The OCD thread

[Sapper PE LS]

My coffee must have three cubes of ice if ice is available, if not, then 1.5 inches of cold water if a regular coffee cup or 2 inches if a travel mug, preferably from a water fountain or fridge faucet. This is really more functional than OCD, because it burns my mouth otherwise and I don't want to sit and wait for the coffee to cool off.

Toilet paper hangs from the front.

All bills sit in my wallet with the president's face toward the front, front being the part with all the cards when it is opened and their heads up, up being toward the opening of the bill pocket, and all bills in order with dollars closest to the front, fives behind the ones, tens behind the fives, then twenties and so on. And absolutely no dog ears or crinkled bills go in my wallet, ever. If it's ripped and taped, it gets given to the next homeless person I see or is used first for next purchase.

Pennies hit the "take a penny" jar or donation box and will never be found in my pocket.

Keys and change in the front right pocket, wallet in the back right, phone in the front left, back left is reserved for loose sheets of paper that every once in a while get handed to me like at meetings or whatever, where they are folded in half twice and immediately removed into either a trash can, recycling bin, or file cabinet if it really needs to be saved.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Keys and change in the front right pocket, wallet in the back right, phone in the front left, back left is reserved for loose sheets of paper that every once in a while get handed to me like at meetings or whatever, where they are folded in half twice and immediately removed into either a trash can, recycling bin, or file cabinet if it really needs to be saved.

This, except my phone goes in the right leg pocket of my carpenter jeans (or cargo pants) and my left front pocket is for my pocket knives (I have 2), a mini-leatherman, and my chapstick. Left rear is for my business card wallet and company ID card. When I get ready for bed, I put my wedding ring into my left front pocket, and leave everything else in the pants overnight even if I don't plan on wearing the same pants the next day. Only exception to this is when Mrs Dex does laundry, in which case all of my pockets are emptied into a small bowl next to my bathroom sink.

 

[goodal]

Question: Are any of you seeing therapists about these strange urges? I see my quirks as, well, quirks. Some of the issues mentioned take up a lot of energy and time.

 

[cement]

My coffee must have three cubes of ice if ice is available, if not, then 1.5 inches of cold water if a regular coffee cup or 2 inches if a travel mug, preferably from a water fountain or fridge faucet. This is really more functional than OCD, because it burns my mouth otherwise and I don't want to sit and wait for the coffee to cool off. Toilet paper hangs from the front. All bills sit in my wallet with the president's face toward the front, front being the part with all the cards when it is opened and their heads up, up being toward the opening of the bill pocket, and all bills in order with dollars closest to the front, fives behind the ones, tens behind the fives, then twenties and so on. And absolutely no dog ears or crinkled bills go in my wallet, ever. If it's ripped and taped, it gets given to the next homeless person I see or is used first for next purchase. Pennies hit the "take a penny" jar or donation box and will never be found in my pocket. Keys and change in the front right pocket, wallet in the back right, phone in the front left, back left is reserved for loose sheets of paper that every once in a while get handed to me like at meetings or whatever, where they are folded in half twice and immediately removed into either a trash can, recycling bin, or file cabinet if it really needs to be saved.

change mixed with keys? what kind of barbarian are you?

you can avoid the hot coffee problem by living at altitude. My coffee is never hotter than 198 degrees.

http://www.csgnetwork.com/h2oboilcalc.html

 

[knight1fox3]

Question: Are any of you seeing therapists about these strange urges? I see my quirks as, well, quirks. Some of the issues mentioned take up a lot of energy and time.

LOL. I doubt any of these issues would be considered "a problem". Time-consuming, sure. And I would go as far to say that's why we became engineers. We have exceptional attention to detail. Or at least that is what I'm going to keep telling myself.

I write lists... for everything. Sometimes I even write out a list of lists I need to make. Even for something that I do on a regular basis, like cleaning the house gets a list, and every day has it's own list, that includes when I should wash my face and brush my teeth and what I am wearing for the day and what I will be eating etc etc etc they are often color coded

LadyFox does this almost verbatim! LOL

 

[Wolverine]

I like to do everything in threes, just like the Ramans.

Obscure reference not wasted.

All bills sit in my wallet with the president's face toward the front, front being the part with all the cards when it is opened and their heads up, up being toward the opening of the bill pocket, and all bills in order with dollars closest to the front, fives behind the ones, tens behind the fives, then twenties and so on. saved.

Wait, is there some other way?

Walking out the door in the morning, it's pat - pat - pat - "wallet, pager, keys, check". No, I don't have a pager, but I started the routine when I did have one and it stuck. Now the cellphone occupies the "pager" slot.

Sitting in a meeting, I occasionally take a moment to properly align and aesthetically balance all papers, water bottles, pens, - whatever may be on the table in front of me. I was chatting with a psychologist one time who explained this is a move to express control over surroundings. He said you should see it when disordered kids come in and immediately start rearranging things in his office. Tells him right away what part of the problem is.

 

[Supe]

A kid I went to high school with used to have all bills in his wallet inserted sequentially by serial number.

I'm happy if I stick my hand in my pocket and pull out a wad of twice-washed singles.

 

[Flyer_PE]

I do work for nuclear power plants. 'Nuff said.

 

[Supe]

I do to, but my desk looks more post-Fukushima than pre.

 

[Ble_PE]

I do to, but my desk looks more post-Fukushima than pre.

Same here, but no nuke work.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

Walking out the door in the morning, it's pat - pat - pat - "wallet, pager, keys, check". No, I don't have a pager, but I started the routine when I did have one and it stuck. Now the cellphone occupies the "pager" slot.

I used to work with a guy who said he would say, "Testicles, spectacles, wallet and watch." prior to leaving the house in the morning. And I assume check to ensure everything was there ......

How many of you try to perform your lane changes so as not to hit any of the reflectors on the pavement? You know, these kind:

 

[csb]

1. That's an old joke...the wallet and watch one.

2. Where do you live that the snowplows don't just rip those up?

And I did see a therapist, which is why I can now walk down the sidewalk normally.

 

[ventilator]

If a light bulb is burned out, I won't relax until it is fixed/replaced.

I've had a light burned out in my kitchen for about 2 years now. There is enough light w/o it so it may never get replaced, at least not until one of the others burns out and the lighting is low.

 

[MA_PE]

1. That's an old joke...the wallet and watch one.

2. Where do you live that the snowplows don't just rip those up?

And I did see a therapist, which is why I can now walk down the sidewalk normally.

I think it might have been here that I first saw this. Love it.

 

[MA_PE]

If a light bulb is burned out, I won't relax until it is fixed/replaced.

I've had a light burned out in my kitchen for about 2 years now. There is enough light w/o it so it may never get replaced, at least not until one of the others burns out and the lighting is low.

We bought our house from relatives so we knew it for a long time. There was a flourescent light fixture in the bathrrom that didn't work on the switch and the lamppost light didn't work for a good 10+ years before we bought.

The first week we were there I had them both working. The ballast was gone on the bathrrom fixture and the wire terminals on the lamppost fixture were corroded. Replaced the ballast and the fixture and behold....there was light.

Also, there was a pocket door to an added on room in the back of the house that would not open all the way. We were told by the previous owners that the first year they had the room, they stuck newspapers in the door jamb ot prevent drafts and the papers got in and the door wouldn't operate after that (again had been a good 10-15 years). I had that fixed wihtin a week too.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

How many of you try to perform your lane changes so as not to hit any of the reflectors on the pavement? You know, these kind:

CSB beat me to it. Snowplows make those reflectors go away very quickly, so we don't install them at all.

But when I do drive in places that have them, yes I try to dodge as many as possible, sometimes swerving just a little harder than I should.

 

[knight1fox3]

How many of you try to perform your lane changes so as not to hit any of the reflectors on the pavement? You know, these kind:

CSB beat me to it. Snowplows make those reflectors go away very quickly, so we don't install them at all.

But when I do drive in places that have them, yes I try to dodge as many as possible, sometimes swerving just a little harder than I should.

In WI they install them as recessed in the road instead of sticking out above the road. That way the plows don't kill them. They just rip up the road in other areas instead. LOL

 

[mudpuppy]

How many of you try to perform your lane changes so as not to hit any of the reflectors on the pavement? You know, these kind:

CSB beat me to it. Snowplows make those reflectors go away very quickly, so we don't install them at all.

But when I do drive in places that have them, yes I try to dodge as many as possible, sometimes swerving just a little harder than I should.

Same thing around here... except when I'm in GA I try to hit them as much as possible....

 

[csb]

I first drove over them in California and I said, "Are your drivers so bad out here that they had to put them in?"

We're spending $7M a year in striping...I don't think we'll add recessed pavement markers to the mix.

 

[Exception Collection]

We have a fair amount of 2-way light switches in my house. I can't turn off a light by flipping the switch up. I will seriously go to the other side of the room to flip the other switch so that they're both down when the light is off. When we first moved into our new house, one of the switches was "upside down" so that one was always up when the light was off. I didn't make it until the end of the day before I pulled out a screwdriver and flipped it over.

I do that too.

something simlar to this, but the pair of switches on each wall have to be the same direction.

Yup. One reason my apt drove me crazy was that there were four sets of two switch lights, with five panels... Three of which were single switches. I would have to "chase it down", flipping switches on at least two panels every time.