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I’m pretty sure I don’t have OCD, but sometimes I really convince myself that I do.  And by “sometimes” I mean “every time I watch Obsessed on A&E.” Although my habits don’t come nearly as close to those of the people on that show who have to touch the fridge 46 times before they can get some milk, I do have some quirks that make me go hmm…

I know a lot of people have weird things with numbers, but my thing with numbers is just wacky.  For example, when I’m on the treadmill planning on going for a run, I make sure I walk for exactly half a mile before.  The treadmill must say exactly .50 before I can start running.  .49 is not okay, and, to be honest, I’m not sure what I would do if it went to .51 and I wasn’t running yet, but I guess I don’t have to worry about that because I won’t let that happen.

Now, is that just routine or a blatant obsession?

Also, when I play tennis, sometimes I’ll flip the racket in the air and catch it.  And once I do it once, I make myself do it 3 times in a row before I can keep playing.  If I don’t catch it, I have to start over.  WTF?

I don’t know how or why I developed these odd OCD tendencies. I know they aren’t dangerous or cause me social problems (unless I meet someone who can’t handle my racket-flipping), but it’s just….weird. Why do I have to shower in the same order (face, body, hair, conditioner) every morning, or set my alarm clock to a time that ends in 3? And why aren’t I obsessed with something useful like cleanliness or staying organized? Or avoiding cake/chocolate/all things fried?

And am I the only one with a mild case of OCD? What sort of weird OCD habits do you have? Share ‘em here so we can all feel a bit better about ours!

However, I’m able to cut MTV some slack because they aren’t always the network that shows hot people doing dumb things 24/7. Every once in awhile they cook up an awesome little nugget of TV goodness with some real substance. For example, they devote a decent amount of airtime to True Life. I’m pretty sure the only way you’d not know about True Life is if you had been living under a rock (or without basic cable) for the last ten years, but just in case you don’t know, every ep of True Life tells the entirely true story of 2 or 3 young people who are dealing with a particular issue. Sometimes its personal (“I’m Afraid of Intimacy”), other time it’s situational (“I Have A Summer Share ”), but either way it’s always AWESOME.

The only problem with True Life? There are just so.many.amazing.episodes – and equally as many that never air more than once. Actually this story ended up taking me a lot longer to write than originally planned because I spent more time watching the episodes online than writing about them. (Which reminds me – thank you MTV for putting these all online!) However, I was eventually able to peel my eyeballs away from the episodes and back to my open Word document to write up this list of my faves:

1) I Have OCD – So interesting. The dude who sniffs his armpits over and over? Classic television.
2) I Live Another Life on the Web – If this journalism thing doesn’t work out, this episode showed me I can always show my boobs on the internet for cash.
3) I’m Addicted to Crystal Meth – Enough said.
4) I Have Tourette’s Syndrome – The guy who spills a drink on his date warms my heart. I think tics are kinda cute.
5) I’m Uncomfortable with My New Body – Lots of sagging skin. Gross, but really interesting nonetheless.
6) I’m Getting Married – “I will gut you like a fish!” Sabrina & Charlie will always be my favorite TV couple.

Honorable Mentions: “I’m Jealous,” “I Panic,” “I Work in the Sex Industry,” “I’m Supporting My Family,” “I’m Obese,” “I Hate My Small Breasts” (a girl’s mother actually ENCOURAGES her to get breast implants by asking for donations from sugar daddies online!), and “I’m Competitive with My Friends.”

I just can’t wait until True Life: I’m Addicted to True Life comes out. An hour of watching me watch TV? Now that’s quality programming…

Check out True Life On Demand and watch some of these episodes online.

Okay, I know I’m not the only one obsessed. What are some of your fave episodes of True Life?

Senior year in high school I was on a champion volleyball team, had a cute boyfriend, surrounded myself with fabulous friends, but did absolutely zero homework (Senioritis proved to be a seriously dangerous disease).

Freshman year in college I had decent grades, tons of extra-currics, loads of buddies, but didn’t go on a single date.

This year I worked for the newspaper, had a few flings, but also had a GPA that took a bit of a plunge.

All of this got me thinking: can you really “have it all”? Our generation has been taught over and over again that we can do anything and everything we want as long as we try, but is that really true? Is it possible to balance stellar grades, awesome friends, your fave hobbies, a significant other, and a healthy bod with only 24 hours in a day? (By the way, this is just my idea of “it all.” Yours may vary greatly.)

After 20 years of trying and constantly feeling like I’m failing in some capacity, I have officially given up. It may sound cynical, but I’ve decided it’s simply impossible to have it all. At least at the same time…and to a fulfilling degree. When I try to add something in – like a new love interest – something else always gets pushed to the back burner, leaving me defending myself against my friends or fighting to keep my head above water in my classes.

There is just never enough time.

So instead of constantly being unsatisfied and obsessing about how that one (or many) thing(s) in my life is missing, I’ve trying to focus on what I do have at the moment. Quality, not quantity—right?!?

Because the thing is, even when I think I finally “have it all,” I always manage to find something else that’s missing, and the circle of dissatisfaction (called life) continues. (Remember when you said that after you got into college, you would be happy forever, your life would be fulfilled, and you would never complain again? And then remember the week after you got accepted when you were whining about not receiving the housing information fast enough? Yea. I thought so.)

I’ve tried many tactics to keep myself satisfied. I’ve tried to stop comparing myself to others. Ha. That one never came to fruition. I’ve worked on prioritizing instead of making everything happen at once: is getting an A in economics this semester more important, or making fabulous and unforgettable memories with friends? (The memories obviously prevailed.) I’ve even made lists of what I thought would make me happy, crossing off my hopes and dreams as I accomplished them (I knew my OCD would come in handy at some point!). But still, I have never been able to fit everything on my plate, or to learn how to be satisfied with only filling it half up.

So, my question is, have you? If your answer is yes, please enlighten me on how you’ve accomplished this inconceivable feat. If no, thank god I’m not alone!

Currently, “Elisa” is interning for a big, flashy 5th Avenue designer. Sounds awesome, right? Well, read the first installment HERE, and then read on...]

Who knew that a “marketing” internship actually meant “free physical labor”??

I told myself that I would start working out this summer, but I never thought that lifting and cardio would start at my internship. Apparently The Designer felt that she needed to repaint her whole store, so a few days ago we had to move everything down to the basement, and then move it back up the next day. Great… and to top it off, she’s OCD with the displays.

Shoot me now.

I now have the responsibility of “checking” the displays every morning to make sure that everything’s symmetric and clean.

Whoopee… go me. And to add to the fun, it’s still inventory week! When will this madness ever end?! How many boxes can this woman have?!

Well… at least now I get to move on to the amazing task of producing these lovely bottles.

Wait… WHY AM I MAKING THE BOTTLES?!

When did marketing have anything to do with the actual production?

This whole week I’ve made countless tiny perfume bottles, many many plastic lotions, and various other beauty products I never thought I’d be making. Not only have I been making beauty products, but now she wants brand new menus for her products… and who gets to walk 4 flights up to print them, AND glue them together? Oh of course, the intern.

To top this week off, I get to do “research” on companies that produce weird rubber stoppers with a metal ball on top. Right. Why are companies only making rubber stoppers or these stupid balls?! I swear she chooses the most complicated components possible for her blindingly white store.

Can’t really complain for now. At least I’m by the computer and able to write this blog… along with facebook chatting, my new favorite thing.

At least there’s one perk so far…

GUESS WHO I JUST SAW?!

That’s right.  Paula Abdul.

[Stay tuned for next week’s installment of CC’s Secret Intern Diaries]

I had a lot of nightmares as a kid. Thanks to these nightmares and various frightening films I’ve developed a hilarious set of OCD habits such as opening and closing closet doors before sleeping and checking behind the shower curtain before I saddle up to the toilet (you laugh but one day someone is gonna be in there and then who’s the dumb one!)

My imagination is easily inspired. For a while I couldn’t even watch a commercial for a horror movie because I knew those 30 seconds were enough to create an entire world of horrific fantasy that I’d be trapped inside for the rest of the evening. The one thing more unnerving then horror characters and sharks (I don’t swim in the ocean, at all, ever) is muppets.

Not all muppets, Kermit is fine, Fozzy, whatever. I’m talking about those LSD muppets that creators slip in films and TV shows, mixed with other cute, lovable creatures. They lure you in with Grover and then BAM, some abomination walks onto the screen that’s burned into your mind forever. Some horribly disfigured, warbly voiced monstrosity that may as well be drenched in blood, because thats how you’ll remember them, regardless.

Here’s five of the worst perpetrators.

5) Sesame Street’s Big Bad Wolf

He first appeared in a mock ‘News Report’ that Kermit was doing about the story of the 3 Little Pigs, but eventually was cast in a full time role in my brain as the monster that lived in the crawlspace behind our dryer. His nose and mouth are almost crocodilian in length, making him a hybrid death machine that can not only eat you whole, but smell (and enjoy) your fear.

4) Sesame Street’s Yip Yip Aliens

Who the f*ck invented these? I’ve seen like 3/4th’s of every science fiction movie ever and I’ve never observed a more frightening rendition of creatures from another planet. They have no body, and their circular mouths are contorted into a look of excruciating pain. The sound they omit — ‘Yip Yip‘ — over and over gives them an almost zombie-like demeanor. Incapable of love or communication, their race knows only war.

3) Skeksis from ‘The Dark Crystal’

Bird reptiles that appear to have some type of bizarre bone disease and turn infantile when they die/age. As someone who grew up around wild turkeys, the thought of gangs of intelligent, upright walking, violent minded birds hit very close to home.

2) The Rockbiter from ‘The Never-ending Story’

Could you have designed a more horribly disfigured face? My cousins would loop this scene and force me to watch it as a form of torture.

1) The Fiery Gang from ‘The Labyrinth’

A gang of forest dwelling, possible serial rapist apes who sing about ‘showing you a good time’ while removing their limbs and creating a gallery of horrifyingly twisted body shapes. Then they try to rip your head off, in an effort to make you more like them. Awesome, just awesome.

[Got any childhood fears induced by muppets? We want to know]