Things that Scare Me

Or: The best way to watch Shiying Cry

!) Heights
Well, there's not too much to say about this one, since it's pretty common. But I do have a story to prove it.

Summer of 2004(?), I was at YMCA camp. On this particular day, we were doing the high ropes. In my naive 11 year old mind, the ropes didn't look that bad (always famous last words...). So I harness up, clip myself to the safety rope stuff, and wait eagerly for my turn.

As I start climbing, I realize exactly how tall the pole is, but not overtly worried. Half way up the pole, I'm feeling a little anxious about reaching up for the next grab, for fear of falling. So, naturally, to assure myself, I look down. And then it all goes downhill. Immediately, I cling to the pole and refuse to move. Unfortunately, the only way for me to get off was to move to the middle of the ropes. All the way up.

Anyway, since I'm not on the pole anymore, I think you can figure out how this ended.

This is going to be a problem when I complete number 19 on my list...

?) Fish
Or more specifically, being in the same water as fish. I can't point out what exactly alarms me about fish... Something about their unblinking eyes, slimy skin, the constant threat of them biting off my toes, and such just terrifies me. Snorkeling in Cuba: A bad idea.

$) Things Swimming at me
Only made worse when it is a fish that is swimming at me. I get really nervous when I can see something swimming directly towards me. I almost punched some kid in the head once because he was swimming towards me... in a public pool.

&) Umbrellas
I always get anxious around umbrellas.. They could poke you in the eye, or things could start falling out of the sky and you wouldn't see until it went through the umbrella and struck you in the head, or you could get your thumb caught in it while trying to close it.

^) The Dark
Shut up. I don't like walking alone in the dark. But when I'm talking about the dark, I mean the real dark, not streets lit up by street lamps at night.

|) Dinosaurs
This all started with Jurassic Park, made worse by the robotic dinosaur park, and worse by that dream I had of dinosaurs eating my family, and worse by the most recent dream: Dinosaurs controlled by Radioshack. Sure, they might be extinct, but they live on in my dreams... and that's all that matters.

~) Feet.
Feet are awful, awful things. Foot massages are not sexy.

Don't ask me why I didn't number these with numbers. I don't know either.