Quirks:

Bed has to be made in the morning and pillows displayed suitably

I'm really quirky about being on time for appointments

When groceries get delivered or I come home with groceries, whether they are perishable or not they have to be put away right away within the next hour or so, I never leave random bags of groceries sitting there.

I'm happy this post got lots of replies ! I think I could be "related" to alot of you !! LOL

Ha ha, Amylou! My husband doesn’t keep the toothpaste boxes (he doesn’t get the chance to do so), but whatever else he can save he will. Why would you keep sawhorses in a box? He has 5 times the amount of clothes as I do, too. Because one day he will fit into them again. I have quirks, too. If my daughters are home and cooking something, I am constantly cleaning after them while they are doing so. Drives them nuts.

Iris, that used to drive me nuts when I would cook at my parents house. I would reach for something i JUST took out, and like a ninja, they (usually my dad, but mom sometime too) would have swooped through and put it back before I used it.

I have a couple.

One is my lists. I make lists for everything. Thing to do today, this week, long term, grocery lists, bucket list lists, errand lists and so on. All of those lists have several things in common. They must be written in my handwriting only. If someone writes on my lists, I have to start a new list and throw the old one away. They must be written not only in the same color ink but with the same pen. If things are not being crossed off of the list, I add tasks that I have completed and then cross them out. When I start a list it must be started on a clean piece of paper. It doesn't matter if the paper is an envelope or scrap paper, but nothing can be written on it previously, although its ok if something has been written on the other side.

I like things to line up in an orderly fashion. I will square up items with the corners or edges of a table, counter top or dresser. If the items are sitting on tile, I line them up with the grout lines. Cans and jars must be lined up in orderly rows. Towels must be hung so that they are centered on the towel racks. The flooring in our bathroom was installed slightly crooked and I am forever trying to line up the bathroom rug with the floor and the walls. Of course, I never succeed, which bugs me every time I'm in that room.

I was once waiting in the exam room to see my doctor and there were three boxes of gloves that were crooked. I couldn't relax (as much as one can relax in a doctor's office) until I lined them up so that all were straight.

DarwinCal ....I'm glad you posted ! Actually , they aren't quirks to you . It's part of your normal life :) ((((((( Hugs )))))))))

I guess this is a quirk, after reading a short story by Stephen King many years ago, I haven't been able to sleep in a room with the closet door open or cracked...cracked is worse. It has to be closed all the way. Doesn't make sense because my bathroom door is wide open, if something was in there it could still get me, right? lol. I even crack bathroom doors in hotels with the light on so I can see when I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. There was a closet in one of our rooms in Monterey, the first place we stayed in, we kept hearing noises from that part of the room all night long. Lauren wanted me to check on it, but I refused to open the door until the next day.

I am quirky about germs on living beings. If I shake hands with a person I would want to wash my hands before I would eat a sandwich. However I can groom a horse including hoof picking with bare hands and eat a sandwich or other hand held food at the same time.

Same with bodily fluids. Just the word drool bring on the retch response when referring to humans. Mention how something makes you drool and I am done! However I can sit across from a large drooling dog with zero problems. actually I can deal anything that exits an animals body far better than human.

A quirk DH and I both share is that 3-way wall switches have to be in the down positions at each area at the end of the day. We know it's ridiculous but there you have it.

I do have mild OCD. I am a counter and cleaner (hand washer) under stress. But OK most of the time. For the poster who asked, yes OCD is considered a hereditary condition. DS had an extremely severe time with it during early pre-adolescence.. With medication and therapy he was able to conquer it. He couldn't even leave his room at times with the counting, the rituals like avoiding stepping on shadows etc. It would even visit him as night terrors where he would count as a sleepwalker. He has a superior math brain.

Toomuchglass,

No.2 ... and you were a cut-up as a kid, I suppose?

No. 3 in how many colours, pray? And you find it useful/have learned how to use two/(three?) at a time?

aok and bpath ... I count steps, as well. And other things when it isn't indicated.

Not a quirk , but when making a long list, e.g. weekly prices of a dozen or so items side by side for a year, I may use a red pen for Jan. and a green for Feb, etc., alternating month by month for easier scanning, and a blue pen for each item during Jan and black for Feb., etc.

Can't think of any more at the moment.

ole joyful

Does going to the library every Wednesday for over 40 years a quirk?

I am so enjoying this thread. I can relate to quite a few, and I just think you are all delightful.

I don't know if I have any, but I can tell you a *lot* of quirks that DH has!!

Every night before dinner he has a drink with cheese and crackers. He breaks the crackers into little squares and cuts the cheese up finely so he can keep snacking without eating too much. And *every* night when he decides he's had enough, he says, "Nuff cheese".

Nope, I'm pretty sure I don't have any quirks though!!

Hahahah!

I might have 50 scissors in my house, but they are all kinds of scissors, and I like to keep scissors at hand for ready access. I do not consider this hoarding because I use all the scissors I have. I have several pairs in my sewing room and at least four or five in the kitchen. I also have several gardening scissors, including one pair that I use pretty much only for harvesting herbs.

I have three fountain pens and four different colors of ink. I use mostly shades of blue. One bottle of ink is a purplish blue (asa-gao) and the other is a slightly greenish blue (kon-peki) - like a dark turquoise. I also have regular blue and black but seldom use the black. The bottles of ink are Japanese.

We have a lot of little notepads, but they are left to us by realtors, and we use them for making shopping lists. I rarely shop without a list.

One quirk I have is that I turn my phone off in the evening (to save the battery) and then don't turn it back on the next day until I feel like it. I pretty much dislike texting and seldom do it, except in extreme situations where it is really necessary.

I don't have as many quirks as I used to. I used to always match my underwear to my socks, and I have a large collection of vintage sunglasses that I don't wear anymore because I stopped wearing contact lenses. When a friend I was visiting in Seattle asked me to go somewhere on his motorcycle with him, I asked him what color it was so that I could wear the appropriate color sunglasses. I also used to call airlines to ask them what color schemes the plane interiors were so that I would not wear something that clashed. I have shoes in almost every color.

I always wash my dishes by hand and I always wash the least dirty on up to the most dirty. I place them in certain places in my dishwasher which I only use as a drying rack.

I do count the steps (even though I know how many there are) when I am carrying the laundry basket down into the basement but that is mainly to know when I reach the bottom - don't want to misstep.

I also keep a pair of holey jeans that I don't wear in public. I wear them in the house when all the good pairs are in the laundry.

I take my shower in the exact same way every time. That way I don't have to think if I washed my face or not. LOL

My quirks are more of an obsession, being influenced. I get stuck, as I put it. Focus & put my energy into that one "thing". I call it a phase.

Watchmelol, you wouldn't like sitting and eating with a bunch of nurses, then. We can eat and talk about all kinds of body fluid/products/wound smells, etc...while eating our lunches. lol. I do wash my hands a lot though. We stopped in a truck stop on the way to California and a lady was washing her hands at the sinks at the same time I was. She washed her hands a little longer than I did, used a paper towel to turn the water off and came right behind me with a paper towel to open the door too. I wanted to ask her if she was a nurse because I do the same. If there are no paper towels and I have to open a door, I used my jacket or shirt to open it instead of my hands.

One quirk is keeping napkins in my car side pocket....a quirk: I prefer the tan ones like from Starbucks, Jamba Juice or Rubios...OCD: would be ONLY being able to use tan napkins. OCD is an anxiety disorder. DD was diagnosed in 4th grade and had issues at that time...she saw a therapist for a while and it helped her through. I see some things she does now that surely are OCD related but nothing that is keeping her from functioning in her daily life.

I also hand wash my dishes and use a very specific order (glasses first, then plates, then flatware, bowls and serving dishes) so that I fill the drainer the way I like it.

My other quirk is being in the appropriate lane when driving. I memorize my exits and get into the correct lane way ahead of time to avoid not being able to get over. Hubby frustrates me because he waits until the last moment to get into the right lane.

If I have to use the restroom while I'm out and all the stalls are empty I use the furthest one from the door unless it's a handicapped one, then the next one near it.

It drives me nuts if I am wearing nude colored underpants, forget to check the color of my underpants and then put on a white bra. Augh! What if I were in an accident?

DH, when drinking anything out of an aluminum can, ALWAYS squeezes the can between his fingers as soon as he opens it to create a dent right below where he takes a drink. He says it's because when he was a teenager he spent a lot of time in his smalltown pool hall and he wanted to be sure he didn't pick up someone else's Pepsi and take a drink! Now that's quirky. He hasn't played pool for 25 years, but he still dents his can. Every single time - beer, Pepsi, flavored water, whatever.

I'm not sure why but urinal users in public restrooms these days seem to have trouble aiming for the fixture without hitting the floor. No matter whether the fixture is on the wall or extends down to the floor, the floor around it will be wet. Sometimes wet enough that it isn't possible to avoid standing on a wet surface when using it. It's disgusting. I've joked about it with friends and most seem to have had the same experiences as I have.

So, I will usually go for the urinal farthest (not furthest) from the door because such fixtures tend to be used less and the floor will be less wet.

Not an idiosyncrasy in my book but y'all can weigh in if you need to.

^^^NOT quirky at all Elmer. That floor sounds disgusting! ^^^

I don't like to talk on the phone....at least not idle chit chat. If you call for a reason, get to the point. However, if someone calls me, and they keep talking, I will stay on the phone and talk. You would never know I don't like talking in the phone. I also don't like reading or checking my email. And if anyone has ever called me, or I have had to deal with a business or whatever, I put the number in my phone. I have a system....since names go in alphabetically, my husband, daughter and a couple of friends are listed regular alphabetically. All others have an X in front of their names. Doctors, vets and pharmacies have a Y and stores, restaurants and other businesses have a Z.

I don't keep stuff in my refrigerator for days on end. If I have left overs that I really like, I will eat it the next day. Very rarely for 2 days, and I can't think of any left over I would keep for 3. I also replace salad dressings, ketchup, mayo, etc. every few weeks...like monthly.

I am very seldom sick, but if I am in a store and someone sneezes or coughs, I will turn and go 2 or 3 aisles over. I do the same thing if I see someone I know, even people I like just fine, because I don't want to talk to them. That is mostly because I am usually in a hurry and I have so much to do at home.

I really do like to be by myself most of the time. I don't get it that some people need others around them all the time. The concept is very foreign to me.

Kathsgrdn - I wash up in a public restroom the same way. It skeeves me out how so many people touch the tap bare handed, barely get their finger tips wet and call that washing up. If a facility isn't stocked with soap and towels I will forgo the sink entirely and use disinfecting wet wipes. I always carry several packets with me. I also try to avoid gripping door handles anywhere, especially during cold and flu season. I push with my hip or side or if I must use a handle I will do as you do or just use a finger.

pekemom - I once read somewhere that the stall in a multi stalled restroom nearest the door is often the cleanest since most people choose to use the stalls farther away.

Interesting reading others quirks. I don't think I'm very quirky, I do occasionally straightening things when I'm in the store, for instance; I will grab an item and maybe straighten something next to it if it's particularly messed up. Nothing major, but I have been known to straighten a package or two. HAHA! I thought of another thing that I do that may be considered a quirk, I talk in different voices, different accents throughout the day. Especially talk all sorts of different voices to my dog, mostly baby talk with her. I had never thought about it until one day I was watching Zabrena on youtube and thought to myself, "I wish she'd stop talking in those dumb voices" and then realized that I do the exact same thing all the time. HAHA!

My husband is the quirky one but after reading these posts, I'm thinking that his quirks are not all that bad!!!! Stirring his coffee 50 times *jingle jingle jingle* is weird and he always always slurps his coffee. I finally said something about it a long time ago and he said it was because it was too hot. Well, I think that after it's been sitting there for an hour, it's not really hot any more. It's just a habit I guess but it is very annoying listening to that slurping. But these are pretty minor annoyances.

I saw a cashier in my favorite grocery store in their restroom one day. Did NOT wash her hands. To this day I cannot go on "miss dirty hands" check-out lane.

I thought of another one, which is a bit obscure. It came to me yesterday was I was working on a home renovation project. I hate having mess inside the walls of a building. In our rentals and in our house, if ever we have to open up a wall, I'm always vacuuming to get the sawdust or little bits of stuff out. I just don't want dirt inside the walls. My husband thinks I'm nuts because "it won't show." Well, it stll doesn't need to be there!

Once, in one of our rentals, we found the stub of a cigar balanced on a horizontal framing board. It obviously had been there for 30-some years.

Finally thought of one on myself: if I'm snacking on almonds, it needs to be an odd number. If I go back for a second snack "soon enough", then it needs to be an even number to preserve the overall odd-number. This is only almonds. Other nuts or goldfish or cookies, don't matter. I don't know why.

Thought of another one. This one me and SO share. I/we cannot sleep in a completely darkened room. Or in dead silence. We both prefer to sleep with the TV on, with the volume very low. I will usually go to the DVR and hit play on one of the groups of shows I have already seen so I am not interested in staying up to watch it. Lately it's been "Beat Bobby Flay." Nothing too riveting. I cannot go to sleep if there is something on the TV that I don't like or don't watch. And if I wake up and there is something on TV that I don't like i have to change the channel or go back to my DVR,or I cannot go back to sleep.

LOL!! You are all a bunch of freaking weirdos!! I guess I must not have any quirks or no bizarre idiosyncrasies because none of ths stuff bothers me in the slightest!!

I don't care what color ink I use - as long as it is readable, it works! I tend to shy away from colors like turquiose, pink or purple because they are just unprofessional and makes me think a teenage girl is writing!.

I don't worry about making my bed - I use only a duvet so a simple fluffing is 'making the bed'.

I have no issues about washing dishes or loading a dishwasher, lights on when I sleep (or any noises as well - it would take a nuclear explosion to disturb my sleep!!), matching underwear, matching sox (I have actually been gifted with sets of 3, mismatched sox intended to be worn together....or not). I do make lists but am not compulsive about them. And often forget them after making them. It is the process of writing things down that serves the purpose for me.

And I have never counted anything that didn't need counting :-))

Garden - I think many of the things listed here are preferences and we all have a few of those. Some are ways to avoid illnesses such as the public restroom stuff. Some are to help with less than perfect memory such as making lists and organizing clothes. Some are from habit.

I think the difference between preferences and quirks are that preferences have a logical reason for doing them. An example would be sleeping in a dark room, why, because as we age we produce less the sleep hormone melatonin and darkness stimulates the production of melatonin. An example of illogical behavior would be refusing to finish the last part of a drink.

A logical reason?? None of those listed seem the slightest bit logical to me :-) Except for maybe washing hands. A 'quirk' is "a peculiar behavioral habit".....so no reason a preference is not a quirk if it is not a standard practice.

btw, I am not criticizing....everyone is entitled to whatever quirks they care to foster :-) I just think they are all pretty bizarre and living with someone who exhibited even a few of these quirks would drive me nuts!!

I don't know if this is a quirk but I have to have money all facing the same way and organized according to denomination.

I organize my money the same way, Terry. It just seems logical so you know what you have and where it is. Not quirky IMO....

Marcopolo, you are actually protecting your health by eliminating light in your room when you are sleeping -- according to some recent research. I try to do the same, but my neighbors are close and fond of very bright porch and side door lights, so I haven't eliminated the light leakage around the blinds yet -- and I hate waking up to dark in the morning so I won't go full light blocking window treatments.

I also hate having the closet door ajar in my bedroom. It must be shut.

One of my quirks is that when I pick up a magazine or newspaper, I always start to look at it from the back (the last page) and work my way forward. I've no idea why, but I have done so since I was a child. I also tie my shoelaces backwards, compared to most people.

I can't sleep without fans running in the house. I've tried and never could adjust even after weeks. The fans came back on.

I like to go grocery shopping on the same day and at the same time each week.

When eating ice cream, I stir it until it is like soft serve. Always have. By the way, I don't like soft serve, which I consider fake ice cream.

I would have to give Gardengirl the Don Rickles award.

I have to make the bed, complete with the shams and two throw pillows every day. When either daughter come to visit,I have to restrain myself from going into their bedrooms and making the beds.

Does coming here to tease you folks on occasion ...

... qualify as a quirk?

Many of the things that people here have felt that they need to do, or avoid, seem inconsequential to me.

I don't seem to have trouble getting to sleep, sound or none, light or none, soon after my head hits the pillow - I'm in dreamland.

ole joyful

They must make blackout blinds on a timer. That way raee you could have your darkness and your light too. :) Now I want those. Anyone a good inventor?

A quirk of mine is that my imagination could run my life if I don't watch it. Which I do.

In my imagination I'm a female knight in shining armour. Saving the day the child the animal the ocean the country the planet the universes etc. You get the picture. I allow these flights of fancy for a bit just before sleep.

By day I'm a timid mouse who fights most of me to face even people who never see my face.

Yes blackout shades are available with a remote control. We have a large window in the living room that is not easy to reach. The remote puts it in any position you want. Never checked on remote control blinds, but I know they make blackout style, i have a few.

I have had lots of laughs reading your 'quirks' and it helps to know I'm not alone. These are things not typically discussed with family or friends, probably because the subject just never comes up.... I have one quirk I try to eliminate - I don't look for things to count but I look for numbers to add! Any group of numbers, however small or large, I must work to come up with a total of some sort! Even if I'm thinking about 4 other things at the same time. It doesn't matter if it is a short license number or a long account number, I must find the total! Thanks, all!

gardengal, you seem to have this strange quirk of speaking your mind ;-) Ha! Now you're part of the club!

Many (many) years ago while in high school, a friend noticed that I wrote my notes on only one side of the page, leaving the back of the sheet blank. Apparently she thought that was quirky since everyone else wrote on both sides. I'd never thought about it and to this day, can't explain why.

I used to do that, jersey girl, until I started working for a professional who chastised me about it. There’s a time and place to be frugal, he said, but writing on both the front and back on a paper is not one of them.

marilyn_c - I am your opposite regarding ice cream. I can't stand regular ice cream that is too soft. It has to be firm. The minute it starts visibly melting I am done. On the other hand I like soft serve. But if it gets soft enough to drip I am done at that point too. But good soft serve is actually more stable than ice cream in many ways.

That's funny - I'm a habitual, incorrigible ice cream masher!

Things hanging on the wall must be straight.

I have literally sat on my hands at my daughters to keep from straightening a picture. I think she tilts them when she knows I am coming over. LOL

I have straightened them at my doctors office and other places.

My husband is OCD over many things. Silverware in the drawer comes to mind, he prefers them neatly nestled by type. Sometimes I intentionally just mess them up just to bug him.

Oh THAT'S where my daughter gets it!

Whenever I am using my daughter’s bathroom at her home I fold the end of the toilet paper into a point. I’ve recently started doing the same at my best friends.