Strange habits you have

[kphoger]

I sometimes have to touch something multiple times in different ways or else I feel uncomfortable. Have no idea why this is or what causes it.

It's possible that what you're experiencing is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (but I don't know for a fact). I actually have a severe form of this. OCD (the abbreviation for this) can cause you to do Ordering and Repeating rituals (also known as compulsions), among many other possible kinds of compulsions. With the ordering and repeating compulsions, you may have to do the same thing over and over again (which could include touching things such as a wall or a chair - or you press the Caps Lock key over and over again multiple times a minute when you're on the computer *cough*yup, that's me*cough*). If you don't do this, you may feel uncomfortable, or even experience debilitating anxiety. You may have to repeat stuff until it feels "just right" or "perfect" to stop, or once you have reached the "mandatory number" that the OCD says you "must get to." This is more common than you would think. Of course, I am no doctor, but I have rich personal experience with these kinds of things and tons of knowledge on mental health, so I felt obligated to let you know all of this. I might tell your parent(s) or someone close about this and get it checked out, in case it is in fact Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (which is somewhat likely considering the habits that you spoke of).

Thank you for replying about the possibility of OCD.  It does sound like it might fit the bill.

By the way, I'd feel more comfortable if we could call it CDO instead.  Then the letters would be in alphabetical order.  AS THEY SHOULD BE.

[J N Winkler]

Anyways, another "strange habit" of mine is to stay up late. 11 PM is about as early as it gets for me, and I often stay up until around 1 AM. I must be nocturnal or something, but I'm not sure what causes this problem.

This is called "being a night owl" and I wouldn't classify it as a strange habit, though some are possibly more predisposed to it than others.  I am one myself.

To try to take this thread away from personal hygiene, which can lead to self-disclosures that are later regretted, I'll outline a few strange habits that relate to driving.

*  Turning the ignition key to the RUN position (resting it against the START return spring), and not actually cranking the engine until the belt mouse stops running and all electrical accessories have been switched off manually.

*  Being extremely reluctant to nose into parking spaces unless specifically required by regulation (e.g., at metered lots, which typically require nose-in parking for the convenience of parking enforcers checking through the windshield for hangtags and other evidence of concessionary parking).

*  Insisting on backing through 90° angles with the vehicle coming to rest at the end with wheels pointed straight ahead, to avoid tire scrub.

*  Opening the hood virtually every time the car is parked for the night to hook up the battery to a maintainer.

My general feeling is that except in the case of habits that cause harm or undue annoyance to others, one shouldn't fear to be strange.

[kphoger]

*  Being extremely reluctant to nose into parking spaces unless specifically required by regulation (e.g., at metered lots, which typically require nose-in parking for the convenience of parking enforcers checking through the windshield for hangtags and other evidence of concessionary parking).

I'm not "extremely reluctant", but I do back in whenever possible.  I had already started doing it when I drove a box truck delivery route, and a lot of my customers were schools.  I came to prefer driving slowly past my delivery point, scoping it out while I drove by, then backing up partially by mirrors and partially by memory.  Then, after my delivery was done, the situation could have drastically changed (the area flooded with kids changing classes, for example), but I had a windshield view of the new situation instead of a side-mirror view.  But I still didn't do it much with our personal vehicle, until I had to jump-start a nosed-in vehicle once or twice.  I realized that whole process is a lot easier when the front end is easily accessible.  Just recently, I mistakenly left the key in the ignition after doing something or other, and it drained the battery.  No need to push it out into the street for a jump, because I had backed in.

[Max Rockatansky]

In regards to parking I generally try to park in the back of parking lots and back in if possible.  I like the vantage angle of being able to look out while pulling out as opposed to looking back.  Generally that drivers any passengers I have up the wall since they have to walk a little further but I prefer the ease and peace of mind. 

Funny some of you are mentioning being "night owls."  Personally I can't stand being up at night and typically go to bed sometime between 9 PM to 10 PM.  On the flip side I actually really enjoy getting up at 4-5 AM and having basically the whole of civilization to myself for a good hour or so before rush hour starts.  I've found that all the best sports shows are on early in the morning (due to east coast oriented broadcast times) and its by far the best time to go do cardio exercise outside.

[J N Winkler]

I'm not "extremely reluctant", but I do back in whenever possible.  I had already started doing it when I drove a box truck delivery route, and a lot of my customers were schools.  I came to prefer driving slowly past my delivery point, scoping it out while I drove by, then backing up partially by mirrors and partially by memory.  Then, after my delivery was done, the situation could have drastically changed (the area flooded with kids changing classes, for example), but I had a windshield view of the new situation instead of a side-mirror view.  But I still didn't do it much with our personal vehicle, until I had to jump-start a nosed-in vehicle once or twice.  I realized that whole process is a lot easier when the front end is easily accessible.  Just recently, I mistakenly left the key in the ignition after doing something or other, and it drained the battery.  No need to push it out into the street for a jump, because I had backed in.

Over the past couple of years I have worked to make it my default to back in.  I've read nosing-in-versus-backing-in discussions on this forum, on Facebook comment threads, and in an  AskReddit discussion thread, and concluded it will lead me to better outcomes in terms of safety, wear, and fuel consumption, largely for the following reasons:

*  Backing in is a safety requirement (to the extent that nosing in is grounds for disciplinary action) at a number of large employers.

*  In 25 years of driving, I have been fortunate not to cause injury to other people or reportable damage to their vehicles, but the vast majority of my near misses and glancing contacts with other vehicles have been in parking lots, and of those most have begun with me attempting to back out while parked nose-in.

*  When I am parked nose-out, I have better visibility and can simply watch and wait for a brief episode of parking-lot congestion to clear before I start my engine, put the car in gear, and move out.  This reduces the temptation to start the engine and waste gas waiting, which then pushes me into accepting gaps I probably should reject, just to stop wasting gas.

*  Backing in offers more opportunities for reducing tire scrub since it places the pivot point closer to the first part of the vehicle to enter the parking space, though it is still possible to waste vast amounts of tire rubber through bad technique.

There are many YouTube videos demonstrating techniques for backing in, and I have watched some of them.  The approach I have found to work best is to drive past the space I intend to back into, checking that it is free with no pedestrians about to step into it, and then keep rolling forward until there is at least one stall width between the target space and my rear bumper.  Then I back up by first turning my steering wheel toward the space, and as I begin to slide into it, straightening it out while the car is still moving so that the wheels are pointed straight ahead and the steering wheel is put back into the neutral position without having to be turned while the car is stationary.  There is a definite convenience advantage to backing up toward the driver's side, but I try to practice backing up toward the passenger's side because not all spaces offer easy reversing entry from the driver's side.

It is still possible to get into accidents while backing in, and reversing too far toward a curb that is just a bit too high can be a recipe for crushing the tailpipe and muffler.  Nevertheless, sightlines as well as a broad array of human factors considerations--some obvious, some subtle--still favor reversing over nosing-in in the vast majority of cases.  I have noticed that the number of parking-lot near-misses I have has gone way, way down, which I consider a very good result in light of how the safety pyramid works.

In regards to parking I generally try to park in the back of parking lots and back in if possible.  I like the vantage angle of being able to look out while pulling out as opposed to looking back.  Generally that drivers any passengers I have up the wall since they have to walk a little further but I prefer the ease and peace of mind.

I will park at the foot of large parking lots that have stalls at an angle to try to force nose-in parking, as this maximizes my chances of being able to leave by driving through.  I also prefer to park in the middle of a large block of empty stalls if stall width is narrow enough to prompt concern about door dings.

[Takumi]

I typically back in at work. If I'm in a mad rush, I'll nose in to a close parking space.

[freebrickproductions]

I always made sure to back in as much as possible when I went to high school. Dropped the habit at college though, and the store I work at has angled parking spaces and 1-way aisles so no backing in there...

[kphoger]

The approach I have found to work best is to drive past the space I intend to back into, checking that it is free with no pedestrians about to step into it, and then keep rolling forward until there is at least one stall width between the target space and my rear bumper.  Then I back up by first turning my steering wheel toward the space, and as I begin to slide into it, straightening it out while the car is still moving so that the wheels are pointed straight ahead and the steering wheel is put back into the neutral position without having to be turned while the car is stationary.  There is a definite convenience advantage to backing up toward the driver's side, but I try to practice backing up toward the passenger's side because not all spaces offer easy reversing entry from the driver's side.

I drove forklifts for a living in the early 2000s, so driving in a straight line in reverse became second nature to me.  Driving a delivery truck later on gave me the ability to back up at a 90° turn using nothing but side mirrors, and even cued me in on techniques to avoid scraping a bumper if there is a dip that needs to be navigated during the process.

Using my driveway as an example, my practice is to drive right next to the foot of the driveway, then keep going a little bit while angling slightly away into the street.  I then do most of the backing while only looking at the inside mirror–specifically checking that the curb corner stays in same spot of the mirror, which is a cue that my path is steady.  When my rear wheel has reached the line, I cut the wheel more sharply and only then start checking the other mirror.

Backing up straight is a matter of keeping your distance equal between your boundaries.  In a parking lot, those are the lines of the parking spot or the vehicles you're parking between.  In a driveway, it is the edges of the lawn.  Properly angled side mirrors are key.

[formulanone]

I've long been told that leaving on electrical automotive accessories (radio, wipers, HVAC, exterior lights) can incrementally drain your battery upon each start-up. It's more initial draw on the cell, although if your charging system gets a rather continuous workout of 20 minutes or so, it's not a very big deal unless the battery is quite old. So I wouldn't say it's weird or strange to demand less of your car on startup.

Backing up depends on what my expectation is to put stuff in my trunk/hatch and how easy it is to get it out. Otherwise, I'll back into parking spaces, but not into my garage, unless I'm the only one home.

- Bills go in the wallet in order of denomination, facing the same direction.

- I like a clean airplane window, mostly for photography reasons, although staring at a mess three inches from my face is also annoying. So I keep a polishing cloth just for that.

- If I borrow something, I try to return it in better condition than I found it. Or at least...clean, wash, fill, polish, untangle, lube, or put it back in order, unless I clearly don't know what I'm doing with it.

[kphoger]

- Bills go in the wallet in order of denomination, facing the same direction.

Yes!  And I un-dog-ear them all before putting them in my wallet too.  I get frustrated with polymer notes because it's harder to un-dog-ear them.

[allniter89]

Downtown Crestview, FL has angle in parking against a curb so you have to blindly back out b/c usually the car parked next to you blocks your view of traffic. I follow a bit of advice they gave in truck driver training "dont back up anymore than necessary". If I'm in a parking lot with rows of nose to nose parking I'll find a spot that I can pull thrui to park.

[J N Winkler]

Using my driveway as an example, my practice is to drive right next to the foot of the driveway, then keep going a little bit while angling slightly away into the street.  I then do most of the backing while only looking at the inside mirror–specifically checking that the curb corner stays in same spot of the mirror, which is a cue that my path is steady.  When my rear wheel has reached the line, I cut the wheel more sharply and only then start checking the other mirror.

Backing up straight is a matter of keeping your distance equal between your boundaries.  In a parking lot, those are the lines of the parking spot or the vehicles you're parking between.  In a driveway, it is the edges of the lawn.  Properly angled side mirrors are key.

Thanks for this explanation of backing up using mirrors.  I can see the logic of it with panel trucks that have essentially no rearward visibility except through side mirrors.  My daily driver basically has three-box styling, albeit with rounding for drag coefficient reduction, so the decklid is low and I can generally back up simply by turning my head and looking back.  However, the roadtrip car has wedge styling with a high decklid, so I find myself using the side mirrors much more with it.

Backing up depends on what my expectation is to put stuff in my trunk/hatch and how easy it is to get it out. Otherwise, I'll back into parking spaces, but not into my garage, unless I'm the only one home.

Garages are another exception I didn't mention.  I invariably nose in because it is safer and more convenient to have the electrical hookup and the open hood at the back of the garage.

This said, I reversed into a garage months ago to change the transmission fluid in my Saturn.  The recipe for partial drainage of the torque converter I was trying called for an overnight drain, so I wanted the car in a garage I could close up, and the front of the car had to be near the garage door both for access from below and for easy cleanup of any spills.  (I generally try to change fluids outdoors in the driveway, despite the greater vulnerability to wind scatter, because once I pretreat any drips or spills with neat dish soap rubbed in with a nylon brush and then rinsed off, I can count on rain to finish the job.)

[jakeroot]

The only time I don't back in, is when someone is up my arse, and I think they'll take any spot that I don't automatically nose into. Like parallel parking, backing in requires you to pull past the spot in question. Which is fine 95% of the time. But sometimes, there's someone right behind you. No matter how much signaling you do, there's a pretty good chance that they'll be right on your bumper when you need to go into reverse, or they're already taking the spot that you were going to reverse into. In these situations, I feel like nosing-in is better because it reduces the chance of someone stealing the spot. Basically, when it's busy, I just try to be predictable.

I've been a valet for over three years now, and have backed in everything from a Smart ForTwo (obviously easy), to a truck & trailer. I don't even have to think about backing in. All muscle memory at this point. If someone asked me what my tips would be, I'd be speechless. I have no idea what I do, but I know I'm good at it. Based on an average of 20 cars per workday @ 50 weeks per year, I've backed in well over ten thousand cars in the last few years.

[MNHighwayMan]

- Bills go in the wallet in order of denomination, facing the same direction.

Yes!  And I un-dog-ear them all before putting them in my wallet too.  I get frustrated with polymer notes because it's harder to un-dog-ear them.

YES! Anyone who doesn't do these things is a savage and needs to be civilized.

[Roadgeekteen]

I sometimes have to touch something multiple times in different ways or else I feel uncomfortable. Have no idea why this is or what causes it.

It's possible that what you're experiencing is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (but I don't know for a fact). I actually have a severe form of this. OCD (the abbreviation for this) can cause you to do Ordering and Repeating rituals (also known as compulsions), among many other possible kinds of compulsions. With the ordering and repeating compulsions, you may have to do the same thing over and over again (which could include touching things such as a wall or a chair - or you press the Caps Lock key over and over again multiple times a minute when you're on the computer *cough*yup, that's me*cough*). If you don't do this, you may feel uncomfortable, or even experience debilitating anxiety. You may have to repeat stuff until it feels "just right" or "perfect" to stop, or once you have reached the "mandatory number" that the OCD says you "must get to." This is more common than you would think. Of course, I am no doctor, but I have rich personal experience with these kinds of things and tons of knowledge on mental health, so I felt obligated to let you know all of this. I might tell your parent(s) or someone close about this and get it checked out, in case it is in fact Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (which is somewhat likely considering the habits that you spoke of).

Wow. I probably have minor ocd. It is getting better though.

[vdeane]

Minor OCD-like symptoms can also be a symptom of aspergers/autism.

[Roadgeekteen]

Minor OCD-like symptoms can also be a symptom of aspergers/autism.

I have autism.

[MNHighwayMan]

Minor OCD-like symptoms can also be a symptom of aspergers/autism.

I have autism.

Do you really, or are you just continuing to be a troll?

[adventurernumber1]

Minor OCD-like symptoms can also be a symptom of aspergers/autism.

I have autism.

Do you really, or are you just continuing to be a troll?

I know he's said that several times before on the forum (that he has autism), so it probably is true. At least in this case, he probably isn't trolling.

[vdeane]

Plus the numerous times people have made some joke or point and had it sail right over his head.

[jakeroot]

There's also the 'sneaking-suspicion' self-diagnosis. As in, claiming you have OCD, or Autism, or whatever, even though a doctor hasn't confirmed it, but then blame every stupid thing you've said or done on the disorder. Very annoying.

[formulanone]

Plus the numerous times people have made some joke or point and had it sail right over his head.

For one, he's 14 amongst the discussion of folks mostly aged 21-50. There's going to be a lot of things that he's not going to naturally get for a while. Think of a family gathering where the parents, relatives, and grandparents are talking about the past and the issues of the day; you're not going to understand most of it until you're a bit wiser. But now one can use Google or use Yahoo or use Bing instead of interrupting every discussion. Hell, I do it sometimes.

He's (still is?...not sure) homeschooled; that's a major chunk of social skills, verbal/visual cues, and social graces missing from one's life. Family can be very forgiving towards, accustomed to, or unaware of social miscues and behaviors, so not "getting things" also isn't terribly surprising.

[Roadgeekteen]

Plus the numerous times people have made some joke or point and had it sail right over his head.

For one, he's 14 amongst the discussion of folks mostly aged 21-50. There's going to be a lot of things that he's not going to naturally get for a while. Think of a family gathering where the parents, relatives, and grandparents are talking about the past and the issues of the day; you're not going to understand most of it until you're a bit wiser. But now one can use Google or use Yahoo or use Bing instead of interrupting every discussion. Hell, I do it sometimes.

He's (still is?...not sure) homeschooled; that's a major chunk of social skills, verbal/visual cues, and social graces missing from one's life. Family can be very forgiving towards, accustomed to, or unaware of social miscues and behaviors, so not "getting things" also isn't terribly surprising.

I go to public school but I am kinda anti social.

[kphoger]

He's (still is?...not sure) homeschooled; that's a major chunk of social skills, verbal/visual cues, and social graces missing from one's life. Family can be very forgiving towards, accustomed to, or unaware of social miscues and behaviors, so not "getting things" also isn't terribly surprising.

Sorry to jump in here, but my wife home-schools our children, and some of my best friends were home-schooled.  You seem to be assuming that home-schooled children don't interact with anyone but their families, and that's simply not true in my experience.  Between non-school sports, church activities, family friends and extended family members, and citywide home-school associations–home-schooled children are likely to have quite a bit more interaction with "the outside world" than you might imagine.

[adventurernumber1]

I go to public school but I am kinda anti social.

Just a piece of important psychological advice, I would not go around saying that you are antisocial.   


That word is not what you think it means.

This is an excerpt straight from my Psychology book:
People with Antisocial Personality Disorder have little regard for other people's feelings. They view the world as a hostile place where people need to look out for themselves. Not surprisingly, criminals seem to manifest a high incidence of antisocial personality disorder.

Being antisocial is commonly associated with hostility, and possibly even criminal activity. Better words to describe what I know you meant to say are words such as introverted, awkward, shy, reserved, quiet, and more. All of the words just mentioned actually describe me personally very well.


As confusing as it may be, antisocial =/= not social

(those words do not mean the same thing)