Are there any weird "things" that you just have to do?...

I have to get away from people before I answer the phone.

I have a horrible phobia of talking on the phone within any visible proximity to people.

I wash my plates,glasses and spoons again and put them in boiled water before I use them as eating equipment. I don’t believe our maid since the way she cleans these eating equipment so unpleasant. I’m quite germaphobic and I’m happy about it.

I like to sniff my kids on the neck. They really smelled sweet when they were little. Now they usually either smell like the school bus or gym socks. I could still sniff them out in a crowd though. I think it must be some primitive mother animal instinct.

I also prefer to take some calls without company surrounding me, but i wouldn’t say i have a phobia about it.

@Doctor_D – yeah, dirty dishes make me wanna throw up.

I guess most of the little things I do might seem weird. They make sense to me- but then again, so does gummy bear ice cream.

Dishes have to be loaded the same way each time into the dishwasher. Cans are grouped and faced front in the cupboards (makes it easier to plan dinner when I can see everything). Curtains/blinds are opened/closed in the same order (makes sense to follow the sun in Winter and avoid it in Summer). I have to smell everything before I eat it (helps to prepare the palette).

I don’t qualify for OCD, I just have things that just make sense the way I do them.

@gemiwing – oh yes! I forgot about that one, haha, i smell food too. Everybody laughs at me by now (well, those who know me, i guess the others just turn a blind eye, LOL). I smell it because sometimes you get a better idea of what it might taste like – i never understand people who can just dish up food only by looking at it, especially if it’s something they’ve never had – how do they know it’s good? Haha…. And other times i just sniff it because it smells good and yummy. :)
Although, this isn’t something i really have to do.

@AliasTJ When my kids were little I loved to smell their breath for some reason. Now that they are 10 and 7…No thanks.

@knitfroggy yeah, I understand. Mine need a tic-tac or two.

I’m a separatist eater. If I have, say, steak, peas, and mashed potatoes on my plate then I will eat all of one thing before moving on to the next. I will make sure nothing mixes, unless it’s rice and corn.

@mrentropy – i usually do that too, for the most part. I really don’t like it when someone dishes up for me and dumps some food over some other food in my plate, haha.

Scour the basement bathroom (everywhere) for creepy crawlies before I hop into the shower to wash my bits.

When my skin starts peeling after a sunburn, I have to pick at it and pull off the biggest piece possible.

I almost never eat something solid mixed with something liquid. (ex: I don’t have milk with my cereal, I don’t like gravy on my turkey dinner…)

I always smell my drink before the first sip, even if it’s just water.

@erichw1504 – well, sniffing the water has prevented me from drinking dodgy water before.

I eat my food in the order they cool down. I’m also a really sloooow eater.

@tranquilsea – i eat slow too, but usually because i’m enjoying it so much. I’m probably the slowest dessert eater ever. Every bite has to be cherrished and enjoyed for as long as possible, especially when it comes to a really good chocolate mousse.

My silverware drawer HAS to be organized. Which is not easy to keep up with, as my family seems to love slamming the drawer, sending all of my hard work into disarray.
I also try to keep other drawers, cabinets, pantries, closets, etc. organized, but the silverware drawer is my biggest concern for some reason. This obsession really doesn’t make sense at all since these things are rarely seen by other people.

And even if something is just ever-so-slightly out of place, I have to fix it.

@Fly – i need someone like you here to organize my cupboards and stuff for me. :D I wish i could do it myself and keep to it, but it usually always seems to get all disorganized again…SIGH

I pick my nose. A LOT! ;-)

But, you would never notice.

@ChazMaz – why am i not surprised…? :P :)

I’ve formed a habit of smelling cups after I take them out of the cabinet.
Don’t know why.. it’s never been useful.. but I have to smell the inside of the cup before I’ll use it.

I have a lot of unusual compulsions.

@rangerr I do that when we’re up at the cabin. Sometimes, you get that musty mug smell. <barf>>

Toilet paper must roll over and not under. I’ve been accused of changing it while over at friends’ houses. Guilty as charged.

The tins in my larder have to face forward, labels all facing the front, I also keep them in date order, newest at the back. When I leave the house, I lock the front door (both locks, yale and mortice), unlock it and open the door, then lock it again. I have to, don’t know why, I just do. Even though I wash my dishes very thoroughly, I always boil a kettle and pour boiling water over them while they’re still sitting in the drainer, that way I know they’re really clean. I’m a wee bit odd I suppose, but it just adds to my charm lol :-)
hugs xx

I always, always always have to read before I go to sleep. No matter how tired I am and even if I can only read ¼ of a page before zonking out. I don’t ever go to bed without reading.

And I always carry a book in my handbag, just in case I get stuck somewhere waiting.

@DarlingRhadamanthus – i like to carry my story books with me too if i think there’s a chance that i may have to wait for something somewhere. I can’t stand being bored waiting for stuff. :)

I hate eating the crispy end bits of french fries, chicken tenders, etc. The point where there’s no potato or chicken left and it’s just hard breading… blech. Unless the french fry is soft all the way through, I eat it down to the very end nub and drop it back in the container. Drives my friends crazy :D

So, it’s time for this question again? As I said before, I arrange my french fries in order of size, so I can eat the smallest, crispiest ones first. My nutritionist has warned me to only eat 5 french fries, but if there are more than 5 crispies I eat them all.

@NaturallyMe…..So glad I’m not the only one…standing in a queue….reading a book. :)

When I am served a plate of food with various side dishes, I rotate my plate briefly so that the main entree is in front of me.

When eating corn on the cob, I work a group of rows completely and then turn the cob to get the next few rows.

Like @tranquilsea I eat my food in a purposeful order, depending on what is on my plate.

My first food of the day must be something I would normally eat for breakfast, no matter what hour of day it is.

I just won’t eat lunch or supper food, no matter how delicious until I have had some breakfast.

@Pied_Pfeffer I commit the same toilet paper “crimes” as you do.

I make it a point to never walk under black cats

If the stove top is not clean, I won’t cook on it.

If there is not room on the counter because of clutter or unwashed dished, I will not start preparing a meal.

I can tolerate clutter but I hate it when the house is dirty. I will clean it when it bothers me.
My wife can’t stand clutter but is less fussy about moderate amounts of dirt.

I do all the house hold cleaning in the exact same order every chance i get. Im meticulous about the way my house is cleaned and smells. You never know when somone might drop by. Even if my fiance helps out…after he leaves or is not around-I usually re-do it all. It also is a big stress releiver and I feel so good when I look around my home. My other wierd thing is popping zits…Disgusting I know, but I love to make my Brandon lay down on my lap and I pick at his little pimples and ingrown hairs with a tweezer and paper towel…I cant believe I just revealed this to the world!

In regards to my little superstions…I hate to have my feet swept with a broom and yes I spit on it to get rid of the “bad luck”. I throw salt over my shoulder if I spill it. I won’t “split the pole” when walking with someone. I tend to believe if my right palm itches Im meeting someone new, if its the left Im expecting money. If my nose itches someones thinking of me and if its my ear then there is a gossiper.