Sorry, no birds today. My mind is on something else.
I’m actually a little embarrassed to be posting this but my curiosity got the best of me.
A few days ago my friend Wayne Watson made a Facebook post that got my little mind humming. He posted a photo of him slicing a stick of butter for popcorn and said:
“Whenever I have to chop, cut, or dice something… no particular measurements, just have to cut it up into smaller pieces… I find myself counting in my head. Tonight I’m cutting up a stick of butter to melt for our popcorn and once again, in my head is “one, two, three, four, five…”. Why? I don’t need a specific number of anything, yet every time “one, two, three, four, five…”. Anyone else?”
His post struck a chord with me because I’ve been doing something similar for years and I don’t understand why I do it. Whenever I’m doing something that requires repeated actions or motions, or whenever I hear repeated sounds, I count in my head (not out loud). I can’t help myself, it just happens.
When it happened again when I was making pizza for dinner on the same day Wayne made his FB post I decided to make a similar blog post, describing what I do and asking my readers if any of them do something similar. I’m curious if it’s a fairly unique idiosyncrasy or more common than I think it might be.
When I make homemade pizza, which is often, I’m a bit of a pepperoni snob. I think pre-sliced pepperoni lacks in quality (it’s usually greasy and unappetizing), so I always buy my pepperoni in sticks and slice it myself. And yes, I counted every piece in my head as I sliced it.
As a side note, I’m not so fussy about my mozzarella cheese but the parmesan has to be Reggiano.
This time I ended up with 39 slices, not counting the two end pieces. The end pieces and three slices ended up as pre-dinner snack bites. So my pepperoni and mushroom pizza had 36 slices of pepperoni on it. (I didn’t count the mushroom pieces. Even I have limits. Besides, I didn’t slice them.)
I’ve done a lot of furniture-making over the years and woodworking often requires repeated cuts or other actions. So I do a lot of unnecessary counting in my woodshop. Below is one of many examples.
You’ve seen this photo before, of the antique-style pie safe I built.
The pie safe has six panels of punched tin representing shocks of wheat. I had to punch the tin, using specialized punches of two different shapes – round holes and slits.
Each panel required 329 punches. Apparently the little gremlin in my mind that requires me to count thought that that many punches was too many to count, so for each panel I punched the holes first and at least tried to count them as I went (243). Then I punched the slits in each panel (86). I was pretty successful in keeping up with the counts of the slits – less so with the holes. But I tried. I kind of had to.
Repeated sounds are another thing my mind automatically counts. An example would be when I’m at bird refuges photographing birds during hunting season. When I hear shotgun blasts I count them. Always. I’d be a great witness at a murder trial involving multiple gunshots.
When I first started photographing birds I even tried to count shutter clicks in a burst. When burst rates were slow, as they were in early digital cameras, I was often successful. But with modern cameras and faster burst rates I no longer try. Thankfully.
So, I’m curious. Does anyone else do the same thing? Or something similar?
Ron
Note:
The extreme form of my ‘condition’ is called arithmomania. But thankfully I never feel the need to do any of the following, all of which can be symptomatic of the disorder.
- counting steps while going up or down stairs
- counting the number of letters in words
- counting floor or ceiling tiles
- counting lines on roads
- touching things (like doorknobs or tables) a certain number of times in order to prevent alleged calamities
Here are some items I count:
Yellow cars seen on any given trip. There are lots of them in Albuquerque. Commercial vehicles that are yellow don’t
count. Sometimes I do a simultaneous comparison count of orange or yucky green cars. Purple or pink cars are two points each.
Beige items in a doctor’s waiting room.
Stair steps.
Crows. and geese…
I don’t usually count the number of fish I catch and release. I stopped doing that on my 50th birthday after I caught 50 fish on a private ranch. I photographed number 50, a nice, medium sized Brown Trout. (Don’t leave fish to find fish).
I’m laughing at this post. No, I don’t count. I just git-it-done. I am impressed by you diversity in wood making AND photography. You should be very proud of your accomplishes.
Much appreciated, Linda. I thought photography and woodworking was kind of an unusual combination but a few days ago I ran into a guy with the same obsessions.
You are always entertaining. I’m not a counter, but I don’t know my left from my right. As I retired teacher, when we said the pledge of allegiance with my 1st grader, I always started with “put your right hand over your heart.” And I say that phrase to this day to know my left from my right. Maybe I helped some of my students with that same disability??
Gail, I’m intrigued by your inability to tell left from right. I’m curious, are you ambidextrous?
My dad used 9 o’clock for left and 3 o’clock for right. I always find the way we come up with mnemonics to be so interesting. 🙂
I also refer to hands on a clock for various things. Linda
Marty, if it works for him, more power to him.
Now I’m going to have to pay attention to when I count. I know I do sometimes even though there’s no practical reason for doing so. I also think that my gremlin is lazy and stops after awhile. You post such interesting stuff! And your pie safe is absolutely beautiful!!! Is the image above it, a photo or a painting?
Thanks, Pat. It’s a print of one of my very favorite photos.
I’m a counter too. Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m doing it until I have the total pop into my consciousness. Your pizza looks almost as good as that gorgeous pie safe!
(Dang it! “I’m a counter” sounded too much like “I’m a Pepper” and now I have that commercial running amok in my head. So I’m not alone: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut04HnBssHI )
Thanks, Marty. I ate that pizza for three days – one dinner and two lunches.
That commercial must have come out during one of my “no TV” phases. I don’t recognize it.
I occasionally do something like this, but it is usually counting seconds. I knew a guy back in college who must have had the more serious malady, he could tell you how many steps it was from his dorm room to his first period class!
I’m glad I’m not like the college guy you mentioned, Ken. That seems to be taking it a little too far.
Love your pie safe.
And yes count me in. I count steps. Sort of. I do so in repeated blocks of eight. And sometimes count how many of those blocks I do before I reach my destination. I get VERY frustrated if I lose count.
Still no email – and you are not in my reader. Hiss and spit at WP.
“I do so in repeated blocks of eight.”
Now that’s a new one, EC. Seems to me that it would make keeping track more complicated. Maybe something in you appreciates the challenge…
Ron,
Unfortunately and painfully so. My numbers thing is when they are all the same like on an odometer or the elevation at the summit outside Bryce Canyon that is 7777 feet above see level. And I have a picture (much to the risk of myself and those with me) every time I hit 2222 or 1111111 on the odometer. It may literally be the death of me! I also count the stairs, I am sorry to say.
Stephen
Steven, I also stop (when it’s at least relatively safe to do so) to photograph notable mileages on my odometer. Haven’t done the stair-counting thing though.
So glad to hear I’m not alone! I always enjoy seeing the clock say 11:11 and 12:12, … I count lots of things. Even steps when I’m doing walkies by myself. I’d love to know what particular wiring in our brains stimulates this response. Have you watched “Monk” on Netflix? He makes me feel very normal.
You’re (we’re) far from alone, Burrdoo.
Burrdo,
I love Monk because I am just like him (but functional). I am currently watching the re-runs … again. Talk about “LOL!” The only clock number I don’t like is — dare I say it? — “13:13.” Argh!
That’s a good-looking pizza. And the pie safe is beautiful!
I’m a counter also, although only some activities. I don’t count when I’m slicing or picking up things, but I can’t climb a flight of stairs without counting every step in my head. I did that just this morning on my way into work. I do it more often with strenuous activities, so it may just be my way of looking forward to being finished.
Bill, it tasted as good as it looks. But by then I was starving.
I don’t count the stairs in my house but I must have at one time because I know there are 14 of them. I never count stairs elsewhere.
Yes, I am a counter. Having divided french panes in my windows is hard, I find I also count by two and threes as so on. I count steps from time to time, and I have counted my steps walking to and from work occasionally, I know how many steps per concrete square in the sidewalk. The old concrete is closer than the newer, it’s was a 2 1/2 mile walk to work! It tends to be a mindless thing I do while having other thoughts going on at he same time. It’s more of a rhythmic thing. I found it came in handy while teaching special ed. with young children learning how to count. I usually made a game of it with the kids. I would miss count and see if they caught it. Never counted letters per words or stripes on the road, I don’t have the need to touch things a number of times.
April, I don’t (can’t?) think about other stuff when I’m counting. Maybe not smart enough…
Have you counters watched “Monk” on Netflix? I love it because he makes this counter feel so much more normal!
Burrdoo, I haven’t watched it. Maybe I should.
Yes, in childhood…noting cracks in sidewalks, so I wouldn’t break my mother’s back. And pattern repeats, say on wallpaper or vinyl flooring. I’m slightly OCD, do things like straightening an untidy stack of books or papers. Born this way. Hahah.
“Born this way. Hahah.”
Susan, maybe we can blame it on genetics. And our ancestors. 🙂
I can’t count the number of times I’ve caught myself counting. I mostly find myself doing it for repetitious tasks and often serves no purpose but I find myself doing it without thinking about it. I don’t count objects or things like birds at my feeder unless it’s a deliberate action where I really want to know the answer. Good to know I’m not alone in this.
“I can’t count the number of times I’ve caught myself counting.”
Now that made me chuckle.
Umm, nope. 🤠
👍
I’m fascinated by the tin pie-safe panels. Did you draw the pattern on each panel, and then punch, or were you free-handing the punches/slits? I can see that counting there would be very important. They are beautifully all alike. Did you make mistakes, or were you just VERY careful with each punch?
The precision work reminds me of my husband (a theatrical set designer) when he’d be making a little 1/2″ scale model of a set, very carefully cutting out the mortar lines on the paperboard to make a brick wall, very sharp X-acto blades and sore hands, but what a beautiful brick wall in the end!
You asked some insightful questions, Carolyn.
I had paper patterns with marks where I was supposed to punch with each type of tool. I just taped the paper over the tin and punched through the paper.
As you suggested, it was very precise work so I had to be extremely careful. A single mistake and I had to throw away that tin panel and start over with a new one. Mistakes couldn’t be corrected.
If I remember correctly I only made one mistake so I only had to throw away one tin panel.
Yep. I am also a counter. Maybe genetic? Although I’m not aware of any family members with the tendency. I will also look for sequences or patterns of numbers in license plates. Not that I think it means anything.
Brett, I’m not aware of any of my family members who do it either. But then I’ve never asked.
So, Ron, do you have the number of punches in your pie safe panels, stored permanently in your brain? I do some counting…exercise reps, & idly find myself counting…cars, telephone poles while riding in a car…
“do you have the number of punches in your pie safe panels stored permanently in your brain?”
No Barbara. It’s been years since I built the pie safe. I had to count them again for this post.
It’s like Mr. Deeds said, “everybody does silly things to help them think.”
And I for one, appreciate such little idiosyncrasies that make who we are, who we are. 🙂
I’ll just leave Gary Cooper’s monologue and a link to the clip below if anyone’s interested. Who knows, you may wind up wanting to watch the whole movie.
“About my playing the tuba. Seems like a lot of fuss has been made about that. If, if a man’s crazy just because he plays the tuba, then somebody’d better look into it, because there are a lot of tuba players running around loose. ‘Course, I don’t see any harm in it. I play mine whenever I want to concentrate. That may sound funny to some people, but everybody does something silly when they’re thinking… Everybody does something different: some people are, are ear-pullers; some are nail-biters; that, uh, Mr. Semple over there is a nose-twitcher…
So you see, everybody does silly things to help them think. Well, I play the tuba.”
-Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
I got a kick out of the clip, Amy. Although I’m not sure I count to help me think. Actually, it’s more like it keeps me from thinking.
Very interesting. I am thinking hard, but do not think I count anything. As far as I can recall I do not count things. Now you will have me thinking every time I do something. Love that furniture that we have seen before. I bought a copy of your Magpie for my wife and still have it.
Borrowing from Diane’s clever line, I will say count me out. 🙂
Thanks, Everett. Good to know you still have that print.
There were 276 holes in the ceiling panels in school. I count everything! Especially birds! It’s a form of being in control of my life.
“There were 276 holes in the ceiling panels in school.”
That’s impressive, Beth. Without question you have much better eyesight than I do.
HMMMMM! Sometimes I do it with food. Weird thing is counting off the reps in an exercise even tho I not doing it at the moment. 😉 Never really thought about it tho guess I will be now!
Judy, until your comment I forgot about all the counting I did when I was doing PT for my back. At least that was necessary because I was supposed to count the reps.
“I’m a counter, too!“ All the time!!!
One example: We 2 huge walnut trees in our yard and this time of year I am picking them up to deliver out to the country to feed the critters over winter (so I can mow the yard) & I am counting each walnut as I pick them up and put into buckets. 56 in the last bucket!!!
CJ, you have your work cut out for you – especially if it’s a big tree.
With my bad back I’m envious of your apparent ability to bend over that much, and that often, without any pain or trouble.
I am a bit of a counter (and a lister, does that count?). On a difficult-for-me walk, I will often count my steps 1 through 10 and then repeat. Sometimes I count the number of steps in a flight of stairs, dishes on a shelf, and pieces in a quilt top I am working on. Never thought of it as a ‘disorder’ before but more as a way of controlling chaos, seeing patterns, or getting through some activity. (Why did I just suddenly think of Lawrence Welk? lol)
“more as a way of controlling chaos”
I like that perspective, Nancy. Whether it’s valid or not.
Because my folks were fans and because as a kid we lived very close to his ‘ranch’ just outside of Escondido, CA, I got way too much of Lawrence Welk during my preteen years. “A one and a two”… 🙂
Very rarely. I had no idea it was a thing. I’ll have to ask my people if they do, but I’m guessing not. Judging by the feedback, it seems to be related to whether a hobby or occupation causes it to become habitual. I’d be interested to know if your readers, or you, remember doing it in childhood.
Cheryl, I can’t remember when I started doing it. Maybe I’ve always done it. See Carel’s comment below.
Too funny!! Am not Team Counter – and must admit am happy about that. 🙂
Kathleen, you’re not missing anything positive. Or particularly productive, although occasionally it can be helpful.
Two darned funny! I live near BNSF railroad tracks, and they are very busy. There is a certain signal that says that they are nearing an intersection with human traffic. The signal itself is fake. I mentioned the number of seconds in each of the four segments of the signal to our new neighbors, and I mentioned how many seconds are in each segment. To my total amazement, my neighbor said, “I’m a counter, too!“ I had never really thought about it nor given it a name. But it was an instant bond between us. Oh, and those nature sounds that are supposed to put you to sleep? They don’t work for me, because I am trying to figure out the pattern. I’m happy to know there are others in this world! 🤣 Thanks, Ron.
“those nature sounds that are supposed to put you to sleep? They don’t work for me”
Me either, Ellen. I use a ‘noise machine’ to help me fall asleep. It has settings for rain, summer night, brook, ocean and thunder but all those just keep me awake. The only one that works for me is white noise.
The same here. Find the pattern. I am a weaver so the counting can help there if I remember to count the right action!
Never did i ever think my post on this subject would reveal so many counters! I like the bits about shotgun blasts and camera clicks. During duck season, I’ll hear that first shot then almost lean forward anticipating two more, to be followed by my own comment of “ya got to lead ’em!” And with camera bursts, I’ll count someone else’s, but never my own. Odd.
Odd indeed. I don’t think I ever count bursts from other photographers.
I’m also surprised by how many folks do the same thing, or something similar.
Thanks for the inspiration for this post, Wayne.
Wow, I never thought about it but I too count utility poles, slicing different foods. Its almost subconsciously, brush strokes, floor tiles, and I have always done it. Maybe it started with counting stitches when I crochet. I don’t consciously make a decision to count something, I just suddenly find myself doing it. Glad to know there are “others”.
“I have always done it.”
Connie, I’ve been trying to remember when I started doing it but it escapes me. So maybe I’ve been doing it from the get-go.
I did all of that OCD arithmomania stuff as a kid, but most of those behaviors dissolved away by the time I was old enough to buy beer. I think that’s pretty common. These days they only seem to appear when I’m sawing things by hand, then I always find myself counting the strokes.
Interesting, Carel. With you I thought maybe repeated brush strokes while you’re working on your paintings might trigger counting. Apparently not.
Oh yes! I do this alll the time. Was just sharing the habit with another friend who does the same thing. Seems to be mainly when I am chopping something or doing something else repetitive as you describe . Occasionally with visually repetitive but mainly with physical activity.
Another one! Thanks for the feedback, Catherine. With me it’s rarely visual, if ever. But actions or sounds are another matter.
Sometimes. But I do it so subconsciously, I do not recall how often and in what cases.
Michael, sounds like you have it in mild form, if at all.
“Count” me in, Ron. I occasionally catch myself counting and wonder why I’m doing it. I count birds, utility poles, passing cars at an intersection, passing train cars, clean dishes being removed from the dishwasher,and stairs. Nice to know I’m in good company!
““Count” me in, Ron.”
That brought a smile, Diane.
I wish you’d never told me about counting utility poles. Now, that’ll probably be my next useless trick…