Driving. I hate driving. I’m terrified of having an accident, something going wrong with the car - I just hate it.
I’ve got my [concert|theater|ballgame] tickets with me. Yes, I’m sure I’ve got my tickets with me; I remember putting them in my wallet|pocket. Well, I better check, just in case. Yep, I knew I had my tickets with me. Wait, did I just check to see if I had my tickets with me, or was I only thinking about checking? I’m pretty sure I just checked, but I’ll check again. Yep, I knew I had my tickets with me. Wait, when I took out my tickets to make sure I had them with me, did I put them back? What did I do with my tickets after I checked to make sure I had them with me? Eh, I’m sure I put them back and still have them with me. Argh, I better check. Yep, I was sure I still had them with me. Wait, when I just…
People standing behind me. DON’T STAND BEHIND ME.
When I was in college, my boyfriend invited me on a fraternity picnic. I agreed to make coleslaw. I was in the kitchen cutting up cabbage when he came to pick me up. My sister saw him and let him in, so he didn’t knock on the door. Consequently, I didn’t know he was there. He came in the kitchen and walked up behind me, and put his hands on my waist. I damn near cut my finger off. I still have the scar. Do not stand behind me when I am cutting something, when I am taking a pan out of the oven, when I am stirring something on the stove. Do not stand behind me when I am working on the computer or ironing.
This knife is sharp, dammit. What do you think is going to happen?
That if I go into a malaria area, I will get malaria. Every geologist I know who did exploration in Africa caught it. Every last one. Makes me happy I switched to development.
Also, bears. Not that there are any here, but I’ve met 2 geologists who’ve survived bear attacks, in Canada and Alaska.
Basically, some critters are just out to get me, and mine.
What you need is Jack
Falling down stairs. I have to hold the railing and go slowly. I have visions of myself tumbling down stairs and dying horribly with broken limbs.
I’ve never actually fallen down a set of stairs, but still I can’t shake the fear that it is inevitable.
My husband laughs at me when I sloooowly go down stairs and he practically leaps down them. He’s not the one cursed to die from a stair accident!
Oh, I know it’s not illogical. I indirectly know two people who died in a dryer fire recently (two members of the spouse’s former WoW guild–I didn’t know them, but he did. This happened only two or three months ago).
My dryer is less than a year old. Our venting is a tiny bit wonky, though–we have to use the Mylar-style vent hose because there isn’t space in our laundry room for the metal one, and our (metal) vent pipe stretches about 15 feet before it gets out of the house. The risk is very small, but it doesn’t matter–no running dryers when nobody’s home is about the only rule I absolutely insist on enforcing in our house.
Ah…one other similar one (and another serious paranoia source): candles. No candles allowed either. If there is a lit candle in the house, it will get knocked over. I just know it will. I’m not the most dextrous person in the world, and we have five cats. Nuff said. My mom has a tradition where she lights a bayberry candle on Christmas Eve and lets it burn down (it’s supposed to be good luck if it burns all the way down: “Bayberry candle burned to the socket/Brings you good luck and gold in your pocket”)–when I visited her for the holidays, I got nervous every time she did it and didn’t sleep well until I ventured out to make sure it had, in fact, burned out.
Elysium, I am afraid of falling too - but I when I was a baby I rolled off a changing table and broke my leg - I think subconsciously it’s still messing me up.
Missed the edit window, durnit:
Actually thought of one more (I guess I’m more paranoid than I thought): I’m very scared of subway/light rail platforms–as in, standing too close to them. The spouse doesn’t share my fear, so I always have to coax him back and ask him to stand with me to make sure he doesn’t get too close. I’ve heard stories of crazy people pushing people in front of trains, and I want to have at least a fighting chance if it happens (or if I trip–that could happen too).
Elections…