June 16, 2006

Parking Spot OCD

There's another more annoying person at work lately than the Sandal Lady: the person who took my parking spot, aka Spot Stealer.

I took an online test once to see if I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder. Basically, my results said that I'm just a little nutty when it comes to fringes and washing my hands, but I'm not OCD.

But I believe I do suffer from a condition I like to call Parking Spot OCD.

I have parked in the same parking spot here at work for nearly two years. Every morning, hopefully by 8:00 am, I pull into the parking lot while listening to some delightful music and expertly back my car into the furthest space, aka MY SPOT. There was always a parking space between me and the nearest car and since I was on the end, no one on my other side. It was beautiful and I specifically picked that space for that reason.

For two years, I have parked there. Then last week Spot Stealer parked in MY spot.

Okay, so there's no assigned parking spaces, but we all know by now who parks where and it's an unwritten rule that you park in your own spot and don't steal someone else's. I assumed it had to be a visitor to the building because, really, who would take my precious spot? Who would do such a thing?

The next day the freaking car was there again. I couldn't believe it. Now I knew it wasn't a visitor and that my spot had been claimed by another. I felt like a bird who had its nest stolen. I had nurtured and loved that spot and then it was ripped from my grasp. As I mentioned before, my as-yet-recognized Parking Spot OCD kicked in and I got really annoyed. Now I had to back into the spot that usually cushioned my car. Between two cars. Not in the right spot. Five feet away from MY spot. I was angry.

So I mentioned it to a woman at work who told me that the Spot Stealer just got her driver's license (even though she's probably, like, 30) and wanted a spot away from everyone else. (How nice! ME TOO!) So, of course, she thought she'd take MY spot. Oh, and Spot Stealer's husband is in intensive care. I'm not sure why that last piece of information was added, except maybe to diffuse my anger. It didn't work.

I still don't have my spot, although I did manage to steal it back yesterday when I got to work before Spot Stealer. So it seems that I either have to get to work 15 minutes early or deal with my Parking Spot OCD.

I guess I'll have to deal. But I won't like it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder if "Parking Spot OCD" really is an actual form of OCD, as I suffer from it too. I have, for the past FOUR years, parked in the same spot. And every time I find someone there (who works here too, and KNOWS it's MY SPOT - also not reserved/marked but still) I get really upset and I'm tempted to park right behind them and keep them from going anywhere.

But since it's not reserved parking spots, I have no foot to stand on. There ARE other available spots, and I just don't get why they always have to park in MY SPOT!!!!!!!!! I also suffer from Bipolar disorder, and consistency and routine are things that I need in order to avoid the onset of a manic episode. And when I find someone else in MY SPOT, I freak out and mania starts and I'm just super grumpy, irritable and just want to pick their car up, scrumble it like a piece of paper and toss it in the bin!!!!!

Landlordssuck said...

Omg!!..I can't leave the house in fear of losing my space!!.I have my car covered incase people think I'm ever going to move it to another place...I'm insane over that space..I quit a job to make sure I could continue to get it.

Anonymous said...

I have been parking in my spot for 7 years and we have a new person parking there. This person is really odd so they may be worse off than me. The person gets there at 7:00 and we don’t start work until 7:30. I just hope they quit soon. The division has a lot of turnover. It bothers me so bad I have cried. I feel like an idiot crying over it.