Situational OCD…

I was thinking about something that my fearless Team Lead said last week as I sat up tonight. He asserted that all nerds have varying levels of OCD.

That put me into stock-taking mode. Its true, I do. When engrossed in either a support or design issue, I must have something in my left hand (no Dave, don’t go there). Usually, this something is a small object on my desk (the staple-puller or a thumb tack are my usuals). When musing to a coworker about said problem, I sometimes spin the object in my hands (again, staple-puller or loose pair of scissors are good suspects here).

Barring having objects to mess with, I tend to chew on my nails. This is a habit I’ve had since childhood, but it sticks with me for this simple reason. The pain of “chewing too far” often sparks some of the best development ideas I’ve ever had. I almost pulled my little fingernail on my right hand off one day in college and while I was stemming the bleeding I came up with the solution to the loophole in my genetic art software that allowed me to complete it.

I also tend to line up my fallen Diet Coke cans alongside my tower until the end of the day, when I am often seen shuttling a small herd of cans to the recycling drop off. My Dad always says I should take the cans home and recycle them myself, but I am just too lazy for that.

I’m sure someone with an armchair psychology major could do a number on why it is that these interactions occur, but I don’t really care.

I’ve known nerds to have various ticks, compulsions, and other odd behavior. One of my professors in college would, when “processing” an idea, rub his hands together at an alarming rate of speed. He would also be known to pass some rank gas in the middle of lecture, but I don’t know if that was a compulsion or just him being gross.

So I ask you all: take stock yourself. As fellow nerds, embrace your odd behavior by replying here with the details. If I get no replies, I will know I’m just strange and thats all there is to it. I’m fine with that. But I’ve seen you all doing some weird things, so I will call you out. Just so you know.