buying things in twos.
Whenever I go shopping in the supermarket, about 90% of everything I put in my trolley, I get two of.

I think originally it stems from me thinking "When this has finished, I'll want another one at some point, so I'll get another one now, and then when it runs out, I'll have another one already", but now it's just habitual. I don't even think about why I'm doing it.
( PMGT -Bacon., Thu 15 Dec 2011, 21:44, 2 replies)

Knobs
No not that kind.

They have to line up.

Car with dual temperature controls - no point changing your side, luv. It'll be lined back up with mine as soon as you're not looking.

What do you mean, it needs more bass? That knob's staying smack in the middle, chum. Same with the treble. I might let you move the volume knob, but only because there's no mark on it to line up with.

And CDs/DVDs have to be the right way up, so the text on them is precisely horizontal when you open the case.
( Snappyuk gets BIGGER with free sample., Thu 15 Dec 2011, 21:19, 2 replies)

When travelling through Weeton, near Harrogate,
passing the sign with the place's name on it would often make me joyfully, and almost involuntarily, cry out "WEE TOOOOOWN!" at the top of my voice.

This got me some very odd looks from the other commuters.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 21:14, 7 replies)

A phobia to contrast with my fetish from last week
Cant stand anyone touching my bellybutton, don't really like touching it myself. If I accidentally get something poked in it, I have to bend double for a bit, keeping it protected for a few seconds, then rub over my belly through my clothes for a few minutes, and then have a bit of a sit down. Yep, I'm a massive weirdo. When I wash it (which I do, though there are people with this phobia who actually can't) it is like a military operation. I have to hold my breath while I do it, be incredibly relaxed and almost meditative to cope with the "trauma"
(clinteastwoodbradfield, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 21:10, 13 replies)

When eating a banana
I always have to pull of any of the little strings that have slightly come off. Did it since I was a child, and have never stopped...I don't think I could if I wanted to.
( Extinct Jesus Dossier "...I think it counteracts Hitler's magic...", Thu 15 Dec 2011, 21:10, 6 replies)

Always in this order
fap fap.
mot mot
ung ung

Then..you know.
(shezam slouching towards nirvana., Thu 15 Dec 2011, 21:02, 1 reply)

The toilet roll
or "bathroom tissue" as they so delicately call it here in Canada. Heaven forfend that we should associate this paper with the act of making toilet. Anyway, the paper must be attached to the holder so that paper arrives from the top of the roll towards oneself and not the back or underside. I try to resist correcting the paper in other people's houses but it pains me to see. It is a travesty and an abomination that otherwise good people place their paper in such a way, the bastards.
( Infidel , shit and wrong, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 20:58, 11 replies)

Energy twinges
Usually when I'm selecting something from a pile of multiple similar things, like a fork from the drawer or a pen from the desk tidy, one will feel more imbued with the right energy than the others and I have to pick that one. It can be anything: pairs of socks, cans of drink, which chopstick to go with which other chopstick, etc. Sometimes I'll even pick up another one because I'm not sure, find out it has the wrong kind of energy and put it back. Or compensate by changing something else, like replacing the knife and picking the right one to go with that fork.

Sometimes it will extend to which way up something should be. I've met some people who will insist that French bread is placed 'face-down' on the table, although I suspect that's more to do with superstition than anything else. Sometimes it's about how many times I come into contact with something: if I pick up a business card a certain number of times it might not feel right, but this can be rectified by putting it down and picking it up again. If my head doesn't hit the pillow the right number of times, I'll raise it and lower it until it does.

Looking back on all of the above this is mostly in the past, but I do wonder whether that's because I'm currently too stressed and knackered to think about it any more or whether I've genuinely grown out of it. Unusual, in any event.
( .Yeti. El amor en los tiempos del cólera, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 20:39, Reply)

Change shuffling..
I have this strange habit of sorting out my change in order of coin size, Two pound coins, then fifties at the bottom, right up to the 5p pieces at the top until there's a neat pile of coins in my hand. Sometimes I'll stop everything I'm doing until my change is in the right order of size. Then I put the lot in my pocket, caring nothing about undoing what I've just done moments before.

I don't get upset or stressed if the change is not in order or anything, in fact I find it quite therapeutic - It's something I've done for years, and I have'nt a clue why..
(danniekavanagh did nothing constructive on, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 20:32, 2 replies)

When I get massive Deja-Vu attacks
I have to look through previous QOTW.

tinyurl.com/bqbvpcs
( His Popiness the Hole Invaded Poland on, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 19:51, Reply)

Shaved Hands
I have to shave the back of my hands twice a week, up to my wrist as I cannmot stand having hair on the back of my hand
( discobunnywalker, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 19:23, 4 replies)

i have a wireird ritual in that i can not
bring my self to post any thing that is gramatically correct , or contains the correct cuntuation or even for that matter spelling
seams weird to me that people are so anal about getting it all propper
( fluffybunnykiller Is feasting on the clitoris of life, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 19:04, 2 replies)

This very week
I've installed Free Memory on my Mac and am now some kind of memory usage watching loon
(Outtheresomewhere, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 18:51, 6 replies)

I've been working in Bangkok for months now and I always get a bicycletaxi to work and home. I simply HAVE to get one that has a high quality stereo installed so I can listen to some decent music on my commute. That's my wired rickshaw.
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 18:44, Reply)

Hm.
Always warm up on the clarinet with a D7 scale, and on the piano with a Cm arpeggio.

The first thing I write with a new pen must always be the word 'Hello' on a blank sheet of paper.

Underlines must be double, with only the lower line crossing the tails of the letters.

If I'm watching something fullscreen on my computer, the mouse pointer must always go offscreen top right.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 18:40, 22 replies)

Prime numbers...
Hate 'em. They make me go all itchy. Can't have the car radio volume (or any other digital thingy)set to a prime. No idea why.
Also have to feel all the switches and controls in my flat to ensure they are off before I go to work. Just seeing they are off isn't good enough. It takes ages, but I can't leave till it's done.
(grumpypolecat, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 18:35, 2 replies)

I'm not mental at all.
I just need to have things a certain way.

Wardrobe - All clothes need to be facing a certain way, and in groups - rugby shirts, rugby related t-shirts, t-shirts, polo shirts, jumper/shirt combo, casual shirts, formal shirts, suits. Going from right to left because I'm right handed and therefore open the right hand door first.

Books/DVDs - must be in alphabetical order, and then, where possible, chronological order within series.

Pillows - label on pillow must be as far as possible from opening in pillowcase to prevent it from escaping(!). If using pillow protector (similar to mattress protector only pillow sized), then label must be away from opening in protector, and opening in protector must be away from opening in pillowcase.

Food - doesn't have to be eaten in any particular order from the plate, but can't mix stuff on my fork (unless it's something that is already mixed up, like lasagne - that's okay).

Music - all my music in iTunes has to have correct year, artwork and genre.

Butter/margarine - can't have holes gouged in it, have to "sweep" butter from the top.

Toilet paper - have to use odd amount of sheets to help with folding (only 1 end piece left on outside) and have to end on perforations.

Like I said, I'm not mental.
(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Thu 15 Dec 2011, 18:18, 6 replies)

NOW LET"S GET THIS FUCKING RIGHT FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL.....
IT'S C.D.O. THAT'S C. CUNTING D. O. NOT OCD. The letters must always go in the right order.
(beaverwastemanagement a real company. I want to work for them!, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 17:52, 2 replies)

Beer! Right Angles!
If I am in a pub, drinking a pint, the pint must *MUST* sit exactly in the centre of the beer mat. Unless, of course, there is an off centre design on the beer mat in which case my pint must *MUST* sit exactly in the centre of this design.

Furthermore if there is a logo on the pint glass it must *MUST* be directly facing me at all times.

I have no idea why.

I have a similar obsession with right angles. Any large, squarish object must *I SAY MUST* be positioned at a right angle to the wall and exactly 180 degrees off any other large squarish object in the vicinity, with a clear gap of not more than 1 inch between it and any other said object. And I'm not just talking furniture. If, say, I'm in an airport and I put my luggage down against a wall, even for a brief moment, then the 90 degree rule still applies.

I'm bags of fun, me.
(MrC. Having the most boring username on b3ta since 2004, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 17:38, 1 reply)

Being very absent-minded, I've worked out coping strategies
for example, "programming" myself: deliberately forming habits to compensate for my shocking memory. So, I can't close an external door without checking that I have my keys. Not too weird, except that I'm so programmed that I even do that when leaving other peoples' houses. Where my keys don't fit.

Another one is "do it now" -- if I think of something that needs doing, I'll stop my current activity and do it. I'm more likely to work out what I interrupted than I am to remember the task later, even if I have several nested tasks pending completion. Drives my wife nuts, as she likes to finish one task completely before starting a new one.
(moon monkey is busy making memories worth repressing, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 17:29, 5 replies)

I've remebered i have a strange habit of occasionally banging a pint glass against my front teeth before I take a swig...

I don't even realise I do it until someone points it out to me...

You'll all be trying it in the pub tomorrow...
(Pat mustard, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 17:25, Reply)

Its killing me reading all these...

I've grown out of my wierd rituals but I'm quite vulnerable and influenced and will find myself trying out other people's rituals from off this list....

i'll be an OCD nightmare by Chritmas...
(Pat mustard, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 17:22, Reply)

My girlfriend
Insists on eating each food group on her plate in turn. For example she won't touch a single chip until she's finished her burger. I frankly find this to be downright fucking weird, who wants to be stuck with a load of chips once the whopper has been eaten?
(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 17:12, 13 replies)

Equal sides when eating..... Must be eaten in double....
When I eat anything, and I mean anything, I have to have an equal amount of food on each side of my mouth. Not at the same time mind you, and it doesn't matter which side is first.

I am unable to eat a large piece of, say, chicken on the left, followed by a small piece of chicken on the right. I also would not be able to eat similar sized pieces of chicken on left, right then left again, as the right will be "less".

If somebody is to offer me a Malteser, for example, I have to ask if I may have two. I cannot bite on in half in case one half ends up larger than the other. If I have my own bag of Maltesers or such, and there is an odd number of sweets, one will end up in the bin, still in the packet.

Peanut M&M's are delicious, but a culinary minefield. They have to be sorted into size bundles, then matching colours within the bundle. Too many get wasted to warrant buying a packet very often.

This probably doesn't make any sense, but it makes more sense than the pattern I used to make with my tongue in my mouth when I was a kid, it gives me cold shivers just thinking about the intricate details of the pattern I had to move my tongue in. I had to complete the pattern before I could stop. Luckily, I only ever did it when I was trying to fall asleep, or I'd have spent my childhood in an asylum.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm off to eat 2, 4 or 6 maltesers to calm myself down.
( user_names_suck, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 16:51, 1 reply)

Even number eating
When I eat food which is delivered in a discrete manner - for example sausages, toast, biscuits, eggs - I have to eat an even number of them. Usually two or four... but then for some reason six can be an issue, so eight is the next acceptable number. Eating three sausages leaves me feeling odd, but four sausages fine. Five biscuits will cause me to become a little anxious, eight not so.

It's bizarre because I am not fussy in anything else in my life being a messy SOB who eats anything.
(tim dog, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 16:48, 4 replies)

Do not drink!
Whenever I am in a fast food restaurant I always have to eat everything before having my drink. To mix food and drink together will summon the food demons and they will strip my soul from my body.
(Designated Slagger, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 16:40, Reply)

When I brush my teeth
or for that matter, whenever I get one hand/part of one hand/my face wet, then I have to wash both hands and my face.

It just feels weird if only one of those body parts is wet, even after I've dried off. Don't ask me to explain because I can't.
(ConanTroutman thought we would free the vulture, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 16:38, 1 reply)

A chap I worked with
I used to work at a place where security was important, three breaches within 3 years and you're out type thing. This bloke was responsible for a whole three cabinets, but he'd go through a routine that took him about 5 minutes to repeatedly check that all were secure every night. It should really only have taken about 20 seconds, because once they're looked, they're locked, it was obvious.
Every now and again, we'd take turns in speaking to the guy, just before he would finish his checks, so, of course, he'd have to start over.
We could stop him from leaving for bloody ages. You had to be there I guess.
( P-MONKE We're all fucked, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 16:34, 1 reply)

Bloke I used to work with.
After parking his car would go round and inspect each tyre and door handle. Twice. He'd then check underneath the car for god knows what

To avoid having to give a colleague who's car had been written off any further lifts removed his passenger seat.

Other than that he was a nice guy.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 16:13, 1 reply)

left handed drinking
I always drink anything with my left hand, ever since I was about 13 and read that Ninja's and Samurai Warriors did that, to be ready for a right handed sword draw, or fist.
Up until that point, if I went anywhere, and swung around a lamppost, or telephone pole, I had to do it in reverse on the way home. Which bothered my mum no end if I'd gone to meet her.
Also, I had to cross the road at the same point on the way home, as on the way there.

Still do that sometimes now.
(lordy lordy, Thu 15 Dec 2011, 16:11, 2 replies)