i am neurotic.

I get disgusted when I’m filling up my water bottle at the fountain and the water pressure drops when someone flushes a toilet in the nearby bathroom. I don’t like being reminded that the water used to flush toilets and the water I’m drinking come from the same source, even though I know it’s clean and perfectly safe to drink.

everyday when I get home from work I walk in and immediately pick up everything on the floor and have to vacuum (mostly kids toys). I will continue to vacuum until I can clearly see the lines in the carpet produced by the vacuum. Then I can sit down and relax.

When I use plastic hangars for my clothes, their color has to match whatever is hanging on them, otherwise I’d just as soon leave them on the floor. Metal hangars are good for shirts, but tend to leave nearly-as-bad crease marks in pants.

I absolutely CANNOT stand glitter. It is the herpes of Arts and Crafts. I hate the way that it gets everywhere and sticks to everything. If I ever get even a speck of glitter on me, I feel the absolute need to take a shower and wash all my clothes. Last year, my friend inadvertently got me a birthday card that had glitter on it. I freaked out. We are no longer friends.

I have to have exactly 24 Black Warrior pencils in the pencil cup on my desk, and they all must face me so that I can read the writing on them. I also have a separate cup just for Uni-ball signo pens, of which there must be ten, and all of which must have the capped end pointing down.

When I was in grade school, I always had to brush my pencil erasings away and then blow them away to make sure they were all gone. I didn’t realize this was an issue until someone much older than me brushed their pencil erasings away in front of me but did not blow them away. I panicked and attempted to blow their pencil erasings away. They looked at me as though I had a second head.

I cannot bring myself to eat anything that has a sauce on it. (Marinara especially). Whenever I go to an italian restaurant I have to specify not to have sauce on the food I’m getting. I always get weird looks from the waiters, but the sight of it on my food make me want to vomit.

i am afraid that the mirrors in dressing rooms are two way, so i hate getting changed in them for fear of being watched. however, i am afraid to cover it because i don’t want them to think that i’m doing so to steal something without their knowledge. i therefore always keep my undershirt on and change with my back to the mirror.

I can never bring myself to throw out any piece of paper I’ve written on until I am absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, entirely positive that I won’t need it. I say this as I stare at a phone number, wondering who’s it is, thinking that if I throw it out the person might call me and I’ll have no idea who it is. I also need to start writing down names with numbers.

I am a teacher and cannot stand to get any dust from chalk or whiteboard marker on me. When I use an eraser, if I get any marker or chalkdust on my fingers, I have to wash my hands (or wipe them off with a wet wipe if I can’t leave the room at that moment). I absolutely hate it when students use their hands or sleeves to erase the board! I also don’t like the pencil buildup I get on my hands from touching student papers. I wash my hands a lot at school.