Balancing the checkbook. I'll spend an hour tracking down a 3 cent error.

Ron

Oh goodness, this is a question that I can answer!!

EVERYTHING. I really need to give some things a break.

My desk at school is sickening to others. I'm very organized and I have everything at right angles. Everything has it's place, even the stapler. Lesson plans are always ready and in folders 2 weeks ahead of time.

My house is another story. Poor DH!!

Not too much really, but a few things.

Loading the dishwasher. DH and his whole family are very clean people, but they have a bad dishwashing gene or something. Their dishwasher looks like an explosion took place in there! I will reorganize ours, if DH loaded it. You can just fit more if it's done right!

Bread crumbs in the butter cup GROSS ME OUT!!

Also, DH would say the way I butter bread is anal. Has to be like aptosca. All of it buttered and smooth. Just tastes better that way I guess?

Well, a few things:
-towels and facecloths have to be stacked with the folds on the same side and faceing the front
-the dishtowel has to hang straight
-the bread wrapper can't be sticking out from the cupboard (DH has a bad habit of this)
-the bedspread has to be very straight
-the kitchen sink has to be empty

I guess I'm not anal about much of anything. Now, is that a bad thing, or a good thing??

Wow, the more I read here, the more things get added to my anal list.

So...is being anal a good or a bad thing in your opinion?

I would guess that being anal about everything would be bad, and cause an awful lot of stress.

Dishes stacked 'just right'
dishes rinsed until they look clean b4 going in the dishwasher (maybe a week b4 it will get run)
dining table kept totally free of any clutter-(since I finally got it cleaned, I refuse to ever let it get 'bad' again)
towels folded and put away all in the same direction.
check book balanced perfectly
picture window clean
dish washer loaded perfectly

and my newest one...no clutter in the living room, and everything beside my chair just so-so within easy reach in a basket.

Not to much here. I like my toast buttered to the edge too. Nothing I hate worse when eating breakfast out, and the toast comes with a blob in the center. I have to ask for more butter so I can finish buttering it. I hate dry toast.
Leslie

I'm getting better about this, but I've always been very anal about misspelling and misuse of words. I'd love to swap this for being more particular about things around the house!

The return address labels (the ones that you get from all those charitable foundations) must coordinate with the stamps on bills and letters I'm sending. They don't have to match, but they should repeat the colors. E.g., no purple flowers with American flag stamps. And the stamps and labels have to align just right on the envelopes. But I handwrite our return address on personal cards - Christmas, birthday, etc.

About being on time for anything...work,a gathering,when a store opens,a hair appt., "anything".

I have to have all my cubbord doors and drawers closed in the kitchen. Always.

I can't stand lights on in rooms where no one is...dates back to "turn the light off Edison is not a member of this family!"

I have a few more but that's about it for the most part.

I'm really not anal about much - DH, on the other hand, is another story! I'm very particular about being on time for everything - can't stand lateness (unless it's unpreventable, of course.)

I really have too many but I will list some:
Bathroom has to be clean, towels hung up and no toothpaste in the sink.
Bed must be made before I get back into it.
All bath towels and wash cloths must be folded and facing all the same way.
Do not have your socks on your feet with the heel on the top of your foot!
My clothes must be folded and put away a certain way.
Do not drive my truck and move my seat!!

I honestly don't think I am anal or obsessive about a single thing. I prefer to lead than follow: driver over passenger, lead another driver over follow behind, and I tend to lead a project w/others whether I am asked to or not- I just don't wait around to be told what to do. But I do not think my way is always the right way and will gladly cooperate if someone else is in the lead.

But on things like mundane chores and tasks, I say and believe, "Good enough is almost always good enough." If it won't matter a week from now, it doesn't matter now.

Ask my kids, though, they might have a list. LOL. "No helmet, no wheels!" I am a freak about that. They neighbors have heard me! Seriously, you only get one brain and you really need it, protect it!

I am easy going at home with just about everything, much too disorganized and messy for DH, who is OCD about all his clothes, tools, books, and his office. I'll find perfectly good things in the trash that he just doesn't want anymore -- it's like pulling teeth to get him to turn those items over to me so I can give them away or donate them. He says I'll just find an excuse to keep them.

BUT, when we travel, I am OCD about all my things in a hotel room, where he becomes disorganized and messy. I just have to know exactly where all my things are, I guess to ensure that nothing is missing upon checkout. Many times I've asked him "are you sure you packed such and such item?", just to have him go blank, race back to the room, and frantically look for said item.

My travel OCD drives him nuts -- he says why can't I be this way at home? I say, back at you, dude!

~ Oh.... THAT'S what anal means?... Well, all of my 'analgistics' have been mentioned except one. The bottom of my feet are rough and I can't stand for certain fabrics to rub against them, like satin or nylon. It sounds a little like velcro and makes me shiver. Yes, I could sand them down, but to get into that position makes my eyeballs pop out on two stems... ; ) Nancy

Ahhh, a subject near and dear to my heart.

What am I "anal" about??? Everything!!! Just ask the General Contractor who is remodeling my home right now. LOL

As far as non-remodel stuff ... I'm very "MONKish" about socks, they cannot be inside out. Ever.

Bed, when made, has to be perfect.

Everything that Susan_ON wrote except the part about the sink. The sink is my dumping ground. :-)

The same as Sable_CA when it comes to envelope return label colors coordinating with the stamp. Thought you were all alone on this one huh Susan? :-)

I told my husband last week after our kitchen installer stairstepped the edge of our backsplash different that I would have that some days I just hate being me. I pulled the edge complely apart and tried to rebuild it (luckily quick set wasn't used ... our general contractor must have warned her that I would probably want to change things LOL). Was unsuccessful. Could barely sleep that night but managed to doze off and come morning I headed right to the backsplash, created a template of the area and proceeded to draw exactly what I wanted. When she arrived that day to finish up the job, she took my template, removed the tiles, drew my design on the wall and went from there. Looks gorgeous, if I say so myself. :-)

Lots of dishwasher freaks so I'm not alone there.

And I'm definitely with Sooey when it comes to painting ... everything has to be exact, no drips, splatter or unevenness.

Jodi- a recovering perfectionist

I don't mean to sound judgemental of those you with long lists (b/c I really do not judge, you are who you are and that's great with me)....but

Doesn't all that "just so-ness" just wear you out? It makes me tired just reading your lists.

My DH *used* to be more anal about some things. But living with me lowered his standards. ;o) He would have driven me nuts!

I wish I were anal about some things, but the only thing I'm really anal about is punctuality. I can't stand being late and am almost always early. I have a daughter that's always running late and I guess she'll never change. I just think it's so inconsiderate to be late unless there's a REAL good reason, and I understand sometimes there are REAL good reasons!

Good grief--I'm REALLY anal. Almost all those things apply. Especially Susan_on. I bet if she thought a while she could come up with a doozy of a list, because that sounds just like me! And no cabinets opened ever. DH has had to learn with my quirky personality. Some things just drive me nuts! And he came from a laid-back family where stuff like cleaning doesn't matter that much.

To answer your question Stephanie, yes, it does wear me out which is why I mentioned that I told my husband last week "some days I just hate being me."

And speaking of lowering standards ... I found that having kids made it impossible to be a perfectionist I once was so I've loosened up considerably since our kids were born 20+ years ago. So you can only imagine ... LOL

Jodi-

Doesn't all that "just so-ness" just wear you out?

No, I don't think so, so long as someone isn't anal (a perfectionist) about everything....like I mentioned above.

I have a few things that I do (what I consider) perfectly, and wish I did a few more that way. I found it really doesn't take any more time to not let clutter 'happen' than what it takes to deal with it when it piles up. Now if I can just 'remember' that.

Sue...whose perfectly cleaned desk has gone to !@#$ with seed packets everywhere

I've also mellowed in my golden years, but I still have too many of my quirks. I'm feeling more and more normal as I read these lists tho. :) And, I've been reminded of a bunch of things I forgot to list. LOL Sheesh, I think we're all related!

Can't think of anything I'm anal about...I feel good just getting the dishes IN the DW let alone a certain way....same with towels and washclothes...long as they're clean,I don't even care if they're wrinkled! LOL! And blankets on the bed...long as I can get covered with them...fine with me.Shutting cupboard doors...I give it a swat,if it doesn't close,I'll catch it on my next trip past it! Oh my...I'm a BUM! LOL!

Cupboards,closets,drawers must be closed. My bed must be made up each day before I get into it again. Paper towel rolls and Toilet Tissue rolls hung the wrong way. Window blinds must be at an even height and venetians tilted the same way.The cleaning lady at work drives me crazy. She moves everything on my desk. I spend the first 20 minutes every Monday fixing it up again. I could go on and on!

Probably the only thing is that I'm not comfortable being a passenger in most folks' cars. I was a professional driver and I guess I think that I'm the only one who knows how to drive safely. My bad.

The only thing I could think of was wearing seat belts. I make everyone who rides with me wear them.

I have a "thing" about my hand towels in the bathroom. I wear contact lenses, and my hands must be clean, clean, clean before I mess with my eyes or my lenses. I have a towel that is "designated" as the one to dry my hands after washing them, before doing anything with my lenses or eyes. I don't want anyone else to even touch that towel. When I wash my hands for any other reason I use a different towel to dry them.

This isn't an issue here at home, because hubs knows better than to touch my "special towel." Besides, we use different bathrooms here at home (three full bathrooms in this house and there's just two of us, so we each have our own upstairs -- mine's the master and his is the hall bathroom). But when we travel and share a bathroom, I always make sure I "hide" the handtowel I use "for my eyes."

Lindsey-Wouldn't it just be easier to use a paper towel? LOL

Nope. Can't risk any lint or teensy, tiny flecks of paper getting in the eye. If you wear gas permeable contacts, you'd know what I mean. The eensiest little bitty piece of anything feels like the Rock of Gibraltar under the lens.

Too many to menton.Ive gotten pretty strict about a lot of things over the years.My family gets upset but thats the way it is.I like my house clean,things in order and when they arent Im miserable.aint changing now Im too deep.

Read Coral's post. I'm probably one of the least anal people in the world! LOL

OCD = One Crazy Dame?

Only Cluttered Daily?

Only Catty Defensively?

Often Certifiably Drunk?

Ole Certainly Dipsy

Littering. I can't stand it when someone uses the street as their personal garbage pail. I would rather keep the paper in my pocket until I find a place to throw it out.

all of the above AND the items on shelves and drawers behind closed doors must be lined up neatly facing front. I have so many others that I should seek professional help or so I have been advised by more messy members of my family LOL but I live alone and whatever I want goes.
Yes...I know I am blessed.

I require fabric to match up, if I'm buying a plaid shirt, those stripes have to line up. And the pocket, too.

And I like for new things to be installed without damage to them, nothing makes me madder than asking for help installing something only to have it scratched by someone who is in a hurry or man-handles it. If I wanted it scratched, I'd have bought a used one. Grrr. This happened yesterday and really put a damper on my day. I'm about to subscribe to DIYODS. (If you want something done right, Do It Your Own Damn Self.)

Otherwise, I'm not too anal about things around the house. I don't worry about the little stuff too much.

Jodi, I've been wondering how your kitchen remodel was going!

IM a bum with chubby rat and ya ya. NOt anal!!

I'm not anal, either! If you can't help it, get professional help! I suppose one could be anal living alone, but why drive other people nuts with it? You're the only one in your head, so unless you post rules for everybody and then make your family miserable if they don't obey, your families must all be unhappy or nervous about upsetting you. Over an open cupboard door? Or something out of place? Sheesh! Get help! Life is lovely, and way too short.

Flamingo, the kitchen remodel is going great! I am thrilled with the results. I've taken lots of pictures but because my home office is also involved in the remodel, I don't have my home computer to upload all the photos to it. But don't you worry, I will post as soon as I can.

Sherrmann, there is OCD "disorder and OCD "personality". Disorder is typically the more serious of the two and often treated. OCD personality is probably what most people who have posted their "quirks" here have. I don't obsess about anything to the point of distraction (ok, there *was* the backsplash incident but at $15/square foot, you want it to be right!). I don't make the bed over and over again until it is perfect. I only check my socks once to make sure they are not inside out, etc. It would be nice to have a more relaxed view on things but it just isn't the way I'm wired. And life *is* lovely now that I have the kitchen I've always dreamed of. :-)

Jodi-

Everything. My closet doors have to be shut. My coffee has to be made the way I like it. Empty mug, two spoons sugar, pour in the cofdfee three-quarters of the way, then the half and half. No one else can do this for me!

Sheesh Sherrmann, lighten up. First of all, as you can see by the posts, you are completely outnumbered. :D)

And, Jodi is absolutely right. Most of us are not obsessive about our 'quirks', they are just that, quirks. I don't think I drive my DH to total distraction with mine. Although I'm sure he'd like to put a knot on my head occasionally, but hey, visa versa. Usually, family members get used to each others likes/dislikes and try to oblige them. If you love someone, you will give them a little slack over their quirks and expect the same in return.

Urine! Ever since I found out that the mist from a mans urine travels about 6 feet, I've been grossed out! Toothbrushes have been replaced and nothing gets left on the bathroom counter anymore. I clean the sink daily and spray my countertops, toilets, etc, with a solution of water with a bit of bleach in it. Even my hairblower, curling irons, etc get put away out of sprays reach. Walls around the toilet get cleaned regularly. Yuch!

I have to disagree with you too, Sherrmann. They're only my little quirks. I don't ask anybody to change their ways for me. I just rearrange things to be the way I like them, and don't even mention it to anybody. In 28 years, it has nevr even come up for discussion.

I guess what might make someone think I have OCD disorder vs. just a nit-picky/quirky personality is when I said I do "MONKish" things .

Monk, "the Defective Detective" TV show is about a guy with OCD disorder. He spends a good deal of time washing his hands with a baby wipe, will only drink a certain brand of bottled water, and spends a great deal of time with his Psychiatrist. I am truly not that bad but can sometimes relate. LOL

Jodi-

OMG 6 FEET?

(Picture Stephanie's eyes bugging out, shaking all over, hands in the air, mouth agape, yet relieved that now I have a term for this problem... "urine mist.")

Man's urine mist travels 6 feet? That explains SO much in my house! Especially considering that the powder room the boys use most often is a bit smaller than 6 X 6, so now I know I'm not crazy, it IS possible the entire room has been "sprayed." And you know, I don't think that number is any less for little boys, I don't know how they have the pressure of a grown man but they DO!

I have been known to rant about the state of the bathroom because I SIT DOWN!! I know it's not mine! I want mens and womens restrooms in my house. The men's/boys' would be tiled from floor to ceiling and have a drain and hose, that's it. And I will never make DD clean the bathroom as she gets older cuz it's not hers either! (Still recovering from some childhood issues there. LOL I got in trouble once for lecturing my brother AND my father about aim after I had been assigned the bathroom cleaning duties. Should have been their job!)

Deep breath. I'm done now. I'm really not anal about that, either. It just gets to me sometimes. If I were anal I would make them sit down, and follow them in to make sure they do.

I'm with you Stephanie and luckygardnr! Men's restrooms- BLECH! I hate even sharing a bathroom with one man. I think all houses should have men and women's separate bathrooms. They make a mess, and they never do a proper job cleaning it themselves. A tiled room with a drain and and hose that combines water and bleach is brilliant!

"Anal"-gesic?

o j

I ws telling DH about this post and he reminded me that I mopped the garage floor last week. He thought I was nuts but, it's a painted floor and looked much better afterwards.

Oh Geez.. where do I start...I'm one of those people that likes the house picked up, no clutter. I always do a pass thru before bed. Always make my bed, always floss in the a.m., nothing in the kitchen sink. Never late. So many things are coming to mind.. could be here all day so I won't bore everyone. But in other areas I am totally lax, my car gets pretty dirty before I clean it, can let my bathroom turn into a disaster before I finally clean it. The worst for me is the kids absolutely have to wash their hands before they start touching food/make dinner plate. Just have a thing about that... .Add me to the list of people with OCD.. LOL

I've never heard that "a man's urine mist" can "travel about six feet." It is, however, a known fact that the spray from a flushing toilet (no matter what's in it or who put it there) can travel six feet; which is why it is recommended that the lid be lowered before flushing, and that toothbrushes, etc., not be left "out in the open."

You folks are such wonderful entertainment...I'm LMAO at you all.

Anywho, I did a search on spray from a flushing toilet and found an interesting test one can do to actually see it.

A search on the 'other' mist didn't yield anything I could post here.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Spray from flushing the toilet-a fun experiment