Don’t feel alone Velma my girlfriend is terrified of ET. Found that out when I suggested we go see the re-release…regretted that idea.
I used to have a related fear. I was absolutely terrified I would be abducted by aliens. Once I read that they could come through mirrors and for months I wouldn’t stay in any room with one in it for more then a few moments by myself. Also used to barricade my close door so they couldn’t get in that way. Then I read a web page that listed the signs that you were abducted without your knowledge. When I had about half of them I had trouble sleeping for months.
Thank goodness I’m over it now, but I still can’t sleep with my closet door open.
Both when flying and when driving, I constantly worry about possible mechanical problems and I notice every change in sound and smell. But I also know that if my Pontiac craps out on the highway, I can pull over and call AAA. Not so in an airplane. I can’t stop myself from thinking about mechanical problems in general, and the thoughts that go along with that in airplanes are much more unpleasant.
Andrew, imagine being scared of plane noises and sitting next to your husband (on the plane) who is an aircraft mechanic that thinks he needs to tell you what all of the noises are. He also feels the need to tell me when the pilot is landing too hard or going to fast when attempting to land etc it’s enough to make me wanna puke.
Also, several years ago I was in a car accident caused by a large truck driving past me on a mountain pass and throwing mud all over my windshield and when I tried to wash it off (while driving 60 miles an hour) the whole mess froze and I instantly couldn’t see. Now my windshield has to be spotless. There was also the concrete temporary walls all around where I had the accident and those freak me out now.
I also hate driving over suspension bridges or any bridge over a large body of water. I used to have to drive regularly on the San Mateo Bridge in Northern California between Hayward and San Mateo and it goes over the Bay and I was always afraid that either there would be an earthquake when I was driving over it or that I would be in an accident and my car would be thrown over into the water. This bridge also had the east bound - west bound lanes divided by the stupid temporary cement wall things. I could have easily used Prozac or any tranquilizer when having to drive across that bridge. I always thought in my head “if my passengers had any clue at how freaked out I am about having to drive on this bridge, they would not be riding with me. I wonder if they can tell that I have a death grip on the steering wheel?”
To me the only good spider is a DEAD spider,
and beleve me, here in Brazil we got spiders
that can kill OUT THE WAZOO!
I always HATED them, and I think they somehow know this because i’m forever walking through there
icky webs, or finding them strange in places waithing to BITE me -YEEEESCH-
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I’m sorry, you are missinformed, check out This Thread :eek:
Yes! I am not alone! cbtcad you have made my day. And to think, your first post …and it brought me the vindication I have searched for all these years.
I believe there are spiders than can be dangerous. However, in spite of your claim that those in Brazil are particularly heinous they don’t seem to affect the population all that greatly. I suspect that in Bazil as in the US, the most dangerous creatures are those behind the wheel of an automobile. Now that is something to really fear.
The SDMB is good, but not perfect. And some of the posters are not only not perfect but aren’t even very good. Here is what UC Davis says about Camel Spiders: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7495.html
Here is an excerpt from the UC Davis site: “Although fearsome in appearance,windscorpions are harmless to people.”
We have them around here and I can’t testify that they are harmless. However, you have my permission to run and scream and be terrified if you desire when you see one.
In the words of the mayor’s daughter in The Music Man "Eeee gods!! The above should read “We have them around here and I can testify that they are harmless.”
And I previewed too. Some people are beyond all help.
OK, now that you guys have given me a serious case of the crawlies, here are mine. [Sigh!] and to think when I first looked in on this thread I was thinking I didn’t have any. Denial. It’s not just a river in Egypt!
[ul][li]Hurricanes Since Hurricane Iniki came along and left me pretty close to catatonic, this may not be completely irrational, but I still don’t like them, and don’t want to hear about them. It didn’t help that Iniki was about two weeks after Hurricane Andrew did a lot of damage to Florida. Fortunately, where I live now, hurricanes aren’t a real threat.[/li][li]Driving on snow This started two years ago when I hit a patch of ice with bald tires and skidded into a guard rail. I didn’t suffer any physical damage, and I have been able to make all my obligations, but I’ve spent a lot of time praying out loud, including asking God to make me rational![/li][li] Losing everything** After Iniki, it took a lot of work and two moves to get my life back together. I finally have a nice apartment, a good job, and friends who must be among the finest people in the world, not to mention a bunch of wonderful, crazy, Dopers to hang out with, and I’m afraid I’m going to do something to destroy it all. It’s not rational, and I’m a bit ashamed of it, but there it is. [/li][li]Going broke. When I was living in Hawaii, it was very much a paycheck-to-paycheck existence with no margin for error. I’m a lot better off now than I was then, but I’m still incredibly neurotic about money. Oh well, at least the 'Net is cheap, or fixed rate anyway.[/li][/ul]
That about covers it for me, oh, and Hawaiian Dopers, since the last 2 hurricanes to hit paradise were 1982 and 1992, between that and my money worries, maybe I’ll wait until next year before going back. Give the bell tower at St. Andrew’s a smile for me.
Hmmm. Better add one more major one and one more minor one.
Major Fear: Fear of Being Overcome by Fear It happened after Iniki. I don’t plan on it happening again, and I’ve been taking steps to prevent it, but I didn’t plan on it happening the first time either!
Minor Fear: Fear of Missing a Typo When Previewing I previewed that last post. I swear! :o
