September 28th, 2004

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Mixed Bag
18 Comments »

What’s Your Tiny Neurosis?

Jen recently discovered a worrying habit about herself:

I have just discovered something totally neurotic about myself. I have a corporate logo coffee tumbler that I swill my caffeine from daily. I can’t begin drinking, until the mouthpiece is centered over the logo. If the logo isn’t facing me all nice and neat, I can’t start drinking. Bring on the rubber room.

Jen shouldn’t sweat it–we all have these foibles. Off the top of my head:

  • I must tap the sun visor twice when I go through a yellow light.
  • I feel deeply uncomfortable if I sit down to eat (anywhere) and I don’t have a napkin.
  • I’m terribly exacting about my pillow’s position in bed.
  • In my childhood, I would always ensure that the books beside my bed were face-down. I’ve gotten over that one.

Reassure Jen and I that we’re not freaks–what [sic] idiosyncrazies do you have?

Incidentally, what is the right term for these things? I feel like there’s a great Yiddish word, but I can’t think of it. That’s probably because I only know, like, 20 Yiddish words.

Comments: 18 Responses so far

Dan Mushrush
September 28th, 2004
10:43 am

As a child I had to be sure that if I stepped up a curb with one foot first then on the next block I had to use the other foot. I think the word your looking for is CRAZY!

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'Nee
September 28th, 2004
10:49 am

Hmm. The yiddish word you want is “meshugana.”

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Rick
September 28th, 2004
10:52 am

Mine is pretty dorky. I refuse to read a comic book series until I have every last issue of it. For some reason my head feels like it’ll explode if I don’t have the entire run just in case the one issue I might be missing might contain some information vital to the overarching plot. This has lead to many dollars being spent on comic book series I think I’ll like and then after reading the first couple issues deciding it sucks. I then have a buttload of comics I don’t want to read. Stupid anal retentiveness.

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Darren
September 28th, 2004
10:57 am

‘Nee: Nah, I don’t think that’s it. I know that one, and it’s an adjective meaning ‘crazy, mad, insane’. I’m looking for a noun to describe foible itself.

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Anonymous
September 28th, 2004
11:27 am

“quirk”

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alexis
September 28th, 2004
11:37 am

I do not like sticky foods. This includes jam, cinnamon buns and honey. The reason why I do not like them is because I used to sit with my knees above the table while I was eating. I would wear a night gown, and wipe my sticky hands on my knees. Because I did not like sticky knees, I stopped eating sticky foods. I still don’t like them.

I’m sure there are other things, but that was the first that came to mind.

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'Nee
September 28th, 2004
12:09 pm

So many yiddish words perfectly describing human foibles, none of them quite right…

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Sue
September 28th, 2004
1:23 pm

When I buy magazines, I get absolutely ferocious if someone picks it up and starts reading it before I have read it. I tried to get over this - even made an arrangement with my sister-in-law that she could read the magazines if she removed all the stupid perfume ads and subscriber cards so I wouldn’t have to deal with them - but after two months of trying to break down this foible, I realized it was bugging me more than ever.

I developed this foible when living with a roommate in Hull who would buy three magazines at once and leave them around the house for a week before reading them. She would have a hairy fit if I read them before her, so I guess I just assumed this was a natural behaviour, and started doing it myself.

Other than that, I hate sitting in a restaurant with my back to the room. I like to have a solid wall behind me. I don’t think that’s too unusual though.

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Darren
September 28th, 2004
1:56 pm

Sue: I believe that last item isn’t a foible, just standard spy industry standard practice. Are you some sort of assassin?

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Sue
September 28th, 2004
4:05 pm

Shhhhhhh!!

Er, I mean, ha ha ha of course not!

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Andrea
September 28th, 2004
4:10 pm

I insist on reading newspapers in order. Don’t hand me section C until I’ve read B. For some reason, this doesn’t apply online.

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Norlinda
September 28th, 2004
5:14 pm

Absolutely have to read the last page once I’m a third into the book, irregardless of whether it makes sense or not.

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Chris
September 28th, 2004
6:32 pm

Wow, I guess I’m the freak of the lot. I have no random irrational quirks that I can think of. Go figure.

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Paul Watson
September 29th, 2004
3:07 am

I drink about 15 cups of tea and 10 cups of coffee a day. At the office kitchen sink there is a specific tea-spoon that I like. It is nicely weighted and etched. I just love that spoon. Making a cuppa without it doesn’t feel right, sometimes the result even tastes weird to me.

I am leaving my job soon and contemplating asking them if I can take the spoon with me…

How I wish I were making this up :)

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bree
September 29th, 2004
11:58 am

If I itch my right arm I have to itch my left. Likewise, if I bite my cheek on the left I’ve got to do the same on the right. It used to be a compulsion as a child, but now it’s just a habit.

I also have a very specific shower routine, and if I don’t follow it I will sometimes forget to soap up or put conditioner in my hair or something.

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Darren James Harkness
September 29th, 2004
3:36 pm

When my partner and I are hiking, and there are tags nailed to the trees or marking tape put up, I have to touch it as I go by.

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Derek
September 29th, 2004
7:13 pm

Another shower one. When getting my head wet, I feel distinctly uncomfortable unless I to lean into the water with the shower head on my right–even if that means facing the back wall.

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Dave
September 29th, 2004
9:52 pm

I’m totally with you on the napkin thing, but I even prefer to have two. One for my lap, that stays there, and one for wiping my mouth.

One is essential, two vastly preferred.

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