This is more germaphobia, but I don't like sitting in places that I know lots of other people have sat. For some reason, restaurants don't bother me but movie theaters and doctors offices do. If I thought I could get away with it, I'd bring a sheet to throw over my movie seat so I could lean my head back on the cushion.

Before I leave the house my hair has to be perfect (for me anyway). It is cut in a simple bob but shorter at the back than the front and it has to be symmetrically perfect. I've always been that way - my nickname in HS was Miss Clairol for the perfect hair. It's actually the only thing, physically, that I like about myself. There, I said it. LOL

The other thing, this is more of a princess thing, is that I hate it when my feet get wet, especially squishy wet in my running shoes. I do a lot of trail running and live in a rainy climate so I do a lot of jumping over and around puddles. My running buddies just laugh at me.

Oh yea, kellyeng, popcorn at the movies is the worst. it's not only the munching but the actual sounds of popcorn moving around in the cardboard containers.

Once the movie starts, I can't hear it anymore but waiting for the previews to start to block out the sounds is almost more than I can bear.

It's weird, I can listen to my dog chew his bone without cringing, and it's a fairly noisy, gross sound! But people eating drives me crazy!

Another divaish thing I am obsessed with is drinking anything with ice in it - I need a straw. I have a whole box of them at home and have been known to pack a few when going on vacation for using in the hotel.

I knew a friend really had me pegged when she invited us over for dinner on my birthday. She poured me a diet pepsi over ice, and put a straw in it before she handed it to me!

OMG, Bumlebeez reminded me of one diva-ish thing that always makes my family laugh and tease me . . . although I honestly think that I'm right and they are terribly misguided: there is no way in he!! that I will lay my eating utensils down on a restaurant table unless it has a fresh tablecloth on it. I always request an extra napkin to lay them on. If one falls onto the table, I request a new utensil. If a piece of food falls on a bare table, there's no way that is going in my mouth! Have you ever seen what most places wash the tables with??? It totally creeps me out! It's usually some dirty rag in a bucket of gray, dirty, tepid-to-cold water. That's going to clean germs off the table?!? Not in my book, it's not!!! The kids think it's funny or diva-ish. DH tells me that the enzymes (?) in the mouth kill most bacteria. Hey, it did NOT kill the crud that gave me major food poisoning last weekend, so that one doesn't fly with me either. Keep my flatware off the table and not touching anything including the server's hands and I can deal with it. If that makes me a diva, then I embrace it whole-heartedly!
Lynn

Oh no. I'm more of a well-rounded diva than I knew. I thought it was just coffee, but you all have brought to the surface a deeper understanding of my full-on diva personality. Crunchers/smackers - check. Utensils/food/purse off restaurant tables/bathroom counters/floors - check. Thin cheap bent flatware - check. Noise/light in bedroom - check.

Here's another one: I cannot stand walking with, in front of or behind someone who drags their feet! I've been known to alter my course to get away from them.

Java Diva

kelly and carol...what a relief to know that I'm not the only one that is driven insane by smacking/chewing sounds!

If I'm in a theater and someone is chewing on popcorn, the sound reverberates in my ears so that I cannot even concentrate on the movie dialog. And gum smacking...that drives me up the wall as well.

Now, if I'm eating something while this is going on around me, it's okay. But if I'm sitting there, not eating, I just want to jump out of my skin.

What would Freud say, I wonder?

-no ticking clocks in bedroom
-popcorn eaters in movies...or food consumption
-don't like store brand foods
-nose blowing...don't get me started on that!
-no wire/plastic hangers and clothes need to be facing
same direction grouped by color/hue
those are just the tip of the iceberg...fun thread
I thought it was just "my issues"!

awn03, fortunately I'm as far away from Joan Crawford (I saw the movie) as you can get! HA! I have always liked my closet looking like a boutique and it's silly, I guess, but, I feel like I'm putting on a new outfit each day.

A few of you reminded me of something that I am a complete diva about in the movies: Please don't sit by me with your chicken finger dinner! I only want to smell popcorn in the movie theatre! I am very sensitive to smells, I guess.

My sister has a phobia about people making noises with their mouths. I never notice, but, there have been numerous times she call her kids out for making crunching noises, etc. There actually is a phobia for it that is pretty common apparently. Heard it on Sirius radio the other day! First person I thought of was my sister!

There is a diagnosable disorder called "misophonia"--people who come unhinged at certain sounds, usually chewing, smacking, coughing, sniffling. People with this disorder can become enraged by particular sounds.

I'm married to someone with a mild version of this; my daughter has it to an extreme degree. Both of them become so distracted by these sounds that, in my husband's case, he cannot attend to a conversation--and in my daughter's case, she has to flee the scene. Her school provides bilateral sound generating devices for students with this disorder.

I'm providing a link to a NYT article about this, written by Joyce Cohen, published September 5, 2011, entitled "When a Chomp or a Slurp is a Trigger for Outrage." I'm not sure the link will work, so I've provided coordinates for a Google search.

Here is a link that might be useful: Misophonia

Misophonia, holly guacamole, I guess that's me.

The noise becomes amplified and I can't focus on anything else. I hate to say rage, but that is what I feel. I even posted something on facebook when I was in the doctor's waiting room a few weeks ago:

"Gum popping in a quiet waiting room. I can visualize myself smashing her stupid face in, over and over again."

Posting that made me feel a little better.

Oh gosh, I really should just walk away from this thread already but I have one more I just thought of: whistling. I can't stand whistling and DH is banned from doing it in front of me. I feel bad because he loves to whistle when he's happy but I just can't handle it.

Lynne, I never lay my utensils on a table either unless it has a fresh tablecloth. I usually request lots of extra napkins too.
At very casual restaurants, I make a placemat out of napkins.

Geez, this is funny. I can relate to so many of these things.

Lynn you ARE right and your family is misguided. Not only do I not let the utensils touch the table or eat anything that falls onto the table, I clean my hands with Purell or, better yet, go wash them after handling the menu. Five star or local diner, any menu. The only safe menu is a drive thru and since I don't ever do that I'm never safe. That's not diva-like, it's sensible.

Since so many of us mention the same things - hanger directions, noise eaters, avoidance of germs - I'd say it isn't diva behavior. It's normal.

I'm also very adverse to the smell of tuna fish. I've never even tried eating it because the smell just turns me off.

When I was a kid, I'd have to move lunch tables if someone unwrapped a tuna fish sandwich nearby me.

It's actually kind of sad how these weird behaviors can limit your experiences in life, but even though I acknowledge that my aversion to tuna fish is probably over the top, I still have no interest in eating it!

olliesmom, I don't think your hanger hang-up is silly at all, really, unlike my flatware fetish. I envy your lovely closet, all orderly, efficient, and clean. Mine's so awful. We need to remodel our MBR to make more space for the bath & closets. It's on our wish list. If we ever get to closet remodeling, I'll know who to ask for advice now :)

p.s. I love Joan Crawford! I always try to catch her early movies on TV.

Humming! I don't usually mind it if someone is humming a tune, but my SIL hums no discernible tune -- at the meal table! When it's otherwise quiet! Hmmmmmmm---hmmmmm--hmmmmm--hmmhmmhhhhmmm ad nauseum.

Did I just drive anyone else crazy?

I am a bed making diva - I absolutely, 100% can NOT get into an unmade bed. I don't care if it's 11 PM and I've been working all day, the bed gets made before I get in it. Also, it has to be done "a certain way," a/k/a my husband's not allowed to do it.

I'm also a smell diva. Too much perfume or cologne in a public place drives me INSANE. I've literally had movies ruined for me because a woman nearby was wearing too much perfume and it was all I could think about. Unfortunately, my son has inherited this one.

I like to think I don't have a smidge of diva in me but after reading I realize I do have a few.....

I will not leave the house without a bath or shower. I can probably count under a dozen times in my adult life where I've had to do that in order to bring someone a key or pick them up because of a dead battery or something like.

My other is feet shufflers. Pick up your feet and walk darn it!!!

Thank God there is a name for my impatience with certain noises. The one that could send me to jail is loud, bass very high, rap music streaming from a car or anywhere. I think it's the bass sound, not sure. I do know it's made me think of murder a time or two. I've fantisized about taking a shot gun and blowing the entire dash board out of cars. I know, I need help. LOL

deedee I have a sister who is manic over people who don't pick up their feet. Now that she's pointed it out to me it bugs me now also.

I heard there was a condition to explain why some people can't tolerate some noises and I'm glad there is a name for it now. I'll have a defense in court!!!

I stuff my handbags with tissue paper so they stand up straight on the shelf;
I have an empty bag on a hanger that holds the balled up tissue from a purse that is in use.

kellyeng...I am so right there with you about whistling. I've noticed it's almost always men and it seems they do it in a way that takes up "space" and announces their presence and makes it impossible to ignore them. I've been known to yell, "STOP WHISTLING!" to complete strangers.

Oh, and don't get me started about barking dogs. You better not ever let me find your phone # because you'll get a call regardless of time if your dog wakes me up barking.

And perfume!!! I've asked to have my seats moved at the ballet because another season ticket holder who sat near me at each performance doused herself to my distraction. And what about scented fabric softener sheets? I've had to get off elevators because 3 of 4 people have shopped at Costco and bought the same scented sheets. Ewww.

Omigoodness, this is an awful thread for those of us who don't WANT to be divas but the rest of the world keeps imposing itself on us.:) Maybe I'm not so much a diva as a pain in the a$$.

don't know if this is divaish or something else- I can't stand the feel of crew neck, turtle neck, or even some regular collars around my neck. I always wear v-necks, or boat or scoop neck tops. I can't stand nightgowns either, riding up and getting wrapped around my legs!

I just came back to check the responses. How could I not
have listed "WHISTLING"....and "HUMMING" for that matter
jingling coins or keys in your pocket! (usually done by
men)

Um. Almost all of the above.

"And, I drive clear across town to Sam's to buy my campari tomatoes."

*

Me too! Just drove an hour to get them yesterday. Except this year I'm already working on a garden again after several years of hiatus and plan to have my own home grown tomatoes this year, along with other vegetables.

I love my Pureology Nanoworks shampoo, linen sheets from Restoration Hardware, organic half and half, and coffee from freshly ground beans.

Also, specialty soaps, both bar and liquid, throughout the house.

That's about it.

I'm not a diva, but there is one thing that makes me cringe. What's worse is I'm in a small minority.

I hate when I go into a bathroom and the toilet paper hangs over the front!

I have one other. I almost want to puke when I see a bathroom wastebasket out in the open instead of under the sink. Even if the basket is clean I still get a disturbing visual. lol

One more from me: I cannot (well, WILL not) use a fork if one of the tines is even slightly bent and out of alignment. The "mouth feel" turns into a mental thought that makes the food taste terrible to me and makes me taste the metal of the fork tine instead.

I have asked for a different fork every time; once at a restaurant I had to go through 3 forks to get one that was OK.

Well, it's good to know I'm not the only diva in the bunch. Or maybe I should say it's disturbing to know there are so many obnoxious things going on in the world that bother us normal types :).

I admit to, as others have said, moving clocks out of the room or covering them with pillows so I can get to sleep. I once got out of bed at 2 am and drove around the block to tell a neighbor to turn down the god**mn DJ music at the party so I could get to sleep. Another time when I was an apartment dweller I actually chased a loud mockingbird around by running up and down the open air corridors with a water pistol. (I never hit it of course but it's a miracle I didn't end up Baker Acted by an alarmed neighbor) And a dog barking---grrrr. That can keep me up from many blocks away, especially because of the intermittent factor. Once I hear the yapping, I know that it's coming again....and again...and then silence and then....AGAIN.

Am also right there with the cotton nightgown crew. I can't imagine sleeping in synthetics, it would be like trying to wear a plastic bag to bed.

Divas of the world unite! As for the rest of you, carry on. But do it quietly with no loud chewing, whistling, feet dragging, perfume wearing, humming, cheap cutlery using or movie theater munching to bother the rest of us who are trying to have a nice day, thank you very much.

Ann

Ann, you have me cracking up!!! Oh, those Mockingbirds! In the summer, there's always a Mbird that sits on a tree next to the house during the night and goes through all of HIS songs. I say "his" because I later learned it's the male looking for a female.

Okay, I'm divalicious with the Sun & Daylight savings time. After a long day, I love to go to bed around 7 and watch TV..all the things I've recorded. Now that I have an iPad, it makes it a lot more fun. DH is in the next room playing on the computer. I don't close the door, it's just my private goof-off time.

But now that the sun is going down later...I hate it because it makes me feel guilty! Last summer I taped tin foil to a west window which also has an awning (back of the house, no one can see it), to keep the blasted sun from shining inside!

It's not like anyone is going to come over, but it makes me feel guilty because I should be outdoors singing like I was in Sound of Music! lol

Oakley - your comment about bathroom wastebaskets has me curious. I have my bathroom wastebaskets out because I think that if a guest needed to use one, they wouldn't feel comfortable opening up my under-the-sink cabinets to look for one. I don't think I'd feel comfortable doing that at someone else's house. Do most people put them in their cabinets? Of course I empty them constantly so there's never a bunch of junk in them.

I have visible (nice) wastebaskets in each bathroom for guests but we don't use them. The functional, plastic lined ones are in the cabinets.
The over or under toilet paper thing is settled here. Always over, maybe even folded into a point.

A waste basket could be made of gold and I still wouldn't use it at someone else's house if it were sitting out. lol.

I'm a female, and we all know what that entails. All one has to do is glance into the basket and know what I did.

I have no problem looking under the sink, that's usually where everyone I know keeps their trash.

That's why you wrap anything in toilet paper, Oakly!

But I agree, I don't like to actually see anything in my guest baskets.....

Since Artie was a paper eater I had to get rid of the open bathroom wastebaskets and bought ones with lids. Problem solved.

Carol, do you eat other seafood or does the aversion carry over?

I can handle lids, then I quickly throw stuff away! lol.

gail618, I would never think to hide my bathroom wastepaper basket. There is nothing in it to deserve hiding. I keep the bathroom doors closed so the cats can't knock them over and root for empty toilet paper rolls.

I hate that I have to hide my kitchen can due to lack of floor space. I would much rather have my old foot controlled lid one that I had at my last house. Having to open the cabinet every time I need to access the trash is a PITB and the thought of garbage inside the cabinet creeps me out. I empty it often.

TP always hangs in back of roll. After many years of marriage DH finally gets it.

When I open a container of yogurt or cottage cheese I know I won't eat whatever is left in the container but I won't throw it out just in case I can bring myself to finish it the next day or so which I never do and end up throwing it away a few days later anyways. DH says I should buy the small sizes cause I waste so much but I tell him "its so expensive for the small ones and this time I will finish it"
meanwhile I'm throwing out the large size .... go figure.

I cannot eat butter that has any toast crumbs in it or has been gouged in the centre instead of used on the sides.

HIW, at least we have the toilet paper thing in common! lol

It doesn't bother you that your dh or guests can see feminine products in your trash can? I have my own bath so thank goodness dh doesn't see mine. I'm very "private" in that area. :)

We have a medium size trash can under the kitchen sink, which slides out. I empty it every day, and since we have a nice compost container next to the sink, there's no smell coming from the kit. trash.

Now if I'm doing a lot of baking and cooking, I set the trash next to me while filling it up.

If I were disposing of things like you are talking about, Oakley, I would only use my master bath which has the trash in the cupboard. But I leave the other bathrooms' baskets out to see, for guests. I don't think most people would feel comfortable opening someone's bathroom cabinets.

I've never seen an "unmentionable" in my guest bathroom trash. I think most people know to discreetly wrap up those things in toilet paper.

Our dog used to rummage through wastebaskets , unwrap and drag those unmentionables through the house as trophies; I learned fast to
empty the guest bathroom trash asap. eeewwwwwwww.

I think you are all pretty tame divas, nothing outrageous above, it all seems
"normal' to me, lol....

My dog's tick tacking around on the hardwood floors. She nervously paces when DH is not home.

And my biggest pet peeve which makes me a diva: The constant droning of lawn equipment all summer long. I wish my town would pass an ordinance that it can only be done on certain days of the week, so we don't have to hear it every day. I can't enjoy being outside with the droning of it. UGH

Oak, like Kelly said, they are wrapped in toilet paper and I've yet to have a guest leave an unmentionable in my trash ever. Then again I don't have a lot of company. LOL As for me, I'm past the unmentionables in life. Hurray!!

My "diva" moments are: 1)NO wire hangers anywhere in my home; no wet, dripping lettuce in salads (especially in a restaurant); no crumbs in butter, jam, or peanutbutter; and my biggest one: no useless or broken items around the house, whether it's a TV remote, small appliance, or I don't care what it is; if it doesn't work and can't be repaired, it must go (same principle applied to my ex-hubbies, too).

Natal, I do not like fish in general - although I have sampled salmon and mahi mahi. It's fishy taste/smell that gets to me.

I do love shellfish - shrimp, crab, lobster - but do admit that I can't think about their natural forms too much or it ruins the taste for me. I can't do a whole lobster - just the tail!

Susie, I also cringe at crumbs in the butter. Add on to that peanut butter in the jelly or vice versa. My DH has a horrible habit of not cleaning his knife off before sticking it into the jelly jar when making PB&J. Very cringe worthy!!

I cannot stand the smell of tuna and my husband is forbidden to eat it in my presence. I also detest the smell of mayonnaise so the 2 together are particularly gag-inducing. I do love all sorts of seafood but can't eat shellfish (due to an allergy) and won't eat tuna. Maybe my strict no tuna, no mayo, oh yeah and no bacon either, rules are what really make me a diva. Some divas demand only green M&Ms, I limit my husband's lunch choices.

RE: powder room trash cans - my husband's uncle is insulin dependent diabetic. Once he gave himself a shot and left the syringe in my powder room trash can. I would imagine he has a method to dispose of those things at home so why wouldn't he just bring it back home with him? I don't expect guests to carry out their own trash but something about leaving a needle & syringe just strikes me wrong.

I think that I should have my DH read this thread so that he can appreciate my un-divaness! (comparatively speaking) Of course I have my own peeves and preferences, like I absolutely cannot stand to wear men's T-shirts, not because they are uncomfortable, but because I look bad in them. I won't even wear them to bed.
I do like perfect temperatures, and don't particularly like sunbathing. A few minutes is okay, but I prefer shade, because I don't like to get too hot, and I especially don't want to get burned. We just got back from a few days in Mexico, and I had to find spots where I could have shade and my husband could have sun. I'm also picky about where I'm seated in a restaurant. I hate to be anywhere drafty.

That's why they're labeled men's t shirts, we're not supposed to wear them, the cut is remarkably unflattering to women anyway, too boxy.

susie, I'm with you on not hoarding the broken items. My DH likes to "hold on" to things even if we haven't used them in ages or they don't work. I gave him a pot to throw out and don't you know he put it in the garage!! He thinks it's not ready to be thrown out and my argument was "are you going to cook something in it?" Of course the answer was no, so then it went in the garbage. It was a non stick and the surface was getting worn which is not healthy to cook in. Ahh men, they love to collect and hold on to cr@p. The other day I threatened to turn him in to one of the hoarding shows on TV. That got his attention so I think we'll start cleaning out the garage that is full of his trash, in the next couple of months.

I'm sorry I went off topic a bit there. I'm sure we could start a whole other thread about men and their collections.

My husband saves used nails. If they are crooked, he straightens them out. Nails are really cheap, so I don't understand!