Axis Mundi X discussion

Nick has inspired me.

Give me your phobias, or the crazy ones of people you know.

See Nick's Midget thread for my friends LP phobia. But, her kid has one better...gum! Ever since she was little, 3-4, she has had this phobia of gum chewing. Apparently it is the most disgusting thing she can even imagine. My friend got to the point where she could hardly take Caitlin out in public. There they would be walking down an isle in the grocery story and Caitlin would see someone chewing gum, so she would puke...right there..."clean up on isle 6!"

Go on, you know you've got a good story for me in there somewhere!

I hate heights with a passion. I hate looking down from heights. I hate looking up at heights. Luckily I live in the midwest. Yay flatlands! However, when I was in Italy I discovered that many cathedrals are very tall. My palms sweated a lot. Ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you the floors of Italian cathedrals are very cool. "Open" heights, e.g. heights that I experience without thick sheets of glass between the heights and me, are the worst.

I don't like large, open bodies of water. Unfortunately I live within half a mile of Lake Michigan. I pretend it's not there.

Keo, I didn't know giant hairy desert scorpions existed, but now I'm afraid of them. Thanks a lot.

Oh! Alligators. I'm afraid of alligators.

I hate crowds, and crowded events. Sadly, this can include bookfairs. I can handle it for awhile, but then I need space and quiet time. And a book is good, too.

I found my limit a couple of years ago, when I went to the Guadalajara International Bookfair with my husband, who is a Spanish translator and interpreter. (I only have one year of college Spanish, enhanced by many years of French.)
Now, I love books, but these books were ALL IN SPANISH! (Duh, right?) And, oh, the people. Thousands and thousands of people, all speaking a mostly unintelligible language.

After a couple of hours of wading through all this, I felt just like those kids you see getting pulled out of malls bawling at the top of their lungs. I literally started sobbing, I was so mentally exhausted.

I bet you want to invite ME to your next big shindig, now!

I have been a 'lurker' of this group...but had to join to post on this one.Heights...number one, a step stool is as high as I go! secound? I'm with Kirsty...clowns! totally wig me out...I had a dream not to long ago that one was hiding in my house...with a knife...chased me around trying to kill me!!uuuggghhh.

I don't know if this counts...but I hate whistling!! go figure...

I am afraid of heights and suffer from claustrophobia. Which was not a good combination when we went up in the St. Louis Arch two years ago. My husband was convinced that I could handle it - be brave, overcome your fears, etc. Yeah. I think I'll stick with my fears on the ground!

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to go up in the Arch, you have to ride up to the top in this tiny capsule that should only hold four people, but they crammed seven of us in it. The ride takes about 5-7 minutes, I think. That is a LONG time for someone who is claustrophobic. At the top, the damn thing sways! And it is way up there in the sky.

I was up there for maybe two minutes before I went hysterical. Crying (loudly), whimpering, hyperventilating, and begging them to let me cut in the line to go back down. It was quite the scene - people that I didn't even know were patting me on the back and murmuring that I'd be okay if I just calmed down. Yeah, right.

My husband did apologize after we got on the ground. He felt horrible.

Other fears? Big masses of water (ocean, lakes, etc), drowning, ants, wolf spiders, and scorpions.

I forgot to mention that we when we got to the ground floor, I got down on my hands and knees and kissed the ground. Gross, yes, but I've never appreciated grass more than at that moment.

My sister in law has a fierce phobia of clowns. She still lives with my mother and father in law. A few years ago I and the misses flew home to Chicago. On our second day there my wife saw this 3 foot tall Clown doll at some stand at Navy pier. We couldn’t resist. The day at the Pier ended right then and there. (Even though we had only been there for about 10 min)

Karen (sister in law) is historically known as a late sleeper. I don’t think she has ever been out of bed before noon. Ever! So we posed the little clown next to her bed as she slept. Even taped a knife to one of its hands. With an ingenious idea to use her cell phone to wake her up, we had her screaming bloody murder within 10 min of getting to the in law castle.

Poor Karen. I sometimes feel real bad for her, we all pick on her, she is the baby of the family and I think we have all scared her with our antics. But it was really funny. She had the mattress pulled up and all the blankets, it was hysterical. The best part, somebody wet the bed. }:-D pure gold, I think she still gets crap from that to this day.

Welcome to Axis Mundi, Kirsty and Tina! Don't be too honest with your phobias or we'll just use the information against you later:)

The arch sounds terrifying. No thank you. I noticed that Theresa and I share two phobias. We should avoid each other lest we freak the shit out of each other with our horror stories.

Anthony, have you ever had a near drowning?

That's why I don't like water.

Nick, that is so awesome! And mean! And genius!

(I loved the part about taping a knife to it.)

Metal Ladders... not heights, not wood ladders, metal ladders.

Square food... saltines, loaf bread, Wendy's burgers, etc.

That's a fair question. No, but I grew up swimming a lot...so I guess I was always aware of the possibility. Plus I live near a harbor on Lake Michigan, and that fear is always present.

I am an evil genius. Kristy Midgets will learn to fear me more then I fear them. I'm like a wild animal if I get cornered, and can not be held responsible for how I respond.

Wow, as if you all don't think I'm loony enough. Well, okay. Here we go, and I'm sure the mocking will commence soon.

Claustrophobia - I can handle elevators and stuff, but I can't stand driving in a lane next to those cement barrier things they put up when they're doing road work.

I'm not sure if my fear of crowds is Agoraphobia, Enochlophobia, Demophobia or Ochlophobia. I hate being in crowded places like Costco where people are going to run me over with their cart. This can happen in regular supermarkets if it's too crowded also, but Costco is the worst. I have panic attacks.

Alektorophobia - fear of chickens. When I was a toddler I was attacked by a rooster who'd gone insane. I later learned that roosters are mean SOBs who really do have a bird form of mental problems. I'm actually pretty wary of all birds, but big ones like chickens, turkeys, and peacocks are the worst. Plus, I think they're the ugliest things with their beaks and their claws and their beady little eyes and I can't talk about this anymore because my heart is racing and my palms are starting to sweat.

Hemaphobia - fear of blood. One of my worst fears is that I'll be the first on the scene of a really bad car accident. I was absent the day they showed Red Asphalt in Driver's Ed class. I also can't watch horror movies or really bloody action movies (watched half of Sweeney Todd through my fingers). One of my biggest concerns about motherhood is that my child will be injured in some serious way and I'll not only have to deal with that, but I'll have to see the blood. My fear of blood also leads me to...

Samhainophobia - fear of Halloween. When I was little I hated all the scary, bloody costumes and my mom even used to let me stay home from school on Halloween. Now as an adult Halloween doesn't really scare me, but it makes me a little nervous and uncomfortable and I've never really gotten into the whole thing.

I make Dr. Evil look like some weak comical characterization of evil genius.

Nick, you are a sick bastard.

KIRsty and Tina, welcome.

What is it about Costco that makes people insane with their carts? You have to be aware every second or you're dead. Shop at your own risk.

I know DMD. I have thought about seeking help... But what the hay love thy self.

Square food, Clackamas? Any particular reason?

I have a love/hate relationship with Costco. Mostly hate, but they have cheap books, so...

Sarah, I'm with you on the horror movies. My high school friends ragged me without mercy because I refused to go to the latest Jason/Freddy flicks. I simply find no enjoyment in being frightened.

I also get edgy about random violence, something that got worse for me after getting held up at gunpoint at a gas station.

And I really, REALLY don't like extremely large insects and spiders. I keep a special hand vacuum in the house to suck up the ones that wander into my house.

Golly, ya'll make me feel so healthy here.

Although I think I'm gaining a very strong fear of Nick right now.

Eh. Probably also healthy, in the long run, I'm guessing.

Nick, that is hysterical! Though, it maybe should go under your "things you laugh at but really shouldn't" thread! (I would have helped by the way)

I am afraid of heights actually, so many people are. But, it is to the point that, while in New York with a group, I spent over an hour by myself walking around the Guinness Book of World Records Museum on the ground floor of the Empire State Building, because I refused to even go up the elevator. I'd seen movies...I knew what was up there! But, I have another fear that comes into play when you talk about going up things like church and/or castle towers and the like. Stairs! Now, I go up and down stairs fairly often, but there are certain criteria that must be met. a) handrail b) no spiral, pie shaped rubbish c) no worn, stone steps with dips in the middle. If any of a/b/c are not met, or the stairs are particularly steep, made of metal, concrete or stone, or they are just generally unfamiliar to me then this requires a whole new approach. I slow down to snail pace and go down them one at a time like a 2 year old! I'm serious, left then right, left then right...

I often have dreams that I fall down stairs, always head first. This is illogical I know, as one's immediate reaction is to sit down/lean back. Still, I am convinced that I am going to die by falling down some stairs.

Is that a phobia, or some kind of OCD?

I hate needles. I especially hate it when you are innocently watching the news, and they jump to a closeup of someone getting an injection. Gah! They ought to warn you first with a "Viewer's Advisory".

Ooh! I forgot about needles. I hate them too.

And I guess I'm mildly afraid of heights. I'm okay if my feet are planted on the ground, so observation decks of tall buildings are okay. But I don't like ladders or those skycar things they have at amusement parks or ferris wheels.

Steve, I just googled the London Eye and OH HELL NO! Never would I step foot in that "capsule"!

I'm right there with you on if I had been in it when it broke down. Shit, I would have clawed my way out. People would have been frightened of me. I'm vicious when scared.

I did go zip-lining while in Alaska last year. That was pretty awesome. However, all the acrobatic shit they make you do before you get to actually zip-line - nope. I was terrified.

On that same trip, I went up in the Space Needle in Seattle. I did really good for the most part - of course, I stayed right by the elevators and looked at the wall instead of the "view".

My husband wouldn't go outside at the Space Needle either. Even though it's all caged in an there's no way you could fall.

My Claustrophobia is only if I am in a position where I cannot move my arms and/or legs. Like, sleeping on the inside on a bed against the wall...can't do it! The other person has to take that side. I need at least a foot hanging out of the covers...just so I know I can get out.

A couple of weekends ago I woke up late on Saturday and had my FAT cat laying up against my stomach and my brother's dog laying against my back. My arms were under the covers, straight down at my sides. Now, my FAT cat (The Fat Man) is as big and heavy as the damn dog! So, I FREAK OUT! It was like The Hulk breaking out of a shed or something. Cat, Dog, blankets...everything went flying off the bed and I was wide awake and standing within about half a second...But, elevators, closets, my tiny shower, no problem.

Is that actual Claustrophobia or something else?

Yeah but Sarah, I understand. The whole building could crash to the ground while he's out there watching it happen. I'm that way. But I don't know if it's a phobia. I just don't go up on top of tall buildings. I don't live in a city, so no problem, right? :)

Riding in airplanes makes me cry and shake too. But I do it. So that's not really a phobia, is it?

Aw, I love it when my dog sleeps up against me. She's so snuggly. But, she's only one, and I do have an escape route out the other side. It cracks me up how litters of animals sleep all on top of each other.

I have a thing about having my bedroom on the second floor. After we bought our hose I knocked down the wall between my wife’s office and the third bedroom. We now have 2 master bedrooms. Much to the dismay of my father in law that freaked out because who is going to by a house with 2 master bedrooms? (Two bedrooms instead of three, we don’t have kids, we are not going to have kids so what the hell?) I apparently killed the value of my house. Screw you man I'm not sleeping up stairs. Besides my wife now has a great view from her office “up-stairs”, and the universe is set right.

Chickens. One of my first memories is of my grandmother yanking the head off one on her farm. I was totally unprepared for that. Then in summer it was my job to go into the coop and collect eggs. There were dozens of them and one of me, and I was convinced they would exact revenge.

Kirk, really?? You're afraid of chickens too?? Um, were we separated at birth? Because this is starting to get freaky.

Tracy, Mornin! Happy to be of service!!

I am thinking that the Claustro one may stem from my (4 years) older sister's practice of sitting on me and pinning my arms with her knees and then tickling me until I either puked or cried hard enough to suit her sadism...and she wonders why I don't look back on my childhood and think of her fondly...bitch!

Steve, yep, stairs. You know Warwick Castle right? Well, you know how you can go up those spirally stairs to walk around the outer wall? Well, my first trip there in 1990 I made the mistake of going up. I was okay going up...I was even okay on the wall if I didn't get close to the edges. The stone parapet felt pretty secure. But, I couldn't' go down...literally couldn't. There were other people coming up the outside, and they expected me to go down the skinny end of the pie piece with no handrail and people shoving up the other side! What the hell? I sat up at the top until David got to the bottom and stopped the flow...then I walked down the fat side, gripping the handrail with both hands, one step at a time, Left...then right...then left...then right...

I have been to Warwick Castle more times than I can count. Every American that ever visited both times I lived there was taken to Warwick and Stratford. I never went up that bit again, or any other like it at any other castle, cathedral, church, museum...ANYWHERE!

Sarah, our mother must have had an extremely long delivery if we were separated at birth given that you're not even 30 and I'm ... well, never mind.

I think in another life we must have had some weird Middlesex thing going on. Only in that world we both actually finished the book :)

King, you are in rare form today. I love it.

Sarcasmo...

i used to date a guy who got freaked out by the thought of touching food with your hands. to the point where not only could he not handle touching his food, but if anybody in the vicinity got any food on their hands, it would gross him out to the point of losing his appetite. but he was kind of a jerk about it, so in return, i always suggested eating things like buffalo wings and pizza. now, i revel in licking my fingers and eating with my hands whenever possible.

as for myself, i have a weird fear of drowning. this includes having nightmares similar to the water tank scene in THE CELL and being afraid of swimming pools, all the way to an intense dislike of heavy rain. i also don't like creepy crawlies, but that's just because i've gotten my share of nasty spider and insect bites (including a brown recluse once). although i don't mind taratulas strangely; possibly because when i worked at the zoo one of the keepers convinced me to just think of them like conjoined kittens (furry and cute with 8 legs).

Wow.
I don't know that I have anything that qualifies as a full-blown phobia; I almost drowned once as a child but learned to scuba dive in college. I had guns pointed at me a handful of times before I was 21 (trigger pulled twice--no, I wasn't in the military and I wasn't robbing banks) and yet I like shooting. I think I have a healthy respect for gravity more than an actual fear of heights. I hate climbing up on rickety ladders; I think it's more the idea that I could lose my balance than anything else. The idea of being maimed or crippled screws with me more than dying. I'm probably going to test this theory soon, because I recently met someone who's a pretty serious climber and she's invited me to try the climbing wall at her gym....

Jackie, I'm responding to your question from hours ago. Sorry, I had to go to a meeting and actually do a few of the things they pay me for.

I don't know why I'm afraid of square food, but it's a big thing. I try to be polite when I'm around other people and confronted with it. Seriously though, my palms get sweaty, breath gets shallow, all that. I've learned to cut the corners off of sandwiches before I completely panic because somehow, the fact that it used to be square isn't as bothersome. I only used to be able to eat Ritz crackers, so was excited when Triscuit intruduced the triangular Thin Crisps.

A few years ago I was at a friend's house and he thought that my fear was so ridiculous that he gave me Cheerios in a square tupperware container for breakfast, "Now what are you going to do Clack? Is it a round food or a square food?"

Wow, a Cheerios dilemma. But who really wants to eat Cheerios, anyways?
I'll bet that friend wouldn't think it was so funny if you confronted him with one of HIS phobias!

Clack, that is one of the strangest phobias I've heard of. And I say that with all respect, because I hate it when people make fun of my chicken or shopping cart phobias. But I really wonder what the root of that square food thing is. Can you chew gum? Eat birthday cake?

My sister and I gave one of our little brothers a phobia about buttons when he was about three. We told him they were bugs who would bite him . We have pictorial proof of his fear...a first grade school photo in which he is crying to the point of slobbering and gagging because my mother made him wear a shirt with buttons for the pix. To this day, my brother will not wear button shirts...everything in his closet is a pullover. Ha! We were so mean...but it still makes us laugh.

My brother used to be afraid of blueberries.

boo berries!

It happened after he watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when he was little. For years and years he wouldn't go near blueberry anything. Not even cereal that had a picture of a blueberry on the box.

Brian, I just choked on my french bread!

"...crying to the point of slobbering and gagging..."

That line is so damn funny! My sister wasn't that clever. There were no brains involved, just beatings and ritual torture. If it had been in any way intelligent, I could have grown to respect it in hind sight. As it stands, she's still just a bitch!

I don't chew gum. When I did, it was only the round ones out of the penny gum machine. No birthday cake unless it's a round cake. I became a pie person instead of a cake person. Fortunately, it also kept me away from candy bars and cookies too. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies because they're all odd shapes. Lasagna is tough because I know that the noodles are square and people always cut it into squares. I chop it up and eat it like a casserole instead... I've managed to adapt pretty well.

It seems like I remember biting down on a saltine wrong when I was a little kid and stabbing the roof of my mouth with it... maybe this all stems from that.