Total Pageviews

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Is Typewriter Collecting a form of OCD?

 Hoarding may well be a sign of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
 Sandra makes a cup of tea

4 comments:

Ted said...

Heh, I've wondered about my own typewriter obsession, but I feel safe because I generally stick to the "only buy from thrifts" rule, and can usually keep the volume below 50 units owned at any given time.

But yeah, a couple days ago I picked up yet another un-needed SCM Galaxie just because it was in perfect condition and just $11. Compulsive? perhaps. But often I wonder if it's just the thrill of succeeding at the "hunt" that is compulsive, because often the kind of trophy bagged almost doesn't matter. (:

Richard P said...

Your coffee- and tea-making systems do sound rather OCD-ish.

Do you know this joke? "I don't have OCD, I have CDO." "What's that?" "OCD in proper alphabetical order."

There are degrees, obviously. You might be interested in David Sedaris' account of his OCD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZoPSjsWt_4

Anonymous said...

I've thought about this as well, especially the financial/floor space aspect of it. I keep thinking about Nicholas Cage in "Lord of War" when he tries to justify his arms trade to his wife: "Because I'm good at it." I never intended to buy 20+ machines when I started out, I just wanted something to type novels on. It seems I'm a big fan of choice...but I think it's not fair to call it OCD, more like unchecked passion or lack of self-discipline. I've had to curb my purchases until I get a few sold off, which has been painful at times.

Miguel Chávez said...

I think every type of collecting involves some kind of OCD, because, well, we collectors want to have as many (or all!) examples of the object of our passion as it's possible. Only thing is, it's quite difficult to have a complete collection of anything. And that's what makes collecting so frustrating, and so fun!

I too suffer from OCD when it comes to collecting stuff. But also when it comes to writing, sorting my cupboards, organizing my books neatly by size... you get it.

Right now my current obsessions involve turning my blog into an online museum of sorts. That means curating the e-collections and finish them before moving to a different subject... hence the latest surge in car brochures and LP record data sheets.