# Weird stuff you do habitually for no reason (sequel) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579 "2010-07-13T19:38:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![moldybread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@moldybread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldybread)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/41 "2010-07-15T20:01:14Z")
I make some pretty bizarre faces while playing the drums. There must be something about playing music and making tard faces. The worst part is I never knew I did it until my band had photos taken while playing a gig. In two of the photos I had the “OH” face. The rest I don’t wanna talk about. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/42 "2010-07-15T20:56:29Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > I was told by this guy I know, who had a long nail on his little finger (but only that one), that it was for guitar playing. Was that BS? > Don’t your superheroines ever get cold in those skimpy outfits? It is hard to feel the cold when you are unconscious… Ha! I am not sure about the guitar playing thingie, though. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/43 "2010-07-15T21:18:19Z")
> [@moldybread](#): > > I make some pretty bizarre faces while playing the drums. There must be something about playing music and making tard faces. The worst part is I never knew I did it until my band had photos taken while playing a gig. In two of the photos I had the “OH” face. The rest I don’t wanna talk about. 🙂 I have the same problem on piano. When I recorded myself for Youtube, it looks like I’m having an epileptic seizure in the one video where my face is visible (I hit all the notes right so I didn’t want to re-record the video despite the facial weirdness), because I keep looking up to the ceiling and rocking back and forth. It’s shot from a low angle so it looks like my eyes are rolling into the back of my head. Oh dear. ---
**Author:** ![Kickback\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/cdc98d/32.png) [@Kickback\_Joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kickback_Joe)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/44 "2010-07-15T21:50:27Z")
Spend way too much time reading the dope? ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/45 "2010-07-16T00:17:49Z")
I pull the stop request chord exactly one and a half blocks before my stop, because I worry that if I pull it sooner the bus driver will forget to stop and if I pull it later he won’t have time. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/46 "2010-07-16T00:38:13Z")
I chew on my clothing. I saw this post, immediately felt the collar on my polo shirt. Yep, it’s a bit damp. I have this weird oral fixation - I just frequently feel compelled to either grit my teeth or gnaw on something. Gritting my teeth is bad - If I’m stressed I usually do it enough to cause physical pain and my dentist always scolds me for grinding my teeth (apparently he can see the wear). Clothing is a little bit easier. It’s got some resistance to it. So often I’ll find myself with with my collar or the cuff in my mouth just gnawing on it. Usually I can refrain from doing this in public. The compulsion isn’t strong enough to make it a weird social thing. But at home on the computer or watching TV I’ll frequently gnaw with abandon. I usually don’t do any real damage to the clothing. But I can usually tell which shirts I’ve had for 6 months or more because they’re overly worn where I have a habit of gnawing on them. Oddly enough I’ve never really been a gum chewer. You’d think it’d be a natural fit, but the texture of gum is just wrong. Plus you chew it long enough and it gets tougher and tougher, which usually leads to soreness. No idea why I do this. Maybe I have a bit of canine DNA mixed up with my own? I’m not a huge dog lover, but when I had dogs and would see them gnawing endlessly on a rawhide chew or a rag toy I’d always nod and think, “yep, know how that feels.” ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/47 "2010-07-16T00:45:38Z")
It’s 143 paces- not steps, paces, from our back door to the local Stripes (think 7/11) store. And only 136 to the Dollar General, if you go the other way. Darn that Boy Scout training. I just realized not everyone does this. ---
**Author:** ![tattman40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/db5fbb/32.png) [@tattman40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tattman40)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/48 "2010-07-16T01:29:48Z")
I have the Mexican Hat dance song going thru my head when I urinate, but oddly its only when I use the bathroom off the kitchen. Not even a thought when I’m using other facilities. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/49 "2010-07-16T03:31:01Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > I chew on my clothing. > > I saw this post, immediately felt the collar on my polo shirt. Yep, it’s a bit damp. > > I have this weird oral fixation - I just frequently feel compelled to either grit my teeth or gnaw on something. Gritting my teeth is bad - If I’m stressed I usually do it enough to cause physical pain and my dentist always scolds me for grinding my teeth (apparently he can see the wear). > > Clothing is a little bit easier. It’s got some resistance to it. So often I’ll find myself with with my collar or the cuff in my mouth just gnawing on it. > > Usually I can refrain from doing this in public. The compulsion isn’t strong enough to make it a weird social thing. But at home on the computer or watching TV I’ll frequently gnaw with abandon. > > I usually don’t do any real damage to the clothing. But I can usually tell which shirts I’ve had for 6 months or more because they’re overly worn where I have a habit of gnawing on them. > > Oddly enough I’ve never really been a gum chewer. You’d think it’d be a natural fit, but the texture of gum is just wrong. Plus you chew it long enough and it gets tougher and tougher, which usually leads to soreness. > > No idea why I do this. Maybe I have a bit of canine DNA mixed up with my own? I’m not a huge dog lover, but when I had dogs and would see them gnawing endlessly on a rawhide chew or a rag toy I’d always nod and think, “yep, know how that feels.” My sister (now deceased) used to do this. No clue why but she did it all her life. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Hazel\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Ms.Hazel\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Hazel_Ice)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/50 "2010-07-17T02:36:26Z")
When eating M&Ms, I sort them by color and then eat them in different patterns, depending on what amuses me: least to most; most to least; or until the colors are even, and then I pick them off one by one. When I acquire used books from bookstores (think like books from college bookstores), I have to remove all of the used stickers and long rectangular barcode stickers. I sometimes go so far as to dampen a washcloth and use it to remove the sticky residue. They bother me, even though they don’t affect the content of the book itself. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/51 "2010-07-17T03:08:20Z")
It struck me today that maybe I do have a little OCD in me. Like, it’s 143 paces from my back door to the nearest convince store. Paces-- left, right, one, right, two, right, _three_… Yeah, but the problem is the telephone pole at the halfway point I chose is not quite 1.5 off. Makes me do a little brain hiccup so I can count back down to zero as I walk in the store. Okay, that sounds really nuts, doesn’t it? Also: I say “y’all” when I’m talking to only one person. But my worst habit? I use the word, honestly and without irony, “groovy”. I can’t help it. Grew up in Boulder. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/52 "2010-07-17T03:27:24Z")
When I play Solitaire, the spades and hearts have to go together, and the clubs and diamonds go together. I also pick the bits of dead skin off my cuticles, sometimes till they bleed. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/53 "2010-07-17T04:02:50Z")
> [@moldybread](#): > > I make some pretty bizarre faces while playing the drums. There must be something about playing music and making tard faces. The worst part is I never knew I did it until my band had photos taken while playing a gig. In two of the photos I had the “OH” face. The rest I don’t wanna talk about. 🙂 My ex husbands eyes would roll up in his head when he played the drums. It was kind of creepy because only the whites showed. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/54 "2010-07-17T09:37:58Z")
I do the Jedi Handwave at automatic doors too. This was especially fun when I was dressed as Anakin Skywalker for Halloween one year. I talk with my hands. They just wave everywhere! I can’t help it. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/55 "2010-07-17T13:03:13Z")
> [@MoodIndigo1](#): > > Even if the button has been pushed to call the elevator, I just have to push it to make sure it comes for ME. When I was younger, I worried that “the man” would know that there was just one person waiting to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing , so I used to press the button with different fingers, so they would think there were ten people waiting and the lights would change faster. I got better. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/56 "2010-07-17T13:59:48Z")
Whenever I walk in to the men’s room at work after they’ve just finished cleaning it, a little Homer Simpson voice in my head says “Mmm, urinal fresh!” Only at work, never anywhere else. I only eat french fries in pairs, and they have to be roughly the same size, so that they both get the same amount of ketchup on them when I dip them. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/57 "2010-07-17T15:08:02Z")
I always very briefly clear my throat when I’m driving and changing lanes or turning, and don’t feel completely certain that I’m doing it safely. I can’t help it, and it bugs me! (I’m not a bad driver; I’ve only been in one small accident in the 8 years I’ve been driving, and it was soon after I got my license…but changing lanes just makes me a little nervous.) ---
**Author:** ![bigdfrombigd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bigdfrombigd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigdfrombigd)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/58 "2010-07-18T03:55:51Z")
When I’m driving and looking for a street address I always turn down my radio. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/59 "2010-07-18T03:58:45Z")
> [@bigdfrombigd](#): > > When I’m driving and looking for a street address I always turn down my radio. I don’t know that there’s no reason for that. You’re trying to concentrate on two things - driving and searching for an address. Turning down the radio just removes one more information feed to your brain to help you concentrate. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579/60 "2010-07-18T05:12:02Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > My accent changes depending on the person I am talking to or the subject I am talking about. I don’t mean to do it - it just happens. My ex used to laugh when I answered the phone because he knew in a minute if I was talking to one of my southern SILs or one of my northern cousins. Me too! This unconscious trait actually has its advantages. I work in the human services field, and it seems people are more likely to open up to me / trust me once I’ve picked up their accent. I don’t think they realize it, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-stuff-you-do-habitually-for-no-reason-sequel/546579.md?page=4)