LOL. Your boots are exactly like my cat's paw right now. She had surgery so they shaved one arm and gave her an Ugg!!!!

And I am like you with the morning thing, except I neeeeeeeeeed coffee. Badly.

I like to set the alarm clock and microwave with palindromes. I have no idea why. I especially like setting the alarm for a 7:00ish time, so it can also be a plane (7:37, 7:47, etc.)

I do the counting hours thing like that too! I have no clue why.... maybe we're both crazy.

OMG, I totally do the hour counting thing too...

Oh my GOD!!! I do that too! The counting the hours on your fingers thing! Except I go, "One-to-two, two-to-three, three-to-four, four-to-five." I don't use the "o'clocks." AND, I cannot tell time on a digital clock. I have to have a clock with a face. If I look at a digital clock (stove, microwave, computer) and have to figure, say, what time it'll be in 20 minutes, I have to LOOK AT MY WATCH in order to figure it out. AND count on my fingers.

i do the hour counting thing on my fingers. and when i play a board game, i have to count out each move. my 4 year old niece on the other hand can bounce around the board accurately with ease. by the way, i'm very good with the maths so it's not a numbers thing. joe thinks i may be slightly autistic -- but his sister, an occupational therapist disagrees. maybe i too am just retarded.

by the way, just so you can be jealous, no morning routine. every morning -- a friggin' free for all living on the edge -- only thing i need is the coffee.

maybe you need coffee.

LOL.. another for the clock thing.. who knew there were so many of us retarded knitters out there! XD

WAIT!!!

YOU MEAN I AM NOT ALONE WITH THE CLOCK THING?????

Jennifer laughs at me every single time I do this. In fact, I never noticed it before she pointed it out to me, and laughed, and now I'm really self-conscious about it. But of course knowing there are others out there who do this makes me think we were all either 1) taught this way in kiddie school or 2) we are all geniuses and we rise above others in out special way or 3) we're just special. Hmmmm.

Also, I don't say the "o'clock" part either, I was just explaining it that way because I thought no one else counted that way and would have no idea what I meant. OH MY GOD. I love ya'll. I am not alone. Freaky? Maybe. But alone? NO NO NO!! :)

5, 37, 6, 12, 2, 02, 1, 21

execute

Confessing to the clock thing! Although I know why I do it. Round numbers = alarm going off the first time. Strange numbers = snooze going off and you better get your ass out of bed.

Basically I'm trying to scam myself out of a snooze :( Could... snooze... forever...

I do the same thing with setting my alarm clock and the microwave oven timer. I got married last November and the alarm clock thing makes my husband insane. He had to get his own so he could set it at 5:30 or 5:45. I set it at 5:33 or 5:47. I think it has something to do (for me at least) with those few extra minutes of glorious sleep. I thought I was the only one with this problem.

I set the microwave for 1 minute 11 seconds or numbers in sequence...2 minutes 34 seconds.

Another for the clock thing! I'm sorry, but I happen to like my green beans cooked for exactly 4 minutes and 46 seconds. What's wrong with that?

Not a thing. Nope, none at all. Not me.

Thank you for the public service of reminding everyone that this is perfectly normal.

Totally! One-to-Two, Two-to-Three .... with fingers.

Ditto on the hours/fingers/counting thing.

Clock setting - I do the same thing, too. See, waking up at exactly 7:00 AM is too regimented. Too military. 7:04 or 6:57 is free-spirited. It's flexible. It's -ish. It's like I'm sticking it to the man.

Here's another one of your idiosyncrasies: You spell idiosyncrasies ideosyncrasies. :)

Someone at our office poops only too well at work: An email went out yesterday about using the plunger in the event you clog a toilet. Ew . . .

And my boyfriend used to set the alarm for odd times, too.

You are so fucking funny! I just love you! (In that normal, friend thing way, not the weird, stalker thing way). Just wanted to share that I am on Vicodin this week as I pulled my back out and this means that I am knitting on a stockinette blanket all week since I can't even manage ANYTHING else knitting-wise AT ALL.

I do the exact same thing with time. Seriously.

And when I read your post quickly, I thought you were calculating how much time you had to fart. Which I do not do. :P

laurie, you didn't tag anyone hint hint

I do the finger/hour/counting thingy too. And I'm perfectly normal *twitchspazzsnort*

:)

Sorry I made you self-conscious about the finger counting thing. Someone else did it at school recently,and I laughed then as well. I think it's cute! Do you think I need to mention to them that many people do it and it's not something to feel self-conscious about or will that just make it worse? I am feeling really guilty! I just thought it was cute. You know, just like how every time we're shopping I try to head back where we came instead of forward when we come out of a store.

Laurie I feel your pain. I get called the compulsive door checker coz I check a door a bazillion times and the stove 3 or 4. Takes me an extra 10 minutes to leave in the mornings because of all the checking.

Then half the time a mile up the road I turn back around and go check again. They tried drugs but they made me so sick to my stomach I said forgetaboutit.

I don't have the clock thing though that's just plain WIERD LOLOLOLOL.

My OCD is my parents fault my Dad's the same way.

Oh shit! Tagging! Um... I'm bad at team sports.... can I tag everyone? Everyone. Consider yourself tagged.

Yesss I know I canot type or spel for crap. whooopss.

Anyone who sees me mow the lawn or clean the house would know I am not even remotely OCD. More like "all over the place." (I like to start the lawn from a different part of the yard each time.) And yet.

My alarm has been set for 5:09 for weeks, but recently, I started sleeping in until 5:27. What's the problem?

And I admit that last week I called a neighbor to check and see if I had left my oven on. I had not.

My husband counts hours that way.

Your morning routine seems not so much O/C as sensible. Try having kids and no routine. We're lucky anyone ever makes it to school around here.

Keep writing. I'll keep reading. You are too funny.

Going "big potty" at work? Of course not. Unlike in outer space, sound travels in office space. Try dropping a pineapple in the toilet and you'll know why I abstain until I get home.

Oh sh*t...did I leave the oven on? I have exacly (2:30-3:30, 3:30-4:30, 4:30-5:30, 5:30-6) three and a half hours until I can go home to find out!!!

I also started the dishwasher then immediately left for work. The only appliance I won't run while I'm away is the dryer, I acutally *have* known people whose houses have caught fire from the dryer.

Check the stove? The oven?! Like, who even cooks?!?!

-D.

Should I be worried if all 5 of your idiocyncracies seem totally normal to me??

Me too! With the counting hours thing! I thought I was the only one. This is just one of the many reasons that I LOVE Crazy Aunt Purl! Love you!

Idiosyncracies? What idiosyncracies...doesn't everyone HAVE to follow their morning routine?
And the counting hour-to-hour thing...I do that.
And the bathroom thing... Public restrooms are so public. Which is the opposite of private.
And the hairspray in high school...try growing up in Pine Bluff, AR...talk about your old southern towns. Me and the Aquanet, we had a bond.
I think I'll go home and pull out my hot rollers

A friend of mine does the odd-numbered-times thing, setting the microwave to 3:16 and such. He said it was so when the pod people come down from space and take over his body, you'd know he was a pod person then and not him because suddenly he'd be microwaving everything exactly 2:00 minutes.
Works for me.

Okay, I'm really laughing now. I think you should start a meme - state your idiosyncracies......

I am sending this post to a friend of mine who believes that I am insane because I once drove forty miles round trip at midnight to make sure I had turned my curling iron off. I have also outfitted two of my friends with keys in the event that I am a thousand miles away and suddenly can't remember if I unplugged the toaster.

I read "Cheaper by the dozen" as a kid which prompted me to start living an efficient life, so I program my microwave using two nearby buttons (1:21 or 2:32). I also really love when the time is some palindrome or 7-11 or 757 or my birthday. These aren't idiosyncrocies; there little bits of fun wrapped up in life. At least, that's how I choose to look at them!

Oh - and no pooping at work. But I do know a gentlman who was just the opposite - poop at work with an industrial toilet. It'll get the job done.

holy cow - I thought I was the only onw who set the clock to odd times - my boyfriend just laughs at me now and says do you want the alarm set to 5:30 or 5:32? not only are there two of us - it seems that there are many

One more for the count your fingers to get the time group! But I may have you all because I am an engineer; I live with the math and the science and that whole counting thing. As for the first idiosyncracy, I can't pee if there are one of those strange people that stand at the sink in a bathroom and talk on a cell phone while putting on their lipstick. CREEPY! I SWEAR they are LISTENING to me pee! OK, so maybe I have a few small issues but damn people after you wash your hands leave the bathroom!

I am so glad to see that "I" am not the only one with the clock thing. And to think, people laughed at me with the way I set the clock!

i count on my fingers too!!!!!!

I count hours like that too... and I set weird times on the microwave ANR my alarm. The alarm is because I figure in my sleepy haze that if it goes off at 8:13 then I won't (in that state) be able to figure out that it will again go off in ten minutes and so I'll stay half awake partly trying to figure it out and partly to make sure I don't miss the alarm and so I won't be late :)

OK, the cats get fed first,of course, but I don't see your breakfast in your morning routine.

we are made from the same ingredients.

so i'm guessing you smell like cookies, too.

or is that an id-eee-oh-sink-rassie?

I also do the counting the hours things. I do months that way too...January to February, February to March, March to April, that's three months, not the tricky four that it seems to be.

Oh, and I have my Uggs on today too. I have been wearing them since the beginning of September. They are The Best. However, I live in Pennsylvania, where it is definitely Autumn, so maybe it's not quite the big deal for me as it is in the Land of the Movie Stars...

Umm, yes, the time thing is kinda retarded. But I have a theory that everyone in the fucking world is somewhat retarded-many just hide their retardashisness, better than others.

I agree with the alarm thing - I have no idea why I am compelled to set it for a bizarre time. I like Aradi's theory (see comment above) that it tricks the sleeper into thinking she already snoozed.

Oh god.

I count on my fingers for everything, not just hours. I'm so math retarded it's sad. That's why knitting intimidates me so much, and I only do scarves...I just knit til it looks long enough to loop around my neck 3 or 4 times (yay for ohio and looking like an eskimo from december til mid-may). The counting stitches? Forget it. Your cute little ugg booties? Next life, maybe.

I'm so glad there is somebody else out there that has strangeness permeating their lives. You can check out my list. I'll gladly do this meme. Thing is, I don't know if I can stop at 5...

LOL! I used to count that way when my time at my job was billed out, can't say I used my fingers though. Now, I just wing it.

I lay claim to the straightest hair on the planet.

I have found that if I dry my hair and put velcro rollers in when the hair is still hot, then spray the bejezzes out of it with hair spray (and keep it in long layers and cut frequently), I can get a nice style....for about an hour.

Unless it rains. ;-)

Maybe it is all a southern thing. I'm from South Texas and I fall into 4 of the 5 categories. And I'll spare you a discussion on why I don't fit into #1 even though falling #2 makes me want to so badly.

count me as one more girl who does the count-the-hours-on-the-fingers thing.

also? i used hot rollers this morning and didn't know i shouldn't. of course i'm from the same neck (the red one) of the woods as you, so maybe it is a texas thing. its actually my short cut day cuz the hot rollers take less time than the curling iron, but they make my hair almost too curly so its a last resort. i'm pretty sure annie hair was never in fashion - not even in Boerne.

OMG--the deodorant! I keep some in my desk at work just in case I don't remember if I put it on or not. I'm also an oven checker and set the clock for odd times.

Okay...yes, apparently that is the way to count, except that I tend to do it on the quarter and half hours marks.

Morning routine: I wish I had one. Can one will oneself to be OCD? I have to keep extra deodorants at work and in the car, because I am mentally incapable of remembering to do the same thing the same way twice...If I had kids, I'm sure I'd forget to feed them breakfast on occasion...no lie...I overfeed my cats to avoid the dilemma of accidental starvation.

And, yes, I will blame my mother for this perpetual rebellion against "common sense" at all costs. Then again -- I can be an efficiency freak when it comes to my time: that is the reason answering machines were invented. Right? So that you can pretend not to be there...

No. 2 and 5 - OMG so me haha I never knew people who had those same things. Thank you for reassuring me that I am not nucking futs, you Lauri, are my Shero

I set the alarm based on how fast I can take my finger off the "fast" button, and don't use the "slow" button if I can avoid it, so end up with odd alarm times.

Make yourself up a lil' toiletries kit for your desk with deoderant, toothbrush, paste, and floss, and some hand lotion and never need panic again! (I must admit, I carried deoderant in my lunch box for a few months before realizing it wouldn't take up much space in the desk drawer.)

I think everyone already covered all the great things about this entry. I just hope to keep reading more from your (only slightly) insane life. Your voice, it's so clear that I think I must have spoken to you before because I can hear you in my head as I read. If I heard you for real, though, you probably would sound much different. You don't sound like a hillbilly Julia Child, I hope, or a female James Earl Jones? 'Cause that would just be weird. I hear a Holley Hunter with a touch of Reese Witherspoon.

i'm pretty good about not having to check the door because my lock is such a struggle, it's an event unto itself! my downfall,though, is the stove top ---- i'm not use to using electric, so i often forget to turn a burner off (when you use gas, seeing a flame is a BIG clue that it's still on!).
i don't know if i could do the "idiosyncrasies" thing ... i think that analysis would be a group effort, as i'm in constant denial.

#1,#3,#5 - these are all perfectly normal behaviours. My alarm is set for 7.34 with a four or eight minute snooze. I change the snooze fairly often, so I just ain't that sure in the morning, and have to wake up properly to check. But absolutley no to the hot roller things, oh no, I'm strictly wash and go girl, and at no point on my head is my hair long enough to accommodate a roller.

I could use a little more OCD in my life, actually. I'm pretty sloppy with stuff like getting up on time, feeding the boys, and yes things burn here and again.

Okay, I thought I was totally alone on the time thing! The man totally makes fun of me that I count time like that, AND use my fingers - I cannot just "tell" how long it is between 1:30 and 5.
I guess it can't be an idiosyncrasy if we all do it!

Alright I totally count the hours like that too. And it makes no sense. I'm nuts too. Yeah, I most certaily have a shower routine and if I mess it up I can't tell whether I've shampood or not. How could someone forget that, I don't know...

I set my car clock and alarm clock 13 to 17 minutes ahead. I never reset my car clock when the time changes in the spring. So, for six months of the year, I must perform the car-time-spring-forward-real-time equation. When someone unfamiliar to my quirkiness gets a ride in my car...well, it's a long story.

Laurie, You are not alone with the routine thing... I do the same thing... It is a fine tuned process trying to get all of us out the door. I have issues with the diaper bag packing (or lack thereof) We get to where we are going and we are always missing something.. Then the kid pukes (or poops take your pick) all over himself and when I dig into the diaper bag which looks like it is packed to the hilt with extra clothes all I can find is a too small, wrong season outfit that I must have packed and forgot about 4 months ago.. and the counting thing... I always thought I was crazy, I do the same thing...
Heidi

Frankly - if one doesn't indulge in some of our less harmful idiosyncracies then we would all be just plain idiots - so what's the problem with a few teeny-tiny charming quirks????? I figure that this keeps me in the garden variety of mental illness instead of specializing. Seems like a fair and easy trade off to me. But then, some days I just have to consider the source.

I am so happy to find out that basically everyone in the world counts the hours exactly like you and I do. :)

Ditto on the hours/fingers/counting thing.
And on the alarm clock setting thing. But not the microwave thing - it's easier to just push the minute button (3 for instance) and start - it automatically puts the :00 seconds in.

Oh gosh, it's nice to know other people are like we are! A bunch of totally talented and intelligent people living among the hidebound traditionalist non-imaginative. :)

Ok Laurie, first you don't have OCD, you have an OCD personality.. big difference. And yes, so do I. I keep a pencil box (yanno those clear ones with colored covers you can get at the Wal-Mart for like 2 bucks?) at work with deoderant, a toothbrush, toothpaste and some other women things in it, and I tell you, the days I skip my usual routine one ioda, it saves my life. And there's nothing weird weird about counting up on your fingers... (and I work in an elementary school.. you'd be surprised)

I totally do the whole finger counting thing too. Hub sets the alarm though but not only is it set for a weird time it - the clock is not the RIGHT time either - set ahead so's I won't be late but I'm always late anyway!!
I don't know if I'm OCD or have dementia because I will check the doors several times before I leave, yet sometimes will wake up the next morning and realize I left the iron or the curling iron or the flat iron on for the past TWENTY FOUR HOURS!!
The work potty thing is freaking me out!! I have never worked a job that had restrooms with stalls. I've always had my privacy. We are moving our offices to a new building with - you guessed it - S.T.A.L.L.S.!! I don't know if I'm going to be able to "manage"...and talk about routines, I have a shower routine and if I don't wash in order - well, I'm sure you get the picture!! Can't tell you how many times I've had to get back in the shower and shampoo my hair or use conditioner or do the "other" essential stuff!!
I'm not EVEN anal - how can this be? I don't make lists, I'm not a Martha Stewart housekeeper. Gee - thanks, Laurie! I thot I wuz purfecktly normile unntill yu reviled too mea thaght eye eye eye eye hade sew miny synchronicities...

Your unadulterated nonsense is a pleasure to read. Also, you should hand your camera to a freind one of these days and let them take a proper picture of you. Also? I'm not reading this anymore because I'm catching your memes.

Would things get better or worse IF YOU HAD BREAKFAST in the morning? Maybe a little GoLeanCrunch with yogurt? It wouldn't have to be Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise or anything.
I know what you mean about poop locations. Knowing where a plunger is can be reassuring.

Is there another way to count the hours? No, there isn't. And the reason to set the alarm for "odd" times is that you can, so why not?

When my daughter first went to college, she was totally intimidated about pooping in the communal toilet. It was okay to pee, but for the big one, she found the "handicrapped" toilet in its own little room.

My boss had to tell my coworker that it was rude to talk to someone who is using the bathroom! You would think a 50+ woman would know better than to talk through the door to someone who is trying to discretely poop!

#1 - it's not just work, I only poop at home unless I'm on a trip for longer than 2 days....I prefer "home field advatange"
#2 - Small talk - I forget to ask reciprocal questions, so I only talk about me.
#3 - routine - I have to shower "top down" otherwise a I'll forget a step. Like conditioner or something. This is not a random process....
#4 - I have board straight hair, but I'm hate to mess with it, so that one I don't get.
#5 - Yep, gotta count on my fingers.
And about the microwave? When we got our first one (back in the olden days...) my mom would do that - set it for an odd number of minutes and seconds....she said she was trying to trick it and see if she could confuse it!!!

If we all have the same idiosyncrasy, then it is normal behavior and no longer an idiosyncrasy. I do the time thing, the month thing (especially when I was pregnant!) the alarm one, and definitely the microwave one, for the "cheaper by the dozen" reason- but what is sad is if someone asks me how long to nuke something, I give them a "normal"/even time instead of my personal fave, 22 seconds. I suppose I should embrace my quirkiness but it is too inefficient to explain to someone why, so I just 'pretend' normalcy.

I totally thought I was the only one who needs her fingers to figure out how many hours there are between 3 and 8 o'clock (and every time I actually do the counting, it turns out to be exactly what I expected without doing the whole counting thing.... and yet I can't stop doing it). I've also been missing my deodorant step a lot lately, and that totally alters my whole schedule for the day. Viva Crazy Aunt Purl, bringing hope to idiosyncratic women around the world!

P.S. It's crazy how happy I am when I wear my Uggs. Didn't realize you can wear 'em in the rain, though...

Apparently, you're just going to have to become a little more eccentric, because according to this informal poll of your loyal readers, these are not idiosyncracies! These are 5 charactistics of highly successful people! (Wonder why they didn't include these in the book?) Uh-oh, it's 8:46 - did I turn off the oven? Or feed the cats?

I used to believe that we were related, now I'm not so sure. My late father, one of the most brilliant men in the world, taught us to call it a microwave oven, but to set it for times like 1:11 or 2:22 or 5:55 to save (our)energy.

You Rock!
Peace,
Jan

Ummm, , , Sometimes it doesn't turn out normal if you don't count from 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, etc.
(smile)

Another "counting on the fingers" gal here! Glad to hear we're all normal.

The pooping hesitancy made me grin, though -- reminded me of my second husband's love of pooping at work. He would actually save up and walk kind of painfully out to the truck and head to work. Said he liked getting paid to take a dump. (This is my ex-husband, by the way.)

I have to ask. When getting dressed, is it right sock, left sock, then right shoe, left shoe order ?. Note that it also applies to shirts, sweaters, pants etc...For me its always right to left.

I do the counting thing as well... (1-2, 2-3, 3-4, etc)- unfortunately I always seem to come out wrong counting this way but I continue (although, not on my fingers because my mom hated this counting technique so I learned to do it in my head)....and I set my alarm with odd minutes....they must be odd....ex: 2:37; 3:17....along with this odd number fascination, I also, must have the volume on television, car stereo, etc. set at an odd number.....and the microwave minutes must also be odd....sigh...my bf used to ask me why and I didn't really know but when I tried to set something to an even numbers, I was so tense and couldn't relax until I reset it to an odd so I told him the odd numbers "feel right"- he still thinks I am "odd" but he just laughs now....(oh yeah, if I am going to check on something in the microwave during cooking, I must stop on an odd number as well....).....and I love you Aunt Purl....reading your words always brings a smile and makes me feel not sooooo crazy "odd"...but maybe I am quirky!! or something cutsey like that.

Um, sweetpea? You forgot your shoes in your Routine. Bless your heart...I forget mine too sometimes.

Um, sweetpea? You forgot to put your shoes on during your Routine. Bless your heart...I forget mine too sometimes.

I'll set my alarm to 0531...or 0529 tomorrow. Try living by military time. AND living in a place 30 min (and 500 years) out of synch with the rest of the world (YES...Afghanistan is 30 min + from its neighbors) AND half the people use Zulu time (GMT) and the locals are on Local time.
I WILL NOT mention the communal outdoor latrines.....

I totally do the counting hours thing too!

I'm so glad it's not just me! :)

With the exception of the hot rollers, I share every single one of your idiosyncrasies. And the only reason I don't share the hot roller one is because I've never figured out how to get mine into my hair.

Scary. :)

I just discovered your blog through knitting, and damn you're good! Your writings are THE best thing since Seinfeld. You have an amazing way of letting others laugh at themselves, and not take life so seriously. Keep up the great work. You should think about publishing a book (if you haven't already?)

I do the finger/time counting thing and my Mom does too and my Dad just sits and laughs at us ticking off time on our hands. Gah.

I think I am so going to hop on the ugg bandwagon, they look so toasty.. and it gets really cold here.... another thought about the non potty out of the house.... aren't you horrified that you might clog a toilet at work and there will be nasty poop water all over the floor, and the buzz around the office will be " somebody made such a huge dump that they clogged and flooded the bathroom!"

they may be the ugliest boots but I love mine... and they are the warmest thing ever! even my little pinky toe is toasty... and that is rare in Vt when it can reach 40- below zero in the middle of january.... and no socks either.
I love my Uggs! they are worth every penny I spent.

So it looks like we are a generation of "finger counters"...as for the other... man I could go in your front yard if I had to go bad enough...how can people hold it that long????

Oh my god. I totally do the thing with the counting hours on my fingers and the "two to three, three to four." It's great when I'm writing up my timesheet for the week. 'Cause then I have to figure out how many hours I was at work and subtract out my break time. It gets way too complicated for my possibly slightly retarded self.

Oh my god. I totally do the thing with the counting hours on my fingers and the "two to three, three to four." It's great when I'm writing up my timesheet for the week. 'Cause then I have to figure out how many hours I was at work and subtract out my break time. It gets way too complicated for my possibly slightly retarded self.

Obviously more than slightly retarded...I can't even manage to post properly...

i also set my alarm for odd times. But mine have to be odd numbers. like 7:01. never 7. and 6:31. not 6:00.

i count the same way too.

you are not alone! we are all weird in our own little ways....

the county-hours thing! it's not just me! i love your blog! ha! take that, straight-laced psychiatrist!

I share #5 with you.

You are, in no way, alone on that.

So...when do you put ON your shoes??? ;)

I count just like that. I also set alarms at odd minutes too...._and_ i buy gas in odd amounts. I don't try to round it up .
Knitting is such a cool thing for this cuz you can be as creative as you want while having to use a structure :)

I would not be able to sleep if my alarm was set for a 0 or 5 minute interval. What's up with that? I am currently commencing my thirty minutes of snooze at 6:17 am. P.S. I love your blog. And I can't count either.

I also do the 'counting the hours on the fingers' thing, but THERE IS A GOOD REASON! It's because time-math is tricky and wrong. See: How many hours between 10am and 3pm? Math won't help you - 3 minus 10? Minus seven hours? Wrong! ->11, 12, 1, 2, 3 =5 hours. So you have to count them along, and keep track on your fingers, really. (Unless we all went to the military/french way of a 24 hour clock, but personally I have to translate that into 'regular' time and count on my fingers again.)
It's all good. ;>

I so love my hot rollers! Mostly because if I use a curling iron, I never know when I'm "done." Oh, I missed a bit... better curl under this piece in the front... wait, what about underneath...

It never ends.

With the hot rollers, I feel secure knowing that ALL of my hairs have been given the opportunity to curl. One pass and you're done. What's not to love?

Ok, I know this entry is a few days old. But I finally had (read: got the courage) to come and tell you how much I enjoy this blog because you GET IT! I'm with you on #3 & #5 - Once I skipped a step to save time and forgot to rinse the shampoo out of my hair. So it really didn't save time. And I really don't know who thought it was such a brilliant idea to teach OCD chicks how to knit. A favourite passtime of one of my friends is to hide my row counter and watch me count stitches and rows.

Because I'm a checker AND counter. And I have to know where everything is at all times. So besides going, "damn, is that really 30 rows, or did I count one twice?" intermittently I get down on all fours and do crazy gymnastics to look under furniture, hoping to find the row counter that was there just a few minutes ago. Oh it's hilarious AFTER I find it/figure out she took it/beat her up for it.

Anywho, that's probably in the "more info than you really wanted to know about a complete stranger on the net" category, but of course, then we get into the bad-at-small-talk thing. But you know, OCD girls have got it right. We're just a little overzealous about being all-knowing in the ways of "if I don't follow a routine, poison will rain from the sky," bit.

Your idiosyncrasies are a riot, I can totally relate to all of them. Except the pooping at work thing. Sad to say I don't have that problem. But I do eveything else, the pre-conversations in my head, the morning routine, counting hours on my fingers(I usually count how many hours my afternoon nap will be), and even the hot rollers. My hair is also super straight, and even when I do use my rollers it the curl doesn't stay.
p.s. my alarm clock is currently set at 4:37 am. I'm a very early riser. my weird alarm setting comes from laziness rather than weirndness. I just put my finger on the button and hold it down. When I remove my finger that's the number it stays on. I don't feel like pushing the button a zillion times til an even clock time comes up.

I count hours like that too. It's particularly embarrassing when trying to figure out something a work and have to shush everyone so you can figure it out. Ahh well just a day in the life of...

OMG, I love it!!! Not only do I count hours that way, I also set my alarm clock for weird times AND still use hot rollers! (I'm still IN the South, so I really have an excuse).

ugh boots are not outdoor shoes.
ugh boots are not gumboots.
ugh boots are slippers.

ARGH

Oh man, I do the counting thing too! I don't do it for time so much, because I've worked at jobs a long time where I have to figure time zones and have time sort of memorized (for instance, it's 9:44 pm in Seattle now, so it must be 12:44 am on the East Coast). But I have to surreptitiously count on my fingers for other things. I thought I was the only one!

And I don't like to poop at work either, at least when there's anyone else in the bathroom. I know they can hear the "plop" and worse, probably smell it, and there's no way I'm going to walk out of the stall when there's someone there! I know everybody poops, but still. I didn't realize so many other people feel like this!

Laurie, over the last few weeks I have been reading all of your archives. You are definitely my new favorite blog--required reading. I finally had to comment because I had NO IDEA anyone else did the time counting thing, and yet you and so many of your readers are right with me. I love knitters on the internet. I am not alone in my retardation! Thank you.