When I was a kid, I used to ‘draw’ crosshatches- like a tic tac toe grid-on the roof of my mouth with my tongue; I had a regular routine to it-grid, grid, circle the roof, squish tounge to cover roof of mouth, repeat. I did this for YEARS, until I finally consciously forced myself to stop in high schoool. No idea why.
I am a writer, and find the easiest way to get conversations to flow smoothly and naturally is to vocalize them. So I am quite often driving around town, holding whole conversations between my characters, complete with voice tone and inflection. Oh, and did I mention facial expression. I guess people wonder why I am arguing with myself sometime… And there have been a time or two I have actually come to tears, ‘rehearsing’ a particularly emotional scene.
I do that. It’s just good sense, all the good burgery bits are in the middle!
I will never leave a book unfinished, even if I hate the book. I am big literature fan and generally optimistic that the book may yet turn out good…and I can’t judge it properly if I haven’t even *finished *it!
I do this too! I count cars going by. The bus will come when I get to___ cars. Or ___ white cars. I’m annoyed if my phone rings or if someone interrupts me since that will delay the bus since I have to start over. (the bus is controlled by my count)
You know how if you step on a crack, you break your mother’s back? I take that game to an extreme. When I walk, I can’t step on any crack or any imaginary line shooting out, at right angles, from any object in or beside my path. Walk past a line of cars? I avoid the cracks and imaginary lines coming out of the tires. Sometimes, the mirrors too. Forget stepping on the *mentally continued) parking space lines. Trees, flower beds, pots, people’s previous steps, pillars, bike racks, anything. Everything has a line that comes out from any corner of it where it touches the ground (or is lined up appropriately). If I step on one, I feel a little dizzy and awkward. It makes walking very difficult.
On thissidewalk, I’d have to avoid stepping next to both ends of the gate, the signpost, light pole, and each and every brick pillar.
Once I get started cracking my knuckles, it’s ON, folks. Every joint in my hands, which is really a lot.
Elbows.
Shoulders.
Neck.
Sternum.
Hips.
Knees.
Ankles.
And then the the foot cracking begins.
I do this too when cracking. I do my knuckles (all three sets too) then my neck, then my knees, then my toes…all in a span of about 30 sec.
Something I do when I am working by myself is I will replay conversations I have just had, however small and minute, in my head over and over again. Even word for word, about 5 or 6 times; and if I am really not paying attention I will catch myself mouthing out the words, so I look especially crazy. THEN I take that to an extreme and I will tweak the convo ever so slightly, I’ll say things I should have said/wanted to say and the like.
It’s crazy but I do it ALL THE TIME throughout the ENTIRE DAY
I double wet my toothbrush. I count when climbing stairs, but in fours, not eights. (I have 13 steps. It’s very frustrating.) I count other things, and count down things like red lights. (“This light will change in 10 - 9 - 8…” and it often works.)
When I’m home alone and cooking, I narrate what I’m doing like I’m on the Food Network. My dog sits in the kitchen doorway and watches. I think he finds me as entertaining as Giada DeLaurentiis. (He loves Giada.)
When I do things with/for my dog, I sing little songs about it. “We’re making pupper’s supper, he’s gonna have some yummy, we’re making pupper’s supper, he’s gonna have a nice full tummy.” Or “Let’s go out for a walk, walk, walk, we’ll take our walk, around the block, let’s go for our walk.” It keeps him entertained, if nothing else.
I am constantly tapping out rhythms. Basically, if I’m not fully engaged in anything and this is something to tap on, well, it’s drumming time.
This intensifies when I work in the lab. Set up a sample, have to let reaction run for 5 or 10 minutes - I’ll frequently grab something and start drumming on the lab bench.
I’m not a drummer so my repertoire is a bit limited. I find the most common things I will tap out are an approximation of the Amen Break and the classic newbie drummer exercise “Paradiddle”
I do the stairs/counting by 8 thing too. I think I picked it up in aerobic class a few years ago.
I have this really bizarre alarm clock system that I have been doing for years.
The clock is set 1 1/2 hours fast.
The first alarm is set for 5:30 (which is really 4:00). I wake up and tell myself “Oh great, I still have an hour to sleep”, then I go back to sleep. I just like the feeling of knowing that I can go back to sleep because it isn’t time yet.
The second alarm is set for 6:30 (which is really 5:00). This is when I get out of bed.
I don’t think I had ever pooped in a public toilet prior to joining the Navy. I’ll usually plan on taking a shower afterward and, so, get naked before starting, but I don’t know that it’s compulsive so much as just being time saving.
I must have something to read, though.
Oh yeah. It’s really bad when there’s another car and the period synchronizes. I blame electronic music.
If possible I will try to set clocks accurate to the second. I have several radio controlled “atomic” clocks to reference for this purpose. Odd thing is I don’t usually wear a watch.
When I order a soft drink in a restaurant, I will remove the straw that the server has put in it.
If they GIVE me a straw, I’ll unwrap it and put into my drink; only to immediately remove it an place it on the table.
I may, though, use it to stir my iced tea to dissolve the sweetener.
I just DON’T drink through a straw unless my drink has a lid on it.
Every weekday I get up in the morning and put on warm durable clothing. Then I walk out the door to a place where I trade aggravation for money. Nobody knows why.
I drag my hands along the wall or other surface when I’m walking. Like I’m reassuri g myskef that the wall is indeed still there. I hve no idea why I do it, it’s subconscious at this point. Sometimes ms. Mouse will catch me doing it, and I’ll have no idea I was!
