Melinda Doolittle

Friday, August 21, 2009

Random facts...

By now, you have figured out that I am a bit odd. I must say, I'm very content with being odd...especially since I keep finding out that more and more people share the same oddness. (Is that even a word?) First random fact - I just repeated the word "oddness" about 25 times out loud and now it really doesn't sound like a real word.
Anyway, I digress. So...after posting that clowns scare me and flying things scare me, I was quite intrigued to see that some of you were right with me. I couldn't help but think that we may have many more random facts in common. All that to say, you will either read this and agree on some things or read this and think I am the weirdest person ever. (Which is possibly true, but fun, huh?)

Here we go:

I count stairs. I have been known to get to the top of my stairs, realize I forgot to count, and go back down so that I can count the next time. I should also explain that I only count going up, not down. PS - I have 16 stairs.

My heat/air conditioning has to be set on an even number. The same goes for any volume control that uses numbers. I can, however, deal with it if the number ends in 5 because that perfectly splits the perfect 10's. I can also deal if it lands on my favorite number which is 47. Not really sure why my favorite number is odd, but whatever.

I love to bake sweet potato pies! However, I can only make 4 at a time. Trust me, I've tried to cut it in half, but it doesn't work. It never tastes the same. So, one Thanksgiving, I needed 5 pies...I made 8.

Drinking coffee at night keeps me awake, but cappuccino makes me sleepy.

And the last one for the day...
I LOVE PUZZLES! I even got a stow & go mat for my puzzles so I can travel with them and not mess them up. At night, it's what gets my mind off the day and relaxed enough to eventually fall asleep. Nightly ritual...puzzle, Momma Dora's (Kelley's mom) spice tea and the Sam & Ruby CD.
LOVE IT!!!!



Please tell me you relate to or at least understand one of these...please??? :-)
Also, share some of your randomness with me so I won't be alone. You know you have it!
Love you guys!
Me

33 Comments:

Blogger Holly said...

The one about the stairs is a riot--hey, at least you get alot of exercise like that...

I am not weird.. except.. when i eat M and M's or Skittles I sort them by color and dont want the colors touching

When I ate chips.... i sort by sizes and eat the little one/pieces first.. then eat the whole ones....

Last one I can think of .. when I eat a corn dog--i eat the breading off of it then the weiner--looks kinda nasty and get lots of funny looks but oh well...... its just me.

August 21, 2009 at 1:38 PM  
Blogger Gwen said...

Sounds like a little OCD to me.

However, I must separate the colors of M&Ms and eat the same colors simultaneously.

I do not like my food to touch - at all. Like, if I'm eating fried chicken, or something crispy, and the juice from corn or green beans or something gets on it and makes it soggy, I won't eat it.

So...you're definitely not alone. Which person in your family is like this?

August 21, 2009 at 1:46 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

LOL girl, you're adorable. The counting is too much work for me, I think laziness saves me from those. BUT I also get sleepy from the milky coffee drinks, but not coffee, and I also love puzzles :D

August 21, 2009 at 2:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LOL. It's nice to know you're not odd in a weird or scary way :) I share a little of the number thing but my number is the 'divine 9' where what I place in the microwave is always set for a multiple of 9 ... 18 seconds, 54 seconds, 126 seconds, etc.

August 21, 2009 at 2:20 PM  
Blogger Sally said...

My husband counts almost everything.
My random weirdness is that when I picture a calendar year in my head, the calendar is round! I guess when I was little I associated 12 hours on a clock with 12 months in a year. But my year goes counterclockwise! Each month is still kind of rectangular (like a real calendar page), but the 12 "calendar pages" are in a circle. SOOO--When I picture a year, January is between 12 and 11 on a clock, Feb is between 11 and 10, etc. Dec is between 1 and 12. That should make you feel better!
: ) Sally

August 21, 2009 at 2:20 PM  
Blogger A said...

haha I am the exact same with numbers. I have to have everything numbers but I'm ok with fives too. And my favorite number is 111, which is odd but it's ok because there are 3 ones so they cancel each other out :)

I remember on American Idol when you said that if you touch something hot or cold with one hand you have to touch it with the other hand too so they feel the same. I was so excited to hear that someone else was like me with that too! lol... so if you're weird we're weird together :)

August 21, 2009 at 2:55 PM  
Blogger babz019 said...

I figure out exactly how long it will take me to get ready in the morning and set my alarm accordingly. For example, it takes me 37 min to get ready for work, so I set my alarm for 5:03 to leave at 5:40.

I hate my food touching. I know "it all goes to the same place" but while it's in front of me it must be separated.

I hate change. Sometimes if I want a coffee and it cost 2.10 and I don't have the dime I will either not buy it or let them keep the change rather than get 90 cents in change.

Take it as you will :-)

<3 Babz

August 21, 2009 at 2:55 PM  
Blogger Roxanne said...

Wow, I'm not weird!! yay. I count stairs too. I have thirteen. I have two sets of stairs in my house. Both sets have thirteen, but I do count going dawn as well as going up. When I walk on colored tile, I tend to count the colored ones. Sometime I wont step on the colored ones. I do the same thing with even numbers.
I'm sure I have other weirdnesses(is thataa word), but I don't want you to think I'm too weird.
~Roxanne

August 21, 2009 at 3:00 PM  
Blogger Linda said...

Melinda you are not alone!

If I step on a crack with one foot I have to step on one with the other foot. It's like I can feel the crack and things seem out of balance if I don't step on a crack with the opposite foot.

When I take eggs out of the container I have to take them out in a pattern that is symetrical so that the eggs left in the carton are evenly distributed.

I also like even numbers and I have been known to count things too... but I have not done the stair thing. I have counted stairs... But I haven't come back down and started over if I've forgotten to count.

I usually set the time on the microwave on a number ending in 0 or 5. If it's something that is only going to take seconds to heat up then I will stand there and stop the microwave a second before the time runs out... I only do that if it's a really quick heat up like 20 seconds or less.

I'm sure there's more but I'm tired right now and can't think straight.

Does that make you feel like you're not the only one that feels like you should be in a loony bin from time to time? ;)

August 21, 2009 at 3:23 PM  
Blogger Wendy said...

Wow, my daughter does that with the volume contol in the car! I thought SHE was the freak. It has to be even. Always. (But then, she struggled with OCD at one time.) ;-) I love following you on Twitter! Always entertaining (I'm PeachK.)

August 21, 2009 at 3:32 PM  
Blogger Wendy said...

PS All you people who don't like your food to touch--that's me!! Glad to know I'm in good company. When I go out for Mexican food, I make them put the crispy stuff on its own plate. :-)

August 21, 2009 at 3:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I definitely relate to the odd/even/divisible by 5 number issue. I run a store on ebay and at the end of the day I have to have an even number of items for sale and any other category I can control.

August 21, 2009 at 3:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

August 21, 2009 at 3:43 PM  
Blogger Lexi said...

Okay, while I read this, I had to go count my stairs, cuz if I didn't, it would bug me all day cuz I'd need to know! (There's 13 by the way which makes me very happy cuz that's my Baby Backup #!) #'s on TV, microwave, etc. have to be multiples of 5. In Disney, every time I met a character...I got scared!...Kinda creepy! I usually use 2 plates at supper cuz I don't like stuff to touch, so I stick the messy thing on a seperate plate ;-) I daydream A LOT, and sometimes people catch me sitting there smiling, and staring off into space...It's really awkward! When I'm flossing my teeth, if I accidently floss one twice, I go back and do all the other ones again (thast happens with other things too!) Okay, that's plenty enough weirdness from me-I'll post more when you do because trust me, there are TONS more, hehe!
-Lexi ;-)

August 21, 2009 at 3:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If so many of us are "weird", doesn't that end up making us "normal?" Lol.

I can't eat one MandM, or one Skittle, or one chip. It has to be two, or else I feel like things are unbalanced with my mouth.

When I make a sandwich, the order has to be just so--bread, filling, condiment, bread. If I forget and put (Miracle Whip for instance), on the bottom layer of bread, I have to flip the entire thing over, or it's just not right.

OMG Holly, I also eat corn dogs like that! Is it weird to put salt on a corn dog?

August 21, 2009 at 3:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You alway put a smile on my face.

Me is
When i eat smarties i put the red beside and eat them the last. I crack the joint of my toes or i won't feel comfortable on my shoe. I will never past under a ladder. Going sleep when i listen to music make me relax

August 21, 2009 at 3:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh Melinda i am same as you coffee at night keep me awake !

August 21, 2009 at 3:56 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

HA! I read this to my wife and got to the part about counting stairs and she said "SO DO I!" Except she counts them going down. And she wanted me to inform you that we have 13 stairs going down ... or 14, if you count the one after the landing at the bottom (which I am sure you would due to your obsession with even numbers) ;)

August 21, 2009 at 4:28 PM  
Blogger Shari said...

You make me smile, just so you know :-)

August 21, 2009 at 6:43 PM  
Blogger Sue in Tucson said...

My niece & I love to put together puzzles. We especially love the Photomozaics! And we've done a 5,000 piece one; she has it on the wall at her house.

Sue

August 21, 2009 at 7:12 PM  
Blogger Jenn said...

Haha I love your randomness :-)

A random thing I do: When I shower, I have to wash in the same order - hair, face, body, feet. If I do it in any other order, my day feels weird.

Love ya! BTW, I enjoy your tweets and blogs a LOT!

August 21, 2009 at 7:45 PM  
Blogger Edith said...

I am having a really hard time coming up with anything I do that seems "quirky." How's that for a word? Sounds better than odd - right? My food can touch...sometimes it tastes better that way - if certain things are mixed up. I don't count stairs or anything else for that matter...except maybe sheep if I am having trouble going to sleep - which I rarely have trouble doing. I don't have to have odd or even numbers to make me feel better about a situation - just doesn't matter to me. I don't eat food in any particular way...I just eat it :-) Although I love to eat the orange popsicle part off of the vanilla ice cream on a dreamsicle before I touch the ice cream. Does that count? Perhaps I am the one who is weird, quirky and/or odd??? Probably very true!

I love your quirkiness...I love your blogs and your tweets - you are so entertaining, funny and insightful, PLEASE keep 'em coming. I know many who look forward to anything you publish. And I especially love how you inspire us all in so many wonderful ways. Oh, and did I mention just how much I love to hear you sing? Yeah, that too!

August 21, 2009 at 9:35 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

WOW! I guess we odd people are not alone.

I also fear clowns to death!

Other random 'oddness':

I read billboards out loud -not all of them but quite a lot.

I talk to other cars while I'm driving.

Actually, coffee makes me sleepy... tea keeps me awake.

I have to find the number 13 in almost everything (weird isn't it?): I was born on the 13th, live on number 13, have 13 uncles & aunts on my mother's side, my favourite cousin is number 13 (and 26), I have 13 stairs, I had 13 classmates on my last year in highschool and all through college...

August 21, 2009 at 11:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Oh! And my rooms in school were 13 in 1st grade, and 103 in 7th grade!!

August 21, 2009 at 11:01 PM  
Blogger Maria said...

OK. I relate to the stair counting and the puzzles... but I've moved on to number puzzles... too hard to stow and pack the other kind of puzzle. So you're not so odd.

August 22, 2009 at 3:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Melinda,

I love this! Thanks for sharing and asking us to share our random uniqueness.

I always count stairs going up, but not down. It seems to help give me incentive to get to the top - especially if there's more than two flights. I also count steps when I go for a walk. Not sure why on that one.

I always eat my sandwiches in a circle from the outside in. Sort of like saving the best for last.

For awhile I avoided the number 13 on the radio volume dial. That seemed to come on gradually and persisted for a few years until I determined it interfered with my faith in God and prayed for Him to take that fear away. The next day - and I'm not kidding - I received a new employee number at work that ended with 013. I laughed and laughed out loud and praised God for how He works in my life.

If I'm having mashed potatoes, I like to mush all other food (veggies and meat) on the plate into them. It's difficult not to do that when eating in public. =)

And I'm SO happy there's someone else who keeps a mental picture of a calendar year in their head! Mine is completely asymmetrical.

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
.......................JUN JUL
..................AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
(sorry for all the dots, they were necessary for proper alignment)

I have no reason for why it's always in my head that way except the possiblity that June and July were the "non-school" months when I was young.

And the egg carton! Good gosh, that one too. When I remove them the remaining ones must be in a symmetrical pattern. Now that's really strange considering my mental calendar is so asymmetrical. heh!

I fell in love with my unique traits a long time ago. It's so good to see how others love themselves, too.

Blessings,
Sharon

August 22, 2009 at 7:07 AM  
Blogger Mu Doo said...

hahaha you are too cute! my thing is I wash my hands and face all the time... I said ALL THE TIME!!! I don't remember a OCD, so I guess I don't have something like it, well is a OCD you be scared of foot? haha serious I'm scared of foot touching me!

August 22, 2009 at 8:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another thing i do and get peoples on nerve is i count the last minutes before a show start or anything i will go and we are at the last minute the last minute i have to count lol. 60,59,58 etc.

August 23, 2009 at 10:12 AM  
Blogger Romy S said...

Everyone is a little bizzare, some people are just better hiding it than others.

August 25, 2009 at 1:13 AM  
Blogger Gayle said...

OMG Melinda! I count stairs and do the volume thing too!!! Always has to be on an even number or one ending with a 5. LOLOL I love puzzles and usually have one on the dining room table. My worse "oddness" is touching everything. Especially the dough when my daughter bakes bread...I have to pat it!!! And she does not like it!!

August 26, 2009 at 8:19 AM  
Blogger Core 4 said...

You are so hilarious! I enjoyed you on AI, and found you surfing the web. I can honestly say I will have to really think hard to see if I have any weird oddness to me. I'm sure I do, maybe I'll ask my husband. His name is Merv - maybe there is my oddness. He was named after his father. Have to admit, no one forgets his name. Wish you much success in your future endeavors. Looking forward to reading your next blog.

August 27, 2009 at 1:30 AM  
Blogger Carrie said...

Melinda - I also count stairs.. always have.. but only going up. Volume has to be an even number, but also things that I eat (I can't eat an odd number of anything, including ice in my glass). I give my children snacks in even numbers! Want a grape? Here - take 2. Want an animal cracker? Take 2! Not a good system, I know. I can't help it! AND - I was just thinking about your sweet potato pies the other day!!!! And Chris's peach cobbler.

September 7, 2009 at 6:12 AM  
Blogger Carrie said...

I have a couple of corrections on my earlier post. Apparently I DO count stairs going down too. Who knew!??! And although I do eat things in 2's and love to have everything "even", apparently the volume on the tv now can be on anything as long as it is the right volume coming out (I aim for even or 7, but if it is not working out I just close my eyes so it won't bother me). Random discoveries in my "old age".

Happy Randomness!

October 14, 2009 at 9:58 AM  

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