jamesq | The Joy of OCD

Sometimes it's nice to have something to obsess over. Not in a creepy-stalker sort of way I mean. No, I mean having a new project that I can mull over, daydream about and basically use to take the racing of my mind and tone it down to a gentle idling.

I play RPGs and one of the things I do with my RPG books has nothing to do with playing the game. I'll read them with breathless anticipation, examining all the crunchy bits (advantages/powers/skills/etc. - basically anything in the game that makes you more capable) and plan my next dozen or so "purchases". Most of the time, the game never goes far enough to do any of that sort of thing, and other times I'll make snap decisions about what to buy. But making the character better is not the point. The point is to think about making the character better.

I think I get more total hours of enjoyment out of that then I do actually playing the games. It's one of the reasons i've avoided World of Warcraft and it's ilk - I'd be sucked in to the exclusion of all else (and the last thing I need is an excuse to hermit).

I have other mulling obsessions - my continued fantasies about the lottery fall into the same category. The only difference between that and an RPG is the fact that the potential crunchy bits (wealth and all I can do with it) are more realistic, yet less likely. I buy the lottery tickets so that I can have the fantasies. The microscopic odds of winning are just icing on the cake.

I also get obsessive about new projects. Recent past projects include converting all my DVDs to thinner cases, or rebuilding obsolete computers. It's not the same as winning the lottery, but they can be fun. The downside is that when I quit, the momentum vanishes. For example, I have about a dozen or so DVDs that need case conversions, but I just don't feel like doing it. Same with the computers - about a week of work would clean my office out, but I just haven't been motivated.

I get obsessed with people. I know this is potentially unhealthy and I take efforts to combat it. The trick here is to recognize that what I'm obsessing over is the idea of the person and not the person themselves. The solution is to get to know the person. Otherwise I start to invent elaborate back-stories for a person I don't know, that have no basis in reality. A person I know is real and I can have real feelings for them. It's the difference between infatuation and love. I've been infatuated with countless women, but I've only been in love with a few.

Still, it's fun to be infatuated, if only for a little while. Sadly I have no targets right now.

What I do have is a short project -

kermie_canada and

spookiemonkie's upcoming wedding. I don't mean planning their wedding (it's not really my place, despite being in the wedding party), I mean planning my trip to the wedding. I've booked two weeks off so I'll be there the week before and after. I'll be driving, and probably taking

hadriel as well. I have a little chart at work with all the key dates marked on it, and I'm feverishly arranging and rearranging the details of my activities and side-trips. I'll be spending at least a few days in Victoria and Seattle as well as the main location of Greater Vancouver. I'm checking event listings and pricing out hotels. I'm also looking for other companions so if you want to spend a few days in Van, Seattle or Victoria, let me know.

Don't worry, I'm not always like this - my last trip to Vancouver was spur of the moment, and quite fun. This next one will fun as well, just with more planning. This way I get to enjoy the idea of the trip as well as the trip itself.

I know I'm not really OCD because, if the trip doesn't go according to plan, I'll just work around it and still enjoy it.