Embarrassing Interest/Obsession

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That sounds a lot more embarrassing than a vacuum cleaner.

Do you know the song "my ding-a-ling"? Here's Chuck Berry's rendition from 1972 http://youtu.be/UaEC-lWSlmI

That's kind of connected to an interest in ABDL I seem to have developed lately. There have been other adult things I've been interested in and haven't engaged in, that I wouldn't tell my most trusted friend about, but obviously those interests have faded for the time being. I do find the prospect of stepping into a role that is free from responsibilities, politics, stress and what-have-you quite appealing, and as a sort of do-over childhood. But for all I know, that interest may be gone in a week. I consider it weird in the sense that I would have thought that I would be exploring that subject long before now.

I could monologue on vacuum cleaners a bit myself though I haven't really been obsessed with them. All that's really required to know is that they are just pumps in reverse. In the case of a sump pump or bilge pump they combine both the suction and the pumping.

I wondered how sump pumps work. I actually like to take the cover off and watch ours when it rains.

I have a creepy obsession that people judge me as being a freak when they find out. Post mortem photography. Victorian era photographs of people who have died, usually little kids or babies. Sometimes they have eyes painted onto their closed lids to make them look like the eyes are open, sometimes they will be propped up onto a stand, they'll pose with family members. They're dead in the photo but they make it look like they're still alive. I find it very fascinating.

Oh, have you seen Joel-Peter Witkin's photography?

I haven't! I just googled him and am checking his photography out, looks awesome. Thanks!

I don't think that's a creepy obsession and I'd certainly never label you as a "freak" for enjoying it. Maybe because I have a slightly morbid aspect to my own personality. After all, I was really obsessed with Tim Burton movies for a couple of years.

I like seeing something I'm interested in pop up at unexpected times, and knowing that other people are at least somewhat interested in it.

When I was really into James Bond, I liked just hearing the words "James Bond."

Yeah, I was going to say there are worse obsessions than vacuum cleaners. I'm glad you posted an example so that I don't have to.

Well, I am obsessed with timbers and crossroads, but because of their shape. Many people think that "weird" obsessions are a thing related to AS, but no one really knows, and however it's not in the DSM, so, who cares?

It's fantastic reading about other people's obsessions/interests.

Do any of you have one that you don't want to have though? This is what I feel about the vacuum cleaner thing, that I can't see why it would be interesting, I don't know why I have it and I don't want to have it. It's like it just grew in my head or something. Is your interest kind of against your will in that way?

Rocks. My desk at work has a lot of weird rocks on it. I keep finding them and I am intensely curious to find out about them, but I don't have time to do it at work or the resources to do it at home. It drives me nuts!! Why can't I just ignore them, like everybody else does?

I'm obsessed about how things work. This applies to everyday things and also military technology and weapons all through history. It's not really weird, but it's not something average Joe wants to talk about.

Aaahh man that really sucks. get it? I am hilarious.

Anyway. just indulge your interest. Its the only way to get rid of it. Or don't try to get rid of it. Just be a vacuum expert. The world needs those too.

And you think that guy in the Dyson commercials isn't obsessed with vacuum cleaners? And he is worth millions.

I'm always obsessed, just the target varies. Most permanent kind of object of obsession for me seems to be catalogs and lists. The longer and more detailed they are the better they feel. Their content is almost irrelevant. What matters for me is the way they present information. You should see my collection of printouts that I have gathered over years from diverse sources on the net. I don't simply print them online, I save the HTML files, open them in Word, and edit them carefully to get rid of all unwanted garbage. (This is more effectively achieved by first editing the raw HTML file itself before opening it in Word.)

In the material world I'm interested in (= obsessed about) how things work, like Shyengineer above. Mechanical calculators and typewriters, sewing machines, old-school cameras… you name it. Any apparatus where metal meets metal. As for vacuum cleaners, they are nowadays made mostly of plastic, which I sneer at as building material. An old-time metal vacuum cleaner like Nilfisk would be warmly welcomed.