-11T05:21:03Z")
If I’m eating or drinking something that requires the use of a spoon, said spoon MUST be a teaspoon and not a tablespoon. When eating a Snickers I eat the chocolate off first…then I eat the rest. I sit down in the shower. Though I think the strangest habit I’ve ever witnessed is this: A friend of mine tears off the ends of all his french fries, discards the ends, and eats the middles. (he claims the ends are too sharp). ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/44 "2000-10-11T05:55:03Z")
I don’t know if this counts as an “odd little habit” or just incipient insanity but… sometimes odd little nonsense words or phrases like clamdonatron clamdonatronica the log patrol woozle wogdog inframan etc etc will form themselves out thin air and never go away. You don’t say them to anyone but they’re always part of your internal vocabulary and they pop up in your conversations with yourself at the oddest times. One has proven to useful, however, which is “Farley Garley” which I occasionally use when frustrated, instead of stronger language. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/45 "2000-10-11T09:44:49Z")
I always save the best for last, especially with food. If I’m eating cake, I eat all the cake, then all the frosting. With a fast-food hamburger, I remove the veggies, eat them first, then eat the burger (around the edge first, then the middle). And I always eat pie or pizza crust first. My only rationale for this is that when you’re finished eating, it’s the last taste that remains in your mouth and your memory. ---
**Author:** ![They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/They_Call_Me_Sneeze)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/46 "2000-10-11T10:23:02Z")
“I always have to be fair. To everything. Including burger patties.” [that is supposed to be a quote from mega the roo, but i dont know how to do quotes. anyway -] me too! if i pat one tree when i am walking down the street, i have to go and pat ALL the trees. when we used to eat in the dining hall, i would always make sure that none of the silverware was left alone in their containers - if there were two spoons left, and i needed one, i would either move the other spoon in with a full case of spoons, or i would take him with me. when i go to sleep, i have to make sure that nothing is alone - that all the pens have other pens to sleep with, and that any stray cups are with other stray cups. in a pinch, a pen could be suitable company for a cup, but it would depend. along the same lines, i buy things so they won’t be lonely. also, i do the elvis lip-sneer alot. both as an actual facial expression and as a strengthening exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/47 "2000-10-11T11:06:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Renton\_lvr \* > \*\*If I’m eating or drinking something that requires the use of a spoon, said spoon MUST be a teaspoon and not a tablespoon. > > I sit down in the shower. > \*\* Ah, how could I forget. I do both of these, too. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/48 "2000-10-11T11:59:42Z")
I can’t stop rubbing my nose. I mean it. This just started recently. It’s driving me crazy. I think it’s due to not enough sex. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/49 "2000-10-11T13:32:44Z")
astro: That’s how I got my username. For several weeks, I kept on saying ‘tansu, tansu,’ to myself under my breath. When I registered on this board, it had to be Tansu. A while back, I used to catch myself saying ‘darim, derith, derat’. I pick curly hairs out of my head, and leave the straight ones. I’m trying to quit the habit, because my hair is probably getting thinner. I’m trying to restrict it to simply feeling the curly ones and leaving them in place. I cannot eat a meal with a knife and fork that don’t match. I refer to food as ‘him’. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/50 "2000-10-11T14:00:24Z")
You guys sure make me feel normal!! 🙂 🙂 One weird thing I do, and it’s almost become compulsive, is play this stupid alphabet game while driving. These are the rules: Each letter must be found in alphabetical order. Only the first letter of a word can be used. Any letter of a license plate can be used in any order. I must actually be able to see the letter. (I take the same route to work each day and I know where all the Q’s and Z’s are, but I must actually read them.) This is so dumb, but I can’t seem to make myself quit! Do you think there’s a self-help group for me? ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/51 "2000-10-11T14:19:39Z")
How could I have forgotten? When I’m on the loo, I count the floor tiles and wall tiles. I count the rows and columns and multiply. If there are floorboards or tongue-and-groove wall cladding, I count the pieces of wood. Perhaps I like to grab on to some strict rational control (like numbering) while I’m engaged in a basic body function? What would Freud say? Perhaps I’m just nuts. I am not, however, as nuts as you crazy food separators. ---
**Author:** ![Sn-man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sn-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sn-man)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/52 "2000-10-11T14:28:13Z")
For as long as I can remember, I’ve blown my nose when showering. I never thought anything of it. Mrs. Tinny thinks it’s gross. She refuses to shower with me if I do it. So I’ve had to make a conscious effort to not do it when “we” get wet. ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/53 "2000-10-11T14:47:43Z")
I crack my neck (like a normal person would crack their knuckles.) I read magazines backwards (last page to first.) I sing phone numbers as I’m dialing them. I imitate the sound of my modem dialing up (beep-beep-beep-boop-boo-boo-boop.) And I never EVER fall asleep with the TV or radio on. That’s when they hit you with the subliminal messages. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/54 "2000-10-11T15:00:23Z")
**Tzel** , **Renton\_Ivr** , for some reason the fact that you sit in the shower really disturbs me. Why do you do it?? You just sit on the floor of the tub while the water cascades on you from high abaove? That’s weird. If I had just started dating someone, and walked in on them taking a shower and they were just hunkered down on the shower floor, I’m not sure what I would do. It would freak me out a little. Now separating food and all that, that’s not that weird. ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/55 "2000-10-11T17:02:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by They Call Me Sneeze \* > \*\* when we used to eat in the dining hall, i would always make sure that none of the silverware was left alone in their containers - if there were two spoons left, and i needed one, i would either move the other spoon in with a full case of spoons, or i would take him with me. > \*\* Silly. Spoons are female. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Stupendous\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Stupendous\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stupendous_man)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/56 "2000-10-11T18:05:47Z")
I have two spots on either side of my chin that no razor except a straight-razor will touch… What happens now is that I feel thase two spots of rough where the rest is smooth, and start to pluck the whiskers from those areas on my chin with my fingernails… Now THAT’S weird. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/57 "2000-10-11T18:20:20Z")
**Giraffe:** I sit down in the shower, too. I take incredibly long showers because I just sit there, thinking about the day ahead, letting the warm water fall on me. I think part of the reason I do it is because I hate to be wet and not in the water. I don’t mind the actual shower part, but I dread getting out and being cold. I actually let the water run awhile before I even get in to get the room nice and steamy warm. Also, it’s funny you mentioned the Frosted Mini Wheats habit you have. I do a similar thing with the same cereal. I get them out of the box one at a time and carefully place them in the bowl so that all the sugar sides are up. If they don’t have enough sugar on them, I put them back in the box. I only take ones that are whole…not broken in half, unless I need to fill in a small space. I layer them in two layers and pour the milk on top. I then eat them from the bottom first, so the sugar has melted a little bit. I’ve done this for as long as I can remember. Come to think of it, I have an enormous amount of weird habits. I am a eat-one-food-at-a-time person (I eat the vegetables first, then the potato, etc.). When I’m talking to someone, listening to the radio, watching t.v., etc., I pick out certain words and “type” them with my fingers in the air. If I’m listening to music, I “play the piano” in the air (I’ve played piano since I was six). I MUST have something to read in the bathroom, to the point that I’ll read the ingredients on shampoo bottles. If I’m in a public bathroom, I’ll count all the screws I can see or the tiles. I prefer stalls with even numbers of screws. When I eat a sandwich or a cookie, I eat the edges first…the middle’s the best part, so I save it for last. That’s just what I can think of off the top of my head. I think I seem normal to other people, though (I think!). ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/58 "2000-10-11T19:24:16Z")
Kitty – I’m glad I’m not the only compulsive stuff-chewer. I think I was a parrot in a past life. How could I have forgotten this one? – I refer to cars as “he” and I name them, too. Chikki’s Friends: Hey, is that your new car? Chikki: Yep! Guys, I’d like you to meet Kitt. He’s a Cavalier. Friends: ::look at chikki very, very oddly and rather afraid:: ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/59 "2000-10-11T20:22:52Z")
When I switch from one radio station to another, I add the numbers together. When I see a word, I tend to try and figure out anagrams. I need serious help. ---
**Author:** ![orion007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@orion007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orion007)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239/60 "2000-10-11T20:57:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C3 \* > \*\*\*\*Giraffe:\*\*I MUST have something to read in the bathroom, to the point that I’ll read the ingredients on shampoo bottles. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by They Call Me Sneeze \* > \*\*“I always have to be fair. To everything. Including burger patties.” > > [that is supposed to be a quote from mega the roo, but i dont know how to do quotes. anyway -] > > me too!\*\* Yay me too!! I’m glad I’m not the only one. 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-little-habits-you-have/36239.md?page=4)