Your Fears

[38supPat]

- Big spiders (small ones up to 2" don't bother me)

- Sharks (actually, that's one of those phobias I can invoke by thinking about it too much. I won't go near dark water when I think of Jaws)

- Saw a documentairy once about the African naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber). They have a queen that breeds underground. She swells up (up to the point where the skin almost becomes transparant) and gives birth to about 25 little ones. That really gave me the willies

- Saw another documentairy about Surinam toads (Pipa pipa) (yes, I really like wildlife documentairies ) After mating the female toad will carry the eggs IN her back (yes under the skin)

I'll quote some stuff I found on the net:

"Amplexus takes place over a period of days (the exact period varies). Afterwards the eggs sink gradually into the female's back, and the skin pad solidifies to a kind of stiff crust with "windows" over the eggs.

The developed froglets are visible inside their pockets for several days before hatching. They emerge over a period of days, thrusting their head and forelegs out first, then struggling free."

Soooo, what are my phobias? Mostly gross stuff combined with small animals

I think your phobia is watching the nature channel alone

[Duane Thomas]

I loved the episode of Barney Miller where they stop the paranoid gun nut who's got, like, 30 guns in his car because he doesn't feel secure otherwise. The only one not with him, he explains, is the stainless steel shotgun he keeps in his shower. Barney asks him, "Sir....why do you have a stainless steel shotgun mounted in your shower?" The guy replies, "You're kidding me....you never saw Psycho?"

[Lee Dimaculangan]

CLOWNS CLOWNS CLOWNS I HATE CLOWNS!!!

[mcoliver]

Hmmm, a four-page thread about fears and I couldn't find a single post of rhino and weak pants..?

[Kyle Norris]

Real fears, getting seriously burned, seen it, not pretty at all.

Completely irrational, off the wall fears. Any kind of snake, venomous or non venoumous, doesn't matter. I HATE the things with a severe passion. Will not get with in 20 feet, hell, 20 miles of one if I have the choice. I mean come on, even the Bible says there evil. What more do you need?

[Flexmoney]

Keep these coming...I'm getting stage design ideas.

[ErikW]

Steve Anderson, now that's what I'm talking about.

I'm afraid to answer the phone. I may be getting over it.

[EricW]

Real fears, getting seriously burned, seen it, not pretty at all.

Man, just thinking about that makes my skin crawl. I used to have to visit die-casting plants. No place to be if getting burned freaks you out like it freaks me out. Getting maimed was just part of the job description. Missing fingers were not uncommon. Everybody had huge scars from major burns.

How?

We're talking about seriously inbred hillbillies wildly driving forklifts 20mph through the middle of plant, not two feet away from people, with a glowing 55 gallon vat of molten aluminum dangling off the forks - splashing the crap EVERYWHERE. They'd also use the forklift to pour the aluminum into the machines. About as often as not, they'd miss the crucible and light half the plant on fire.

I'd just tell them that if and when they put the fire out, they could come get me - I'd be out in the parking lot, or the next county if it was a magnesium plant.

Then there was the time some old coot walked in the office up to where we were working, and peeled a large bandage off the back of his hand and said,

"Lookie there Cooter!"

He'd managed to make brief contact with a something that was 1200F. The back of the guy's hand was just raw meat and tendons. The skin was either gone of totally charred. All the nerves were destroyed, so he couldn't feel a thing. Neat-o.

(Shudder....)

[ErikW]

Last night on one of TLC's trauma shows, they had some kind of factory fire and explosion and brought in a bunch of burn victims to Vanderbilt in Nashville. It was horrible.

[Precision40]

I fear midgets and men in thongs. A man-midget in a thong is the worst

[AikiDale]

Fear is one's perception of the body's reaction to an hormonal dump resulting from a decision to flee a percieved threat. Being in possession of almost enough firearms, several edged and blunt weapons, a 160 pound dog and lacking the stamina to run much farther than the next shooting box I no longer can afford the luxury of fear and go right to angry.

[rhino]

Hmmm, a four-page thread about fears and I couldn't find a single post of rhino and weak pants..?

I, uh ... don't know what you're, um ... talking about.

[Jake Di Vita]

Everyone remember this....Fear is meant only to warn us danger. Not to make us afraid of it.

[SiG Lady]

And so what was that the man said...?... "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."...........

[TRNinTX]

Irrational - Ghosts! I believe that supernatural spirits exist, and I don't care if they are good or bad, I get the "willies" just thinking about it. After watching Amityville Horror I was scared for a long time.

Rational - Screwing up my knee again. After missing the end of the season last year, two surgeries and much pain I am scared to death of stepping in a hole and going lame again. The doc told me plan on having a replacement within the next five years.

[Sam]

I found out, quite by accident, that I don't fear dying. It was then that I realized that the big test in life doesn't come at the end of the lesson.

It's failing to live with the clear purpose and intent that God created me for that scares the hell out of me. This is my life!!! I only get one shot at this! This is my great big all encompassing fear. (All my other little fears are just a sub-set of this.)

Today, what will I do with the statement, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full"?

Compare that with being shot, stabbed, drown, burned, or run over by a clown wearing a g-string bikini, driving a beer truck and the latter stuff doesn't even come close.

[Skywalker]

Irrational - Ghosts!  I believe that supernatural spirits exist, and I don't care if they are good or bad, I get the "willies" just thinking about it.  After watching Amityville Horror I was scared for a long time.

Being the perfectly rational man that I am, I can say that I still have to meet a ghost that doesn't vanish when staring at the muzzle of a loaded .45 ...

[Nik Habicht]

It's failing to live with the clear purpose and intent that God created me for that scares the hell out of me. This is my life!!! I only get one shot at this! This is my great big all encompassing fear.

When I had a similar realization a few years ago, I found it incredibly freeing. Life's too short to try to live up to other's expectations. Life's too short to postpone all your dreams and desires til you retire. (Spend enough time in EMS and you realize that some folks don't live to retirement age --- and you could be them, so quit squandering the days...)

These days I'm less concerned with where my career is going and more concerned with being a better husband, parent, son, brother and friend. Oddly enough --- my work has never been better, even when I was stressing and obsessing and working a whole lot harder at it.

[ErikW]

Gonna give this thread a bump because I ran into it while searching and I think it's cool.

Any progress on the shower curtains, Mr. Anderson?

I don't get the heeby-jeebies in supermarkets anymore, I can even survive Costco, but I still have a thing about answering the phone.

[G-ManBart]

What unusual or irrational fears or phobias do you have?

Sand traps (kidding)

[Nemo]

Not irrational, but I fear that someone may try to inflict harm upon my family and me not been there to protect them.

Also, although done it many times I still get that feeling of a current up and down my spine when I'm underwater at night.

[Nik Habicht]

What unusual or irrational fears or phobias do you have?

Sand traps (kidding)

Fell into one, while photographing a foursome including our editor and publisher, dumping about $5000 of camera equipment in the sand. They never blinked at the repair bill.....

[Gameplayer]

What unusual or irrational fears or phobias do you have?

Living with social anxiety for the rest of my life.

[waxman]

Being burried alive. Ever seen Kill Bill vol2, I believe? OMG,

Spiders are right up there. Ever see the Fear factor where they eat African cave dwelling spiders for a chance to win a car? I had to force myself to watch it, really made me uncomfortable.

[G-ManBart]

What unusual or irrational fears or phobias do you have?

Sand traps (kidding)

Fell into one, while photographing a foursome including our editor and publisher, dumping about $5000 of camera equipment in the sand. They never blinked at the repair bill.....

Honestly, my sand play has always been pretty good and there are times when it's a smart play to intentionally put one in a bunker....when I was down to a 6-7 there were times I'd play 18, spend an hour in a practice bunker, have lunch, spend an hour chipping and putting and then go walk another 18. Do that enough and your short game gets WAY better!

Back to the fear topic. I've always been a gearhead, restored a few cars, built plenty of engines, etc. I still don't like being under a car that's jacked up, even with good jack stands under it. I guess the thought of having the car fall on me, getting trapped and having no way to get help gets to me even after years of practice.