sheftali52

Those I've known with OCD have been very orderly in most things. One person has to put a deck of cards in order by suit before she can put them away. Another has to have an equal space between all of the hangers in his closet. One of my neighbors invites people to look in his closets when they visit--everything is sorted by color and type of garment, etc., and of course all the shirts are hung with the buttons to the left and so forth. Sheftali often admires such orderliness, and tries to be at least half as organized. Sometimes....

solosater

There are some good things to be had by being a LITTLE OCD but there are the bad and the ugly too.

My mother and I always fight over how to load the dishwasher, she likes the bowls on the bottom with the plates I like them on top with the cups and glasses, neither is bad or good really but there is only one RIGHT WAY to do it and we are both sure it is our way.

I once spent 4 hours cleaning a strangers oven (I was pet sitting and not paid to clean) I was sick from the fumes and sore from the bending and squatting.

I routinely straighten pictures in other people’s homes, I clean toilets before I use them (even if I’m just there for dinner), and I fix people’s (strangers) clothes when they walk by me (tuck a tag / facing in or smooth out wrinkles and such).

One of these days I’m going to be arrested!

solosater

Btw, My own home is a wreck...

My pictures are straight though and you could safely eat out of my toilet.

I'm not recommending that but it would be safe.

sheftali52

Interesting insights, solo. It's a good thing I'm not OCD, as my husband would drive me crazy if I were. Clutter doesn't bother him, nor does dirt or dust. I try to find a happy medium, which is good in most things, right?

solosater

Moderation in all things, yes finding balance is a good thing.

belladonnis

Its funny reading this. My hang up is the pantry! All box goods on top shelf and all the cans labels facing out with all the vegies grouped together. My kids hate it when they have to put up the groceries!

matthew

I believe it is CDO... which is OCD... BUT IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER THE WAY IT SHOULD BE... Tee-Hee

Baldur

Baldur's spice cabinet always attracts attention, now I do try to keep the door shut when company is in the kitchen.
I've collected dozens of identical jars and attached labels with the names in Latin, arranged alphabetically.
Where I couldn't find Latin translations faux Latin fills in.
'Chipotle Pepper' become 'Piper chipotleus'
Some are fantasy names, 'Parsley' became 'Parselium'

Robindcr8l

Baldur, I don't think that's the same as OCD. I think your is a control issue...you want to keep everyone else who only speaks English OUT of your spices and probably your kitchen altogether! LOL No one cooks in there but the chef! I speaka no Latin, so shudder to think what spices and seasonings I could confuse in there!

Robindcr8l

+s = yours

Baldur

Baldur has since collected different nicer jars that have now all been de-labeled and cleaned.
The lids need repainting yet to hide the text printed on them. These jars are squat and roughly barrel-shaped with a pair of little ear-shaped handles on each.
They had fruit in them originally and sold for $1 a piece. It took over a year to get enough for my purposes, there are over 100 now here at Chez Baldur.
I do however need a better label making system, the writing it out on cut up slips of cardstock doesn't look very good. I'd like small oval labels that look like parchment with calligraphy. They need to be rather durable though.

marius

BR keeps one entertained! I also have quirks. One concerns blinds, closet doors and dresser drawers. They MUST be completely closed at bedtime. Curious spouse could not figure this out. I patiently expained, "If you DON'T close them, monsters will come out and get you while you're asleep." He still thinks that's funny. I however, am serious. It's just not right to sleep with those things not secured! : )

marius

And solosater, my spouse would say about you, "She's one of us!"
"Us" refers to spouse & those he knows who share your penchant for order and cleanliness. He is thrilled with that.

Alas, I am not in the "one of us" crowd. I admire that crowd but my requirements for order and cleanliness are too relaxed. [Spouse would cancel the word relaxed and say, "non-existant." ]

Baldur

Oh those people who don't close dresser drawers completely drive me bonkers, not just at bedtime either.
Baldur's view is that after retrieving what one needs out of a drawer you close it completely, every time.
My closet monsters are rather benign as many of our interior doors are louvered. Even a geriatric creature who's muscles have atrophied (+10 points) could easily break through into Chez Baldur. It takes continuous peacekeeping efforts to pacify them into remaining where they are.

Baldur

I find feeding old footware to these creatures keeps them occupied, recently they devoured a pair of black Justin cowboy boots.
There is not so much as a shred of leather left.

marius

About dishwasher loading. At start of 2nd marriage, age 46, I was shocked to learn I had been loading the dishwasher 'wrong" all my life. When I realized things "had" to be loaded a certain way I knew that dishwasher loading would forever be beyond my scope of ability.

So, to I began to invent the most impossibly rediculous ways to load that machine. It was a fun challenge and spouse was forever re-doing my efforts. After a few years spouse says, "I've never known ANYONE so inept at loading a dishwasher. One would think you go out of your way to load things the way you do!"

marius

And, I did eventually confess my sin. Spouse has a great sense of humor. So I still try to find horrid places to put things in the dish washer and he still corrects my efforts. : )

Baldur

This however is an entirely different matter from having ones window blinds not adjusted evenly.
Baldur understands that they are meant to be adjustable so that if the window by your tea table is blindingly bright you may indeed adjust those blinds differently than those on the side of the room that faces the orchard, however.............
When one has 3 windows in a row, all with the same exposure Baldur cannot endure having the blinds 'almost' level at all three.
They must be set identically.
The windows here at Chez Baldur have a horizontal midway divide where the upper and lower sashes meet. On a typical sunny day those blinds must all line up at a level low enuf to sufficient cover the horizontal line.
If Baldur is doing something that requires intense natural sunlight all 3 blinds will be set all the way up. If the sun is too hot they will all be set completely down. There just cannot be any of this 'up-down-up' business.

Baldur

-enuf +enough, I'm embarassed that this shorthand has slipped into my rant

marius

So now I know where my socks, ear rings, and many other things have gone. The monsters are real! My world has been shattered and now, dear Baldur, I will have to ponder on the goat.

When very small, I was terrified to get out of bed at night because a very mean goat lived under there and was always waiting to get me. If one needed to get up to use the rest room - it was a mad dash down the hall. A very scary dash. Never saw the goat, but I KNEW he was there. Now I'm thinking he just might have been!