Thursday, July 21, 2011

You Down With OCD?

I always give my wife a hard time for all the things that make her crazy.  I don't think I'm being too harsh.  She has even written about it in the past, so it's not as if this is some undiscovered country or secret shame.

While I don't hesitate to point out how nuts she is from time to time,  I know that her craziness isn't an affliction that affects her and her alone.

As a side note, here is a pro-tip from a husband that knows better: Never drop a "You're crazy" or "You're nuts" on your wife or significant other during an argument.  You'll never win once you go that route.  It is up there with "Calm down" on the list of things to never say to your significant.  You may think it all day long (and trust me you will…often), but never utter the words.  Because then whatever you're arguing about takes a back seat to you belittling her.  It is classic misdirection.  I sometimes think women are emotional and crazy during arguments just so we'll say those words and open ourselves up to having to defend what we said instead of what we were arguing about in the first place.  Not only that, but you better be ready for her to continue to bring it up constantly.  I don't know what the statute of limitations is for women letting go of stupid stuff you say, but it is somewhere between 20 years and an eternity.

The point of this is to not kick knowledge to the newlyweds and men of the world.  It is more about examining my own OCD tendencies and accepting that everyone is a little bit crazy.

So on to my ticks:
  • I bite my nails while watching TV or reading something interesting.  But I hate when my nail is little bit jagged, so I bite away until it is as smooth as I can get it with my teeth alone.  Why not just use clippers and file them?  Pretty inconvenient to do while holding a book, laptop or Kindle.  Stupid question.
  • I've noticed that I almost always start this process with the pinkie finger on my right hand.  I can stop without taking care of the nails on all my fingers, but I have to make sure the corresponding finger on my other hand has been taken care of before stopping.
  • I always (and I'm saying ALWAYS) put my socks and shoes on the same way.  Left sock to right sock to left shoe to right shoe.  That is the order, and I may not deviate from it.
  • There is system to how I load the dishwasher.  It bothers me when it is not done my way.  To the point that I will complain when someone else does it for me incorrectly and will undo their work and reload it myself.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I complain when someone else has done a job for me, and I'll go back and redo it to get it right.  This system is a way to help future me do the unloading my way.
  • Every time I drive into San Francisco, I hold my breath through the tunnel on Treasure Island.  It helps the Giants win, right?
  • I always set my alarm clock for even numbers like 5:20am.
  • I also hate the volume on my car stereo or tv to be anything other than an even number.  For example a Spinal Tap concert wouldn't work for me since it goes to 11.

These are just a few of my OCD tendencies.  What things do you do either consciously or subconsciously that others might consider crazy?

1 comment:

Dani said...

These things don't seem strange at all.

I am riddled with OCD. I wouldn't know where to begin when listing my crazy.