Excuse me, your crazy is showing...

why is this man fully clothed in the sea? And why is she offering him an empty plate? Thats some diet!
PAPER PLATE AD, COUPLE AT DOCK (Photo credit: George Eastman House)

I accompanied my youngest children to a 5-year-old's birthday party yesterday. This is not as dreadful as it sounds. The sun was shining. There was an excellent entertainer occupying the hoards of screeching children group of happy youngsters and there was plenty of tea and chilled white wine. (for the mums only I hasten to add!)
As the entertainer (wearing the inevitably wacky socks) sang, danced and told bum-related jokes a group of mums gathered outside, some helping to lay the table, some, frankly, making the most of a few minutes of child-free bliss just sitting and chatting.
I was in the latter group and lazily watched one mum lay out paper plates. It was a big group of children so lots of plates needed- party girls mum had three different designs. And my friend laying plates laid six of one, then one of another then two of another then four of another.... round the table.
I could feel a bit of my internal crazy slipping. I blurted out :" Does it not bother you that there is no pattern or order to those plates? Can you not alternate in a repeating pattern - it's winding me up!"
With an evil grin she grabbed the paper cups and asked if it would wind me up even more if she failed to match the cups to the plates!
This started a discussion on the mild sort of OCD we all seem to harbour and try to hide.  It turns out other peoples foibles are another person's giggle-trigger.
(By the way I hope I dont really have to point out that this post is written in a lighthearted way - I am in no way comparing what I'm talking about it to real OCD, a dreadful condition which looks like a living hell)

my friend would love all cup and mug
 collections to be as neat as this
Assorted Mugs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another mum told us she has to have the volume on her car stereo in increments of five. and ending in a five or a zero.
Another said she hadn't realise how irrational it was but with us talking she had realised that she could only programme her alarm to go off at a time ending in five or zero too.
I love to wind one friend of mine up- through our involvement in church we seem to often find ourselves laying out cups and mugs for tea breaks or events. The best way to make her twitch is to just heave them out of the cupboards willy-nilly onto the worktop without lining them up in descending order of size.
And I'm sure I'm not the only person who carries out my bathroom routine in exactly the same order every day? And arranges biscuits in patterns on plates, leaving off (or eating) any chipped or broken ones? And feels a strong urge to rearrange other peoples cutlery drawers when they are not in the "right" order? (from left to right, knives, forks, desert spoons - it's the only way I tell you!) And feels uncomfortable if I don't sit on the left side of a train or aeroplane?
Let me know your OCD-ish moments and help me feel a little less crazy!