The real challenge here is the FIVE

I think I saw this on Bone's Blog, and as I am running low on topics (already), I decided to steal this idea. The idea is to write 5 quirky things about yourself. This is no problem for me, since I am a ball of quirks and neuroses.

1. I'm afraid of dark and silence. I sleep with my blinds open just enough so that, if I wake up during the night, there isn't even one moment of darkness. This is a HUGE step up from the days when I slept with the closet ajar with the light on inside of it, which was also a huge step up from the days when I insisted my sister sleep in the same bed with me, even though we each had our own room. I also often fall asleep with NPR on because they play great jazz music at night. And on days when I don't have work the next morning, I sleep on the couch with the TV on.
2. I have the tastebuds of a 7-year-old girl. I haven't tried a new food item since trying guacamole 7 years ago. I've had people offer me cash to try different types of food, and it only strengthens my resolve to turn them down. I can't understand why people take it so personally when I refuse to eat the things they eat. Can anyone explain this to me?
3. When I brush my teeth, I tilt my head- first to the left, then to the right.
4. There's a game called Perudo. I don't feel like explaining the rules of this (drinking) game, but it involves shaking dice around in a cup. And, here's the quirk-- for my money, there is NOTHING cuter than dice bouncing around in a plastic cup. Especially if they are red dice in a black cup or vice versa. Try it; you won't regret it.
5. When I'm stressed out, I like to have someone hold my forehead, creating pressure there, otherwise I won't fall asleep because my crinkled brow (my "worried face") will keep me up all night. When I was with my ex, he used to have to do this all the time, bless his heart. Now that I sleep alone most of the time, I've taken to putting my Ugly Doll, Zero, on my head and holding it there to create pressure. This, needless to say, is a paltry substitute for a warm human hand, but it gets the job done on most days.

Let's not stop there. Honorable mentions go to:
6. I'm terrified of open spaces- lakes, big houses, the ocean (the worst), cornfields, and if I'm all alone, I can't even be in a large ballroom or pool without having a panic attack. Some SUVs even frighten me a little (I'm kind of exaggerating on that last one but I was once in a Ford Excursion all alone and I had to do breathing exercises to calm down)
7. I have Wes Craven style nightmares on a regular basis that involve me being raped, attacked or chased, often by really old wrinkly men. I've gotten so used to it, that I wake up sweating and screaming only half the time.
8. I've been pulled over 12 times (read: I'm a really dangerous driver)
9. I have a considerable weakness for men in uniform, particularly Chicago police officers (see #8)
10.I'm a NeverNude